Radioactive Waste Container L-Shaped Groove Cover Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current containers for radioactive waste, particularly spent fuel rods, require costly and labor-intensive welding processes for sealing and are difficult to reopen, leading to increased expenses and efforts, especially when national regulations necessitate the reopening of welds for storage or transfer.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a form-fitting connection between the cover and side wall without welds, utilizing interlocking formations such as projections and grooves, allowing for simple and cost-effective sealing and easy reopening, with a support basket for fuel elements and an optional secondary seal for enhanced security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If welds are used to connect the cover to the side wall for load-bearing purposes, then the mechanical strength and sealing reliability are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly due to inspection requirements and national regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the welding process from the connection between cover and side wall, replacing it with a mechanical interlocking system using cover-edge formations and side-wall formations. This eliminates the need for complex weld inspection while maintaining structural integrity and sealing reliability through the form-fitting mechanical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the welding mechanism (thermal/mechanical joining process) with a purely mechanical interlocking system using protrusions and grooves. This substitution eliminates the need for weld qualification processes and inspection while providing adequate load-bearing capacity through the distributed formation design.
2Reliability
If welds are used to seal the container, then the sealing function is ensured, but the effort and expense increase when welds must be reopened for storage or transfer operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection system into separate mechanical components (cover-edge formations and side-wall formations) that can be independently engaged and disengaged. This segmentation allows the container to be opened and closed repeatedly without damage, unlike welded connections which require cutting and re-welding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic mechanical connection system that transitions between locked (sealed) and unlocked (openable) states. The cover can be securely locked in place during transport and storage, then easily unlocked and removed when needed, providing both sealing reliability and operational flexibility.
3Strength
If multiple cover screws are used to dissipate inertial forces, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the device complexity and servicing effort increase due to the large number of screws required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple screws into a single integrated mechanical interlocking system. The cover-edge formations and side-wall formations work together as a unified load-bearing structure, distributing inertial forces across multiple contact points without requiring individual fastening elements like screws.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical formation system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides load-bearing capacity, sealing support, and positional alignment. This multi-functionality replaces the specialized role of multiple screws, reducing the number of components while maintaining or improving overall performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for holding radioactive waste has a side wall, a floor connected to a lower end of the side wall, and a cover. A set of side-wall formations is provided at an upper end of the side wall and on an inner surface of the side wall, and a set of cover-edge formations is distributed around an outer edge of the cover and fittable with the side-wall formations. Thus, as a result of the interfitting of cover-edge formations with the side-wall formations, the cover can be or is fixedly connected to the side wall without welds.