Apparatus and methods for storing hazardous materials by encasing same in a fusible metal alloy

    公开(公告)号:US12100526B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-09-24

    申请号:US17860775

    申请日:2022-07-08

    摘要: An apparatus is provided for storing hazardous waste material, which includes one or more of spent nuclear fuel, radioactive material, and fissionable material. The apparatus comprises a containment vessel that encloses the hazardous waste material. A fusible alloy material, for example, a eutectic material, resides within the containment vessel and surrounds the hazardous waste material. In the preferred embodiments, it is suggested that the fusible alloy material exhibits liquidus and solidus or melting temperatures that are between about 100 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit for facilities using the apparatus and methods for liquid storage pool loading applications. For facilities using the apparatus and methods for dry loading, the fusible alloy materials may exhibit liquidus and solidus or melting temperatures that are between about 100 and 650 degrees Fahrenheit. The fusible alloy material is introduced in a liquid phase and eventually solidifies into a solid phase as the temperature of the hazardous waste material and/or the local environment decreases.

    SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING RADIOACTOVE MATERIALS

    公开(公告)号:US20240087765A1

    公开(公告)日:2024-03-14

    申请号:US18465743

    申请日:2023-09-12

    发明人: Krishna P. SINGH

    IPC分类号: G21F5/12 G21F5/008 G21F5/08

    CPC分类号: G21F5/12 G21F5/008 G21F5/08

    摘要: A system for transporting radioactive materials which may include a containment vessel, a thermal shield, and an impact limiter. The containment vessel may include a vessel body having a storage cavity for receiving radioactive materials, a lid coupled to an upper portion of the vessel body to enclose a top end of the storage cavity, and a lid seal such as a gasket positioned between the lid and the upper portion of the vessel body. The thermal shield may be positioned over the lid. The first impact limiter may be positioned over the thermal shield. The thermal shield may be resistant to high temperatures and may help to protect the integrity of the lid seal when the system is subjected to high temperatures, such as during a fire condition.

    VENTILATED CASK FOR NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE

    公开(公告)号:US20220406481A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-12-22

    申请号:US17470053

    申请日:2021-09-09

    IPC分类号: G21F5/10 G21F5/008

    摘要: A natural passively cooled ventilated cask includes a cavity which holds a canister containing heat and radiation emitting spent nuclear fuel assemblies or other high level wastes. Ambient ventilation or cooling air is drawn inwards beneath the cask and vertically upwards into a lower portion of the cavity through air inlet ducts formed integrally with a bottom canister support structure coupled to the cask. The air heated by the canister flows upwards in the cavity and returns to atmosphere through air outlet ducts in the cask lid. Air circulation is driven via natural convective thermo-siphon flow. Structural standoff members elevate the bottom of the cask above a concrete base pad forming an air inlet plenum beneath the canister support structure. The lateral sidewall surface of the cask has no penetrations for the air inlets, which eliminates any streaming path for radiation emanating from the spent nuclear fuel.

    STACKABLE NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE SYSTEM

    公开(公告)号:US20220367078A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-11-17

    申请号:US17746599

    申请日:2022-05-17

    IPC分类号: G21F5/10 G21F5/12 G21F5/008

    摘要: A passively cooled stackable nuclear waste storage system may include a pair of vertically stacked radiation-shielded nuclear waste storage casks. Each cask has a cavity which holds a nuclear waste canister containing spent nuclear fuel or other high-level radioactive wastes. The lower cask may be founded on an above-grade concrete pad. The upper cask is vertically stacked on and detachably coupled to the lower cask. The upper cask comprises a perforated baseplate which establishes fluid communication between cavities of both casks and is configured to prevent radiation shine. One or both casks may include air inlet vents configured to draw ambient ventilation air into each respective cask cavity for cooling the nuclear waste. In operation, air is drawn inward into each cask cavity independently. Air heated in the lower cask rises into the upper cask where it mixes with air drawn into the upper cask and is returned to atmosphere.

    Apparatus and methods for storing hazardous waste materials by encasing same in a fusible metal alloy

    公开(公告)号:US11430579B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-08-30

    申请号:US16484251

    申请日:2018-02-26

    摘要: An apparatus is provided for storing hazardous waste material, which includes one or more of spent nuclear fuel, radioactive material, and fissionable material. A fusible alloy material, for example, a eutectic material, resides within the apparatus and surrounds the hazardous waste material. In the preferred embodiments, it is suggested that the fusible alloy material exhibits liquidus and solidus or melting temperatures that are between about 100 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit for facilities using the apparatus and methods for liquid storage pool loading applications. For facilities using the apparatus and methods for dry loading, the fusible alloy materials may exhibit liquidus and solidus or melting temperatures that are between about 100 and 650 degrees Fahrenheit. The fusible alloy material is introduced in a liquid phase and eventually solidifies into a solid phase as the temperature of the hazardous waste material and/or the local environment decreases.

    Dual-criterion fuel canister system

    公开(公告)号:US11282614B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-22

    申请号:US16257776

    申请日:2019-01-25

    摘要: A modular dry spent fuel canister system in which several different types of inner spent nuclear fuel canisters can be loaded into the same outer cask family. This family typically includes a storage overpack, a transfer cask, a transportation cask and support or auxiliary hardware. The various canisters can be loaded interchangeably into the different types of outer casks. The inner canisters are differentiated not by physical fuel type or dimension, but by the engineering objective or criterion that applies to the spent fuel being stored. One such objective may be for a single canister to store a large number of assemblies economically and safely. A second is a canister designed to greatly reduce the cooling time (or radioactive decay time) that must pass in order to load spent nuclear fuel for off-site storage, so as to meet the decay heat requirements and capabilities of the off-site storage system.

    Nuclear fuel storage facility
    8.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US11250963B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-02-15

    申请号:US16449003

    申请日:2019-06-21

    发明人: Krishna P. Singh

    摘要: A spent nuclear fuel storage facility. In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a storage facility including an array of storage containers. Each of the storage containers includes a body portion and a lid. The body portion has a storage cavity configured to hold a canister containing spent nuclear fuel. The lid, which may rest atop the body portion in a detachable manner, includes an inlet vent and an outlet vent. Each of the storage containers may be configured to draw air through the inlet vent and into the storage cavity where the air is warmed and passed through the outlet vent as heated air. The body portion of the storage containers may be positioned below grade and the lid of the storage containers may be positioned above grade.

    SELF LOADING WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS AND METHOD

    公开(公告)号:US20220023925A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-01-27

    申请号:US17497282

    申请日:2021-10-08

    摘要: Self-loading systems and methods for disposal of waste materials in a deep underground formation may include at least one wellbore that runs from the Earth's surface to the deep underground formations, wellbore viscous fluid within that at least one wellbore, and at least one waste capsule, wherein the at least one waste capsules houses some waste and is configured to fall within both the at least one wellbore and the wellbore viscous fluid. The systems and methods may also include at least one human-made cavern located in the deep underground formation and connected to the at least one wellbore, wherein the at least one human-made cavern may be configured to receive the at least one waste capsule. The systems and methods may also include a counter for counting waste capsules and/or a robot for dropping waste capsules into a wellhead leading to the at least one wellbore.

    HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CANISTER SYSTEMS AND METHODS

    公开(公告)号:US20210343440A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-11-04

    申请号:US17194564

    申请日:2021-03-08

    发明人: Richard A. Muller

    IPC分类号: G21F5/12 G21F5/008

    摘要: Techniques for inspecting a weld of a nuclear waste canister include positioning a gamma ray image detector near a nuclear waste canister that encloses nuclear waste. The nuclear waste canister includes a housing that includes a volume in which the waste is enclosed and a top connected to the housing with at least one weld to seal the nuclear waste in the nuclear waste canister. The techniques further include receiving, at the gamma ray image detector, gamma rays from the nuclear waste that travel through one or more voids in the weld; generating an image of the received gamma rays with the gamma ray image detector; and based on the generated image, determining an integrity of the at least one weld.