An apparatus for supporting radioactive fuel assemblies, such as spent nuclear fuel. In one aspect, the invention is an apparatus, which can be in the form of a fuel basket, fuel rack, or the like, in which polygonal storage tubes are used not only for their internal cells but are also strategically patterned to create resultant cells with their outside surfaces.

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.

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.

A cask liner includes a hollow cylinder comprising a boron-containing composition. The hollow cylinder has no longitudinal joints. The hollow cylinder may be formed as a single unit by isostatic pressing, for example by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of a blend of a boron-containing powder and an aluminum or aluminum alloy powder which is blended by mechanical alloying. Casked nuclear fuel includes a nuclear fuel rod comprising uranium, which is disposed in or extends through the hollow cylinder of the cask liner.

A cask liner includes a hollow cylinder comprising a boron-containing composition. The hollow cylinder has no longitudinal joints. The hollow cylinder may be formed as a single unit by isostatic pressing, for example by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of a blend of a boron-containing powder and an aluminum or aluminum alloy powder which is blended by mechanical alloying. Casked nuclear fuel includes a nuclear fuel rod comprising uranium, which is disposed in or extends through the hollow cylinder of the cask liner.

A nuclear fuel storage system includes an outer canister and fuel basket positioned therein. The basket is formed by orthogonally arranged and interlocked slotted plates which collectively define exterior side surfaces of the basket and a grid array of open cells each configured to hold a fuel assembly. At least some slotted plates comprise cantilevered plate extensions protruding laterally beyond the side surfaces of the basket to define various shaped peripheral gaps between the basket and canister. The plate extensions are configured to engage the shell of the canister. Vertically elongated reinforcement members are inserted in the peripheral gaps and fixedly coupled to the basket. Reinforcement members may comprise elongated reinforcement plates and/or tubular shimming members which may be fixedly coupled to the slotted plate extensions. The reinforcement members structurally strengthen the fuel basket. The plate extensions further act as fins to enhance heat dissipation from the basket.

An impact amelioration system for nuclear fuel storage components in one embodiment includes a fuel storage canister and outer cask receiving the canister. The canister is configured for storing spent nuclear fuel or other high level radioactive waste. A plurality of impact limiter assemblies are disposed on the bottom closure plate of the cask at the canister interface. Each impact limiter assembly comprises an impact limiter plug frictionally engaged with a corresponding plug hole formed in the cask closure plate. The canister rests on tops of the plugs, which may protrude upwards beyond the top surface of the bottom closure lid. The plugs and holes may mating tapered and frictionally engaged surfaces. During a cask drop event, the canister drives the plugs deeper into the plug holes and elastoplastically deform to dissipate the kinetic impact energy and protect the structural integrity of the canister and its contents.

Provided is a standard for mobile equipment for measuring structural deformation of a nuclear fuel assembly, the standard including: a fixed frame fixed to one side of measuring equipment accommodated in a container; a standard member configured to be attached to and detached from the fixed frame, to rotate with one end portion of the fixed frame as a center, and to correspond to a nuclear fuel assembly standard specification, wherein an upper plate provided with a coupling means configured to be coupled with a transport device is coupled on one end portion of the standard member, a lower plate configured to be erected upright on and fixed to one side of the measuring equipment is coupled on an opposite end portion of the standard member.

A radioactive nuclear waste storage system includes a cask comprising a hermetically sealed internal cavity configured for holding the waste such as spent nuclear fuel submerged in an inventory of water. One or more pressure surge capacitors disposed inside the cask include a vacuum cavity evacuated to sub-atmospheric conditions prior to storage of fuel in the cask. At least one rupture disk seals a vacuum chamber inside each capacitor. Each rupture disk is designed and constructed to burst at a predetermined burst pressure level occurring inside the cask external to the capacitor. This allows excess cask pressure occurring during a high pressure excursion resulting from abnormal operating conditions to bleed into capacitor, thereby returning the pressure inside the cask to acceptable levels. In one embodiment, the capacitors are located in peripheral regions of the cask cavity adjacent to the circumferential wall of the cask body.

A radioactive nuclear waste storage system includes a cask comprising a hermetically sealed internal cavity configured for holding the waste such as spent nuclear fuel submerged in an inventory of water. One or more pressure surge capacitors disposed inside the cask include a vacuum cavity evacuated to sub-atmospheric conditions prior to storage of fuel in the cask. At least one rupture disk seals a vacuum chamber inside each capacitor. Each rupture disk is designed and constructed to burst at a predetermined burst pressure level occurring inside the cask external to the capacitor. This allows excess cask pressure occurring during a high pressure excursion resulting from abnormal operating conditions to bleed into capacitor, thereby returning the pressure inside the cask to acceptable levels. In one embodiment, the capacitors are located in peripheral regions of the cask cavity adjacent to the circumferential wall of the cask body.