CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING AND/OR STORING RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

• US 20130092684A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TN International
• Original Assignee: TN International
• Inventors: Roger, Christophe
• Granted Patent: US 9,199,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/00 Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/70 for materials not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 5/012 Fuel element racks in the containers
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 5/10 Heat-removal systems, e.g. using circulating fluid or cooling fins

Abstract

A removable storage device intended to be housed in a cavity of a form of packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, including several substructures movable relative to one another, positioned around a longitudinal axis, and defining multiple adjacent recesses for radioactive materials, together with means for deployment of the substructures including actuation means acting by shape collaboration on the substructures through a bearing surface having, in a section according to any plane passing through longitudinal axis, the shape of a segment inclined relative to this axis, such that displacement of actuation means in a first direction parallel to longitudinal axis causes a displacement of the substructures radially towards the exterior relative to longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. A removable storage device intended to be housed in an internal cavity of a form of packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, including several substructures which can be displaced relative to one another and positioned around a longitudinal axis of the device, where all these substructures define multiple adjacent recesses intended to contain said radioactive materials, and where each substructure delimits at least partly at least one of said recesses, where the device includes deployment means for deploying said substructures, where these deployment means include actuation means acting by collaboration of shapes on a longitudinal end of at least one of said substructures of the device through at least one bearing surface having, when seen in section along any plane passing through said longitudinal axis, the shape of a line segment inclined relative to said axis, such that displacing said actuation means in a first direction parallel to said longitudinal axis causes said at least one substructure to be displaced radially towards the exterior relative to said longitudinal axis.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said actuation means cooperate with said longitudinal end of said at least one substructure of the device such that a displacement of said actuation means in a second direction opposite said first direction causes said substructure to be displaced radially towards the interior.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said deployment means include elastic means which urge said substructure radially towards the exterior, and wherein said actuation means oppose said substructure'"'"'s radial displacement towards the exterior.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing surface has a flat or tapered shape, or the shape of a sector of a truncated cone.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing surface is formed on or positioned opposite a longitudinal end of said substructure.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said actuation means include a first element for axial retention of the substructures of the device, on which said bearing structure is formed.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said first element for axial retention is formed from a first end plate which includes perforations for the passage of said radioactive materials, and on the periphery of which said bearing surface is formed.

8. A device according to claim 6, wherein said actuation means include a second element for axial retention of the substructures of the device, connected to said first element for axial retention by at least one longitudinal tie and positioned such that the substructures of the device are interposed between said first elements for axial retention.

9. A container for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, including a form of packaging delimiting an internal cavity, together with a removable storage device according to claim 1 housed in said internal cavity.