System and method for the ventilated storage of high level radioactive waste in a clustered arrangement

摘要

A system for receiving and storing high level radioactive waste comprising: an enclosure comprising walls having inlet ventilation ducts, a roof comprising an array of holes, and a floor; an array of metal shells located in an internal space of the enclosure, the array of metal shells being co-axial with the array of holes in the roof so that containers holding high level radioactive waste can be lowered through the array of holes in the roof and into the array of metal shells; the array of metal shells acting as load bearing columns for the roof; and each of the metal shells comprising (i) an expansion joint for accommodating thermal expansion and/or contraction of the metal shells; and (ii) one or more holes at a bottom portion of the metal shell.

主权项

1. A method for storing high level radioactive waste, the method comprising:
providing an enclosure comprising walls having inlet ventilation ducts, a roof including an array of holes, and a floor, the walls, the roof, and the floor collectively forming an internal space; positioning an array of metal shells in the internal space of the enclosure, each metal shell forming a cavity which is co-axial with one of the array of holes in the roof and each metal shell being a load bearing column for the roof, wherein one or more holes are included at a bottom portion of each of the metal shells; positioning a container holding high level radioactive waste above the enclosure; lowering the container through a first hole of the array of holes and into a first cavity of a first metal shell of the metal shells; and placing a lid over the first hole.