System and method for reclaiming energy from heat emanating from spent nuclear fuel

摘要

The present invention provides a system and method for reclaiming energy from the heat emanating from spent nuclear fuel contained within a canister-based dry storage system. The inventive system and method provides continuous passive cooling of the loaded canisters by utilizing the chimney-effect and reclaims the energy from the air that is heated by the canisters. The inventive system and method, in one embodiment, is particularly suited to store the canisters below-grade, thereby utilizing the natural radiation shielding properties of the sub-grade while still facilitating passive air cooling of the canisters. In another embodiment, the invention focuses on a special arrangement of the spent nuclear fuel within the canisters so that spent nuclear fuel that is hotter than that which is typically allowed to be withdrawn from the spent fuel pools can be used in a dry-storage environment, thereby increasing the amount energy that can be reclaimed.

主权项

1. An energy reclamation system comprising:
a plurality of storage cavities having substantially vertical axes and arranged in a spaced-apart side-by-side manner; at least one hermetically sealed canister containing spent nuclear fuel emanating heat positioned within each of the storage cavities; an air-intake passageway extending from an ambient environment to a bottom portion of each of the storage cavities; an air-outlet manifold fluidly coupling a top portion of each of the storage cavities to an air-outlet passageway, the air outlet manifold converging heated air exiting the top portions of the storage cavities and directing said converged heated air into the air-outlet passageway, the air-outlet manifold comprising a first network of pipes that directly fluidly couples the top portion of each storage cavity to either: (1) the top portion of at least two other ones of the storage cavities; or (2) one other one of the storage cavities and the air-outlet passageway, so that the top portion of each of the storage cavities is fluidly coupled to at least one other one of the storage cavities and to the air-outlet passageway; and an energy reclamation unit located within the air-outlet passageway.