TREATMENT METHOD OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL OF RBMK-1000 REACTOR, AND DEVICES FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION Russian patent published in 2013 - IPC G21C19/06 

FIELD: power industry.

SUBSTANCE: method involves separation of a two-beam fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor into bundles of fuel elements, their arrangement in ampoules arranged in a protective cover, transportation of the protective cover in a protective container to dry storage facility, transhipment of bundles of fuel elements from the protective cover to holders, sealing of holders by welding a cover plate to the holder housing, filling of holders with nitrogen-helium mixture through a valve, sealing of the valve, monitoring of tightness of welds and arrangement of holders in seats of the dry storage facility. At NPP the bundles of fuel elements are loaded into ampoules assembled as portable cassettes installed in seats of the protective cover, and portable cassettes with bundles of fuel elements are removed in turn with a manipulating crane from the protective cover at the dry storage facility and installed in housings of holders. In the ampoule a locking device is made in the form of a bayonet connection. A sealed storage holder of spent nuclear fuel is equipped with a portable cassette.

EFFECT: increasing diameter of ampoules for loading into them at NPP of bundles of fuel elements with increased diameter and deformations, and reducing the duration of a transhipment process at the dry storage facility of bundles of fuel elements from the protective cover to housings of holders.

7 cl, 5 dwg