Patent Number: 046438459
Section: summary

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for cutting a high-activity solid waste, and more particularly it is concerned with a method and an apparatus suitable for use in cutting, reducing and disposing a high-activity solid waste produced in a nuclear reactor, such as a used channel box (hereinafter FCB) or a used control rod (hereinafter CR). Heretofore, high-activity solid wastes, such as FCBs or CRs, produced in a nuclear reactor have been stored in an elongated form in a spent fuel storage pool or a high-activity solid waste storage pool in a nuclear power plant. An FCB is an elongated box of rectangular cross-sectional form and a CR is crisscross in shape. Thus, when they are stored, they raise the problem that they have a very low storage density and a very large space is required for storing them. To obviate this problem, it has become necessary to cut the FCB and CR into shapes suitable for storing, such as planar plate shape, thereby improving storing efficiency. To meet this requirement, FCB cutting apparatus have already been developed. These apparatus rely on punching or shearing effected with rotary cutters and have suffered the disadvantages that it takes time to cut an FCB and it is impossible to cut a CR. As for cutting a CR, no suitable cutting method has yet been developed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first object of this invention is to provide a method of cutting an FCB and a CR which enables them to be cut into substantially the same shape that best suits storing while minimizing time and labor necessary to effect cutting. A second object is to provide an apparatus constituted by a unitary structure which is suitable for carrying the PCB and CR cutting method into practice to cut them at a substantially high speed. To accomplish the aforesaid objects, the invention provides two features. One of them is that the cutting method comprises the step of axially cutting an FCB of a rectangular cross-sectional shape through opposing corners thereof to produce elongated split portions of an L-shape in cross section, and the step of axially cutting a CR of a criss-cross cross-sectional shape through a central portion thereof to produce elongated split portions of an L-shape in cross section. The other feature is that the cutting apparatus comprises cutting means for cutting an FCB and a CR comprising cutting torches secured in a fixed position, and an object-of-cutting support means for moving the objects of cutting vertically in elevatory movement and horizontally for shifting movement. Additional and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description set forth hereinafter when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.