Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method for the long-term storage of waste nuclear fuel of a nuclear reactor, comprising the steps of:providing a steel case;providing a block of material that is chemically inert to: casings of fuel elements of waste fuel assemblies, to the steel case, and to air and water;wherein the block of chemically inert material is lead;arranging the block of chemically inert material in the steel case;mounting the steel case in a heating device;heating the steel case, along with the block of chemically inert material arranged in the steel case, until the block of chemically inert material is liquefied;extracting the waste fuel assemblies from the nuclear reactor;placing the waste fuel assemblies in the steel case;wherein the liquefied chemically inert material envelopes the waste fuel assemblies;wherein the waste fuel assemblies have been positioned in the steel case in such a way that a fuel part of the fuel elements of the waste fuel assemblies is lower than a level of the liquefied chemically inert material in the steel case, wherein the waste fuel assemblies are fixed in this position;hermetically sealing the steel case with a cover;extracting the hermetically sealed steel case from the heating device; andmounting the hermetically sealed steel case in a storage facility that is cooled by atmospheric air. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage facility that is cooled using atmospheric air includes boxes for the steel cases with the waste fuel assemblies and protector plugs above each box, wherein the storage facility is closed after it is filled up, and wherein cooling of the steel cases in the storage facility is performed using natural circulation of atmospheric air.