Patent Number: 048470090
Section: description

FIG. 1a depicts schematically a first method for loading and sealing a double container system 2, consisting of a removable inner container 4 of steel and an outer shielding container 6 in six steps, designated A, B, C, D, E, and F. The inner container 4 has a screw-in inner cover 8 and a weld-on outer cover 10 and the shielding container 6 has a screw-on shielding cover 12. For loading and sealing, in a first step A, the empty double container system 2 is injected into a shielded chamber 14, for example, a so-called hot cell. In the second step B, in the shielded chamber, the open inner container 4 is loaded through the top opening of the shielded container 6 with radioactive material 16 which is enclosed in and is to be stored in a sheath (box, metal mould) 16'. In the third step C, the inner container while still in the hot cell is sealed with the screw-in inner cover 8, and the seal of the screw-in cover is tested. In the fourth step D, the ejection from chamber 14 of the double container system which is loaded and sealed with the inner cover 8 takes place. In step E, outside of the shielded chamber, the outer cover 10 is welded to the inner container 4, and after and welding is complete, the weld is tested. Finally, in the last step F, the shielding cover 12 is screwed onto the shielding container 6. FIG. 1b depicts schematically a second method for loading and sealing a double container system 2, consisting of a removable inner container 4 of steel and an outer shielding container 6 in six steps, A, B, C, D, E, and F. The inner container 4 has a screw-in inner cover 8 and a weld-on outer cover 10 and the shielding container 6 has a screw-on shielding cover 12. For loading and sealing in a first step A, the empty and open double container system 2 is locked or gripped from below the hot cell (shielded chamber) 14', specifically within an injection aperture 17 located in the floor of the cell. The seal of the injection aperture is not depicted, but is understood that suitable, known transport and lifting devices are used and that the docked double container system 2 is arranged absolutely sealed and shielded in the injection aperture 17, as is indicated by means of the seal/shield 19. In the second step B, the inner container 4 is loaded from the hot cell 14' with the radioactive material 16 which is to be stored and which is enclosed in a sheath 16'. In the third step C, the inner container 4 is sealed with the screw in cover 8 while the double container system 2 is still locked in the injection aperture 17, and the screw-in cover seal is tested. In the fourth step D, the sealing of the injection aperture 17 and the loosening and removal from the hot cell 14 of the loaded double container system 2, now sealed with the inner cover 8, takes place. After this, in step E, outside of the shielded region, the outer cover 10 is welded to the inner container 4, and after the welding is complete, the weld is tested. Finally, in the last step F, the shielding cover 12 is screwed to the shielding container 6. The inner container 4 which is depicted in greater detail in FIG. 2 consists of a cylindrical jacket 18, a floor 20, and a seal 22. The seal 22 consists of the inner cover 8 which is designed as a sealing plug, and can be screwed into the jacket 18 against bottom and side seals 24, and the outer cover 10, which is designed as a sealing plug with a handle 26, which outer cover is welded to the jacket 18 of the inner container 4. A welding gap 28 is left between the outer cover 10 and the jacket 18 for the application of a weld 29 between the cover and the jacket by means of narrow-gap welding. The sealed container is further provided with a welded-on plasma hot wire cladding layer 30 for corrosion protection. FIG. 3 shows the weld in more detail. The welding gap 28 between the outer cover 10 and the container jacket 18 widens slightly toward the top and is limited on the bottom by means of two surrounding welding flanges 32 and 34 which lie opposite one another, of which one is located on the jacket and the other on the outer cover 10. The welding flanges 32 and 34 are canted to attain a clean weld root 36. The cant 38 amounts to about 45.degree. and is preferably provided both on the top and on the bottom sides of the welding flanges. The canting has the advantage that heat dissipation from the weld point is improved. Also, the canting facilitates the introduction and positioning of the outer cover 10. The root welding is performed preferably with the help of an inert gasshielded arc welding device with tungsten electrodes ("WIG" welding device), with which a very precise weld can be performed. Onto the weld root 36, further weld layers 40 are welded with the inert gas-shielded arc welding device with tungsten electrodes, the purpose being to securely prevent burn-through during the following welding of the remaining weld layers 42 with the help of a submerged arc welding system ("UP" welding system), with which large quantities of welding metal can be applied. The welding of the root thereby proceeds preferably with the help of at least two "WIG" welding heads, which lie opposite one another and operate simultaneously. This prevents distortion of the cover and thus a disruption of the uniformity of the welding gap during the welding process, and finally the danger of forming an uneven welded root and possible fissures. The final welding performed as narrow-gap submerged arc welding has the advantage, since it welds thicker cross-sections than has presently been the case, that it leads to lower production of heat and leads to a more uniform build-up of the weld layers and thus of the weld itself. The weld material of the edge layers molds to the edges of the welding gap between the cover and the container jacket, whereby the coarse grain is almost completely converted to fine grain by the following layer. Thus the necessary condition is created for eliminating a following voltage warming and cooling, and it is assured that the material values of the weld lie within the framework of the material values of the base material. The production of the seal takes place with the help of a device depicted in FIGS. 4 through 6. The shielding container 6, into which the inner container 4 is inserted, is set on a horizontal rotary table 44, which is anchored to the floor 46 of a foundation pit 48. Where applicable, the inner container 4 can be set on the rotary table alone. The rotary table is equipped with a spherical turning connection to absorb horizontal and axial forces. The rotary table is driven by means of a motor within a low rotational speed range. The top of the table has a mechanical stage which is adjustable with a motor for the precision positioning of the container under the welding and testing movable bridge 50. Since the foundation pit 48 should be able to be used for containers of various sizes, spacing pieces 52 (drawn in dot-and-dash lines) are placed on the rotary table for equalization of length so that the sealing weld will always take place at the same height above the floor. A pit cover 54 (FIG. 5) is provided which is put on during loading of the rotary table with the help of a crane. It is moved over the concrete pit and can be walked on during the loading process. All welding, testing and other devices are mounted on the bridge 50. The movable bridge 50 has several interior tracks (not depicted) which serve for guiding transport carriages 56 and the welding and testing devices 58, 60, 62, 64 which are fastened on them. The bridge 50 is equipped with a traveling gear 66 (FIG. 4) with flanged wheels and a direct current drive by which the bridge can be driven at both positioning speed and rapid traverse speed along raised tracks 68 which are arranged on both sides of the foundation pit. The drives of the transport carriages are supplied with power separately, and each transport carriage has a height adjustment with which the complete welding or testing device can be moved into operating or waiting position. The welding and testing devices encompass an inert gas-shielded arc welding device with tungsten electrodes (WIG) 58, submerged arc welding device ("UP") 60, a plasma hot-wire welding device ("PH") 62 and a testing device 64. FIG. 6 shows a part of the welding and testing bridge 50 in greater detail with a testing device 64 in the operating position. The weld 29 and the application of the corrosion protection layer 30 have already taken place. The operating position of the welding devices 58 or 60 are quite analogous in appearance. It can be easily seen from FIG. 6 that the welding and testing of the outer cover 10 is to be performed with the inner container 2 inserted in the shielding container 6. Reference number 70 indicates a moderator. The complete welding and testing process preferably occurs automatically, for which purpose a control device 72 (FIG. 5) is provided. Otherwise, control panels are provided, from which the welding and testing devices can be controlled. If desired, the welding and testing devices can be mounted on bracket arms (not depicted), rather than on bridge 50. To guarantee optimum testing of the weld 29, the shielding container has a step-shaped, annular mouth 74 extending above the weld so that a sufficient free space arises between the shielding container and the inner container to insert and move the testing device 64 (FIG. 6). Furthermore, the outer cover 10 of the inner container 4 has provided on its bottom side below the welding flange 34 an annular, step-shaped recess 78, by means of which an annular chamber 80 is formed between the outer cover 10 and the inner cover 8, which continues in an annular groove 82 formed below the welding flange 32 of the container jacket in the inner wall of this jacket.