Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A fuel rack apparatus comprising:a base plate having an upper surface and a lower surface;a plurality of storage tubes coupled to the upper surface of the base plate in a side-by-side arrangement to form a rectilinear array of the storage tubes, each of the storage tubes extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising:a rectangular outer tube having an inner surface defining an inner cavity;a first chevron plate comprising a first wall plate and a second wall plate;a second chevron plate comprising a first wall plate and a second wall plate;the first and second chevron plates positioned in the inner cavity in opposing relation to divide the inner cavity into: (1) a first chamber formed between the first wall plate of the first chevron plate and a first corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (2) a second chamber formed between the second wall plate of the first chevron plate and a second corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (3) a third chamber formed between the first wall plate of the second chevron plate and a third corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (4) a fourth chamber formed between the second wall plate of the second chevron plate and a fourth corner section of the rectangular outer tube; and (5) a fuel storage cell having a hexagonal transverse cross-section and configured to receive a fuel assembly containing spent nuclear fuel. 2. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 1, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the rectangular outer tube comprises a first wall plate, a second wall plate opposite the first wall plate, a third wall plate, and a fourth wall plate opposite the third wall plate. 3. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 2, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the fuel storage cell is defined by: an inner surface of the first wall plate of the first chevron plate; an inner surface of the second wall plate of the first chevron plate; an inner surface of the first wall plate of the second chevron plate; an inner surface of the second wall plate of the second chevron plate; a portion of an inner surface of the first wall plate of the rectangular outer tube; and a portion of an inner surface of the second wall plate of the rectangular outer tube. 4. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 2, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the first chevron plate comprises a first apex edge and the second chevron plate comprises a second apex edge; and wherein for each of the storage tubes, the first and second apex edges are located in a reference plane that comprises the longitudinal axis and is perpendicular to the third and fourth wall plates of the rectangular outer tube. 5. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the storage tubes further comprises:a first neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the first wall plate of the first chevron plate, the first neutron absorbing plate located within the first chamber;a second neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the second wall plate of the first chevron plate, the second neutron absorbing plate located within the second chamber;a third neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the first wall plate of the second chevron plate, the third neutron absorbing plate located within the third chamber;a fourth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the second wall plate of the second chevron plate, the fourth neutron absorbing plate located within the fourth chamber;a fifth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of a first wall plate of the rectangular outer tube; anda sixth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of a second wall plate of the outer tube, the first wall plate of the outer tube opposite the second wall plate of the rectangular outer tube. 6. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 1, for each of the storage tubes, each of the first and second wall plates of the first chevron plate have a side edge that is contiguously welded to the inner surface of the rectangular outer tube; and wherein for each of the storage tubes, each of the first and second wall plates of the second chevron plate have a side edge that is contiguously welded to the inner surface of the rectangular outer tube. 7. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rectilinear array of the storage tubes comprises a plurality of rows of the storage tubes and a plurality of columns of the storage tubes; wherein for each of the rows of the storage tubes, the longitudinal axes of adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the row are separated from one another by a first distance; and wherein for each of the columns of the storage tubes, the longitudinal axes of adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the column are separated from one another by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance. 8. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 7, wherein for each of the rows of the storage tubes, adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the row are spaced apart from one another by an exterior flux trap formed between the outer tubes of the adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the row. 9. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 7, wherein for each of the columns, the outer tubes of adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the column are in surface contact with one another. 10. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 9, wherein for each of the columns, the first, second, third, and fourth chambers of the storage tubes in the column act as interior flux trap chambers between the fuel storage cells of the adjacent ones of the storage tubes in the column. 11. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 10, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the first chevron plate comprises a first apex edge and the second chevron plate comprises a second apex edge; and wherein for each of the columns, the first and second apex edges of the storage tubes in the column are aligned along a columnar reference plane that includes the longitudinal axes of the storage tubes in the column. 12. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 7, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the rectangular outer tubes have a width in a row direction and a length in a column direction, the length being greater than the width. 13. The fuel rack apparatus according to claim 1, wherein for each of the storage tubes, the first, second, third, and fourth chambers have a triangular transverse cross-section. 14. A fuel rack apparatus comprising:a base plate having an upper surface and a lower surface;a plurality of storage tubes coupled to the upper surface of the base plate in a side-by-side arrangement to form a rectilinear array of the storage tubes, each of the storage tubes extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising:a rectangular outer tube having an inner surface defining an inner cavity;a plurality of wall plates positioned in the inner cavity that divide the inner cavity into: (1) a first interior flux chamber formed between a first one of the wall plates and a first corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (2) a second interior flux chamber formed between a second one of the wall plates and a second corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (3) a third interior flux chamber formed between a third one of the wall plates and a third corner section of the rectangular outer tube; (4) a fourth interior flux chamber formed between a fourth one of wall plates and a fourth corner section of the rectangular outer tube; and (5) a fuel storage cell having a hexagonal transverse cross-section and configured to receive a fuel assembly containing spent nuclear fuel.