Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A spent nuclear fuel storage facility comprising:an array of storage containers, each of the storage containers comprising:a body portion having a storage cavity and an open top end, the storage cavity configured to hold a canister containing spent nuclear fuel; anda lid detachably coupled to the body portion and enclosing the open top end, the lid comprising an inlet vent and an outlet vent each forming a passageway to ambient atmosphere; andwherein the lid of each of the storage containers comprises an upper flange portion extending over and sealably engaging the open top end of the body portion, and a lower cylindrical plug portion extending downwards from the flange portion, the plug portion insertably received through the open top end of the body portion into the storage cavity;the outlet vent extending through both the plug and flange portions placing the storage cavity in fluid communication with the ambient atmosphere through the lid;wherein each of the storage containers is configured to draw air through the inlet vent and into the storage cavity which is heated by the canister, and pass the heated air through the plug and flange portions of the lid via the outlet vent to the ambient atmosphere. 2. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 further comprising a canister containing spent nuclear fuel positioned within at least one of the storage containers, and wherein an entirety of the canister is positioned below grade. 3. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 further comprising a canister containing spent nuclear fuel positioned within each of the storage containers in the array, and wherein the canister within each of the storage containers is independently accessible and retrievable. 4. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein the storage containers of the array are positioned in a spaced apart manner. 5. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein each of the storage containers functions independently from each of the other storage containers and wherein air is drawn into and removed from the storage cavity of each of the storage containers via thermosiphon flow. 6. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein the storage containers of the array are arranged in a plurality of aligned rows. 7. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein an opening of the inlet vent is located at a periphery of the lid and wherein an opening of the outlet vent is located on a top surface of the lid. 8. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein a majority of the body portion of the storage containers are located below grade, and wherein the inlet and outlet vents of the lid are located above grade. 9. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 8 wherein a portion of the body portion of the storage containers protrudes above grade, and further comprising a pad formed of a radiation shielding material positioned around the portion of the body portion of the storage containers, the inlet and outlet vents of the lid located above the pad. 10. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 9 wherein the pad is a continuous unitary structure that surrounds the portion of the body portion of each of the storage containers of the array. 11. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein the inlet vent comprises a plurality of isolated openings formed into a sidewall of the lid and located circumferentially around the lid and wherein the outlet vent comprises a plurality of passageways extending from a plurality of isolated openings in a bottom surface of the lid to a common opening in a top surface of the lid located along a central axis of the lid, the plurality of passageways converging at the common opening. 12. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 11 wherein the top surface of the lid of each of the storage containers is curved and sloped downwardly away from the single opening. 13. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1, wherein the outlet vent has an arcuately curved shape and fluidly communicates with the storage cavity via a plurality of bottom openings formed in a bottom of the plug portion of the lid. 14. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 13, wherein the bottom openings each have an arcuately curved shape. 15. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1 wherein the outlet vent is formed by a curved steel plate embedded in concrete to increase a load bearing capacity of the lid. 16. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 1, further comprising an annular gasket seal on a bottom surface of the flange portion of the lid, the annular gasket seal sealably engaging the top end of the body portion of the storage container. 17. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 16, further comprising a container ring extending downward from the bottom surface and arranged to peripherally surround and engage an outside surface of the body portion of the storage container when the lid is positioned atop the body portion. 18. A spent nuclear fuel storage facility comprising:an array of storage containers, each of the storage containers comprising:a body portion having a storage cavity and an open top end, the storage cavity configured to hold a canister containing spent nuclear fuel; anda concrete-filled lid detachably coupled to the body portion and enclosing the open top end;the lid of each of the storage containers comprising an upper flange portion extending over and sealably engaging the open top end of the body portion, and a lower cylindrical plug portion extending downwards from the flange portion, the plug portion insertably received through the open top end of the body portion into the storage cavity;a plurality of outlet vents disposed in the plug portion of the lid, each outlet vent forming a passageway from an opening in a bottom surface of the plug portion to a central opening in a top surface of the lid;a plurality of inlet vents circumferentially located around the flange portion of the lid, each inlet forming a passageway from an opening in a side wall of the flange portion to an opening in a bottom surface of the flange portion;wherein each of the storage containers is configured to draw air through the inlet vents and into the storage cavity which is heated by the canister, and pass the heated air through the plug and flange portions of the lid via the outlet vents to ambient atmosphere. 19. The spent nuclear fuel storage facility of claim 18, wherein the outlet vents each have an arcuately curved shape formed by a curved steel plate embedded in the concrete in the lid to increase a load bearing capacity of the lid.