Patent Number: 
Section: description

Firstly referring to FIG. 1, a segmented rack is observed which integrates several intermediate lattices (3) to (9), coinciding with the active part of the stored radioactive component and another two assemblies (1)(2) and (10)(11) coinciding with the non-active part of said stored component, all supported by a base (12) provided with adjustable support legs (13). According to the present invention, the intermediate components (3) to (9) which coincide with the active part of the stored radioactive component, consist of plates of a material formed from neutronic poisons, the most common being: a) A single plate of boron treated steel as shown in FIG. 2. b) Two plates of normal steel (18-19) forming a double wall, inside of which there is boron treated water or Boral laminates (20). Boral is a dispersion of boron carbide in an aluminium matrix. See FIG. 3. c) Two adjacent plates, one of normal stainless steel (21) and the other of boron treated steel (22) as shown in FIG. 4. However, the assemblies (1)(2) and (10)(11) are carried out with normal stainless steel plates, not treated with boron and with a low carbon content, having a greater thickness than material integrating the central lattices. The coupling between one of these intermediate lattices (4) with that located immediately above (3) and/or below (5) is carried out by dovetailing across the grooves (16) on both sides of the plates (15) which integrate each mesh as shown in FIG. 2. The joint is finally carried out by angle welding (17), if this is necessary for the design conditions, forming very stable, rigid assemblies; and in those applications where due to the mechanical design conditions, it is not necessary to weld, or the internal material comprising each one of these lattices were not welded or were not weldable, or in countries where welding is not authorized, a vertical tying of the different meshes is performed by thin, pretensioned strips (14), welded to the lower and upper stainless steel meshes. All the intermediate components (4) to (9) are formed by plates (15) grooved on both sides, forming at least one line in one direction and another perpendicular to the former at a different level, being joined across said grooves (16) to form a reticulated volume in which extended and parallel conduits are formed by piling successive lattices. The end units of the rack, shown in the figure with references (3) and (9), are formed by parallel plates with a width equivalent to the difference in height between the two plates conforming the central units, in such a way that arranged in the suitable plane, they overlap the protruding part of the former to form an extremely flat lattice unit, or in other words, terminating the corresponding part which in any of the previous configurations was drawn in with respect to the most protruding plates. The materials, shape and arrangement of the components may vary provided this does not involve a change of the essential features of the invention claimed below: