Patent Number: 040299686
Section: summary

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the storage of nuclear fuel elements and more particularly to the arrangement of racks for the storing of spent nuclear fuel elements in a pool for a nuclear power plant. Heretofore, racks for spent nuclear fuel elements were placed side-by-side in a pool. Thus, a considerable amount of floor space was required. However, the delay in the availability of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants have presented the problem to nuclear power plants of being able to transport the spent fuel elements to a reprocessing plant. When a reactor is refueled, the spent fuel elements are stored in the spent fuel storage pool of a nuclear power plant. Spent fuel storage pools for the nuclear power plant have been designed to store one full reactor core plus one or two reloads of nuclear fuel elements. It is desirable to always maintain enough space in the spent fuel storage pool to unload the full reactor core. Generally, this would leave space for only one or two reloads of nuclear fuel elements. A nuclear power plant should have sufficient space for the spent nuclear fuel elements to enable the nuclear power plant to keep operating and refueling until it is possible to transport spent nuclear fuel elements to a reprocessing plant. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Racks for storing nuclear fuel elements are disposed one above the other. By virtue of the present invention, a greater number of spent fuel elements can occupy the same floor space and still maintain the effective multiplication factor (K.sub.eff) below the required limit. Accordingly, nuclear power plants will have sufficient space to store a greater number of spent reactor fuel elements until a reprocessing plant can accommodate the transportation of the spent reactor fuel elements. As a result thereof, the shutdowns of nuclear power plants will be reduced. The decrease in floor space requirements for spent reactor fuel elements achieved by the present invention is applicable to both the boiling water reactor and the pressurized water reactor. By decreasing the floor space requirements, the capacity of a given storage pool for storing spent fuel elements is increased. Hence, the pool can accommodate a greater number of spent nuclear fuel elements. This results in an increase of storage time capability. The additional space capacity for the spent nuclear fuel elements is desirable to enable a nuclear power plant to keep operating and refueling until it is possible to transport spent fuel elements to a reprocessing plant. A feature of the present invention is the employment of guide pins and guide pin receptacles for the alignment of the racks for storing nuclear fuel elements one above the other. Another feature of the present invention is the employment of frame-like support for removably holding racks for storing nuclear fuel elements one above the other. A still further feature of the present invention is the interengaging members between the racks for storing nuclear fuel elements and the frame-like support to retain the racks in position relative to the frame-like support.