Apparatus for shearing spent nuclear fuel assemblies

Patent · Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5358564

Weil, B S; Metz, III, C F

A method and apparatus are described for shearing spent nuclear fuel assemblies of the type comprising an array of fuel pins disposed within an outer metal shell or shroud. A spent fuel assembly is first compacted in a known manner and then incrementally sheared using fixed and movable shear blades having matched laterally projecting teeth which slidably intermesh to provide the desired shearing action. Incremental advancement of the fuel assembly after each shear cycle is limited to a distance corresponding to the lateral projection of the teeth to ensure fuel assembly breakup into small uniform segments which are amenable to remote chemical processing.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4186657
• Application Number: TRN: 80-012093
• OSTI ID: 5358564
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 7 Dec 1978; Other Information: PAT-APPL-967,469
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAD END PROCESSES
BWR TYPE REACTORS
EQUIPMENT
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REPROCESSING
FUEL ELEMENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
050800* - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing