Abstract: Vertical drilling of cylindrical holes in the soil, and the lining of such holes, provides storage vaults called caissons. A guarded depot is provided with a plurality of such caissons covered by shielded closures preventing radiation from penetrating through any linear gap to the atmosphere. The heat generated by the radioactive material is dissipated through the vertical liner of the well into the adjacent soil and thus to the ground surface so that most of the heat from the radioactive material is dissipated into the atmosphere in a manner involving no significant amount of biologically harmful radiation. The passive cooling of the radioactive material without reliance upon pumps, personnel, or other factor which might fail, constitutes one of the most advantageous features of this system. Moreover this system is resistant to damage from tornadoes or earthquakes.Hermetically sealed containers of radioactive material may be positioned in the caissons.

Abstract: In a nuclear facility such as a reprocessing plant for nuclear fuel rods, the central air cleaner discharging ventilating gas to the atmosphere must meet preselected standards not only as to the momentary concentration of radioactive components, but also as to total quantity per year. In order more satisfactorily to comply with such standards, reprocessing steps are conducted by remote control in a plurality of separate compartments. The air flow for each compartment is regulated so that the air inventory for each compartment has a slow turnover rate of more than a day but less than a year, which slow rate is conveniently designated as quasi-hermetic sealing. The air inventory in each such compartment is recirculated through a specialized processing unit adapted to cool and/or filter and/or otherwise process the gas. Stale air is withdrawn from such recirculating inventory and fresh air is injected (e.g.

Abstract: A plant for the reprocessing of fuel rods for a nuclear reactor comprises a plurality of rectangular compartments desirably arranged on a rectangular grid. Signal lines, power lines, pipes, conduits for instrumentation, and other communication lines leave a compartment just below its top edges. A vehicle access zone permits overhead and/or mobile cranes to remove covers from compartments. The number of compartments is at least 25% greater than the number of compartments used in the initial design and operation of the plant. Vacant compartments are available in which replacement apparatus can be constructed. At the time of the replacement of a unit, the piping and conduits are altered to utilize the substitute equipment in the formerly vacant compartment, and it is put on stream prior to dismantling old equipment from the previous compartment. Thus the downtime for the reprocessing plant for such a changeover is less than in a traditional reprocessing plant.