Abstract: A storage basket for radioactive materials, defining housings parallel to each other and each extending along a housing axis parallel to a longitudinal central axis of the basket, the latter including: a plurality of transverse plates, traversed by a plurality of openings; a plurality of housing tubes arranged parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the basket. The housing tubes are arranged in alternation with the transverse plates along the axis, such that the inner lateral surface of each housing is defined, successively along this axis, at least by the inner surface of a first housing tube, the inner surface of one of the openings of a first transverse plate, and the inner surface of a second housing tube.

Abstract: Packaging for the transport and/or storage of radioactive materials includes a lateral packaging body around which an outer radiation protection envelope is disposed, which is made from a plurality of individual annular structures stacked on top of each other. Every structure includes an outer annular wall and a radial heat conductive wall, an outer end of which is secured to the wall, and an inner end of which is in contact with the lateral body. Furthermore, two directly consecutive structures delimit an annular cavity housing at least one radiation protection element, the cavity being closed radially towards the outside by the wall of one or both directly consecutive structures, and axially closed by the radial heat-conducting structure of one and the other of the two structures.

Abstract: A racking device is provided for storing and/or transporting nuclear fuel assemblies. The racking device includes first stages (Ei?1, Ei+1) for neutron absorption and thermal conductivity, as well as second stages (E2i) for mechanical strength arranged so as to alternate with the first stages. Each first stage (Ei?1, Ei+1) includes first and second assemblies having interlacing notches (6a, 6b) made of aluminium alloy including boron. Each second stage (Ei) includes first and second structures (7a, 7b) stacked in a stacking direction (8) and each is made of one or more materials which are free of neutron-absorbing elements. The first and second structures (7a, 7b) are free of notches on their opposite edges in the stacking direction (8).

Abstract: A basket (1) for transport and/or storage packaging of radioactive materials. The basket (1) comprises an internal partition (6, 8) having at least one wall (82, 84), and a peripheral partition (10). The wall (82, 84) has two opposing lateral surfaces (81, 85). The peripheral partition (10) interacts with the internal partition (6, 8) to define cells for housing the radioactive materials. The peripheral partition (10) comprises a housing accommodating one end of the at least one wall (82, 84). The housing comprises two opposing lateral housing surfaces (102, 106) and a bottom (104) bringing together the two lateral surfaces (102, 106) of the housing. According to the invention, the basket (1) comprises a tightening element configured to press at least one of the lateral surfaces (81, 85) of the wall against at least one of the lateral surfaces (102, 106) of the housing.

Abstract: The invention concerns a package for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials. The package comprises a wall element (26) and a cooling element (31, 32) attached to the wall element (26) and protruding from the wall element (26) towards the outside of the package. The cooling element (31, 32) comprises a base (40) and at least one fin (35) rigidly connected to the base (40). The base (40) extends to either side of the fin (35) respectively towards two opposing lateral ends of the base, each of the lateral ends being attached to the wall element (26) via a weld.

Abstract: A structure for dissipating heat by natural convection, intended for being provided on the periphery of packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, the structure having two adjacent half-structures each comprising primary fins which are parallel and angled relative to a height direction of the structure, the primary fins of the two half-structures forming, in pairs, fins of the general shape of an inverted V when the packaging is arranged vertically with the bottom thereof oriented downwards.

Abstract: The invention relates to a storage device for storing and/or transporting nuclear fuel assemblies, which includes recesses (2) defined by separating partitions (9) defining first and second recesses (2), the partition comprising: two first walls (22) defining the first and second recesses and made of an aluminium-alloy material which is free of neutron-absorbing elements, and defining therebetween a first inter-wall space (28); two second walls (30) arranged in the first space (28) and made of a material which comprises neutron-absorbing elements, the distance between the inner (36) and outer (34) surfaces of each second wall (30) defining a thickness (e2), and a distance (E) being defined between the outer surface (34) of each second wall and a median partition plane (20), the values meeting the condition 0.1?e2/E?0.43.

Abstract: The invention relates to a package comprising a packaging for storing and/or transporting radioactive materials and an assembly containing radioactive materials (16) housed in a cavity of the packaging closed by a cover (6), the package comprising a system for dampening impact of the assembly against the cover (6), the system comprising at least one deformable dampening device (42) and a loading device (26) of the deformable dampening device. According to the invention, one of the devices (42) is mounted moveable on the cover (6) in a plane orthogonal to the axis (8) of the packaging, and has means (50) of self-centering relatively to the other of the devices (26), provided on the assembly containing the radioactive materials (16).

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (3) for supporting packaging for transporting/storing radioactive materials (1) in a horizontal position, the supporting device including a structural base (10) and structures (12) for supporting the packaging, which structures are supported by the base (10) and project upwards therefrom. According to the invention, the device also includes, located at least in part above the structural base (10), a shroud (30) for guiding air for cooling the packaging by natural convection, the shroud (30) defining a recess (32) which is open towards the top and into which a portion of the packaging is intended to be inserted when the packaging (1) is supported in a horizontal position on the device, the shroud (30) including, at the bottom thereof, at least one opening (34) for allowing cooling air into the recess (32).

Abstract: An assembly (100) including a package for transport of radioactive materials (1) and a package support frame (3), wherein the frame includes: a first portion (14); a second portion (16) which is rigidly attached to the package, wherein the package and this second portion form an entity (18), wherein the first portion and the second portion of the frame (14, 16) are connected to one another by one or more mechanical fusible elements (30) to hold one relative to the other in a first direction of superposition (12) of the package on its frame. The assembly is also configured so that if the assembly falls in the direction (12) with the first portion (14) of the frame pointing forwards, this causes a rupture of the fusible elements (30) allowing a movement of the entity (18) relative to the first portion (14) in direction (12).

Abstract: A package (100) comprising storage packaging (1) as well as a confinement canister (3) for irradiated fuel, the packaging comprising a lateral body (2) which extends around a longitudinal axis (12) of the packaging and which includes an internal surface (22) which delimits a cavity for housing the canister (3), the packaging furthermore comprising at least one assembly (15) forming a guide rail for the canister in the cavity, mounted on the lateral body (2) and protruding at least partly into the housing cavity (4). According to the invention, the assembly forming a guide rail (15) includes an impact shock absorbing element (28) designed to absorb the shock, by plastic deformation, of a lateral impact between the packaging (1) and the confinement canister (3).

Abstract: Packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive material, comprising a packaging body which defines therein a cavity for housing radioactive material, and at least one shock absorber which is mounted on the outside of the packaging body, which has an outer surface provided with at least one first outer surface and one second outer surface which are separated by an edge that is covered by the shock absorber. The absorber comprises a metal damping structure comprising a first recess having an imaginary straight line extending therethrough, the line passing through both a center of gravity of the packaging and a point on the edge, a second recess arranged so as to face one of the outer surfaces, and a metal wall for absorbing shocks by plastic deformation. The wall is at least 5 mm thick and defines the first and second recesses on either side thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, comprising a packaging body extending along a longitudinal direction, and further including at least one shock-absorbing cover mounted on one of both longitudinally opposite ends of the packaging body, the absorbing cover comprising attaching portions (44) on said packaging body, each attaching portion defining a clearing hole (58) through which an element (24) screwed in the packaging body passes. According to the invention, the attaching portion (44) has a deformable area (54) which, in the case of an outer bias on the absorbing cover leading to a contact strain between the screwed element (24) and the clearing hole (58), is designed to plastically deform.

Abstract: The invention relates to a long-term storage device (1) intended to receive a containment case (3) containing radioactive materials, where this device includes a main body (2) having an inner surface delimiting a housing (7). According to the invention, in an unloaded configuration, in which the containment case containing radioactive materials is absent from the storage device, the latter includes a storage case (9) delimiting a cavity (4) to receive the containment case, where the storage device also includes ventilation means allowing air to circulate between the exterior of the storage device and a space delimited between the inner surface of the main body and the storage case (9).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of loading radioactive elements (8) in a package comprising the following steps: (a) placement of a plurality of radioactive elements (8) in a storage basket (30) provided with radiological protection means (32), in the pool; (b) extraction of the basket (30) containing the radioactive elements (8) out of the pool; and (c) loading said basket (30) containing the radioactive elements (8), into the package.

Abstract: A protective shock absorbing element block made of rigid and brittle foam is provided with superficial or internal structure irregularities (20), having sharp edges in the foam to enable its immediate crushing by cracks propagating in depth throughout its entire volume, which facilitates its fragmentation with predicted characteristics. As a variant, a superficial hardening coating (28) could be used, to fill in the outer pores (27) in the foam, together with a lateral clearance with the envelope, or studs covering the inside of the envelope. Applies to shock resistant protective shock absorbing elements, particularly covering packagings exposed to drops.

Abstract: Packaging for transporting radioactive material (1) comprising a radiation protection structure (4) comprising a shielding portion (5) defining a cavity (2) to house the radioactive material and a portion (7) having the effect of distancing the radioactive material from the outside of the packaging. The distancing-effect portion (7) directly encloses the shielding portion (5). The protection structure (4) has a thickness e associated with a segment (S) connecting a point (B) on the outer surface of the packaging to the center of gravity (G) of the cavity (2). It satisfies for any point (B): e=e1+e2 and 0.05<e1/e<0.25, where e1 is the thickness of the shielding portion (5), e2 is the thickness of the distancing-effect portion (7), with e1, e2 associated with the segment (S). The shielding portion (5) has a mean density of more than 8, the distancing-effect portion has a mean density of less than 0.5.

Abstract: A storage space device for the transport and/or storage of nuclear materials, comprising a main structure defining at least one housing intended to contain the nuclear materials and includes a mobile heat conduction structure forming at least one portion of a side outer surface of the storage space device. The mobile structure has at least one mobile heat conduction component mounted on the main structure so as to be displaceable reversibly from a retracted position to a deployed position while moving away from the structure.

Abstract: A removable storage device intended to be housed in a cavity of a form of packaging for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, including several substructures movable relative to one another, positioned around a longitudinal axis, and defining multiple adjacent recesses for radioactive materials, together with means for deployment of the substructures including actuation means acting by shape collaboration on the substructures through a bearing surface having, in a section according to any plane passing through longitudinal axis, the shape of a segment inclined relative to this axis, such that displacement of actuation means in a first direction parallel to longitudinal axis causes a displacement of the substructures radially towards the exterior relative to longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A canister for transporting/storing radioactive materials, comprising two concentric shells between which is housed a radiological protection device forming a barrier against gamma radiation, comprising a first and a second metal radiological protection components superimposed along a radial direction of the canister, the first component being supported against the outer shell and the second component being supported against the inner shell. In addition, the components are in contact with each other along an interface taking, in section along any plane integrating the longitudinal axis, the form of a straight line segment inclined in relation to this axis.