Abstract: A method is disclosed for the compaction of control rod blades and fuel channels of a boiling water reactor. Upper and lower portions of a control rod blade are removed from a cruciform shaped main blade structure. Each elongate tubular fuel channel of substantially square cross section is sectioned into four substantially congruent panels. A plurality of panels are stacked into each quadrant of the main blade structure substantially parallel to the long axis thereof.

Abstract: A device for sealing a gateway between interconnectable pools in a nuclear facility comprising a frame supporting a liquid impermeable sheet positioned in a U-shaped gateway between the pools. An inflatable tube carried in a channel in the periphery of the frame and adjoining the gateway provides a seal therebetween when inflated. A restraining arrangement on the bottom edge of the frame is releasably engagable with an adjacent portion of the gateway to restrict the movement of the frame in the U-shaped gateway upon inflation of the tube, thereby enhancing the seal. The impermeable sheet is formed of an elastomer and thus is conformable to a liquid permeable supportive wall upon application of liquid pressure to the side of the sheet opposite the wall.