Abstract: An apparatus for supporting spent nuclear fuel including a plurality of wall plates arranged in an intersecting manner to define a basket apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis. The basket apparatus may include a plurality of fuel cells and a plurality of flux traps between adjacent fuel cells. A plurality of reinforcement members may be positioned in the flux traps and may extend between opposing ones of the wall plates that form the flux traps. Each of the wall plates may be a slotted wall plate. The slotted wall plates may be interlocked with one another to form the basket apparatus. Each of the slotted wall plates may include an upper edge, a lower edge, and a plurality of plate slots formed in each of the upper and lower edges. The plate slots of the slotted wall plates may receive intersecting slotted wall plates.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method is implemented by a semantic automation builder executed on a processor. The method generating semantic automations of a robotic process automation. The method includes receiving user inputs corresponding to a target application, a written automation task, or steps to identify actions of the robotic process automation. The method also includes mapping each action to an activity to generate mapped activities, transforming the actions into the semantic automations based on the mapped activities, and providing the semantic automations in a user interface of the semantic automation builder to enable editing of the actions.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting spent nuclear fuel including a plurality of wall plates arranged in an intersecting manner to define a basket apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis. The basket apparatus may include a plurality of fuel cells and a plurality of flux traps between adjacent fuel cells. A plurality of reinforcement members may be positioned in the flux traps and may extend between opposing ones of the wall plates that form the flux traps. Each of the wall plates may be a slotted wall plate. The slotted wall plates may be interlocked with one another to form the basket apparatus. Each of the slotted wall plates may include an upper edge, a lower edge, and a plurality of plate slots formed in each of the upper and lower edges. The plate slots of the slotted wall plates may receive intersecting slotted wall plates.

Abstract: A passively cooled storage module for spent nuclear fuel includes an elongated body including a top end, bottom end, sidewall, baseplate, detachable lid, and cavity for holding a fuel canister containing heat-emitting spent nuclear fuel assemblies. Cooling air inlet ducts spaced draw ambient cooling air radially inwards into a lower portion of the cavity. The air flows upwards in the cavity along the canister and is discharged from the top end of the module to atmosphere via natural circulation. The air inlet ducts may have a multi-angled and recurving configuration comprising one or more obliquely angled sections in one embodiment. The exterior inlet end openings of the inlet ducts are arranged at a higher elevation than the interior outlet end openings to prevent the ingress of standing and flood-related waters. The ducts and lid include radiation shielding features.

Abstract: A ventilated apparatus for storing and/or transporting high level radioactive waste. In one aspect, the invention is a ventilated apparatus comprising: an overpack body having an inner surface forming a cavity about a longitudinal axis. A bottom portion of the overpack body is formed by a plurality of segments. Each of the segments extends from a first end wall having a projection to a second end wall having a channel. The segments circumferentially surround a longitudinal axis and are arranged in an intermeshing and spaced-apart configuration such that the projections of the first end walls of the segments project into the channels of the second end walls of adjacent ones of the segments, thereby forming inlet ducts between adjacent ones of the segments. The inlet ducts form air inlet passageways from the external atmosphere to a bottom portion of the cavity.

Abstract: A ventilated apparatus for storing and/or transporting high level radioactive waste. In one aspect, the invention is a ventilated apparatus comprising: an overpack body having an inner surface forming a cavity about a longitudinal axis. A bottom portion of the overpack body is formed by a plurality of segments. Each of the segments extends from a first end wall having a projection to a second end wall having a channel. The segments circumferentially surround a longitudinal axis and are arranged in an intermeshing and spaced-apart configuration such that the projections of the first end walls of the segments project into the channels of the second end walls of adjacent ones of the segments, thereby forming inlet ducts between adjacent ones of the segments. The inlet ducts form air inlet passageways from the external atmosphere to a bottom portion of the cavity.

Abstract: A passively cooled storage module for spent nuclear fuel includes an elongated body including a top end, bottom end, sidewall, baseplate, detachable lid, and cavity for holding a fuel canister containing heat-emitting spent nuclear fuel assemblies. Cooling air inlet ducts spaced draw ambient cooling air radially inwards into a lower portion of the cavity. The air flows upwards in the cavity along the canister and is discharged from the top end of the module to atmosphere via natural circulation. The air inlet ducts may have a multi-angled and recurving configuration comprising one or more obliquely angled sections in one embodiment. The exterior inlet end openings of the inlet ducts are arranged at a higher elevation than the interior outlet end openings to prevent the ingress of standing and flood-related waters. The ducts and lid include radiation shielding features.

Abstract: A ventilated apparatus for storing and/or transporting high level radioactive waste. In one aspect, the invention is a ventilated apparatus comprising: an overpack body having an inner surface forming a cavity about a longitudinal axis. A bottom portion of the overpack body is formed by a plurality of segments. Each of the segments extends from a first end wall having a projection to a second end wall having a channel. The segments circumferentially surround a longitudinal axis and are arranged in an intermeshing and spaced-apart configuration such that the projections of the first end walls of the segments project into the channels of the second end walls of adjacent ones of the segments, thereby forming inlet ducts between adjacent ones of the segments. The inlet ducts form air inlet passageways from the external atmosphere to a bottom portion of the cavity.

Abstract: A ventilated apparatus for storing and/or transporting high level radioactive waste. In one aspect, the invention is a ventilated apparatus comprising: an overpack body having an inner surface forming a cavity about a longitudinal axis. A bottom portion of the overpack body is formed by a plurality of segments. Each of the segments extends from a first end wall having a projection to a second end wall having a channel. The segments circumferentially surround a longitudinal axis and are arranged in an intermeshing and spaced-apart configuration such that the projections of the first end walls of the segments project into the channels of the second end walls of adjacent ones of the segments, thereby forming inlet ducts between adjacent ones of the segments. The inlet ducts form air inlet passageways from the external atmosphere to a bottom portion of the cavity.

Abstract: The invention is in the form of a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) comprising a chamber having a first opening into the chamber, a second opening into the chamber, a source of heat within the chamber, and one or more heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, each heat recovery media comprising plates having a first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein at least one plate has one or more openings passing from the first surface to the second opposite surface.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for providing additional radiation shielding to a ventilated cask for holding high level radioactive materials. The invention utilizes a tubular shell that is ancillary to the ventilated cask that circumscribes the ventilated cask to add radiation shielding protection while improving heat removal by natural convective air flow. Because the tubular shell and cask are non-unitary and slidably separable from one another, crane lifting capacity is not affected.

Abstract: A four-way valve for use in a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) assembly for alternating between a first cycle with a gas flowing in a first direction and a second cycle with a gas flowing in a second direction. A partition divides the interior of the housing of the valve into an input zone and an output zone. A pivot shaft rotatable about an axis is disposed in the interior of the housing, and a pair of opposing dampers extend radially outwardly on opposite sides of the pivot shaft. A plurality of ducts are disposed in the housing. Each duct engages one of the input and output apertures and extends into one of the input and output zones for engaging the dampers to restrict the flow of gas during the first and second cycles.