Spent fuel housing square pipe, basket and spent fuel housing container

Abstract

Corner of each square pipe is molded into a terrace shape having steps. When a basket is constructed by these square pipes, steps of adjoining square pipes are assembled together face to face. Fuel rod aggregates are housed inside the square pipes and in a cells formed between the square pipes. Since the adjoining square pipes are assembled in a staggered arrangement, boundaries of the cells are defined by the walls of the square pipes itself.

1 - 39 . (canceled)  
   
   
       40 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement;    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes.    
   
   
       41 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having a plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement, wherein corners of walls of each square pipe is formed into a terrace shape having a plurality of steps, and when assembling the square pipes the steps of the terrace shape of adjacent square pipes are butted against each other, wherein spaces inside the square pipes and spaces surrounded by the side faces of the square pipes are formed into lattice-shaped cells with used fuel aggregates being housed in the cells; and    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes.    
   
   
       42 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having a plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement, wherein a connecting section which assembles with a connecting section of a square pipe diagonally adjacent thereto, is formed on each of the four corners of the square pipe, and the connecting sections of diagonally adjacent square pipes is are engaged with each other, wherein spaces inside the square pipes and spaces surrounded by the side faces of the square pipes are formed into lattice-shaped cells with used fuel aggregates being housed in the cells; and    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes.    
   
   
       43 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having a plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes, wherein corners of walls of each square pipe is formed into a terrace shape having a plurality of steps and when assembling the square pipes the steps of the terrace shape of adjacent square pipes are butted against each other, wherein a flux trap structure, which fits to the shape of the terrace portion, is formed inside of the square pipe is at least the wall or the terrace portion of the square pipe, wherein spaces inside the square pipes and spaces surrounded by the side faces of the square pipes are formed into lattice-shaped cells with used fuel aggregates being housed in the cells; and    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes.    
   
   
       44 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having a plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement, wherein corners of walls of each square pipe is formed into a terrace shape having a plurality of steps, and when assembling the square pipes the steps of the terrace shape of adjacent square pipes are butted against each other;    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes; and    a square pipe receiver placed between adjacent square pipes located on the outermost circumference of the square pipe assembly.    
   
   
       45 . A basket comprising: 
 a square pipe assembly having a plurality of square pipes assembled in a staggered arrangement;    a spent fuel housing container, such as a cask or a canister, or a spent fuel storing pool, that houses the square pipe assembly; and    a fastener which fastens the outermost square pipes of the square pipe assembly and a spacer block formed to fit to the inner shape of the spent fuel housing container or the spent fuel storing pool, wherein a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the square pipes and in a space defined by walls of the square pipes.    
   
   
       46 . A spent fuel container wherein a basket, which is formed into a lattice shape as a whole by combining a plurality of square pipes with each other in a staggered arrangement, is inserted to a spent fuel housing container main body with its outer shape being fitted to the cavity inner shape of the spent fuel container main body so that a spent fuel aggregate is housed inside the lattice.