| Masashi Shimizu | Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project Dept., Nuclear Systems Div., Power Systems, |
| Tadahiro Hoshikawa | Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project Dept., Nuclear Systems Div., Power Systems, |
| Mamoru Kamoshida, Dr. Eng. | R&D Lab., Power Systems, |
| Takashi Machida, Dr. Eng. | Dept., of Materials Research for Power Plants, Hitachi Research Lab., |
Independent storage of spent fuel away from nuclear power plants is required until it can be reprocessed. We plan to use a dual-purpose dry metal cask for transport and storage for this interim storage. Regulations, guide lines, and standards are being developed to achieve this around 2010. Hitachi has developed this cask to maximize number of loaded spent fuel to reduce frequency of transportation. As economical efficiency and long-term reliability were also sought, an easy-to-fabricate structure was adopted in order to prevent deterioration. A 1/3 scale-model drop test was done to evaluate the integrity of elements and total function and to confirm safety. Moreover, a 1/1 scale-model dual-purpose transport and storage dry-type metal cask was fabricated, inspected and tested, which would be required at the actual cask fabrication stage. Knowledge acquired from these results is being reflected in the design and fabrication of actual casks to improve them.
 | The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
spent fuel storage, storage cask, transport cask, dry cask
