Handling Equipment for Containers for Nuclear Fuel Elements

Handling of containers for fuel elements requires special diligence as they may contain spent fuel elements, thus the essential components of a nuclear reactor core. In order to handle these containers in a safe manner, our employees designed and manufactured a large number of handling equipment, e. g. for CASTOR^®-Containers.

Our handling equipment accompanies several types of containers for nuclear fuel elements from the manufacturing process via employment on the road or rail as well as on the spot and inside the power plant up to the point of interim storage. As an example there are horizontal- and vertical lifting beams to transport the containers, including yokes for relocation and handling equipment for container lids. We offer support frames to stopover the containers and for ground transport within the area of the power plant. For road transport we may quote transport frames with aluminium coating as protection against weather as well as shock absorbers as an impact protection. For the final assembly and testing of containers for nuclear fuel elements we built an operating platform and for the coating a heavy duty mover.

During transport of containers for nuclear fuel elements within the nuclear power plant horizontal- and vertical lifting beams are used. On the spot of the power plant the containers for nuclear fuel elements are moved in horizontal position. For this we offer horizontal lifting beams, also described as off-site lifting beams. For vertical handling within the nuclear power plant, e. g. on the reactor platform and inside the fuel pool we offer vertical lifting beams, also described as in-site lifting beams.

We offer short and long yokes to handle the containers for fuel elements. As accessories for the vertical lifting beams they are used to erect the transport containers and to move them or to place them on the reactor platform. Contamination-protected yokes for relocation are employed to lift the containers after cleaning and to place them on the lock carriage.

Yoke of structural steel coated with a contamination protection for the Kernkraftwerk Unterweser

Handling equipment for container lids mostly consists of an adapter for hooks, supporting tubes, a lantern-shaped adapter and a mushroom-shaped load attachment point. As far as there is no mushroom-shaped load attachment point integrated in the container lid a separate mushroom-shaped load attachment point has to be screwed on the container lid. Fastening of the lid is made via the connection mushroom-shaped load attachment point – lantern-shaped adapter.

We offer support frames to stopover the containers for fuel elements and to move them with special vehicles on the spot of the power plant.

We manufactured different equipment to move containers for fuel elements via rail or truck, e.g. a transport frame. This transport frame is equipped with a housing of steel and aluminium as protection against weather and as visual cover as well as with shock absorbers as an impact protection.

In order to increase the production capacities of CASTOR^®-Containers in the plant of GNS Muehlheim we manufactured an operating platform and a heavy duty mover for CASTOR^®-Containers. The operating platform is used for final assembly and for the testing procedure. It consists of 4 places for the Castor^® –Container types V/19, V/52, 440/84 and HAW 20/28 which may have a weight of up to 125 t and a height of more than 6 m.

The heavy duty mover handles the CASTOR^®-Container inside the coating unit especially designed for containers. The length of the heavy duty mover is telescopable in order to pick up different types of CASTOR^®-Containers. They are moved on railways. The mover is provided with trailer coupling for connection with the tractor vehicle.