Shipping container for spent nuclear reactor fuel elements

Claim 1

A CONTAINER FOR FUEL ELEMENTS UTILIZING A GAS COOLING SYSTEM AND COMPRISING BODY MEANS INCLUDING SHIELDING MATERIAL AND HAVING A CAVITY FORMED THEREIN FOR RECEIVING FUEL ELEMENTS AND BEING OPEN AT THEUPPER PORTION THEREOF, REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEANS INCLUDING SHIELDING MATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE OPEN UPPER END OF SAID CAVITY, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID CLOSURE MEANS IN OPERATIVE POSITION, A PLURALITY OF PLATES SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CAVITY AND SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER, SAID PLATES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH ONE ANOTHER AND DIVIDING SAID CAVITY INTO A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR VERTICALLY EXTENDING SPACES FOR RECEIVING FUEL ELEMENT SUPPORT MEANS, SAID PLATES BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE WALLS OF SAID BODY MEANS AND BEING FORMED OF NEUTRON ABSORBING MATERIAL AS WELL AS MATERIAL HAVING GOOD HEAT CONDUCTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR CONDUCTING HEAT READILY TO THE WALLS OF SAID BODY MEANS FROM FUEL ELEMENTS DISPOSED THEREWITHIN, AND FUEL ELEMENT SUPPORT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED WITHIN THE VARIOUS SPACES DEFINED WITHIN SAID BODY MEANS AND FOR SUPPORTING FUEL ELEMENTS IN OPERATIVE POSITION THEREWITH, SAID FUEL ELEMENT SUPPORT MEANS BEING OF OPEN FRAMEWORK CONSTRUCTION TO RETAIN THE FUEL ELEMENTS IN PROPER OPERATIVE POSITION AND WHICH DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH EFFECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER FROM THE FUEL ELEMENTS SUPPORTED THEREBY.