Transport and storage casks
The production of storage structures for spent nuclear fuel represents a strategic area of ŠKODA JS business. The key features of the storage structures are the casks for the dry-storage of spent nuclear fuel. ŠKODA JS produces these casks mainly in cooperation with the German company GNS mbH Essen. Their production has reached more than 300 pieces. Included in this number were the CASTOR®440/84 type casks for spent nuclear fuel made of ductile cast iron, which were supplied to ČEZ, the Czech power company, as well as to the German market. Furthermore, there were the CONSTOR®RBMK 1500 type casks made of reinforced concrete and supplied to the Lithuanian Ignalina nuclear power plant; and finally the CASTOR®HAW 20/28 CG type casks for high-level radioactive waste, produced for both German and Swiss operators.
ŠKODA JS concluded a contract with a strategic customer for manufacture and supply of several tens of pieces of steel-concrete casks CONSTOR®440/84, including the internal basket of ŠKODA JS own design. Thereby series production of these casks for Bulgarian Kozloduy NPP was initiated. Manufacture of modernized-type CASTOR®440/84M casks for ČEZ is also quite prospective. First casks of this type have been supplied to Dukovany NPP.
Apart from the above-mentioned types, produced under licence, ŠKODA JS utilizes its own developmental potential in the area of casks. Examples of such development are, firstly, the project of the VPVR cask for the transportation of fuel from research reactors, carried out for the Nuclear Research Institute in Řež. And secondly, the Peta 6 lead container for the transportation of sources of radiation (the end customer being the Institute of Nuclear Fuel in Prague). In 2007 a transport container was manufactured for the Paul Scherrer Institute in Swiss Viligen, which is aimed for the transportation of an irradiated target filled with lead and bismuth eutectic to the intermediate storage facility Zwilag. The container is a part of a unique international project Megapie.
With reference to the growing market demand, ŠKODA JS is systematically widening its range of casks produced, and is increasing its developmental, construction and production capacities.
Photogallery on the topic
CASTOR 440/84 cask
Manufacturing of the cask inner surface
CASTOR 440/84 cask
CASTOR 440/84 cask inner basket
Handling with a cask at positioning equipment
Cask trunnion
Detail of the inner basket
Loading of a cask onto the truck
Preparation for spent fuel loading
CASTOR 440/84 casks in the Dukovany interim storage facility
HAW 20/28 casks for highly aktive nuclear waste
Detail of a HAW 20/28 cask
CONSTOR RBMK 1500 casks
Detail of a CONSTOR RBMK 1500 cask
VPVR cask for spent fuel from research reactors
VPVR cask for spent fuel from research reactors
VPVR cask for spent fuel from research reactors
VPVR cask for spent fuel from research reactors
Testing of a VPVR cask
TC1 cask for Zwilag research institute
VTUK cask for Lithuanian Ignalina NPP
