Primary Inventor: Krishna P. Singh
Date: Feb. 15, 2022
Status: Granted
Jurisdiction: US
Equipment Type: MPC
Docket Number: HOL-113
Application Number: 15/709,098
Patent Number: US 11,250,962 B2
Related U.S. Application Data:
- Provisional application No. 62/396,565, filed on Sep. 19, 2016.
Abstract: Manufacturing methods for fabricating nuclear waste canisters used to store spent nuclear fuel assemblies are disclosed to mitigate stress corrosion cracking. The method may generally comprise providing one or more stainless steel sheets used to form a shell of the canister. The shell comprises open butt joints which are welded closed via full shell thickness type welds of preferably narrow profile. The welds and adjoining heat affect zone may then be subjected to mechanical through-thickness compaction, which converts a residual tensile stress field in the shell base material adjoining the weld to a compressive stress field for a full thickness of the shell. The crown of the external exposed portion of the weld is flattened by the compaction and may be coplanar with the exterior surface of the shell. Surface peening may optionally be performed on the welded zone after compaction.