Importance

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Abstract

In a cask (10) for the transportation and storage of radioactive materials, an improvement in the shielding means (14) which achieves significant savings in weight and increases in payload by the use of pipes of depleted uranium, tungsten or other dense metal, encapsulating polyethylene cores (20a), dispersed in two to four rows of concentric bore holes (20, 21, 22, 23 or 24) around the periphery of the cask body (11) which is preferably made of ductile iron. Alternatively, rods or small balls of these same shielding materials (21a, 22a, 23a and 24a), alone or in combination, are placed in these bore holes. The thickness, number and arrangement of these shielding pipes (20a) or rods (21a, 22a, 23a or 24a) is varied to provide optimum protection against the neutrons and gamma radiation emitted by the particular radioactive material being transported or stored.

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First Claim