Container and method for closing an opening of container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12448173-B2
Application number	US-201816132644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2018
Priority date	Sep 25, 2017
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A container comprising: a container body that includes a wall portion separating inside and outside and is formed of a long-fiber-reinforced silicon-carbide composite material obtained by combining monofilaments of silicon carbide with a silicon carbide matrix, the wall portion having a thickness equal to a specific dimension; and a lid configured to close an opening of the container body, formed of a material containing at least silicon carbide, and equipped with such a wall portion separating inside and outside that thickness is within a range of 1 to 3 times the specific dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nuclear fuel cladding tube, comprising:
a container body that includes a wall portion separating inside and outside and is formed of a long-fiber-reinforced silicon-carbide composite material obtained by combining monofilaments of silicon carbide with a silicon carbide matrix, the wall portion having a thickness equal to a specific dimension; and
a lid configured to close at least one opening of the container body, formed of a material containing at least silicon carbide, and equipped with a wall portion separating inside and outside of the lid that has a thickness within a range of 1.2 to 1.9 times the specific dimension, wherein
the container body accommodates nuclear fuel of a nuclear reactor,
the lid is an end plug that closes the at least one opening at an end portion of the container body,
a shape of the lid is at least one of a shape of an outer stopper covering an outer periphery of the end portion of the container body and a shape of an inner stopper provided inside the at least one opening,
a bonding portion where the container body and the lid overlap is hermetically sealed,
a gap between the container body and the lid is sealed with an intermediate material under a state where the at least one opening is closed with the lid, the gap formed by overlapping the container body and the lid, and
at least the bonding portion is locally heated.

2. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a portion where the container body overlaps with the lid in a state of closing the at least one opening with the lid is within a range of 1.2 to 1.9 times the specific dimension.

3. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 ,
wherein a screw cutting is formed on each of the container body and the lid in such a manner that the lid is screwed onto the container body.

4. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein
metallization is applied to the respective bonding surfaces, and
the intermediate material is applied to an area subjected to the metallization in such a manner that the intermediate material enters the gap and the gap is sealed by the intermediate material under a state where the at least one opening is closed with the lid.

5. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein
the container body has a cylindrical shape, and
the at least one opening is provided at one end portion or each of both end portions of the container body to be closed with the lid.

6. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 ,
wherein the intermediate material contains at least one of (a) an inorganic adhesive using metal alkoxide of silicate type or phosphate type, (b) a ceramic precursor polymer of polycarbosilane, polycarbosilazane, or polyorganoborosilazane, (c) a carbon adhesive using phenolic resin, (d) a metal brazing material of silver braze, gold braze, platinum braze, palladium braze, phosphorous copper braze, or nickel braze, and (e) an inorganic brazing material of glass, silicon, or metal oxide.

7. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 ,
wherein the intermediate material contains (a) an inorganic adhesive using metal alkoxide of silicate type or phosphate type, (b) a ceramic precursor polymer of polycarbosilane, polycarbosilazane, or polyorganoborosilazane, and (c) 30 to 60 wt % of silicon carbide additive.

8. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein the lid is formed of a long-fiber-reinforced silicon-carbide composite material obtained by combining monofilaments of silicon carbide with a matrix of silicon carbide.

9. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein the specific dimension is equal to or more than 0.5 mm.

10. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 9 , wherein the specific dimension is equal to or less than 5 mm.

11. The nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate material is wire-shaped.

12. A method for closing an opening of a nuclear fuel cladding tube, comprising:
forming a container body from a long-fiber-reinforced silicon-carbide composite material obtained by combining monofilaments of silicon carbide with a matrix of silicon carbide, in such a manner that a wall portion for separating inside and outside of the container body has a thickness equal to a specific dimension;
forming a lid from a material containing at least silicon carbide in such a manner that a wall portion for separating inside and outside of the lid has a thickness within a range of 1.2 to 1.9 times the specific dimension, wherein the container body accommodates nuclear fuel of a nuclear reactor, the lid is an end plug that closes an opening at an end portion of the container body, and a shape of the lid is at least one of an outer stopper covering an outer periphery of the end portion of the container body and an inner stopper provided inside the opening of the container body;
closing the opening with the lid;
sealing a bonding portion where the container body and the lid overlap;
applying an intermediate material to seal a gap between respective bonding surfaces of the container body and the lid, the gap formed after the sealing the bonding portion; and
locally heating at least the bonding portion.

13. The method for closing the opening of the nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 12 , further comprising:
causing the intermediate material to enter the gap under capillary phenomenon by melting the intermediate material.

14. The method for closing the opening of the nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 12 , further comprising: performing metallization on an entry range of an intermediate material in advance, the intermediate material being for sealing a gap where the container body overlaps with the lid face.

15. The method for closing the opening of the nuclear fuel cladding tube according to claim 12 , wherein the container body or the lid is formed by at least one of a chemical vapor deposition method and a chemical vapor infiltration method.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Suyama Shoko
• Ukai Masaru
• Uchihashi Masayuki
• Kakiuchi Kazuo

Classifications

• C04B35/80

  Fibres, filaments, whiskers, platelets, or the like · CPC title

• C04B2237/124

  based on copper · CPC title

• C04B2237/365

  Silicon carbide · CPC title

• C04B2235/5244

  Silicon carbide · CPC title

• C04B2235/526

  characterised by the length of the fibers · CPC title