Ranor Inc. introduces a new project to transport spent fuel canisters. This project required the use of new welding equipment, a new welding wire electrode for Ranor and a custom-designed manipulator to complete the job. The new TN 32PT® Transportable canister assemblies have an internal basket assembly design. The transportable canisters are 168 inches long with 32 fuel openings formed with plate material that is stacked both horizontally and vertically in an âegg crateâ? fashion. The design also called for tight final dimensional tolerances, since the basket assembly sits inside of a canister that ultimately slides into an exterior cask. The project specified a stainless steel SA240 Type XM-19 (Nitronic 50) ¼-inch plate with tensile strength of 100KSI for the basket assembly. The design also specified a .045-inch diameter AWS ER209 filler metal to achieve the tensile strength. For the actual welding, the basket assembly is fit and tacked as a complete unit, and welded within the confines of a full-length rotating fixture for in-position welding.
