Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Engineering Services Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Nuclear Engineering Co., Ltd.

Shoichi Ouchi

Hiroyuki Tsuchiya

Yoshimasa Kiuchi

Takahiro Sanada

A vessel for solidifying radioactive waste pellets includes a vessel body, an inner lid mounted within the vessel body and fixedly secured to an upper portion of the vessel body, and a device for preventing the pellets from floating fixedly secured one end thereof to the inner lid. The inner lid has an opening formed at a generally central portion thereof, and the pellet float prevention device is extended into the opening of the inner lid to define gaps therebetween allowing the passage of a solidifying material in the state of a liquid or a slurry therethrough but preventing the passage of the radioctive waste pellets therethrough. The pellet prevention device, when receiving a downward urging force, is bent downward to enlarge the gaps therebetween for allowing the radioactive waste pellets to pass therethrough. The pellet float prevention device is returned by a resilient restoring force to its initial position when the downward urging force is released. The pellet float prevention device comprises a plurality of coil springs fixedly secured to the inner lid in a radial manner, and some of the plurality of coil springs extend to an area close to the center of the opening in the inner lid. The coil springs are extended in such a manner that the axis of each of the coil springs is displaced a predetermined angle from the center of the opening in the inner lid.

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Hitachi, Japan

Shoichi Ouchi