Patents by Inventor Colin Whitehead

Colin Whitehead has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Separation of isotopes by ionisation for processing of nuclear fuel materials
    Patent number: 6323455
    Abstract: Processing apparatus and methods are provided which involve the selective ionization of a feed material; the separation of ionized and non-ionized species; a selective excitation of the still ionized species; introduction of a chemical material to cause selective transition to a non-ionized state of part of the feed; and a further separation of ionized and non-ionized species. Other improvements in selective excitation based processing are also disclosed. Separation of isotopes and/or elements from one another and changing chemical and physical form is provided in a single process from a variety of feeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: British Nuclear Fuels PLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey Horrocks Bailey, Colin Whitehead, David John Witts
  • Separation of isotopes by ionization
    Patent number: 6267850
    Abstract: Improved processing apparatus and methods are provided which involve the selective ionisation of a feed material and the separation of ionised and non-ionised species. Introduction of a chemical material to cause selective transition to a non-ionised and/or solid or liquid state of part of the feed is provided. The process offers high through puts by virtue of the ionised and non-ionised species being in equilibrium with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: British Nuclear Fuel PLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey Horrocks Bailey, Colin Whitehead, Paul Gilchrist, Duncan Alfred Webster