Patents by Inventor Douglas W. Stuteville

Douglas W. Stuteville 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).

  • Patent number: 4167443
    Abstract: A sensor chamber having one cavity containing coolant separated by a diaphragm from another cavity containing a fixed mass of inert gas is located within a safety assembly of a liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactor. The liquid cavity is in fluid communication with the coolant outside the chamber through a flow limiting orifice. An actuating bellows in fluid communication with the gas cavity is in contact with coolant outside the chamber and is connected to a push rod, which serves as a trigger for a poison bundle release mechanism. During slow changes in reactor coolant pressure experienced under normal operation, the diaphragm moves to equalize the gas cavity and liquid cavity pressures with the coolant pressure outside the chamber. The actuating bellows does not move because it is biased so that a threshold pressure difference is required before it will expand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1979
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Noyes, Shakir U. Zaman, Douglas W. Stuteville