Patents by Inventor Jay G. Wellwood
Jay G. Wellwood 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).
-
Publication number: 20230294126Abstract: Described herein, are methods for providing a protective coating to a storage container for storing nuclear material, the method comprising depositing nickel particles on at least one surface of the substrate to produce the protective coating, wherein the nickel particles are deposited by cold spraying a composition comprising nickel particles and a carrier gas comprising nitrogen. In one aspect, the carrier gas consists essentially or consists only of nitrogen. The methods do not require pretreatment or modification of the nickel particles prior to cold spraying, which makes the methods described herein economically practical. The coatings produced by the methods described herein possess several advantageous properties including, but not limited to, high adhesion strength to the storage system and low porosity. The coatings produced by the methods described herein are effective against chemical attack such as, for example, CISCC.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2023Publication date: September 21, 2023Inventor: Jay G. WELLWOOD
-
Patent number: 11676736Abstract: A storage apparatus is provided for dry storage of radioactive nuclear waste. The storage apparatus comprises a sealed canister containing the radioactive nuclear waste and an outer ventilated metal storage overpack (VMSO). The VMSO has a plurality of vents to enable ambient air flow through the VMSO and around the canister to thereby dissipate heat from the canister. The VMSO has a side wall having an inner metal layer and one or more sets of alternating layers. Each set includes a neutron absorbing layer adjacent to another metal layer so that neutron absorbing and metal layers alternate throughout the side wall. The neutron absorbing layer or layers are designed to absorb neutron particles radiated from the radioactive nuclear waste and the metal layers are designed to absorb gamma particles radiated from the radioactive nuclear waste as well as radiated from the neutron absorbing layer or layers that result from reactions associated with absorption of neutron particles.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2018Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: NAC INTERNATIONAL INC.Inventors: Holger Pfeifer, Jay G. Wellwood, George C. Carver
-
Patent number: 11666939Abstract: Described herein, are methods for providing a protective coating to a storage container for storing nuclear material, the method comprising depositing nickel particles on at least one surface of the substrate to produce the protective coating, wherein the nickel particles are deposited by cold spraying a composition comprising nickel particles and a carrier gas comprising nitrogen. In one aspect, the carrier gas consists essentially or consists only of nitrogen. The methods do not require pretreatment or modification of the nickel particles prior to cold spraying, which makes the methods described herein economically practical. The coatings produced by the methods described herein possess several advantageous properties including, but not limited to, high adhesion strength to the storage system and low porosity. The coatings produced by the methods described herein are effective against chemical attack such as, for example, CISCC.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2021Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: NAC INTERNATIONAL, INC.Inventor: Jay G. Wellwood
-
Publication number: 20220250112Abstract: Described herein, are methods for providing a protective coating to a storage container for storing nuclear material, the method comprising depositing nickel particles on at least one surface of the substrate to produce the protective coating, wherein the nickel particles are deposited by cold spraying a composition comprising nickel particles and a carrier gas comprising nitrogen. In one aspect, the carrier gas consists essentially or consists only of nitrogen. The methods do not require pretreatment or modification of the nickel particles prior to cold spraying, which makes the methods described herein economically practical. The coatings produced by the methods described herein possess several advantageous properties including, but not limited to, high adhesion strength to the storage system and low porosity. The coatings produced by the methods described herein are effective against chemical attack such as, for example, CISCC.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2021Publication date: August 11, 2022Inventor: Jay G. Wellwood
-
Patent number: 11393603Abstract: Embodiments of a thermal divider insert for a dry storage, spent nuclear fuel cask are disclosed. The thermal divider insert enables safe storage of the hazardous nuclear material when one or more air inlets have been fully or partially blocked to an extent that insufficient air flows into the air inlets and through the cask for adequate cooling of the hazardous nuclear material. A concrete overpack contains a metal canister with the hazardous nuclear material. The overpack has an inside surface that is spaced from an outer surface of the canister to create an annular region that permits flow of air between the surfaces for cooling the canister. Air inlets near the bottom of the overpack communicate air from an outside into the annular region. Outlet vents near the top of the overpack communicate air from the annular region to the outside.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: NAC INTERNATIONAL INC.Inventors: George C. Carver, Steve E. Sisley, Jay G. Wellwood, Kevin Klein
-
Publication number: 20210296018Abstract: Embodiments of a thermal divider insert for a dry storage, spent nuclear fuel cask are disclosed. The thermal divider insert enables safe storage of the hazardous nuclear material when one or more air inlets have been fully or partially blocked to an extent that insufficient air flows into the air inlets and through the cask for adequate cooling of the hazardous nuclear material. In one embodiment, the cask comprises a metal canister having a top, bottom, and sidewall. The canister contains the hazardous nuclear material. A concrete overpack contains the metal canister with the hazardous nuclear material. The overpack has a top, bottom, and sidewall. The overpack has an inside surface that is spaced from an outer surface of the canister to create an annular region that permits flow of air between the surfaces for cooling the canister. One or more air inlets near the bottom of the overpack communicate air from an outside environment into the annular region.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2020Publication date: September 23, 2021Inventors: George C. Carver, Steve E. Sisley, Jay G. Wellwood, Kevin Klein
-
Patent number: 10614925Abstract: A modular portable cask transfer (MPCT) facility is capable of transferring a canister containing spent nuclear fuel materials from or to a transportation cask respectively to or from a storage overpack. A transfer cask is utilized for the transfer. Telescoping legs enable movement of the transfer cask independent of the canister, which is moved using a hoist. Due to its modular configuration, the MPCT facility can be assembled, disassembled, and moved from one nuclear power plant to another.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2017Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: NAC INTERNATIONAL INC.Inventors: George C. Carver, Vadim Z. Shtylman, Jay G. Wellwood, Michael Yaksh, Suresh Babu, Sing Gee Lin
-
Publication number: 20190392960Abstract: In one aspect, the disclosure relates to storage systems comprising a protective barrier to chemical attack, e.g. to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC). Moreover, the disclosed protective barriers can provide enhanced protection to or otherwise shield against general corrosion. In a further aspect, the disclosed protective barriers have minimal activity as catalysts for galvanic corrosion. The present disclosure further pertains to methods of applying the disclosed protective barriers to the disclosed storage systems. In various aspects, the disclosed storage systems are used for the storage of nuclear material. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2018Publication date: December 26, 2019Inventors: Jay G. Wellwood, George C. Carver
-
Publication number: 20190131024Abstract: A storage apparatus is provided for dry storage of radioactive nuclear waste. The storage apparatus comprises a sealed canister containing the radioactive nuclear waste and an outer ventilated metal storage overpack (VMSO). The VMSO has a plurality of vents to enable ambient air flow through the VMSO and around the canister to thereby dissipate heat from the canister. The VMSO has a side wall having an inner metal layer and one or more sets of alternating layers. Each set includes a neutron absorbing layer adjacent to another metal layer so that neutron absorbing and metal layers alternate throughout the side wall. The neutron absorbing layer or layers are designed to absorb neutron particles radiated from the radioactive nuclear waste and the metal layers are designed to absorb gamma particles radiated from the radioactive nuclear waste as well as radiated from the neutron absorbing layer or layers that result from reactions associated with absorption of neutron particles.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2018Publication date: May 2, 2019Inventors: Holger Pfeifer, Jay G. Wellwood, George C. Carver
-
Patent number: 10008299Abstract: A container is designed to safely store radioactive debris from, for example, a nuclear reactor meltdown, in water or air. The container, with preferably although not necessarily all metal parts, has an overpack having an elongated cylindrical body extending between a top end and a bottom end, a planar bottom part at the bottom end, an open top at the top end, and a circular planar lid mounted over the open top. A basket is situated inside of the overpack. The basket has a plurality of elongated cylindrical canisters that are in parallel along their lengths. Each of the canisters has an elongated cylindrical body extending between a top end and a bottom end, a planar bottom part at the bottom end, an open top at the top end, and a circular planar lid mounted over the open top.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2017Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: NAC INTERNATIONAL INC.Inventors: Jay G. Wellwood, George C. Carver, Vadim Z. Shtylman
-
Publication number: 20180166178Abstract: A modular portable cask transfer (MPCT) facility is capable of transferring a canister containing spent nuclear fuel materials from or to a transportation cask respectively to or from a storage overpack. A transfer cask is utilized for the transfer. Telescoping legs enable movement of the transfer cask independent of the canister, which is moved using a hoist. Due to its modular configuration, the MPCT facility can be assembled, disassembled, and moved from one nuclear power plant to another.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2017Publication date: June 14, 2018Inventors: George C. Carver, Vadim Z. Shtylman, Jay G. Wellwood, Michael Yaksh, Suresh Babu, Sing Gee Lin
-
Publication number: 20170301425Abstract: A container is designed to safely store radioactive debris from, for example, a nuclear reactor meltdown, in water or air. The container, with preferably although not necessarily all metal parts, has an overpack having an elongated cylindrical body extending between a top end and a bottom end, a planar bottom part at the bottom end, an open top at the top end, and a circular planar lid mounted over the open top. A basket is situated inside of the overpack. The basket has a plurality of elongated cylindrical canisters that are in parallel along their lengths. Each of the canisters has an elongated cylindrical body extending between a top end and a bottom end, a planar bottom part at the bottom end, an open top at the top end, and a circular planar lid mounted over the open top.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Inventors: Jay G. Wellwood, George C. Carver, Vadim Z. Shtylman