Patents by Inventor John R. Schenk

John R. Schenk 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).

  • Critical power enhancement system for a pressurized fuel channel type nuclear reactor using alignment of fuel bundle pairs
    Patent number: 6434209
    Abstract: A Critical Channel Power (CCP) enhancement system is provided for a pressurized fuel-channel-type water-cooled nuclear reactor of the type adapted to be refuelled on-line by the insertion and removal of fuel bundles onto and from of a plurality of said fuel channel assemblies, each of said fuel channel assemblies. A means is provided for interlocking fuel bundles into pairs having their fuel elements aligned, thereby lowering the hydraulic resistance in the fuel channel and enhancing CCP. The means for interlocking prevents misalignment of the paired bundles during their residence time inside the reactor due to continuous rocking and vibration of the fuel bundles exposed to very high coolant mass flow rate and misalignment due to axial separation of bundles impacting upon one another during fuelling operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited/Energie
    Inventors: Dé C. Groeneveld, John R. Schenk, Rayman Sollychin