Patents Examined by Marshall O'Connor
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Patent number: 8599987Abstract: A method of monitoring a condition of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel disposed in a radioactive environment is provided. The method includes the steps of sensing a condition of the reactor pressure vessel with an instrument, transmitting a signal indicative of the condition of the reactor pressure vessel from the instrument to a powered wireless transmitting modem disposed in the radioactive environment, wirelessly transmitting a signal indicative of the condition of the reactor pressure vessel from the transmitting modem to a receiving modem in the line of sight of the transmitting modem, transmitting a signal indicative of the condition of the reactor pressure vessel from the receiving modem to a signal processing unit, and determining the condition of the reactor pressure vessel from the wirelessly transmitted signal.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2009Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLCInventor: Richard W. Morris
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Patent number: 8599994Abstract: In various embodiments, a spacer grid for a nuclear reactor fuel bundle is provided. The grid includes a plurality of interstitial dividers that form an array of cells. Each cell is structured to retain a respective one of a plurality of fuel rods to thereby form an array of equally spaced fuel rods. The grid additionally includes a perimeter band that peripherally surrounds the dividers and is connected to opposing ends of each divider. The perimeter band includes a plurality of spring tabs formed along and extending from an edge of the perimeter band. The spring tabs extend from the edge at an angle away from the dividers such that a distal end of each spring tab will contact an interior surface of a respective one of a plurality of walls of a channel in which the arrayed fuel rods can be inserted to form the fuel bundle.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2007Date of Patent: December 3, 2013Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Russell Patrick Higgins
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Patent number: 8594268Abstract: A reactor vessel includes a plenum and a reactor core with first and second sets of channels. A blanket salt flows through the first set of channels, and a fuel salt flows through the second set of channels. The plenum receives the blanket salt from the first set of channels. The blanket salt provides a breed-stock for a fission reaction in the fuel salt and transfers heat generated by the fission reaction without mixing with the fuel salt.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignees: Academia SinicaInventor: Frank H. Shu
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Patent number: 8594267Abstract: A method for selecting a loading map for a nuclear reactor core including the following steps: a) providing production data relating to the nuclear fuel assemblies, b) providing neutron data which are representative of the operation of the core, c) calculating the three-dimensional distribution of the local power in the core, d) calculating the extreme value reached by at least one thermomechanical parameter within the nuclear fuel assemblies, and e) selecting, in accordance with the extreme values calculated, a loading map from the loading maps envisaged. A system, computer program and storage medium for selecting a loading map for a nuclear reactor.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2010Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Areva NPInventor: Gilles Andre Poyaud
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Patent number: 8582714Abstract: A fixed cluster for the core of pressurized-water nuclear reactor including rods and a holder for rods. The holder includes: an upper head; fins extending radially towards the outside from the upper head; systems for mounting the rods and distributed on the fins; and at least two abutment elements on the upper plate of the core, each of the abutment elements protruding longitudinally from a respective fin beyond the mounting systems so as to be vertically oriented towards the top when the fixed cluster is provided on a nuclear fuel assembly.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2007Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: Areva NPInventors: Michel Monchanin, Thierry Delannoy, Didier Pergue, Roman Ferry
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Patent number: 8571167Abstract: A metal particulate fuel system is described. The metal fuel system may include particulate metal fuel for use in nuclear reactors. The particulate metal fuel may include a plurality of particles of at least one enriched alloy where the particles are compacted into a fuel column. The metal particulate fuel system may also include a cladding and/or a gas-filled plenum.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Advanced Reactor Concepts LLCInventor: Leon C. Walters
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Patent number: 8571166Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone, wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0, sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm, and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2012Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
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Patent number: 8571168Abstract: A fuel assembly for a light water reactor contains a fuel rod cluster and a spacer that has a number of cells, bounded by webs for laterally holding fuel rods. A damaged region including at least one damaged cell is present in an edge region of a spacer. There being fastened above or below the damaged region on the spacer with the aid of at least one connecting part is a replacement assembly that contains at least a number of cells that corresponds to the number of the damaged cells, at least a portion of the cells being traversed by fuel rods. A method for repairing the light water reactor fuel assembly in the case of which fixed above or below the damaged region on the spacer is a replacement assembly that takes over the holding function at least of one defective cell.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2007Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Areva GmbHInventors: Franz Josef Fraundorfer, Gregor Münsterjohann, Erhard Friedrich
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Patent number: 8568105Abstract: A dynamic port that extends from the bottom wall of an oil reservoir that surrounds the lower guide bearing of a reactor coolant pump and is in fluid communication within an oil level gauge. The dynamic port is rotatable into and out of the oil flow path to adjust the dynamic oil level shown by the oil level gauge when the pump is at operating speed to be substantially equal to the static oil level when the motor is at rest.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2012Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLCInventors: David R. Brady, Christopher Snodgrass, Thomas G. Loebig
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Patent number: 8565367Abstract: Example embodiments are directed to fuel assembly components and nuclear fuel bundles including the fuel assembly components. Example embodiments of a fuel assembly component may include a cylindrical device having first and second ends and a mounting assembly on the first end of the cylindrical device configured to attach to and detach from a partial length fuel rod. Example embodiments of a nuclear fuel bundle may include an upper tie plate, a lower tie plate, at least one full-length fuel rod, at least one partial length fuel rod, and a fuel assembly component.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2008Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignee: Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas, LLCInventor: Daniel Reese Lutz
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Patent number: 8553829Abstract: The invention is principally directed to a reduced order model, XEDOR, facilitating the prediction of and the diagnostics of pellet-clad interaction stress-corrosion-cracking failure of nuclear fuel rods. The invention more particularly relates to assessment of susceptibility to PCI failure for guidance in the design of fuel loading in nuclear reactors. The invention additionally relates to the protection against PCI failure by providing operational information to operators of a nuclear reactor during power maneuvering, including predictive calculations prior to executing power maneuvers. Additionally, the invention relates to the diagnostics of an event suggesting a possible PCI cladding failure.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2007Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Areva NP SASInventor: Yousef Farawila
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Patent number: 8537960Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for performing an automated cleaning of nuclear fuel cladding-tubes. The apparatus comprises a pre-cleaning holding section disposed at a first side of the apparatus, a primary cleaning-material supplying section and a primary cleaning section disposed at a second side of the apparatus, a secondary cleaning section and a secondary cleaning material supplying section disposed at the second side of the apparatus and beside the primary cleaning section, an inspection section disposed at a third side of the apparatus that is opposite to the second side, and a post-cleaning holding section disposed at the fourth side of the transferring section. The pre-cleaning holding section and the post-cleaning holding section includes a cladding-tube guide where the cladding-tube is loaded before and after cleaning. Primary and secondary cleaning material supply sections are disposed at a lateral side of the primary and secondary cleaning sections respectively.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: Korea Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ki-jun Kwon, Jeong-ho Kim, Se-yong Shin, Hung-soon Chang, Tae-hyung Na, Jong-sung Hong
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Patent number: 8537958Abstract: Embodiments of systems and methods for compressing plasma are described in which plasma pressures above the breaking point of solid material can be achieved by injecting a plasma into a funnel of liquid metal in which the plasma is compressed and/or heated.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2010Date of Patent: September 17, 2013Assignee: General Fusion, Inc.Inventors: Michel Georges Laberge, Douglas H. Richardson
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Patent number: 8520795Abstract: An intermediate end plug assembly for a segmented fuel rod can stably support the fuel rod to the end of its cycle even if an interval between the fuel rods becomes narrow due to application of a dual-cooled fuel rod, and reduce excess vibration induced by flows of interior and exterior channels of the dual-cooled fuel rod for obtaining high burnup and output. To this end, the fuel rod has a segmented structure so as to make its length short. A lower intermediate end plug includes at least one channel hole, through which a coolant flows into an internal channel of the fuel rod, so that a possibility of causing departure from nuclear boiling ratio (DNBR) of the dual-cooled fuel rod is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2009Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research InstituteInventors: Kyung Ho Yoon, Jae Yong Kim, Young Ho Lee, Kun Woo Song, Tae Hyun Chun, Dong Seok Oh, Wang Ki In, Hyung Kyu Kim, Chang Hwan Shin, Kang Hee Lee
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Patent number: 8509376Abstract: A nuclear engineering plant has a containment, whose interior chamber is subdivided by a wall into a systems chamber and an operating chamber which is accessible during normal operation. The containment ensures a particularly high operational reliability, in particular also in incident situations, in which hydrogen is released in the systems chamber. For this purpose, a number of overflow openings are provided in the partition wall, the respective overflow opening is closed by a closure element of a closure apparatus which opens automatically when a trigger condition associated with the respective overflow opening is reached. Closure apparatuses are provided which open both as a function of pressure and independently of pressure. The closure apparatus furthermore has a closure element containing a bursting film or a bursting diaphragm. The closure apparatus is configured such that it frees the overflow opening automatically when a predetermined environment-side trigger temperature is reached.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2012Date of Patent: August 13, 2013Assignee: Areva GmbHInventors: Bernd Eckardt, Norbert Losch
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Patent number: 8509377Abstract: Example embodiment fuel bundles use multiple types of spacers within the same fuel bundle. The type for each spacer location may be determined based on the axial position of the spacer, the characteristics of the spacer type, and the location and coolant characteristics for the particular example fuel bundle including the spacers. Historic performance data for the particular bundle location, predictive modeling, etc. may be used to determine what spacer types at which locations result in the best operating conditions and margins for example fuel bundles.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2009Date of Patent: August 13, 2013Assignee: Global Nuclear Fuel—Americas, LLCInventor: Birol Aktas
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Patent number: 8503600Abstract: A fuel element for a nuclear reactor has a fuel rod bundle, at least one spacer with cells defined by at least one web section made from a first material and several guide tubes each running through a cell and axially fixed thereto made from a second material. The first and second materials have differing thermal expansion coefficients. The connection between the guide tube and the spacer is embodied as follows: first and second projections are directly or indirectly fixed to the guide tube. The first projections are disposed in a first axial position and the second projections are arranged at a second axial position and the projections each engage in an opening through the web section to give an axially-acting undercut.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2007Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Areva GmbHInventors: Matthias Rudolph, Hans-Peter Fuchs, Erhard Friedrich
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Patent number: 8488733Abstract: Example embodiments are directed to methods of producing desired isotopes in commercial nuclear reactors and associated apparatuses using instrumentation tubes conventionally found in nuclear reactor vessels to expose irradiation targets to neutron flux found in the operating nuclear reactor. Example embodiments include assemblies for retention and producing radioisotopes in nuclear reactors and instrumentation tubes thereof. Example embodiments include one or more retention assemblies that contain one or more irradiation targets and are useable with example delivery systems that permit delivery of irradiation targets. Example embodiments may be sized, shaped, fabricated, and otherwise configured to successfully move through example delivery systems and conventional instrumentation tubes while containing irradiation targets and desired isotopes produced therefrom.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2009Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLCInventors: Melissa Allen, Nicholas R. Gilman, Heather Hatton, William Earl Russell, II
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Patent number: 8472581Abstract: A nuclear reactor module includes a reactor core and a reactor housing that surrounds the reactor core about its sides, wherein the reactor housing is configured to direct coolant through the reactor core. A neutron reflector is located between the reactor core and the reactor housing, wherein the neutron reflector has a plurality of inlet ports facing the reactor core. The neutron reflector also has a plurality of outlet ports fluidly connected to the inlet ports to direct a portion of the coolant through the neutron reflector.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2008Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: NuScale Power, LLCInventor: Eric Paul Young
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Patent number: 8467492Abstract: A nozzle apparatus of a jet pump includes a nozzle base member, and a plurality of nozzles installed to the nozzle base member and forming a plurality of narrowing portions, in which a fluid passage cross-sectional area of a driving fluid passage formed in the nozzle is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2011Date of Patent: June 18, 2013Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.Inventors: Naoyuki Ishida, Hisamichi Inoue