Patents by Inventor Alex Renner
Alex Renner 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).
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Publication number: 20250322974Abstract: Fuel, heat exchangers, and instrumentation for nuclear reactors are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes a plurality of nuclear fuel elements, each of the nuclear fuel elements including an annulus; and a plurality of heat pipes, each of the plurality of heat pipes configured to pass through the annulus of a respective one of the nuclear fuel elements in conductive thermal contact with the respective nuclear fuel element. A nuclear instrumentation module includes an assembly of optical fibers, each optical fiber comprising one or more sensors and configured for removable installation at one of the plurality of heat pipes. A heat exchanger includes a heat pipe including an evaporating region and a condensing region; and a tube bundle configured to wrap around the condensing region of the heat pipe and including one or more adjacent, parallel tubes, each tube forming a helix that is coaxial to the heat pipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2025Publication date: October 16, 2025Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Patrick Everett, John Hanson, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, Nathan Graff, David Hawn
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Patent number: 12394531Abstract: Reactor buildings and vessel systems are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes: a building structure that comprises at least two exterior side walls and two end walls, at least one of the exterior walls angled non-orthogonally relative to a floor of the building structure, the at least two exterior walls and two end walls defining an interior volume of the building structure; one or more nuclear reactor systems mounted at least partially in the interior volume of the building structure; and one or more heat exchanger systems mounted at least partially to at least one of the exterior walls. A nuclear reactor vessel system includes: a nuclear fission reactor; an inner vessel that defines an inner volume sized to at least partially enclose the nuclear fission reactor; and an outer vessel sized to wholly or substantially enclose the inner vessel, the inner vessel being removable from the outer vessel.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2021Date of Patent: August 19, 2025Assignee: Oklo Inc.Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Nathan Graff, Patrick Everett, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, David Hawn, John Hanson
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Patent number: 12347576Abstract: Fuel cell lifting systems for nuclear reactors are disclosed. A fuel cell lifting system includes a radiation shield comprising: a first plate defining a first plane and comprising one or more first openings; and a second plate defining a second plane parallel to the first plane and comprising one or more second openings. At least one of the first plate or the second plate is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the first plane and the second plane. A first opening of the first plate can be aligned with a second opening of the second plate to form a combined opening. A lifting motor is configured to extend and retract a tether through the combined opening of the radiation shield. The tether is attachable to a nuclear fuel cell.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2023Date of Patent: July 1, 2025Assignee: Oklo Inc.Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Patrick Everett, John Hanson, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, Nathan Graff, David Hawn
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Publication number: 20230420149Abstract: Fuel, heat exchangers, and instrumentation for nuclear reactors are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes a plurality of nuclear fuel elements, each of the nuclear fuel elements including an annulus; and a plurality of heat pipes, each of the plurality of heat pipes configured to pass through the annulus of a respective one of the nuclear fuel elements in conductive thermal contact with the respective nuclear fuel element. A nuclear instrumentation module includes an assembly of optical fibers, each optical fiber comprising one or more sensors and configured for removable installation at one of the plurality of heat pipes. A heat exchanger includes a heat pipe including an evaporating region and a condensing region; and a tube bundle configured to wrap around the condensing region of the heat pipe and including one or more adjacent, parallel tubes, each tube forming a helix that is coaxial to the heat pipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventors: Jacob DEWITTE, Caroline COCHRAN, Patrick EVERETT, John HANSON, Joshua G. RICHARD, Alex RENNER, Nathan GRAFF, David HAWN
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Patent number: 11735326Abstract: Fuel, heat exchangers, and instrumentation for nuclear reactors are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes a plurality of nuclear fuel elements, each of the nuclear fuel elements including an annulus; and a plurality of heat pipes, each of the plurality of heat pipes configured to pass through the annulus of a respective one of the nuclear fuel elements in conductive thermal contact with the respective nuclear fuel element. A nuclear instrumentation module includes an assembly of optical fibers, each optical fiber comprising one or more sensors and configured for removable installation at one of the plurality of heat pipes. A heat exchanger includes a heat pipe including an evaporating region and a condensing region; and a tube bundle configured to wrap around the condensing region of the heat pipe and including one or more adjacent, parallel tubes, each tube forming a helix that is coaxial to the heat pipe.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: Oklo Inc.Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Patrick Everett, John Hanson, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, Nathan Graff, David Hawn
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Publication number: 20230154634Abstract: Fuel, heat exchangers, and instrumentation for nuclear reactors are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes a plurality of nuclear fuel elements, each of the nuclear fuel elements including an annulus; and a plurality of heat pipes, each of the plurality of heat pipes configured to pass through the annulus of a respective one of the nuclear fuel elements in conductive thermal contact with the respective nuclear fuel element. A nuclear instrumentation module includes an assembly of optical fibers, each optical fiber comprising one or more sensors and configured for removable installation at one of the plurality of heat pipes. A heat exchanger includes a heat pipe including an evaporating region and a condensing region; and a tube bundle configured to wrap around the condensing region of the heat pipe and including one or more adjacent, parallel tubes, each tube forming a helix that is coaxial to the heat pipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2021Publication date: May 18, 2023Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Patrick Everett, John Hanson, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, Nathan Graff, David Hawn
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Publication number: 20230102811Abstract: Reactor buildings and vessel systems are disclosed. A nuclear power system includes: a building structure that comprises at least two exterior side walls and two end walls, at least one of the exterior walls angled non-orthogonally relative to a floor of the building structure, the at least two exterior walls and two end walls defining an interior volume of the building structure; one or more nuclear reactor systems mounted at least partially in the interior volume of the building structure; and one or more heat exchanger systems mounted at least partially to at least one of the exterior walls. A nuclear reactor vessel system includes: a nuclear fission reactor; an inner vessel that defines an inner volume sized to at least partially enclose the nuclear fission reactor; and an outer vessel sized to wholly or substantially enclose the inner vessel, the inner vessel being removable from the outer vessel.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2021Publication date: March 30, 2023Inventors: Jacob DeWitte, Caroline Cochran, Nathan Graff, Patrick Everett, Joshua G. Richard, Alex Renner, David Hawn, John Hanson
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Patent number: 11587315Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for augmented reality measuring of equipment. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an image comparator to compare camera data with reference information of a reference vehicle part to identify a vehicle part included in the camera data, and an inspection image analyzer to, in response to the image comparator identifying the vehicle part, measure the vehicle part by causing an interface generator to generate an overlay representation of the reference vehicle part on the camera data displayed on a user interface, and determining, based on one or more user inputs to adjust the overlay representation, a measurement corresponding to the vehicle part.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Stephen Gilbert, Eliot Winer, Jack Miller, Alex Renner, Nathan Sepich, Vinodh Sankaranthi, Chris Gallant, David Wehr, Rafael Radkowski, Cheng Song
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Patent number: 11580628Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for augmented reality vehicle condition inspection. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a location analyzer to determine whether a camera is at an inspection location and directed towards a first vehicle in an inspection profile, the inspection location corresponding to a location of the camera relative to the first vehicle, an interface generator to generate an indication on a display that the camera is at the inspection location, the indication associated with an inspection image being captured, and an image analyzer to compare the inspection image captured at the inspection location with a reference image taken of a reference vehicle of a same type as the first vehicle, and determine a vehicle part condition or a vehicle condition based on the comparison of the inspection image and the reference image.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2020Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Stephen Gilbert, Eliot Winer, Jack Miller, Alex Renner, Nathan Sepich, Vinodh Sankaranthi, Chris Gallant, David Wehr, Rafael Radkowski, Cheng Song
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Publication number: 20200402219Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for augmented reality vehicle condition inspection. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a location analyzer to determine whether a camera is at an inspection location and directed towards a first vehicle in an inspection profile, the inspection location corresponding to a location of the camera relative to the first vehicle, an interface generator to generate an indication on a display that the camera is at the inspection location, the indication associated with an inspection image being captured, and an image analyzer to compare the inspection image captured at the inspection location with a reference image taken of a reference vehicle of a same type as the first vehicle, and determine a vehicle part condition or a vehicle condition based on the comparison of the inspection image and the reference image.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Inventors: Stephen Gilbert, Eliot Winer, Jack Miller, Alex Renner, Nathan Sepich, Vinodh Sankaranthi, Chris Gallant, David Wehr, Rafael Radkowski, Cheng Song
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Publication number: 20200401803Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for augmented reality measuring of equipment. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an image comparator to compare camera data with reference information of a reference vehicle part to identify a vehicle part included in the camera data, and an inspection image analyzer to, in response to the image comparator identifying the vehicle part, measure the vehicle part by causing an interface generator to generate an overlay representation of the reference vehicle part on the camera data displayed on a user interface, and determining, based on one or more user inputs to adjust the overlay representation, a measurement corresponding to the vehicle part.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Inventors: Stephen Gilbert, Eliot Winer, Jack Miller, Alex Renner, Nathan Sepich, Vinodh Sankaranthi, Chris Gallant, David Wehr, Rafael Radkowski, Cheng Song