Patents by Inventor Atul Karve
Atul Karve 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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Patent number: 11742095Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2021Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: GLOBAL NUCLEAR FUEL—AMERICAS, LLCInventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Publication number: 20210319918Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 31, 2021Publication date: October 14, 2021Inventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Patent number: 10930404Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2017Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: GLOBAL NUCLEAR FUEL—AMERICAS, LLCInventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Publication number: 20170301417Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Inventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Patent number: 9583223Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2012Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: Global Nuclear Fuel—Americas LLCInventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Publication number: 20130343502Abstract: Cores include different types of control cells in different numbers and positions. A periphery of the core just inside the perimeter may have higher reactivity fuel in outer control cells, and lower reactivity cells may be placed in an inner core inside the inner ring. Cores can include about half fresh fuel positioned in higher proportions in the inner ring and away from inner control cells. Cores are compatible with multiple core control cell setups, including BWRs, ESBWRs, ABWRs, etc. Cores can be loaded during conventional outages. Cores can be operated with control elements in only the inner ring control cells for reactivity adjustment. Control elements in outer control cells need be moved only at sequence exchanges. Near end of cycle, reactivity in the core may be controlled with inner control cells alone, and control elements in outer control cells can be fully withdrawn.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2012Publication date: December 26, 2013Inventors: Gregory J. Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Publication number: 20120163526Abstract: Fuel supports have specially configured flow paths useable in reactor cores to achieve desired levels of flow at given positions. Any number of differently-configured inlet orifices, from three to hundreds, are useable in a given core. Inlet orifice configuration may include diameter sizing or presence of flow blockages such as filters, venturis, choke plates, and/or obstructions. Fuel supports may be positioned within a core plate in the nuclear reactor, with openings for a control blade and instrumentation tubes to pass through or between the fuel supports. Different fuel support configurations may be used at outer core periphery, inner core periphery, and central core portions. Example methods configure fuel support characteristics by examining the effect of modifying flow loss coefficients at particular bundle locations and configuring associated inlet orifices to achieve the modified flow loss coefficients, if the effect is a positive one.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2010Publication date: June 28, 2012Applicant: GLOBAL NUCLEAR FUEL - AMERICAS, LLCInventors: Gregory Joseph Pearson, Atul A. Karve
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Patent number: 7804929Abstract: A method of calculating and using a constraint for fuel rods is provided. The method may utilize pin nodal exposures and pin nodal powers to obtain the constraint, calculate rod average exposures and rod average powers (kW/ft) in each fuel assembly, and develop maps from the calculated rod average exposures and powers (kW/ft) to operate design, optimization, licensing, and/or monitoring applications.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2004Date of Patent: September 28, 2010Assignee: Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas, LLCInventors: Atul Karve, James Fawks
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Patent number: 7532698Abstract: Systems and methods for a method for determining a critical effective k at an off-rated core state of a nuclear power plant includes determining, for the off-rated core state a control rod density, a percent core power, a gadolinium reactivity worth, a doppler reactivity worth, and a xenon reactivity worth responsive to a control rod pattern, a reactor power plan including the off-rated core state, and a reference effective k, calculating a change in an effective k from the reference effective k at the off-rated core state responsive to two or more parameters selected from the group consisting of the control rod density, the percent core power, the gadolinium reactivity worth, the doppler reactivity worth, and the xenon reactivity worth, and generating the critical effective k for the off-rated core state responsive to the change in the effective k from the reference effective k.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2006Date of Patent: May 12, 2009Assignee: Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, LLCInventors: Ugur Mertyurek, David Joseph Kropaczek, Atul A. Karve, Angelo P. Chopelas
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Publication number: 20080123794Abstract: Systems and methods for a method for determining a critical effective k at an off-rated core state of a nuclear power plant includes determining, for the off-rated core state a control rod density, a percent core power, a gadolinium reactivity worth, a doppler reactivity worth, and a xenon reactivity worth responsive to a control rod pattern, a reactor power plan including the off-rated core state, and a reference effective k, calculating a change in an effective k from the reference effective k at the off-rated core state responsive to two or more parameters selected from the group consisting of the control rod density, the percent core power, the gadolinium reactivity worth, the doppler reactivity worth, and the xenon reactivity worth, and generating the critical effective k for the off-rated core state responsive to the change in the effective k from the reference effective k.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2006Publication date: May 29, 2008Inventors: Ugur Mertyurek, David Joseph Kropaczek, Atul A. Karve, Angelo P. Chopelas
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Publication number: 20070192069Abstract: An apparatus generating a graphical image of a core of a boiling water reactor (BWR) using at least one data set of channel deformation data including: a computer system including a display device for presenting the graphical image and a processor generating the graphical image using the at least one data set; the graphical image of the core includes symbolic representations of control blades arranged in the core, indicia identify each control blade, and indicia regarding deformation of channels adjacent each control blade, and a viewer software tool executed by the processor which accesses the at least one data set and determines a location in the core of the control blades and channels, and correlates the deformation data with the channels for display on the graphical image.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2006Publication date: August 16, 2007Applicant: General Electric CompanyInventors: Atul Karve, James Smith, John Burr, Angelo Chopelas, Gerald Potts, Mark Dubecky
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Publication number: 20070177710Abstract: In a method of determining a cell friction metric for a control cell of a nuclear reactor, a channel face fast fluence and/or a channel face controlled operation parameter is determined for all channels. A total bow value is calculated for each channel based on the channel face fast fluence and/or channel face control parameters. For each channel, a channel wall pressure drop parameter is determined, and a total bulge value is calculated for each channel using the channel face fast fluence and channel wall pressure drop parameters. Total deformation at specified channel axial elevations for the cell is determined based on the total bow and bulge values. A control blade axial friction force value is calculated at each axial elevation based on the total deformation, along with channel stiffness and channel-control blade friction coefficient values. A maximum friction value is selected as the cell friction metric for the cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2006Publication date: August 2, 2007Inventors: Atul Karve, Gerald Potts, Mark Dubecky, Robert Rand, Gerald Latter, Brian Moore
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Publication number: 20060165210Abstract: A method of calculating and using a constraint for fuel rods is provided. The method may utilize pin nodal exposures and pin nodal powers to obtain the constraint, calculate rod average exposures and rod average powers (kW/ft) in each fuel assembly, and develop maps from the calculated rod average exposures and powers (kW/ft) to operate design, optimization, licensing, and/or monitoring applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2004Publication date: July 27, 2006Inventors: Atul Karve, James Fawks
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Publication number: 20060149512Abstract: A method of evaluating constraint functions, the evaluation being based at least in part on a channel deformation criteria.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2004Publication date: July 6, 2006Inventors: David Joseph Kropaczek, Atul Karve, Angelo Chopelas, Brian Moore