Patents by Inventor Benjamin J. IRELAND
Benjamin J. IRELAND 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: 11742100Abstract: A depressurisation valve for a cooling system including a main chamber having a main valve, a pilot line having a secondary valve and a blowdown line; the main valve being located to seal a path of the coolant system of the nuclear reactor. The main chamber is connected to the cooling circuit via the pilot line allowing coolant to enter the main chamber, and the blowdown line allows coolant to escape from the main chamber, the pilot line having a lower fluid resistance than the blowdown line. The pressure of coolant in the main chamber maintains the main valve in a closed position, and under elevated temperature and/or pressure conditions fluid is prevented from entering the main chamber via a closure of the secondary valve on the pilot line and reduce the pressure from the valve, moving it to its open position.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2022Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE SMR LIMITEDInventors: Brenton D Shearer, James C Palmer, Benjamin J Ireland
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Publication number: 20220406478Abstract: A depressurisation valve for a cooling system including a main chamber having a main valve, a pilot line having a secondary valve and a blowdown line; the main valve being located to seal a path of the coolant system of the nuclear reactor. The main chamber is connected to the cooling circuit via the pilot line allowing coolant to enter the main chamber, and the blowdown line allows coolant to escape from the main chamber, the pilot line having a lower fluid resistance than the blowdown line. The pressure of coolant in the main chamber maintains the main valve in a closed position, and under elevated temperature and/or pressure conditions fluid is prevented from entering the main chamber via a closure of the secondary valve on the pilot line and reduce the pressure from the valve, moving it to its open position.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2022Publication date: December 22, 2022Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE SMR LIMITEDInventors: Brenton D SHEARER, James C PALMER, Benjamin J IRELAND
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Patent number: 11521758Abstract: A depressurisation valve for a cooling system comprising: a main chamber having a main valve, a pilot line having a secondary valve and a blowdown line; the main valve being located to seal a path of the coolant system of the nuclear reactor. The main chamber is connected to the cooling circuit via the pilot line allowing coolant to enter the main chamber, and the blowdown line allows coolant to escape from the main chamber, the pilot line having a lower fluid resistance than the blowdown line. The pressure of coolant in the main chamber maintains the main valve in a closed position, and under elevated temperature and/or pressure conditions fluid is prevented from entering the main chamber via a closure of the secondary valve on the pilot line and reduce the pressure from the valve, moving it to its open position.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2019Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE SMR LIMITEDInventors: Brenton D Shearer, James C Palmer, Benjamin J Ireland
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Patent number: 10726960Abstract: A coolant injection system for a nuclear power generation system includes the coolant injection system, and method of operation of the coolant injection system. The nuclear power generation system includes a reactor pressure vessel having a reactor core, a pressuriser in fluid communication with the reactor pressure vessel, and the injection system, which comprises a make-up tank having a tank inlet and a tank outlet. The injection system has an operating condition, and a fault response condition, and is configured to switch between these conditions when coolant level in the pressuriser drops below a threshold level. In the operating condition, the tank outlet is isolated from the reactor pressure vessel such that coolant is retained in the make-up tank, and the tank inlet is in fluid communication with the reactor pressure vessel and the pressuriser.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2018Date of Patent: July 28, 2020Assignee: Rolls-Royce Power Engineering plcInventor: Benjamin J. Ireland
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Publication number: 20200194134Abstract: A depressurisation valve for a cooling system comprising: a main chamber having a main valve, a pilot line having a secondary valve and a blowdown line; the main valve being located to seal a path of the coolant system of the nuclear reactor. The main chamber is connected to the cooling circuit via the pilot line allowing coolant to enter the main chamber, and the blowdown line allows coolant to escape from the main chamber, the pilot line having a lower fluid resistance than the blowdown line. The pressure of coolant in the main chamber maintains the main valve in a closed position, and under elevated temperature and/or pressure conditions fluid is prevented from entering the main chamber via a closure of the secondary valve on the pilot line and reduce the pressure from the valve, moving it to its open position.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2019Publication date: June 18, 2020Applicants: ROLLS-ROYCE plc, ROLLS-ROYCE POWER ENGINEERING plcInventors: Brenton D SHEARER, James C PALMER, Benjamin J IRELAND
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Publication number: 20190172596Abstract: A coolant injection system for a nuclear power generation system includes the coolant injection system, and method of operation of the coolant injection system. The nuclear power generation system includes a reactor pressure vessel having a reactor core, a pressuriser in fluid communication with the reactor pressure vessel, and the injection system, which comprises a make-up tank having a tank inlet and a tank outlet. The injection system has an operating condition, and a fault response condition, and is configured to switch between these conditions when coolant level in the pressuriser drops below a threshold level. In the operating condition, the tank outlet is isolated from the reactor pressure vessel such that coolant is retained in the make-up tank, and the tank inlet is in fluid communication with the reactor pressure vessel and the pressuriser.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2018Publication date: June 6, 2019Applicant: ROLLS-ROYCE POWER ENGINEERING PLCInventor: Benjamin J. IRELAND