Patents by Inventor Brian C. Kelleher
Brian C. Kelleher 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: 20230127207Abstract: A simple nuclear reactor in which most of the reflector material is outside of the reactor vessel is described. The reactor vessel is a cylinder that contains all of the fuel salt and a displacement component, which may be a reflector, in the upper section of the reactor vessel. Other than the displacement component, the reflector elements including a radial reflector and a bottom reflector are located outside the vessel. The salt flows around the outside surface of the displacement component through a downcomer heat exchange duct defined by the exterior of the displacement component and the interior surface of the reactor vessel. This design reduces the overall size of the reactor vessel for a given volume of salt relative to designs with internal radial or bottom reflectors.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2022Publication date: April 27, 2023Inventors: Ryan Abbott, Darryl Appelgate, Haley Barsa, Michael T. Blatnik, Karl Britsch, Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Brian C. Kelleher, Samuel S. Goodrich, Ramesh Rajasekaran, Daniel J. Walter, Kent E. Wardle, Matthew D. Wargon
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Publication number: 20220301729Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that allow for active cooling of the containment vessel of the reactor by the primary coolant. Furthermore, naturally circulating reactor configurations are described in which the reactor cores are substantially frustum-shaped so that the thermal center of the reactor core is below the outlet of the primary heat exchangers. Heat exchanger configurations are described in which welded components are distanced from the reactor core to reduce the damage caused by neutron flux from the reactor. Radial loop reactor configurations are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2022Publication date: September 22, 2022Inventors: Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Patent number: 11367536Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that allow for active cooling of the containment vessel of the reactor by the primary coolant. Furthermore, naturally circulating reactor configurations are described in which the reactor cores are substantially frustum-shaped so that the thermal center of the reactor core is below the outlet of the primary heat exchangers. Heat exchanger configurations are described in which welded components are distanced from the reactor core to reduce the damage caused by neutron flux from the reactor. Radial loop reactor configurations are also described.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2020Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr., Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Publication number: 20220139577Abstract: An anti-proliferation technique is disclosed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation due to the use fissionable fuel salts. The technique includes doping the fuel salt with one or more elements (referred to herein as activation dopants) that, upon exposure to neutrons such as would occur in the fuel salt when a reactor is in operation, undergo a nuclear reaction to, directly or indirectly, form highly active “protecting isotopes” (of the same element as the activation dopant or a different element). A sufficient mass of activation dopants is used so that the Figure of Merit (FOM) of the fuel salt is decreased to below 1.0 within some target number of days of fission. This allows the FOM of the fuel salt to be controlled so that the fuel becomes too dangerous to handle before to the creation of a significant amount of weaponizable isotopes.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2022Publication date: May 5, 2022Inventors: Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter
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Patent number: 11276503Abstract: An anti-proliferation technique is disclosed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation due to the use fissionable fuel salts. The technique includes doping the fuel salt with one or more elements (referred to herein as activation dopants) that, upon exposure to neutrons such as would occur in the fuel salt when a reactor is in operation, undergo a nuclear reaction to, directly or indirectly, form highly active “protecting isotopes” (of the same element as the activation dopant or a different element). A sufficient mass of activation dopants is used so that the Figure of Merit (FOM) of the fuel salt is decreased to below 1.0 within some target number of days of fission. This allows the FOM of the fuel salt to be controlled so that the fuel becomes too dangerous to handle before to the creation of a significant amount of weaponizable isotopes.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2019Date of Patent: March 15, 2022Assignee: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter
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Publication number: 20200279660Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that allow for active cooling of the containment vessel of the reactor by the primary coolant. Furthermore, naturally circulating reactor configurations are described in which the reactor cores are substantially frustum-shaped so that the thermal center of the reactor core is below the outlet of the primary heat exchangers. Heat exchanger configurations are described in which welded components are distanced from the reactor core to reduce the damage caused by neutron flux from the reactor. Radial loop reactor configurations are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Patent number: 10741293Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that include an auxiliary cooling system which shared part of the primary coolant loop but allows for passive cooling of decay heat from the reactor. Furthermore, different pump configurations for circulating molten fuel through the reactor core and one or more in vessel heat exchangers are described.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2017Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr., Robert A. Corbin, Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Publication number: 20200211724Abstract: An anti-proliferation technique is disclosed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation due to the use fissionable fuel salts. The technique includes doping the fuel salt with one or more elements (referred to herein as activation dopants) that, upon exposure to neutrons such as would occur in the fuel salt when a reactor is in operation, undergo a nuclear reaction to, directly or indirectly, form highly active “protecting isotopes” (of the same element as the activation dopant or a different element). A sufficient mass of activation dopants is used so that the Figure of Merit (FOM) of the fuel salt is decreased to below 1.0 within some target number of days of fission. This allows the FOM of the fuel salt to be controlled so that the fuel becomes too dangerous to handle before to the creation of a significant amount of weaponizable isotopes.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 6, 2019Publication date: July 2, 2020Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter
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Patent number: 10665356Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that utilize neutron-reflecting coolants or a combination of primary salt coolants and secondary neutron-reflecting coolants. Further configurations are described that circulate liquid neutron-reflecting material around an reactor core to control the neutronics of the reactor. Furthermore, configurations which use the circulating neutron-reflecting material to actively cool the containment vessel are also described.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2017Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter, Jesse R. Cheatham, III, Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns
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Publication number: 20200087156Abstract: This document describes a method for reducing the corrosivity of certain magnesium salts. The salt product resulting from the method exhibits reduced corrosion of steels that come into contact with the salt relative to salt compositions that are not so treated. This makes such treated salts more efficient coolant salts as they will require less equipment replacement over time. The method uses magnesium metal to reduce unwanted impurities in the salts the reduced impurities are then removed as either gas or precipitate from the now purified salt. Without being bound to one particular theory, it is believed that the reduction of the level of impurities in the salt results in a salt with substantially reduced corrosiveness to steel.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2019Publication date: March 19, 2020Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventor: Brian C. Kelleher
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Publication number: 20170316840Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that allow for active cooling of the containment vessel of the reactor by the primary coolant. Furthermore, naturally circulating reactor configurations are described in which the reactor cores are substantially frustum-shaped so that the thermal center of the reactor core is below the outlet of the primary heat exchangers. Heat exchanger configurations are described in which welded components are distanced from the reactor core to reduce the damage caused by neutron flux from the reactor. Radial loop reactor configurations are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2017Publication date: November 2, 2017Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Publication number: 20170316841Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that include an auxiliary cooling system which shared part of the primary coolant loop but allows for passive cooling of decay heat from the reactor. Furthermore, different pump configurations for circulating molten fuel through the reactor core and one or more in vessel heat exchangers are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2017Publication date: November 2, 2017Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Robert A. Corbin, Daniel Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter
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Publication number: 20170301421Abstract: Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that utilize neutron-reflecting coolants or a combination of primary salt coolants and secondary neutron-reflecting coolants. Further configurations are described that circulate liquid neutron-reflecting material around an reactor core to control the neutronics of the reactor. Furthermore, configurations which use the circulating neutron-reflecting material to actively cool the containment vessel are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Ryan Abbott, Jesse R. Cheatham, III, Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Dan Flowers, Charles Gregory Freeman, Mark A. Havstad, Christopher J. Johns, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Jon D. McWhirter, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter
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Publication number: 20170301413Abstract: This disclosure describes nuclear fuel salts usable in certain molten salt reactor designs and related systems and methods. Binary, ternary and quaternary chloride fuel salts of uranium, as well as other fissionable elements, are described. In addition, fuel salts of UClxFy are disclosed as well as bromide fuel salts. This disclosure also presents methods and systems for manufacturing such fuel salts, for creating salts that reduce corrosion of the reactor components and for creating fuel salts that are not suitable for weapons applications.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Applicant: TerraPower, LLCInventors: Anselmo T. Cisneros, JR., Ken Czerwinski, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Brian C. Kelleher, William M. Kerlin, Kevin Kramer, Jeffery F. Latkowski, Robert C. Petroski, Joshua C. Walter