Patents by Inventor Frank T. Vereb

Frank T. Vereb 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).

  • Patent number: 9177675
    Abstract: A passive containment air cooling system for a nuclear power plant that enhances air flow over a metal containment that houses the reactor system to improve heat transfer out of the containment. The heat transfer is improved by employing swirl vanes to mix the air as it rises over the walls of the containment due to natural circulation and a vortex engine proximate an exit along the cooling air path to increase the quantity of air drawn along the containment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: Frank T. Vereb, William L. Brown, Forrest T. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20130272475
    Abstract: A passive containment air cooling system for a nuclear power plant that enhances air flow over a metal containment that houses the reactor system to improve heat transfer out of the containment. The heat transfer is improved by employing swirl vanes to mix the air as it rises over the walls of the containment due to natural circulation and a vortex engine proximate an exit along the cooling air path to increase the quantity of air drawn along the containment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY LLC
    Inventors: Frank T. Vereb, William L. Brown, Forrest T. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20130044851
    Abstract: A nuclear plant auxiliary backup power system that uses decay heat following a plant shutdown to produce electrical power through a dedicated steam turbine/generator set. The decay heat produces a hot operating gaseous fluid which is used as a backup to run an appropriately sized turbine that powers an electrical generator. The turbine is configured to utilize a portion of the existing nuclear plant secondary system and exhausts the turbine exhaust to the ambient atmosphere. The system functions to both remove reactor decay heat and provide electrical power for plant systems to enable an orderly shutdown in the event traditional sources of electric power are unavailable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY LLC
    Inventors: James Winters, Frank T. Vereb, Jeffrey Dederer