Patents by Inventor Fumihito Hirokawa

Fumihito Hirokawa 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: 9666312
    Abstract: A chimney arranged inside of a reactor pressure vessel of a natural-circulation boiling water reactor is provided. The chimney includes plural flow channels which guide a steam-water two-phase flow generated in a reactor core to the upper part of the reactor pressure vessel. Each of the flow channels is formed by plural flow channel separation walls whose lower-most part is supported by a chimney lattice plate. Chimney spacers that support a horizontal load are arranged between the flow channel separation walls of the adjacent flow channels. Chimney support rings that support the horizontal load are arranged at the outermost periphery of the plural flow channels that are supported by the chimney lattice plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sho Kuroita, Sadakatsu Sawahata, Yasuhiro Mabuchi, Hiroaki Asakura, Fumihito Hirokawa
  • Publication number: 20150332793
    Abstract: The present invention provides a chimney for a natural-circulation boiling water reactor having structural soundness capable of standing a horizontal load generated by a flow-induced vibration, an earthquake and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Sho KUROITA, Sadakatsu SAWAHATA, Yasuhiro MABUCHI, Hiroaki ASAKURA, Fumihito HIROKAWA
  • Patent number: 7907695
    Abstract: A natural circulation boiling water reactor provides to a chimney with a plurality of tubes. That is to say, each of the plurality of tubes partitions the coolant flow path above a core. Thus, unlike the conventional natural circulation boiling water reactor providing the flow path partition wall grid in which the plate members are made integral by welding and coolant flow paths are partitioned, the chimney of the natural circulation boiling water reactor can reduce the number of welded portions because the edges of the four corners of each flow path do not need to be welded. The natural circulation boiling water reactor can avoid removal as a single unit, as in the case of the flow path partition wall grid in the conventional natural circulation boiling water reactor, by detaching each tube. The chimney can be easily detached from the reactor pressure vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Watanabe, Yoichi Wada, Makoto Nagase, Kazushige Ishida, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Fumihito Hirokawa, Masaaki Tsubaki, Shiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7769124
    Abstract: A handling method for a natural circulation boiling water reactor having a chimney having cylindrical chimney shell disposed above a core in a reactor pressure vessel, a plurality of square tubes disposed in the chimney shell, and a grid support plate with grid holes supporting and in communication with a lower end portion of the square tubes so that adjacent square tubes are disposed at an interval which exceeds the width of one square tube between them. The method includes steps shifting predetermined ones of the square tubes to the interval between the square tubes, and performing maintenance and inspection of members around a core via the grid holes which appear at positions from which the predetermined square tubes are taken out due to the shift of the predetermined square tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Watanabe, Yoichi Wada, Makoto Nagase, Kazushige Ishida, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Fumihito Hirokawa, Masaaki Tsubaki, Shiro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20080247499
    Abstract: A handling method for a natural circulation boiling water reactor having a chimney having cylindrical chimney shell disposed above a core in a reactor pressure vessel, a plurality of square tubes disposed in the chimney shell, and a grid support plate with grid holes supporting and in communication with a lower end portion of the square tubes so that adjacent square tubes are disposed at an interval which exceeds the width of one square tube between them. The method includes steps shifting predetermined ones of the square tubes to the interval between the square tubes, and performing maintenance and inspection of members around a core via the grid holes which appear at positions from which the predetermined square tubes are taken out due to the shift of the predetermined square tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Atsushi WATANABE, Yoichi Wada, Makoto Nagase, Kazushige Ishida, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Fumihito Hirokawa, Masaaki Tsubaki, Shiro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20070201607
    Abstract: A natural circulation boiling water reactor provides to a chimney with a plurality of tubes. That is to say, each of the plurality of tubes partitions the coolant flow path above a core. Thus, unlike the conventional natural circulation boiling water reactor providing the flow path partition wall grid in which the plate members are made integral by welding and coolant flow paths are partitioned, the chimney of the natural circulation boiling water reactor can reduce the number of welded portions because the edges of the four corners of each flow path do not need to be welded. The natural circulation boiling water reactor can avoid removal as a single unit, as in the case of the flow path partition wall grid in the conventional natural circulation boiling water reactor, by detaching each tube. The chimney can be easily detached from the reactor pressure vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Inventors: Atsushi WATANABE, Yoichi Wada, Makoto Nagase, Kazushige Ishida, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Fumihito Hirokawa, Masaaki Tsubaki, Shiro Takahashi