Patents by Inventor Ho Q. Lam

Ho Q. Lam 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).

  • Publication number: 20240047088
    Abstract: Provided herein is a nuclear fuel assembly for a pressurized water reactor. The nuclear fuel assembly comprises: a plurality of nuclear fuel rods configured to contain a fissile material, wherein the nuclear fuel assembly is configured such that a hydrogen to uranium ratio for the fuel assembly, when coolant and the fissile material are present under operating conditions, is at least 4.0. Also provided herein is a method for refueling a pressurized water nuclear reactor comprising a nuclear fuel assembly of the present disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: David L. STUCKER, Ho Q. LAM
  • Publication number: 20220108808
    Abstract: A control rod for a nuclear fuel assembly is described herein that includes a neutron absorbing material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. that does not form a eutectic with a melting point less than 1500° C., and may further include a cladding material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. The cladding material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, tungsten, and molybdenum. The absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of Gd2O3, Ir, B4C, Re, and Hf. The metal cladding or the absorbing material may be coated with an anti-oxidation coating of Cr with or without a Nb intermediate layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: Edward J. LAHODA, Frank A. BOYLAN, Ho Q. LAM, Mitchell E. NISSLEY, Raymond E. SCHNEIDER, Robert L. OELRICH, Sumit RAY, Radu POMIRLEANU, Zeses KAROUTAS, Michael J. HONE
  • Patent number: 11289213
    Abstract: A control rod for a nuclear fuel assembly is described herein that includes a neutron absorbing material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. that does not form a eutectic with a melting point less than 1500° C., and may further include a cladding material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. The cladding material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, tungsten, and molybdenum. The absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of Gd2O3, Ir, B4C, Re, and Hf. The metal cladding or the absorbing material may be coated with an anti-oxidation coating of Cr with or without a Nb intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: Edward J. Lahoda, Frank A. Boylan, Ho Q. Lam, Mitchell E. Nissley, Raymond E. Schneider, Robert L. Oelrich, Sumit Ray, Radu Pomirleanu, Zeses Karoutas, Michael J. Hone
  • Publication number: 20190066853
    Abstract: A high temperature control rod for a nuclear fuel assembly is described herein that includes a neutron absorbing material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. that does not form a eutectic with a melting point less than 1500° C., and may further include a cladding material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. The cladding material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, tungsten, and molybdenum. The absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of Gd2O3, Ir, B4C, Re, and Hf. The metal cladding or the absorbing material may be coated with an anti-oxidation coating of Cr with or without a Nb intermediate layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY LLC
    Inventors: EDWARD J. LAHODA, FRANK A. BOYLAN, HO Q. LAM, MITCHELL E. NISSLEY, RAYMOND E. SCHNEIDER, ROBERT L. OELRICH, SUMIT RAY, RADU POMIRLEANU, ZESES KAROUTAS, MICHAEL J. HONE
  • Patent number: 9423516
    Abstract: A system and method for measuring and monitoring axial flux to determine subcriticality in a spent fuel pool of a nuclear power plant. In certain embodiments of this invention, one or more neutron detectors are operable to generate signals resulting from neutron interactions in the spent fuel pool, a counting device counts the signals which are generated by the one or more neutron detectors, a connecting means electrically connects the one or more neutron detectors to the counting device, a signal analyzer is used to determine reactivity of the fuel assemblies in the spent fuel pool based on the counted signals, a power supply provides power for the neutron detectors, the counting device and the system analyzer, and a software code containing an axial flux curve index is used to correlate the counted signals to determine the subcriticality of the spent fuel pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
    Inventors: Ho Q. Lam, Vefa N. Kucukboyaci, Yung-An Chao, Robert W. Flammang, William H. Slagle, Patrick J. Sebastiani