Patents by Inventor Joseph R. Wyatt

Joseph R. Wyatt 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: 9721680
    Abstract: A method of operating a nuclear reactor is provided. The method includes defining a layer increment of a deposit layer modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of the nuclear reactor; periodically updating a thickness of the deposit layer by adding the layer increment to the deposit layer; recalculating properties of the deposit layer after each layer increment is added to the deposit layer; determining a temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface as a function of the recalculated properties of the deposit layer; and altering operation of the nuclear reactor when the temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface reaches a predetermined value. A method of modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of a nuclear reactor is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: AREVA Inc.
    Inventors: Mihai G. M. Pop, Joseph R. Wyatt, John C. Griffith
  • Publication number: 20150092901
    Abstract: A method of operating a nuclear reactor is provided. The method includes defining a layer increment of a deposit layer modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of the nuclear reactor; periodically updating a thickness of the deposit layer by adding the layer increment to the deposit layer; recalculating properties of the deposit layer after each layer increment is added to the deposit layer; determining a temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface as a function of the recalculated properties of the deposit layer; and altering operation of the nuclear reactor when the temperature related variable of the heat transfer surface reaches a predetermined value. A method of modeling a deposit on a heat transfer surface of a nuclear reactor is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: AREVA NP Inc.
    Inventors: Mihai G. M. Pop, Joseph R. Wyatt, John C. Griffith
  • Publication number: 20140257718
    Abstract: A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: AREVA Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G.M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Patent number: 8744781
    Abstract: A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: AREVA Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G. M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Publication number: 20130338940
    Abstract: A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: AREVA NP Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G. M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Patent number: 8527216
    Abstract: A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Areva NP Inc
    Inventors: John C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G. M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Publication number: 20110022333
    Abstract: A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: AREVA NP INC
    Inventors: John C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G.M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Patent number: 7405558
    Abstract: A method to determine deposits in a steam generator having the steps of creating a calibration standard having at least two rings of deposit material, subjecting the calibration standard to an eddy current signal, wherein an amplitude of the signal reflected from the calibration standard is used to obtain a polynomial equation fit of the reflected eddy current signals to actual thickness of the rings, obtaining a steam generator with tubes, initiating an eddy current signal into the tubes of the steam generator, detecting and recording reflections of the eddy current signal initiated into the tubes of the steam generator, and determining a thickness of the deposits in the steam generator from the recorded reflections of the eddy current signal and the polynomial equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: Areva NP, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph R. Wyatt, John Griffith, Victor Newman, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Publication number: 20080007257
    Abstract: A method to determine deposits in a steam generator having the steps of creating a calibration standard having at least two rings of deposit material, subjecting the calibration standard to an eddy current signal, wherein an amplitude of the signal reflected from the calibration standard is used to obtain a polynomial equation fit of the reflected eddy current signals to actual thickness of the rings, obtaining a steam generator with tubes, initiating an eddy current signal into the tubes of the steam generator, detecting and recording reflections of the eddy current signal initiated into the tubes of the steam generator, and determining a thickness of the deposits in the steam generator from the recorded reflections of the eddy current signal and the polynomial equation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Joseph R. Wyatt, John Griffith, Victor Newman, Jeffrey M. Fleck
  • Patent number: 6772638
    Abstract: A method for sizing cracks is disclosed using a combination of depth crack sizing methods to improve crack sizing accuracy for thin walled tubing and tight crack surface openings less than 0.001 inches for cracks of any depth. The tube or plate wall can consist of a single material or multiple metallic electrodeposited or otherwise intimately bonded layers of materials with different magnetic properties and the sizing method comprises known depth sizing methods such as shear wave, time of flight and the selective use of two unique depth sizing methods designated as Mode Converted Signal (MCS) and Full Skip Normalization (FSN) which provide correction factors for the known sizing methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Framatome Anp, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell M. Matney, Mihai G. Pop, Joseph R. Wyatt, III
  • Publication number: 20030079545
    Abstract: A method for sizing crack is disclosed using a combination of depth crack sizing methods to improve crack sizing accuracy for thin walled tubing and tight crack surface opening less than 0.001 inches for cracks of any depth. The tube or plate wall can consist of a single material or multiple metallic electrodeposited or otherwise intimately bonded layers of materials with different magnetic properties and the sizing method comprises known depth sizing methods such as shear wave, time of flight and THE SELECTIVE USE OF two unique depth sizing methods designated as Mode Converted Signal (MCS) and Full Skip Normalization (FSN) which provide correction factors for the known sizing methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Russell M. Matney, Mihai G. Pop, Joseph R. Wyatt