Abstract: Disclosed is a reactor thermal management system. A molten salt reactor vessel and a second component (e.g., a drain tank) fluidly coupled with the molten salt reactor vessel are configured to receive a flow of a molten salt therewith. The reactor thermal management system includes an internal shield or vessel encompassing the molten salt reactor vessel and the second component, the internal shield or vessel defining a first thermally insulative region therein. The internal shield or vessel is configured to maintain the first thermally insulated region above a melting temperature of the molten salt during operation of the molten salt reactor vessel.

Abstract: An integral molten salt nuclear reactor includes a drain tank section configured to hold a volume of fuel salt. The integral molten salt nuclear reactor further includes a reactor section configured to receive the volume of fuel salt from the drain tank and cause fission reactions that heats the molten salt. The integral molten salt nuclear reactor further includes a heat exchange section configured to receive a flow of the heated fuel salt from the reactor section and remove heat therefrom.

Abstract: An integral molten salt nuclear reactor includes a drain tank section configured to hold a volume of fuel salt. The integral molten salt nuclear reactor further includes a reactor section configured to receive the volume of fuel salt from the drain tank and cause fission reactions that heats the molten salt. The integral molten salt nuclear reactor further includes a heat exchange section configured to receive a flow of the heated fuel salt from the reactor section and remove heat therefrom.

Abstract: Disclosed is a reactor thermal management system. A molten salt reactor vessel and a second component (e.g., a drain tank) fluidly coupled with the molten salt reactor vessel are configured to receive a flow of a molten salt therewith. The reactor thermal management system includes an internal shield or vessel encompassing the molten salt reactor vessel and the second component, the internal shield or vessel defining a first thermally insulative region therein. The internal shield or vessel is configured to maintain the first thermally insulated region above a melting temperature of the molten salt during operation of the molten salt reactor vessel.

Abstract: In multiple embodiments, a molten salt reactor system may include a heat exchanger within a reactor vessel that also acts as the reactor core (e.g., a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, or a printed circuit heat exchanger), wherein the heat exchanger includes the moderator material so that fission reactions within the nuclear molten fuel salt occur within the heat exchanger. In many embodiments, the in-core heat exchanger of the disclosed molten salt reactor system may include a coolant side and a molten fuel salt side, and the coolant may be a liquid (e.g., non-fissionable molten salt) or a gas (e.g., carbon dioxide). Heat generated from the fission reactions is transferred from the molten fuel salt side to the coolant side. In some embodiments, when the coolant is a gas, the coolant may be utilized with a turbine for power production.

Abstract: A device for selectively controlling the passage of thermal energy through the device from a first space to a second space by selectively varying an overall thermal conductivity of the device comprises a structure having at least one component movable from a first position to a second position and an actuator mechanically coupled to the component for moving the component from the first position to the second position. When the at least one component is positioned in the first position the device exhibits a first thermal conductivity and when the at least one component is positioned in the second position the device exhibits a second thermal conductivity different from the first thermal conductivity.

Abstract: A device for selectively controlling the passage of thermal energy therethrough by selectively varying the overall thermal conductivity of the device comprises a structure having at least one component movable from a first position to a second position. When the at least one component is positioned in the first position the device exhibits a first thermal conductivity and when the at least one component is positioned in the second position the device exhibits a second thermal conductivity different than the first thermal conductivity.

Abstract: In the world of high speed communications where the use of return-to-zero modulation format is advantageous, there is a need for being able to exert electrical control, in a relatively simple manner, over the duty cycle of the optical pulses being generated without the undesirable effects of chirp, whilst providing good extinction between pulses. The invention proposes an optical pulse generator and methods of generating and shaping optical pulses using an arrangement of cascaded Mach-Zehnder type interferometers. The pulse generator has a signal generator that produces sinusoidal electrical modulation signals for application to the electrical inputs of cascaded Mach-Zehnder type interferometers. The first Mach-Zehnder type interferometer in the series is responsive to the sinusoidal electrical modulation signal being applied, to generate a series of optical pulses having controllable chirp.

Abstract: The optical modulator comprising an optical input signal waveguide, first and second interferometric waveguide arms, a modulated output signal waveguide, a splitter for dividing the input signal between the first and second arms, and a combiner for recombining the signals, transmitted along each of the first and second arms into the output signal waveguide. The first and second electrodes each of a segmented structure having a plurality of elements each extending from a respective one of the first and second electrodes and each terminating at position adjacent a length of corresponding one of the first and second arms wherein only a proportion of the elements terminate at positions such as to have an electro-optic effect on a signal transmitted through the corresponding one of the arms. Thus, only proportion of the elements are in active in the sense that only they induce a phase shift in the signal transmitted through the respective one of the arms.