Patents by Inventor Masahiro HIRATSUKA

Masahiro HIRATSUKA 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: 9082518
    Abstract: Vibration of a jet pump installed in a reactor pressure vessel of a boiling water reactor is monitored. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted from an ultrasonic sensor installed on an outer surface of the reactor pressure vessel toward a throat and a diffuser of the jet pump. When the ultrasonic waves reach respective outer surfaces of the throat and diffuser, reflected waves are generated at the respective outer surfaces. The ultrasonic sensor receives those reflected waves. The ultrasonic signal process section obtains a distance in the horizontal direction between the throat and the diffuser based on a time difference of the reflected waves reflected from respective reflection surfaces of the throat and diffuser and a sound speed in reactor water in the neighborhood of the throat and diffuser. A relative vibration is obtained based on the change with time of the distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Hiratsuka, Atsushi Baba, Masahiro Koike, Taro Ikezumi, Minoru Ootaka
  • Patent number: 8995602
    Abstract: A jet pump beam (hereinafter, referred to as a beam) is fitted into a pair of projecting portions installed to a transition piece, and after the beam is arched, a beam bolt engaged with the beam is tightened. An end of the beam bolt comes in contact with a top surface of an insert member fitted into an elbow disposed between the pair of projecting portions. An ultrasonic sensor head is fixed to the beam bolt, and ultrasonic waves are sent to the beam bolt from the ultrasonic sensor in the ultrasonic sensor head. An ultrasonic measuring apparatus obtains echo intensity of each of reflected waves generated at the end of the beam bolt and a bottom surface of the insert member, and based on the echo intensities, an echo intensity ratio R is calculated. The installed state of the beam is checked using the echo intensity ratio R.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Baba, Yoshinori Musha, Masahiro Hiratsuka, Minoru Ootaka, Masahiro Koike
  • Publication number: 20120281800
    Abstract: A jet pump beam (hereinafter, referred to as a beam) is fitted into a pair of projecting portions installed to a transition piece, and after the beam is arched, a beam bolt engaged with the beam is tightened. An end of the beam bolt comes in contact with a top surface of an insert member fitted into an elbow disposed between the pair of projecting portions. An ultrasonic sensor head is fixed to the beam bolt, and ultrasonic waves are sent to the beam bolt from the ultrasonic sensor in the ultrasonic sensor head. An ultrasonic measuring apparatus obtains echo intensity of each of reflected waves generated at the end of the beam bolt and a bottom surface of the insert member, and based on the echo intensities, an echo intensity ratio R is calculated. The installed state of the beam is checked using the echo intensity ratio R.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi BABA, Yoshinori MUSHA, Masahiro HIRATSUKA, Minoru OOTAKA, Masahiro KOIKE
  • Publication number: 20120216382
    Abstract: A method of installing a jet pump beam includes, disposing an inlet mixer having one end portion inserted to a diffuser provided in a reactor pressure vessel and an other end portion communicated with a riser pipe disposed in the reactor pressure vessel between a pair of projecting portions of a transition piece provided to the riser pipe, separately inserting both end portions of a jet pump beam disposed above the inlet mixer into a groove formed in each of the pair of projecting portions, arching the jet pump beam by moving a center portion of the jet pump beam upward, pushing a screw member engaged with the arched jet pump beam against the inlet mixer, and measuring deflection amount of the arched jet pump beam when the screw member is being pushed against the inlet mixer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Inventors: Masahiro HIRATSUKA, Minoru OOTAKA, Masahiro KOIKE, Hiroyuki NAKANO, Akira NISHIMIZU