Patents by Inventor Naohito Uetake

Naohito Uetake 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: 20060056586
    Abstract: A method and equipment for detecting an explosive, etc. are disclosed. A specified portion highly likely to contain an explosive, etc. is extracted based on the X-ray image obtained by radiating an X ray on an object to be inspected. An electromagnetic wave containing the terahertz wave is radiated on the specified portion thus extracted. The presence or absence of the explosive, etc. is determined based on at least one of the absorption spectrum and the reflection spectrum of the electromagnetic wave at the specified portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Young-kun Lee, Shigehisa Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6973154
    Abstract: In a chemical decontamination method of chemically decontaminating radioactive nuclides from a metallic material, oxalic acid and hydrazine are injected as a reductive decontaminating agent into water that is in contact with the metallic material. Injection of the hydrazine is stopped after a cation resin arranged in a circulation line connected to the metallic material breaks, and at least the oxalic acid and the hydrazine in the reductive decontaminating agent are decomposed using a decomposing catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Kurita Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 6921515
    Abstract: In a chemical decontamination apparatus, a catalyst decomposition column in an upstream side of an ion exchange resin column and a hydrogen peroxide injection apparatus in a further upstream side, reduce the amount of waste products caused by a chemical decontaminating agent where a mixed decontaminating agent for a composition trapped in a cation resin column and for a composition trapped in an anion exchange resin are used for the chemical decontaminating agent, selectively decompose the composition trapped in the cation resin column in an inlet side of a cleaning apparatus when radioactive nuclides in the decontaminating agent are cleansed using the cation resin column during decontamination, and decompose both compositions after completion of the decontamination. The chemical decontamination thus selectively decomposes the chemical decontaminating agent, which is a component of the load to the cation resin column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Kurita Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 6549603
    Abstract: To suppress a decrease of thickness due to corrosion of structural members and to achieve a removal of radionuclides with good efficiency in a nuclear power plant, oxidation decontamination is first conducted. An aqueous potassium permanganate solution is supplied from a circulation line to a reactor pressure vessel, which is a stainless steel structural member, and a reactor water cleanup system piping and a drain piping, which are carbon steel structural members. These structural members are oxidation-decontaminated by the action of potassium permanganate. Then the above-mentioned structural members are reduction-decontaminated by using an aqueous oxalic acid solution. The aqueous oxalic acid solution contains hydrazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Kurita Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushige Ishida, Kazumi Anazawa, Yoshiyuki Takamori, Naohito Uetake, Makoto Nagase, Hiroo Yoshikawa, Tadashi Tamagawa
  • Publication number: 20020150523
    Abstract: [Processes of reductive decontamination using an agent containing at least two kinds of components, and then decomposing the agent using an apparatus for decomposing at least two kinds of chemical substances in the agent, are employed in chemical decontamination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20020099252
    Abstract: In a chemical decontamination method and a chemical decontaminating system for chemically decontaminating radioactive nuclides from a metallic material surface contaminated by the radioactive nuclides, the method comprise the processes of reductively decontaminating using a reductive decontaminating agent containing at least two kinds of components; and then decomposing the reductive decontaminating agent using a decomposing apparatus for decomposing at least two kinds of chemical substances in the reductive decontaminating agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 6335475
    Abstract: Processes of reductive decontamination using an agent containing at least two kinds of components, and then decomposing the agent using an apparatus for decomposing at least two kinds of chemical substances in the agent, are employed in chemical decontamination. A catalyst decomposition column in an upstream side of an ion exchange resin column and a hydrogen peroxide injection apparatus in a further upstream side, reduce the amount of waste products caused by a chemical decontaminating agent where a mixed decontaminating agent for a composition trapped in a cation resin column and for a composition trapped in an anion exchange resin are used for the chemical decontaminating agent, selectively decompose the composition trapped in the cation resin column in an inlet side of a cleaning apparatus when radioactive nuclides in the decontaminating agent are cleansed using the cation resin column during decontamination, and decompose both compositions after completion of the decontamination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Kurita Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 5892805
    Abstract: A reactor water clean-up system is provided with a first filter demineralizer having a filter resin containing an alkali substance and a second filter demineralizer with a filter resin not containing an alkali substance. The reactor water is supplied to the first filter demineralizer during the term from the starting operation of the preoperating test of the nuclear reactor and of each fuel cycle to 2000 EFPH. The alkali substance contained in the filter resin is guided into the nuclear reactor to change the pH of the reactor water in the nuclear reactor to the weak alkali side. The Cr quantity which is taken in the oxide film of the fuel cladding tube surface is reduced. After 2000 EFPH from the starting operation, the supply of the reactor water to the first filter demineralizer is stopped, and then, the reactor water is supplied to the second filter demineralizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Yamane, Yamato Asakura, Katsumi Ohsumi, Kenichi Ito, Noriyuki Ohnaka, Naohito Uetake, Motohiro Aizawa, Akira Ichimura
  • Patent number: 5761263
    Abstract: In a nuclear fuel rod having a zirconium liner and a method of manufacturing the same, the outer surface of a zircaloy cladding tube in which fuel pellets are filled has an oxide film having fine irregularities of which the pitch is 1 .mu.m or less. The fine irregularities are formed by oxidizing the surface in high temperature steam or polishing the surface of the cladding tube. The surface of the fuel rod can effectively trap radioactive substances in the reactor water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Masayoshi Kondoh, Katsumi Ohsumi, Akira Maru, Yamato Asakura
  • Patent number: 5715290
    Abstract: In reactor water control for a BWR power plant during an operation cycle after loading new fuel rods in the BWR power plant, an operation is performed which accelerates deposition of crud on the fuel rods until the deposition amount of the crud on the fuel rods reaches a predetermined target value within the operation cycle concerned. After the deposition amount of the crud has reached the predetermined target value, the crud deposition accelerating operation is terminated, whereby even when loading new fuel rods such as Zr liner type fuel rods having a surface on which metal ion deposition has been difficult, radioactivity in the reactor water is efficiently reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Masayoshi Kondoh, Makoto Nagase, Hideyuki Hosokawa, Teruo Hara, Yamato Asakura, Katsumi Ohsumi, Kazuhiko Akamine, Kouichi Yamane
  • Patent number: 5398269
    Abstract: A water quality control method for a nuclear power plant comprising the steps of maintaining the iron concentration in the feed water below 0.05 ppb by increasing iron removing rate at a condensed water purifying loop, shifting the pH of the reactor water below a pH of 6.8 determined at a room temperature by injecting carbon dioxide gas in the primary cooling system and further optionally reducing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the reactor water below 20 ppb by injecting hydrogen gas into the primary cooling system, whereby .sup.60 Co ion concentration in the primary cooling system is maintained low for a long interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Yamato Asakura, Naohito Uetake, Toshio Sawa, Shunsuke Uchida, Renzo Takeda, Katsumi Ohsumi
  • Patent number: 5377245
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a nuclear plant capable of preventing deposition and activation of crud to a nuclear fuel rod and decreasing the radioactivity level in reactor water. Metal ions solely having a low deposition rate coefficient are made to coexist to prevent or decrease deposition of radioactive corrosion products to the nuclear fuel rod. A method and a nuclear plant capable of preventing deposition and activation of crud to the nuclear fuel rod and decreasing the radioactivity level in reactor water can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Makoto Nagase, Masayoshi Kondoh, Toshio Sawa, Shunsuke Uchida, Yamato Asakura
  • Patent number: 5082602
    Abstract: Cations and anions contained as impurities in a spent organic solvent can be removed by an alkaline aqueous solution passing through inside of hydrophobic porous membrane such as hollow fibers for capturing anions and by an acidic aqueous solution passing through inside of hydrophobic porous membrane such as hollow fibers for capturing cations at the same time so as to regenerate the organic solvent. An apparatus suitable for removing cations and anions simultaneously from the spent organic solvent is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Ietsugu Sekine, Haruo Hasimoto, Tetsuo Fukasawa, Hajime Iba
  • Patent number: 4659511
    Abstract: A process for solidifying radioactive wastes, which comprises adding, to pellet or dissolved radioactive wastes, an alkali metal silicate as a filler, silicic acid, carbonic acid or an alkaline earth metal or polyvalent metal salt thereof as a hardener, and cement as an absorbent for absorbing water to be released with the progress of the reaction and, if necessary, water and mixing and solidifying the resulting mixture to thereby prevent deterioration of water-proofness due to precipitation of readily soluble salts on the surface of a solidified substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1987
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Fukasawa, Masaharu Ohtsuka, Naohito Uetake, Yoshihiro Ozawa
  • Patent number: 4648990
    Abstract: YThis invention concerns solidification products capable of immobilizing radioactive wastes containing water soluble solid components stably for a long period of time, as well as a process for producing the same, in which radioactive wastes are immobilized with an alkaline earth metal silicate compound and the alkaline earth metal silicate compound intakes the water content in the solidifying agent as the bound water to or a hydrate. High temperature and high humidity condition has been found to be necessary upon curing in order to take the water content as the bound water. This invention can provide solidified wastes with less development of detects such as open pores or cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1987
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohito Uetake, Fumio Kawamura, Hideo Yusa, Makoto Kikuchi, Shin Tamata
  • Patent number: 4581162
    Abstract: A solid radioactive waste can be solidified by a process comprising packing a solid radioactive waste in a container, adding to the container an aqueous solution comprising an alkali silicate, a hardening agent and a fluidity-improving agent for the aqueous solution and conducting the solidification of the alkali silicate, the resulting solidified radioactive waste being excellent in weather resistance, showing no cracks and having sufficient strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1986
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumio Kawamura, Tetsuo Fukasawa, Naohito Uetake, Kiyomi Funabashi