Patents by Inventor Renzo Takeda

Renzo Takeda 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: 10020079
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor has a plurality of fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies include a plurality of fuel rods in which a lower end is supported by a lower tie-plate and an upper end is supported by an upper tie-plate. The fuel rods form plenums above a nuclear fuel material zone and have a neutron absorbing material filling zone under the nuclear fuel material zone. Neutron absorbing members attached to the upper tie-plate are disposed between mutual plenums of the neighboring fuel rods above the nuclear fuel material zone. The neutron absorbing members have a length of 500 mm and are positioned at a distance of 300 mm from the nuclear fuel material zone. Even if the overall core is assumed to become a state of 100% void, no positive reactivity is inserted to the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY, LTD.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20150228362
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor has a plurality of fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies include a plurality of fuel rods in which a lower end is supported by a lower tie-plate and an upper end is supported by an upper tie-plate. The fuel rods form plenums above a nuclear fuel material zone and have a neutron absorbing material filling zone under the nuclear fuel material zone. Neutron absorbing members attached to the upper tie-plate are disposed between mutual plenums of the neighboring fuel rods above the nuclear fuel material zone. The neutron absorbing members have a length of 500 mm and are positioned at a distance of 300 mm from the nuclear fuel material zone. Even if the overall core is assumed to become a state of 100% void, no positive reactivity is inserted to the core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY, LTD.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 9047994
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor has a plurality of fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies include a plurality of fuel rods in which a lower end is supported by a lower tie-plate and an upper end is supported by an upper tie-plate. The fuel rods form plenums above a nuclear fuel material zone and have a neutron absorbing material filling zone under the nuclear fuel material zone. Neutron absorbing members attached to the upper tie-plate are disposed between mutual plenums of the neighboring fuel rods above the nuclear fuel material zone. The neutron absorbing members have a length of 500 mm and are positioned at a distance of 300 mm from the nuclear fuel material zone. Even if the overall core is assumed to become a state of 100% void, no positive reactivity is inserted to the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY, LTD.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 8599991
    Abstract: A boiling water reactor has a core disposed in the reactor pressure vessel and loaded with a plurality of fuel assemblies including transuranic nuclides. A ratio of Pu-239 in all of the transuranic nuclides included in the fuel assembly, which is loaded in the core, with a burnup of 0 is 3% or more but 45% or less. In the fuel assembly having a channel box and a plurality of fuel rods disposed in the channel box, a transverse cross section of a fuel pellet in the fuel rod occupies 30% or more but 55% or less of a transverse cross section of a unit fuel rod lattice in the channel box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 8571166
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone, wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0, sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm, and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 8422617
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone; wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0; sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm; and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20120177169
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone, wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0, sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm, and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20110164720
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor has a plurality of fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies include a plurality of fuel rods in which a lower end is supported by a lower tie-plate and an upper end is supported by an upper tie-plate. The fuel rods form plenums above a nuclear fuel material zone and have a neutron absorbing material filling zone under the nuclear fuel material zone. Neutron absorbing members attached to the upper tie-plate are disposed between mutual plenums of the neighboring fuel rods above the nuclear fuel material zone. The neutron absorbing members have a length of 500 mm and are positioned at a distance of 300 mm from the nuclear fuel material zone. Even if the overall core is assumed to become a state of 100% void, no positive reactivity is inserted to the core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventors: Renzo TAKEDA, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20100034336
    Abstract: A core of a light water reactor having a plurality of fuel assemblies, which are loaded in said core, having nuclear fuel material containing a plurality of isotopes of transuranium nuclides, an upper blanket zone, a lower blanket zone, and a fissile zone, in which the transuranium nuclides are contained, disposed between the upper blanket zone and the lower blanket zone; wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all the transuranium nuclides contained in the loaded fuel assembly is in a range of 40 to 60% when burnup of the fuel assembly is 0; sum of a height of the lower blanket zone and a height of the upper blanket zone is in a range of 250 to 600 mm; and the height of said lower blanket zone is in a range of 1.6 to 12 times the height of the upper blanket zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventors: Renzo TAKEDA, Junichi MIWA, Kumiaki MORIYA
  • Publication number: 20090196392
    Abstract: A core of a boiling water reactor as a burner type core of the boiling water reactor having a ratio of 3 or more of number of fuel assemblies loaded in the core to number of control rods installed in the nuclear reactor and using an oxide of low enriched uranium having a mean enrichment of the fuel assemblies of 3 wt % to 8 wt % or a mixed oxide having a mean fissile plutonium enrichment of the fuel assemblies of 2 wt % to less than 7 wt %, wherein a ratio of an inner width of a channel box of the fuel assemblies to a width of 0.79 to 0.865, and a mean thickness of the channel box of the fuel assemblies is 2.10 to 3.55 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Junichi MIWA, Renzo Takeda, Takeshi Mitsuyasu, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20090196391
    Abstract: A core of a boiling water reactor as a burner type core of the boiling water reactor having a ratio of 3 or more of number of fuel assemblies loaded in the core to number of control rods installed in the nuclear reactor and using an oxide of low enriched uranium having a mean enrichment of the fuel assemblies of 3 wt % to 8 wt % or a mixed oxide having a mean fissile plutonium enrichment of the fuel assemblies of 2 wt % to less than 7 wt %, wherein a mean weight of at least one of uranium and plutonium included in a unit volume of a core region is 2.25 to 3.4 kg/l when load of the fuel assemblies having a burnup of 0 into the core is finished, and a mean thickness of the channel box of the fuel assemblies is 2.10 to 3.55 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Junichi Miwa, Renzo Takeda, Takeshi Mitsuyasu, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Publication number: 20080205576
    Abstract: A light water reactor, comprising: a reactor pressure vessel; a core disposed in the reactor pressure vessel and loaded with a plurality of fuel assemblies including transuranic nuclides; and a coolant supplying apparatus for supplying a coolant to said core, wherein a ratio of Pu-239 in all of the transuranic nuclides included in the fuel assembly, which is loaded in the core, with a burnup of 0 is 3% or more but 45% or less; and ratios of a plurality of isotopes of the transuranic nuclides being present in the fuel assembly taken out of the core are substantially the same as ratios of the plurality of isotopes present in the fuel assembly with the burnup of 0, which is to be loaded in the core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Renzo TAKEDA, Junichi Miwa, Kumiaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 6512805
    Abstract: There are provided a light water reactor core which has the same levels in cost efficiency and degree of safety as those of an existing BWR under operation now, that is, which is oriented to plutonium multi-recycle having a breeding ratio near 1.0 or slightly larger and having a negative void coefficient with minimizing modification of the reactor core structure of the existing BWR under operation now, and to fuel assemblies used for the boiling water reactor. The light water reactor core having an effective water-to-fuel volume ratio of 0.1 to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Motoo Aoyama, Junichi Miwa, Motohiko Ikegawa
  • Patent number: 5940461
    Abstract: To provide a reactor core for light water cooled reactor, a fuel assembly and a control rod intended for Pu multi-recycling at a breeding ratio of about 1.0, or 1.0 or more while keeping the economical or safety performance to the same level as in BWR now under operation, that is, while minimizing the change for the incore structures and maintaining the void coefficient negative. A reactor core for a light water cooled reactor having an effective fuel-to-water volume ratio of 0.1 to 0.6 by the combination of a dense lattice fuel assembly constituted of fuel rods formed by adding Pu to degraded uranium, natural uranium, depleted uranium or low concentrated uranium, coolants at high void fraction of 45% to 70% and a cluster-type, Y-type or cruciform control rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Motoo Aoyama, Masanao Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 5812621
    Abstract: A reactor core for a boiling water reactor, a fuel assembly and a control rod intended for Pu multi-recycling at a breeding ratio of about 1.0, or 1.0 or more while keeping the economical or safety performance to the same level as in a boiling water reactor now under operation. The reactor has an effective water-to-fuel volume ratio of 0.1 to 0.6 by the combination of a dense lattice fuel assembly constituted of fuel rods formed by adding Pu to degraded uranium, natural uranium, depleted uranium or low concentrated uranium, and having coolants at a high void fraction of 45% to 70% and a cluster-type, Y-type or cruciform control rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Motoo Aoyama, Masanao Moriwaki
  • 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: 5145635
    Abstract: A high conversion nuclear reactor core has fuel assemblies made up from large numbers of axially-extending uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel rods. The fuel rods are densely packed so as to give a high conversion ratio of fissile substances, preferably approaching unity. The average plutonium enrichment in the assemblies is higher in their bottom, upstream halves, than in their top downstream halves. This has the effect of reducing a potentially dangerously high void coefficient in the core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Ishii, Motoo Aoyama, Yoshihiko Ishii, Sadao Uchikawa, Renzo Takeda, Osamu Yokomizo
  • Patent number: 4876062
    Abstract: A fuel assembly of the present invention comprises a plurality of fuel rods which are held by an upper tie plate and lower tie plate at the ends thereof and a moderating rod which is arranged between the fuel rods and held by the lower tie plate at its lower end. The fuel rods are arranged in a lattice form having 9 rows and 9 columns, and the moderating rod contains a passage for a coolant and has a cruciate cross-sectional form. The ratio A.sub.M /A.sub.C of the area A.sub.M of a moderator region in the moderating rod in the cross-sectional plane in which the moderator is present to the area A.sub.C of the coolant passages in said fuel assembly is within the range of 0.07 to 0.11, and the area A.sub.M is 75% or more of the total area of the fuel lattice units in which none of the fuel rods is arranged, but the moderating rod is arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoo Aoyama, Yasunori Bessho, Sadao Uchikawa, Renzo Takeda, Yoshihiko Ishii
  • Patent number: 4871510
    Abstract: A fuel assembly of the present invention comprises fuel rods which are arranged in 9 rows and 9 columns (9.times.9) in a channel box. The channel box has a width L between outer walls thereof and a width D between inner walls thereof, both of which satisfy the following equation:0.12.ltoreq.(P-L)/Dwherein P denotes the fuel assembly pitch in a reactor core. A sufficient cold shutdown margin for a reactor core can be secured by determining the widths L and D so as to satisfy the above-described equation, even if the average enrichment of the fuel assembly is increased to 4 wt % or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoo Aoyama, Renzo Takeda
  • Patent number: 4851181
    Abstract: In a light water moderation type nuclear reactor with the once-through method, the reactor core is divided into a central area and a peripheral area by a partition member, a first fuel assembly is arranged in the central area (high conversion area) and a second fuel assembly is arranged in the peripheral area. The ratio (r.sub.H/U) of the number of hydrogen atoms to that of uranium atoms in the central area is smaller than that of the ratio in the peripheral area and the second fuel assembly in the peripheral area is formed of fuel rods of the first fuel assembly having been previously burned in the central area and moved into the peripheral area. The plutonium production increases and uranium consumption is reduced during the first half of the lifetime of the fuel rods in the high conversion area with the take-up burn up increasing during the second half of the lifetime of the fuel rods in the burner area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1989
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Renzo Takeda, Kanji Kato, Tadahiro Ohnishi, Sadao Uchikawa, Hiromi Maruyama, Motoo Aoyama, Kikuo Umegaki, Yasunori Bessho, Motomasa Fuse, Michiro Yokomi