Patents by Inventor Ryan Brownfield

Ryan Brownfield 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).

  • Calibration of power monitors in molten salt reactors
    Patent number: 12444514
    Abstract: A method and system for calibrating nuclear instrumentation of a reactor is disclosed. The system comprises a reactor configured to operate at a low power level and an external heater configured to heat the reactor to its operating temperature and maintain the reactor in a critical state. The reactor maintains its temperature at a steady state by repeating steps of reducing the heater's power and increasing the reactor's power by changing one or more reactivity settings, wherein the reduced heater's power is compensated by using the increased power generated by the reactor itself. The nuclear instrumentation is configured to measure the reactor's output power and compare it with the calculated reactor's power. Based on the discrepancy between the calculated power and the measured power exceeds a threshold; and the nuclear instrumentation is appropriately calibrated by adjusting one or more settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2024
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignees: Abilene Christian University, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, The Texas A&M University System, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Ryan Kelly, Steven Biegalski, Ryan Brownfield, Kraig Farrar, Jonathan Tyler Gates, Derek Haas, Jonathan Scherr, Jack Shoemate, Pavel Tsvetkov
  • A METHOD CALIBRATING POWER MONITORS FOR MOLTEN SALT REACTORS AT LOW POWER
    Publication number: 20250054648
    Abstract: A method and system for calibrating nuclear instrumentation of a reactor is disclosed. The system comprises a reactor configured to operate at a low power level and an external heater configured to heat the reactor to its operating temperature and maintain the reactor in a critical state. The reactor maintains its temperature at a steady state by repeating steps of reducing the heater's power and increasing the reactor's power by changing one or more reactivity settings, wherein the reduced heater's power is compensated by using the increased power generated by the reactor itself. The nuclear instrumentation is configured to measure the reactor's output power and compare it with the calculated reactor's power. Based on the discrepancy between the calculated power and the measured power exceeds a threshold; and the nuclear instrumentation is appropriately calibrated by adjusting one or more settings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2024
    Publication date: February 13, 2025
    Inventors: Ryan Kelly, Steven Biegalski, Ryan Brownfield, Kraig Farrar, Tyler Gates, Derek Haas, Jonathan Scherr, Jack Shoemate, Pavel Tsvetkov