140 patents
Page 2 of 7
Utility
Rapid Digital Nuclear Reactor Design Using Machine Learning
27 Jul 23
A method designs nuclear reactors using design variables and metric variables.
Ross Evan PIVOVAR, Ryan Trigg SWANSON
Filed: 6 Feb 23
Utility
Apparatus and method for inspection of a material
25 Jul 23
A method of inspecting a material includes examining a surface of a test material with an eddy current sensor and applying an X-ray fluorescence analysis to the surface of the test material at the same location at which the eddy current examination was performed.
Paul D. Sheldon, Wayne M. Latham, Thomas C. Mohr, Aaron C. Havener, Richard Manzini, Timothy A. Policke
Filed: 23 Dec 21
Utility
Carbide-based fuel assembly for thermal propulsion applications
25 Jul 23
Carbide-based fuel assembly includes outer structural member of ceramic matrix composite material (e.g., SiC—SiC composite), insulation layer of porous refractory ceramic material (e.g., zirconium carbide with open-cell foam structure or fibrous zirconium carbide), and interior structural member of refractory ceramic-graphite composite material (e.g., zirconium carbide-graphite or niobium carbide-graphite).
Eric A. Barringer, Russell R. Jensen, Jeremy L. Gustafson, Matt Ales, Joshua J. Bergman, Ryan T. Swanson, Jonathan K. Witter, Danny Galicki, James B. Inman, Matt Krecicki, Roger Ridgeway
Filed: 11 Aug 21
Utility
Alternating offset U-bend support arrangement
11 Jul 23
Arrangement for supporting U-bend tube sections in the high heat environment of steam generators using flat bars.
Kareem M. A. Aly
Filed: 23 Dec 20
Utility
Control Rod Remote Holdout Mechanism
4 May 23
A control rod drive mechanism having a torque tube, a control rod assembly including a connecting rod disposed within the torque tube and including an annular collar defining a key slot, an elongated key that is slidably receivable within the key slot, a lock cam assembly rotatably secured to a top end of the connecting rod and including a locking cam, and a holdout collar disposed non-rotatably within the torque tube, the holdout collar including a locking recess with an entry slot, wherein in a first axial position the lock cam assembly is rotatable with respect to the torque tube, and a second axial position the lock cam assembly is non-rotatable with respect to the torque tube.
Scott J. Shargots, Ryan Z. Ziegler, Emily D. Fleming, Jason C. Brown
Filed: 31 Oct 22
Utility
Control Rod Remote Disconnect Mechanism
4 May 23
A control rod assembly having a connecting rod, a spider, a plurality of control rods, a coupling sleeve secured to the connecting rod and including a body portion defining at least one cam pin, and a barrel cam defining a cam track, the barrel cam being rotatably secured to the spider.
Scott J. Shargots, Ryan Z. Ziegler, Jason C. Brown, David K. Haslet, Emily D. Fleming
Filed: 31 Oct 22
Utility
Control Rod Remote Disconnect Mechanism
4 May 23
A control rod drive mechanism having a torque tube, a control rod assembly including a connecting rod and a spider, a lock cam assembly rotatably secured to a bottom end of the connecting rod and including a locking cam, and a locking collar disposed non-rotatably within the spider, the locking collar including a locking recess with an entry slot, wherein in a first axial position the lock cam assembly is rotatable with respect to the torque tube, and a second axial position the lock cam assembly is non-rotatable with respect to the torque tube.
Scott J. Shargots, Ryan Z. Ziegler, Jason C. Brown, David K. Haslet, Emily D. Fleming
Filed: 31 Oct 22
Utility
Control Rod Remote Holdout Mechanism
4 May 23
A control rod drive mechanism having a torque tube with an inner surface defining a central bore, a control rod assembly including a connecting rod including a cam extending radially-outwardly therefrom and an annular collar defining a key slot, an elongated key that is slidably receivable within the key slot, and a holdout collar disposed non-rotatably within the torque tube and defining a locking recess, wherein the connecting rod is axially-movable with respect to the torque tube between a first position in which the elongated key is disposed within the key slot so that the connecting rod is non-rotatable with respect to the torque tube, and a second position in which the elongated key is removed from the key slot and the connecting rod is rotatable with respect to the torque tube.
Scott J. Shargots, Ryan Z. Ziegler, Emily D. Fleming
Filed: 31 Oct 22
Utility
Welding Device and Method of Manufacture
27 Apr 23
A welding device, having a body configured to route power, a first inlet and a first outlet formed on the body, the first inlet configured to receive a shielding gas, a first channel extending through the body and connecting the first inlet and the first outlet, a second inlet and a second outlet formed on the body, the second inlet configured to receive a coolant, a second channel extending through the body and connecting the second inlet with the second outlet, the second channel having a convoluted portion comprising a plurality of segments configured to increase a proportion of the second channel relative to the body.
Casey Brendan Linn, Justin Thomas Mosterd, Manley Joseph Tyler Fraleigh
Filed: 21 Oct 22
Utility
Ultrasonic Device and Method
27 Apr 23
An ultrasonic device for scanning an object, the device having a collar configured for coupling to the object, the collar having an arcuate segment, a carriage coupled to the collar, the carriage configured for displacement along the arcuate segment, a ultrasonic probe unit coupled to the collar and comprising a wedge having a contoured face configured for maintaining conforming contact against a surface of the object, the ultrasonic probe unit configured to emit an ultrasonic beam for transmission through the contoured face of the wedge and into the object, and a position locator coupled to the carriage, the position locator configured to record a position of the ultrasonic probe unit.
Robert Andrew Dekker, Robert Jeffrey Martin, Mitchel Lucas West
Filed: 21 Oct 22
Utility
Method for design and additive manufacture of fission reactor core structure of inverted reactor
25 Apr 23
Fission reactor has a shell encompassing a reactor space within which are a central longitudinal channel, a plurality of axially extending rings with adjacent rings defining an annular cylindrical space in which a first plurality of primary axial tubes are circumferential located.
William E. Russell, II, Joshua J. Bergman, Jonathan W. Cirtain, Craig D. Gramlich, James B. Inman, Matthew P. Levasseur, Joseph K. Miller, Ryan Z. Ziegler
Filed: 9 Nov 21
Utility
Lu-177 RADIOCHEMISTRY SYSTEM AND METHOD
13 Apr 23
A method of making Lu-177 involving dissolving enriched Yb2O3, loading dissolved enriched Yb2O3 on a first guard column containing resin prepared from (2-ethyl-1-hexyl)phosphonic acid mono(2-ethyl-1-hexyl)ester (HEH[EHP]), passing a first separation of a stream exiting from first guard column through a first resin cartridge containing dipentyl pentylphosphonate, collecting Lu-177 onto a first collection column having resin containing tetraoctyl diglycolamide (DGA), loading an exiting stream from first collection column on a second guard column containing resin prepared from (2-ethyl-1-hexyl)phosphonic acid mono(2-ethyl-1-hexyl)ester (HEH[EHP]); passing a first separation of a stream exiting from second guard column through a second resin cartridge containing dipentyl pentylphosphonate; collecting Lu-177 onto a second collection column having resin containing DGA; passing a second separation of a stream exiting from second guard column through a third resin cartridge containing dipentyl pentylphosphonate; and collecting Lu-177 having passed through the third resin cartridge onto a third collection column having resin containing DGA.
Stephen M. OELSNER, Gary HUNTER, Bryan Blake WIGGINS, Timothy A. POLICKE, David J. GLENN
Filed: 4 Oct 22
Utility
Methods of Manufacturing of Molybdenum and Molybdenum-based Structures by Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing, Particularly Structures for Nuclear Components
9 Feb 23
Methodologies and manufacturing processes to manufacture components by electron beam melting additive manufacturing, particularly components of molybdenum or a molybdenum-based alloy and particularly of complex nuclear component geometries.
Andrew Harrison CHERN, Travis B. FRITTS, Daniel Walter GALICKI, Ryan Scott KITCHEN, Travis Adam MCFALLS, Elizabeth ELLIS
Filed: 25 May 22
Utility
Rapid digital nuclear reactor design using machine learning
7 Feb 23
A method designs nuclear reactors using design variables and metric variables.
Ross Evan Pivovar, Ryan Trigg Swanson
Filed: 8 Jun 20
Utility
Apparatus and method for safety analysis evaluation with data-driven workflow
24 Jan 23
An apparatus and method for system safety analysis evaluation is provided, the apparatus including processing circuitry configured for generating a calculation matrix for a system, generating a plurality of models based on the calculation matrix, performing a benchmarking or convolution analysis of the plurality of models, identifying a design envelope based on the benchmarking or convolution analysis, deriving uncertainty models from the benchmarking or convolution analysis, deriving an assessment judgment based on the uncertainty models and acceptance criteria, defining one or more limiting scenarios based on the design envelope, and determining a safety margin in at least one figure-of-merit for the system based on the design envelope and the acceptance criteria.
Robert P. Martin, Simone H. Morgan
Filed: 26 Apr 21
Utility
Control room for nuclear power plant
10 Jan 23
A reactor control interface includes a home screen video display unit (VDU) displaying blocks representing functional components of a nuclear power plant and connecting arrows that connect blocks that are providing the current heat sinking path for the nuclear power plant.
Thomas G. Graham
Filed: 1 Oct 19
Utility
Defective Fuel Bundle Location System
8 Dec 22
A defective fuel bundle location system for use with a heavy water moderated nuclear fission reactor having a fueling machine, including a test tool defining an internal volume, the test tool being configured to be received within both the fueling machine and a corresponding fuel channel of the reactor, and a test container defining an internal volume, wherein the test container is configured to be received within the internal volume of the test tool and the internal volume of the test container is configured to receive primary fluid from the reactor when the test tool is disposed within the corresponding fuel channel of the reactor.
Thomas G. Onderwater
Filed: 19 Aug 22
Utility
Passive Techniques for Long-term Reactor Cooling
17 Nov 22
In a pressurized water reactor (PWR), emergency core cooling (ECC) responds to depressurization due to a vessel penetration break at the top of the pressure vessel by draining water from a body of water through an injection line into the pressure vessel.
John D. Malloy, III, Billy E. Bingham, Ronald C. Watson, Jason G. Williams, Matthew W. Ales, James B. Inman, Sean M. Boyle
Filed: 2 Jun 22
Utility
Spacer Grid Welding Fixture
10 Nov 22
A spacer grid welding fixture comprises a frame sized to receive an assembled spacer grid comprising a first set of parallel straps and a second set of parallel straps oriented orthogonally to the first set of parallel straps, the first and second sets of parallel straps interlocked together by slots cut into the straps.
Roger D. Ridgeway, Jeffrey W. Austin, Jeffrey T. Lee
Filed: 23 May 22
Utility
Small modular mobile fission reactor
8 Nov 22
A mobile modular reactor, in particular, a graphite-moderated fission reactor, has an active core region and at least a portion of control region(s) that are located within an interior volume of a pressure vessel.
Craig D. Gramlich, William E. Russell, II
Filed: 1 May 20