140 patents
Page 4 of 7
Utility
Control rod drive mechanism with separate latch and drive coils
19 Apr 22
A control rod drive mechanism for use in a nuclear reactor including a reactor core disposed in a pressure vessel, including a control rod configured for insertion into the reactor core, a lead screw, the control rod being secured to the bottom end of the lead screw, a drive mechanism including a torque tube having a top end and a bottom end, a pair of segment arms that are pivotably mounted to the torque tube, a pair of roller nuts, each roller nut being rotatably secured to the bottom end of a respective segment arm, and a drive motor including a stator and a rotor secured to the top end of the torque tube that includes a plurality of permanent magnets embedded therein, wherein the stator defines a central bore in which the rotor is disposed, and a latch coil assembly including a latch coil, wherein the latch coil assembly defines a central bore in which the top ends of the segment arms are disposed radially-inwardly of the latch coil.
Earl Brian Barger, Scott Lee Fitzner, Roger Dale Ridgeway, Scott James Shargots
Filed: 26 Mar 20
Utility
Carbide-based Fuel Assembly for Thermal Propulsion Applications
14 Apr 22
Carbide-based fuel assembly includes outer structural member of ceramic matrix composite material, the interior surface of which is lined in higher temperature regions with an insulation layer of porous refractory ceramic material.
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
Cermet Fuel Element and Fabrication and Applications Thereof, Including In Thermal Propulsion Reactor
14 Apr 22
CERMET fuel element includes a fuel meat of consolidated ceramic fuel particles (preferably refractory-metal coated HALEU fuel kernels) and an array of axially-oriented coolant flow channels.
James D. JOGERST, Eric A. BARRINGER
Filed: 11 Aug 21
Utility
Carbide-based Fuel Assembly for Thermal Propulsion Applications
14 Apr 22
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
Lower end fitting locating pins
29 Mar 22
A nuclear reactor has a core installed on a lower core plate and formed from multiple fuel assemblies, each fuel assembly including a structural cage assembly.
Julius M Ullmann, Lewis A Walton, Mary W Johnson
Filed: 6 Mar 13
Utility
Fission reactor with segmented cladding bodies having cladding arms with involute curve shape
29 Mar 22
Plurality of layers form a nuclear fission reactor structure, each layer having an inner segment body, an intermediate segment body, and an outer segment body (each segment body separated by an interface).
James B. Inman, Joshua J. Bergman
Filed: 25 Sep 20
Utility
Integral Vessel Isolation Valve
17 Mar 22
A nuclear reactor comprises a nuclear reactor core disposed in a pressure vessel.
John D. Malloy, III, Matthew W. Ales, Michael J. Edwards, Ronald C. Watson, Andrew C. Whitten
Filed: 29 Nov 21
Utility
Universal Inverted Reactor and Method for Design and Manufacture of Universal Inverted Reactor
3 Mar 22
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
Apparatus and method for inspection of a film on a substrate
1 Feb 22
Methods of and apparatus for inspecting composite layers of a first material formed on a second material are provided including providing an illumination source, illuminating at least a portion of the composite at the layer, receiving light reflected from the sample, determining a spectral response from the received light, and comparing the received spectral response to an expected spectral response.
Aaron C. Havener, James D. Jogerst, Thomas C. Mohr, Keith B. Rider
Filed: 31 Aug 20
Utility
Combined Mounting/electrical Distribution Plate for Powering Internal Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) Units of a Nuclear Reactor
6 Jan 22
A power distribution plate (PDP) sits on top of a support plate.
Scott J. Shargots
Filed: 2 Jul 21
Utility
Methods and systems for monitoring a temperature of a component during a welding operation
4 Jan 22
A method of monitoring a heating operation on an component by a flame torch, including the steps of producing a flame with the flame torch, rotating the component with respect to the flame so that a circular weld is created on the component, and providing a first sensor that is operatively engaged with the component so that the first sensor monitors rotation or non-rotation of the components.
Jonathan A. Blados, Steven W. Liston, Matthew E. Smith, Allan W. Springer, David A. Wilson, William P. Johns
Filed: 25 Jun 18
Utility
Dual Shut-off Valve
9 Dec 21
A dual shut-off valve including a valve body defining an interior cavity and a flow tube passing therethrough, an outer cylinder including a body portion defining an interior cavity and a through hole passing therethrough, the outer cylinder being rotatably disposed within the interior cavity of the valve body, and an inner cylinder including a body portion defining a through hole passing therethrough, the inner cylinder being rotatably disposed within the interior cavity of the outer cylinder, wherein the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder are both rotatable between a first position in which the through holes of the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder are aligned with the flow tube and a second position in which the through holes of the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder are transverse to the flow tube.
James Brian Inman
Filed: 4 Jun 21
Utility
Nuclear Reactor Fuel Assemblies and Process for Production
2 Dec 21
A nuclear fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor core, the fuel assembly having at least one fuel element including an elongated shell defining an interior volume, a lattice structure disposed within the interior volume, at least one flow channel extending through the lattice structure, at least one lattice site disposed in the lattice structure, and at least one fuel compact disposed within a corresponding one of the at least one lattice site, a first end cap including a boss having a first cross-sectional shape, the first end cap being affixed to a first end of the shell, and a second end cap including a first bore having a second cross-sectional shape, the second end cap being affixed to a second end of the shell, wherein the first cross-sectional shape of the boss is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the bore.
Scott J. Shargots, Scott Lee Fitzner, Emily Fleming, Ryan Z. Ziegler, Todd Oswald, Earl Brian Barger
Filed: 28 May 21
Utility
Integral vessel isolation valve
30 Nov 21
A nuclear reactor comprises a nuclear reactor core disposed in a pressure vessel.
John D. Malloy, III, Matthew W. Ales, Michael J. Edwards, Ronald C. Watson, Andrew C. Whitten
Filed: 13 Jul 18
Utility
Resistance Pressure Weld for Nuclear Reactor Fuel Rod Tube End Plug
28 Oct 21
A fuel rod for a nuclear reactor, including a cladding tube having a first end with an annular end face, a second end with an annular end face, and a cylindrical body portion extending therebetween, and a first tube end plug including a front portion, an annular lip with an annular end face, and a substantially straight cylindrical body portion extending therebetween, wherein the surface area of the annular end face of the first end of the cladding tube and the annular end face of the annular lip of the first tube end plug are substantially equal, and the annular end face of the first end of the cladding tube and the annular end face of the annular lip of the first tube end plug are connected by a resistance pressure weld.
Earl Brian Barger, Scott L. Fitzner, Jeffrey T. Lee, Roger D. Ridgeway
Filed: 27 May 21
Utility
Nuclear thermal propulsion nuclear reactor interface structure
26 Oct 21
An internal interface structure of a nuclear thermal propulsion nuclear reactor including a reactor vessel and a reactor head, including a substantially cylindrical body having a top end, a bottom end, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and an annular flange extending radially-outwardly from the outer surface of the body, wherein the annular flange of the interface structure is mounted between an upper flange of the reactor vessel and a bottom flange of the reactor head.
James Brian Inman, Andrew C. Whitten
Filed: 19 Mar 20
Utility
Apparatus and Method for Safety Analysis Evaluation with Data-driven Workflow
21 Oct 21
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
In-Situ Inspection Method Based on Digital Data Model of Weld
14 Oct 21
A method inspects weld quality in-situ.
Ryan Scott KITCHEN, Matthew Paul LEVASSEUR, Ryan Steven WACKERLY, Ross PIVOVAR
Filed: 5 Apr 21
Utility
Reactor Design with Controlled Thermal Neutron Flux for Enhanced Neutron Activation Potential
14 Oct 21
Reactor core and thermal neutron fission reactor has fuel rods with a composite fuel composition (each having the same uniform cross-section along their axial length), end plates at first and second ends, and intermediate support plates located along a longitudinal length of the reactor core.
Craig D. GRAMLICH, William E. RUSSELL, II
Filed: 8 Feb 21
Utility
Robust Nuclear Propulsion Fission Reactor with Tri-pitch Patterned Core and Drum Absorbers
30 Sep 21
Nuclear propulsion fission reactor structure has an active core region including fuel element structures, a reflector with rotatable neutron absorber structures (such as drum absorbers), and a core former conformal mating the outer surface of the fuel element structures to the reflector.
Craig D. GRAMLICH, Benjamin D. FISHER, William E. RUSSELL, II
Filed: 21 Aug 20