140 patents
Page 5 of 7
Utility
Nuclear thermal propulsion fuel element packing device
21 Sep 21
A packing device for filling fuel elements with a powder through a fill aperture in an outer shell of the fuel element, including a stationary base, a clamp assembly including a body defining a bore therein, the bore being configured to slidably receive a fuel element therein, wherein the clamp assembly is movable along a vertical axis with respect to the stationary base, a cam assembly including a cam and a drive motor configured to rotate the cam, wherein rotation of the cam alternatingly raises the clamp assembly up along the vertical axis and subsequently drops the clamping assembly, and a powder reservoir assembly including a powder reservoir and a fill needle in fluid communication with the powder reservoir.
Russell L. Lake, James B. Inman, Roger D. Ridgeway
Filed: 7 Oct 19
Utility
Valve Assembly with Isolation Valve Vessel
16 Sep 21
Apparatuses for reducing or eliminating Type 1 LOCAs in a nuclear reactor vessel.
John D. Malloy, III, Michael J. Edwards
Filed: 27 May 21
Utility
Small modular reactor fuel assembly
14 Sep 21
A pressurized water reactor (PWR) comprises a pressure vessel containing primary coolant water.
Lewis A. Walton, George S. Pabis, Julius M. Ullmann, Jean H. Raas, Martha A. Gilliam, Anne R. Austin, Eric A. Barringer
Filed: 9 May 18
Utility
Optimization of Expensive Cost Functions Subject to Complex Multidimensional Constraints
2 Sep 21
A method is used to design nuclear reactors using design variables and metric variables.
Ross Evan PIVOVAR
Filed: 6 Jan 21
Utility
System and Method for GERMANIUM-68 Isotope Production
22 Jul 21
A system and method for producing Germanium-68 (Ge-68) isotopes is provided.
Chung Kay Michael WONG, Raymond Jeffery WHYTE
Filed: 14 Jan 21
Utility
Combined mounting/electrical distribution plate for powering internal control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) units of a nuclear reactor
6 Jul 21
An apparatus having a nuclear reactor comprising a pressure vessel containing primary coolant water and further containing a nuclear reactor core comprising fissile material, a mounting/electrical distribution plate secured entirely within the pressure vessel and configured to be submerged in the primary coolant, a set of control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) units mounted directly on the mounting/electrical distribution plate, and a plurality of cable modules mounted in receptacles of the mounting/electrical distribution plate wherein each cable module includes mineral insulated (MI) cables connected with one or more of the CRDM units, the cable module including its MI cables being removable as a unit from the receptacle of the mounting/electrical distribution plate.
Scott J. Shargots
Filed: 5 Oct 18
Utility
Fission Reactor with Segmented Cladding Bodies Having Cladding Arms with Involute Curve Shape
1 Jul 21
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, Josh J. BERGMAN
Filed: 25 Sep 20
Utility
Resistance pressure weld for nuclear reactor fuel rod tube end plug
29 Jun 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: 6 Sep 19
Utility
Valve assembly with isolation valve vessel
22 Jun 21
Apparatuses for reducing or eliminating Type 1 LOCAs in a nuclear reactor vessel.
John D. Malloy, III, Michael J. Edwards
Filed: 28 Jul 17
Utility
Resin Adhesion Failure Detection
10 Jun 21
Methods to in-situ monitor production of additive manufacturing products collects images from the deposition process on a layer-by-layer basis, including a void image of the pattern left in a slurry layer after deposition of a layer and a displacement image formed by immersing the just-deposited layer in a renewed slurry layer.
Ryan Scott KITCHEN, Benjamin D. FISHER
Filed: 18 Nov 20
Utility
Apparatus and method for safety analysis evaluation with data-driven workflow
27 Apr 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: 22 Dec 15
Utility
Self-supporting radial neutron reflector
27 Apr 21
A nuclear reactor core comprising fissile material is surrounded by a core former.
Andrew C. Whitten, Matthew W. Ales, Michael J. Edwards
Filed: 30 Apr 18
Utility
Nuclear Reactor Refueling Methods and Apparatuses
22 Apr 21
Refueling of a nuclear reactor (40) includes removing a fuel assembly (10).
Lewis A. Walton, Matthew W. Ales
Filed: 28 Dec 20
Utility
Apparatus and method for baffle bolt repair
6 Apr 21
A bolt repair platform includes a frame and a tool module.
Benjamin D. Fisher, Thomas A. Pritchett, Shant Daghlian, Andrew T. Pace, Douglas M. Lawrence, Nicholas Johnson, Jerry Cooper, Christopher J. Farrell
Filed: 8 Mar 18
Utility
Nuclear Reactor Plenum Plate Standoff Spools
1 Apr 21
A nuclear reactor having a pressure vessel, the reactor including a first plenum plate disposed within the pressure vessel, the first plenum plate defining a first plurality of apertures, a second plenum plate disposed within the pressure vessel, the second plenum plate being parallel to the first plenum plate and defining a first plurality of apertures, a fuel element including a fuel element flow tube extending through a first one of both the first pluralities of apertures of both the first and the second plenum plates, and a first fuel element standoff spool being disposed about a portion of the fuel element flow tube that is disposed between the first and the second plenum plates.
James B. Inman, Steven M. Delessio, Andrew C. Whitten, Curtis G. Hamilton
Filed: 18 Sep 20
Utility
Control Drum System for Use with Nuclear Reactors
18 Mar 21
A control drum system for a nuclear reactor including a reactor core, including an ex-core reflector including a plurality of cylindrical apertures, a plurality of control drum assemblies, each control drum assembly including a drive shaft, a drum cylinder affixed to a bottom end of the drive shaft, and a planetary gear attached to a top end of the drive shaft, wherein each drum cylinder is rotatably received in a cylindrical aperture, a first control drum drive motor operably connected to a first control drum assembly, and an annular ring gear that is operably connected to the planetary gear of each of the control drum assemblies so that all the control drum assemblies rotate simultaneously.
James B. Inman, Scott J. Shargots, Gary W. Neeley
Filed: 17 Sep 20
Utility
PWR decay heat removal system in which steam from the pressurizer drives a turbine which drives a pump to inject water into the reactor pressure vessel
16 Mar 21
In conjunction with a pressurized water reactor (PWR) and a pressurizer configured to control pressure in the reactor pressure vessel, a decay heat removal system comprises a pressurized passive condenser, a turbine-driven pump connected to suction water from at least one water source into the reactor pressure vessel; and steam piping configured to deliver steam from the pressurizer to the turbine to operate the pump and to discharge the delivered steam into the pressurized passive condenser.
Thomas G. Graham
Filed: 24 Jul 20
Utility
CRDM internal electrical connector and method of use thereof
9 Mar 21
A method including providing an internal control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) including an electric motor and a support surface including sealed electrical connectors electrically connected with the electric motor to deliver electrical power to the electrical motor, installing the internal CRDM inside a nuclear reactor, the installing including placing the support surface of the internal CRDM onto a support element inside the nuclear reactor, the placing causing sealed electrical connectors disposed on the support element to mate with the sealed electrical connectors on the support surface of the internal CRDM, wherein the nuclear reactor contains coolant water and the installing is performed with the internal CRDM submerged in the coolant water and the seals of the sealed electrical connectors of the internal CRDM and the support element are effective to prevent coolant water ingress into the sealed electrical connectors.
Scott J. Shargots, Matthew W. Ales, Michael S. Berthold
Filed: 5 Mar 18
Utility
Apparatus and Method for Heat Exchanger Inspection
4 Mar 21
A robot for heat exchanger inspection is provided including a mobility system configured to move the robot in reference to the heat exchanger, a camera configured to capture image data including at least a portion of the heat exchanger, and processing circuitry.
Benjamin D. Fisher, Nicholas Johnson
Filed: 30 Aug 19
Utility
Shipping container for unirradiated nuclear fuel assemblies
9 Feb 21
A shipping container comprises a tubular or cylindrical shell having a closed end and an open end, a top end-cap removably secured to the open end of the tubular or cylindrical shell, and at least one fuel assembly compartment defined inside the shell.
David M. Minor, Laurence L. Losh, Elbert C. Minnick, III, Charles Sanders
Filed: 27 Nov 17