79 patents
Utility
Heat Pipe Fuel Element and Fission Reactor Incorporating Same, Particularly Having Phyllotaxis Spacing Pattern of Heat Pipe Fuel Elements, and Method of Manufacture
18 Jan 24
A heat pipe fuel element includes an evaporation section, a condensing section, a capillary section connecting the evaporation section to the condensing section, and a primary coolant.
Benjamin D. FISHER, Craig D. GRAMLICH, Ross E. PIVOVAR, John R. SALASIN, Jonathan K. WITTER
Filed: 11 Jul 23
Utility
Photon Propagation Modified Additive Manufacturing Compositions and Methods of Additive Manufacturing Using Same
4 Jan 24
Additive manufacturing compositions include low-absorbing particles or non-absorbing particles that have an absorbance for wavelengths of 300 nm to 700 nm that is equal to or greater than 0 Au and is less 1.0 Au, such as 0.001 Au absorbance Au.
John R. SALASIN, Benjamin D. FISHER
Filed: 16 Aug 23
Utility
Electron Beam Integration for Sterilizing Radiopharmaceuticals Inside a Hot Cell
23 Nov 23
A sterilization system for a radiopharmaceutical product comprising a hot cell disposed within a clean room environment.
Benjamin D. Fisher, Curtis G. Hamilton, Kenneth Palazzi
Filed: 18 May 23
Utility
Resin Adhesion Failure Detection
23 Nov 23
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: 31 Jul 23
Utility
Internal Hierarchical Polynomial Model for Physics Simulation
16 Nov 23
A method is provided for using a hierarchical polynomial model for physics simulation.
Ross PIVOVAR
Filed: 2 May 23
Utility
Photon Propagation Modified Additive Manufacturing Compositions and Methods of Additive Manufacturing Using Same
26 Oct 23
Additive manufacturing compositions include low-absorbing particles or non-absorbing particles that have an absorbance for wavelengths of 300 nm to 700 nm that is equal to or greater than 0 Au and is less 1.0 Au, such as 0.001 Au≤absorbance≤0.7 Au.
John R. SALASIN, Benjamin D. FISHER
Filed: 3 Jul 23
Utility
Carbide-based Fuel Assembly for Thermal Propulsion Applications
12 Oct 23
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: 1 Jun 23
Utility
Insulated Electrode Fixture for Resistance Welding and Method of Welding Using Same
5 Oct 23
Insulated electrode fixture has an electrically conductive body with a receiving channel configured to receive a workpiece and an insert that is electrically isolated from the electrically conductive body is located on the first side and circumferential to the receiving channel.
Earl B. BARGER, Scott L. FITZNER, Jeffrey T. LEE
Filed: 28 Mar 23
Utility
Carbide-based Fuel Assembly for Thermal Propulsion Applications
5 Oct 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: 6 Jun 23
Utility
Fuel Bundle with Twisted Ribbon Fuel Rodlets for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Applications, Structures for Manufacture, and Methods of Manufacture
7 Sep 23
Fuel bundle has plurality of twisted ribbon fuel rodlets arranged in hexagonal packing or circle packing arrangement in a reactor core encased in a multilayer casing.
Benjamin D. FISHER, John R. SALASIN
Filed: 7 Mar 23
Utility
Fuel Bundle with Twisted Ribbon Fuel Rodlets for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Applications, Structures for Manufacture, and Methods of Manufacture
7 Sep 23
Fuel bundle has plurality of twisted ribbon fuel rodlets arranged hexagonal packing or circle packing arrangement in a reactor core encased in a multilayer casing.
Benjamin D. FISHER, John R. SALASIN, Marilyn I. DELGADO
Filed: 7 Mar 23
Utility
Fuel Bundle with Twisted Ribbon Fuel Rodlets for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Applications, Structures for Manufacture, and Methods of Manufacture
7 Sep 23
Fuel bundle has plurality of twisted ribbon fuel rodlets arranged hexagonal packing or circle packing arrangement in a reactor core encased in a multilayer casing.
Benjamin D. FISHER, John R. SALASIN, David J. GARNER, Christopher N. FOLMAR, Sabrina McCOY
Filed: 7 Mar 23
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
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
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