61 patents
Utility
Reactor design with controlled thermal neutron flux for enhanced neutron activation potential
19 Dec 23
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
Functionally graded lattice cermet fuel structure with shape corresponding to a mathematically-based periodic solid, particularly for nuclear thermal propulsion
14 Nov 23
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.
Benjamin D. Fisher, John R. Salasin, Craig D. Gramlich, Jonathan K. Witter
Filed: 29 Jun 22
Utility
Defective fuel bundle location system
10 Oct 23
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
Resin adhesion failure detection
19 Sep 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: 18 Nov 20
Utility
Photon propagation modified additive manufacturing compositions and methods of additive manufacturing using same
22 Aug 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: 1 Nov 21
Utility
Dual shut-off valve
22 Aug 23
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
Plenum plate standoff spools for separating a pair of plenum plates in a nuclear reactor
15 Aug 23
A nuclear reactor has first and second plenum plates disposed in a pressure vessel.
James B. Inman, Steven M. Delessio, Andrew C. Whitten, Curtis G. Hamilton
Filed: 18 Sep 20
Utility
Carbide-based fuel assembly for thermal propulsion applications
15 Aug 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: 11 Aug 21
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
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
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
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
Utility
Space reactor gas assist control rod release mechanism
11 Oct 22
A control rod assembly for a nuclear reactor having a reactor core and a pressurized fluid source, including a control rod disposed within a control rod sleeve, a lead screw that is selectively secured to the control rod, a trip latch that is secured to a bottom end of the lead screw, the trip latch being selectively securable to a top end of the control rod, a control rod drive motor that is operably connected to the lead screw, and a valve that is in fluid communication with the pressurized fluid source of the nuclear reactor and is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the second position of the gas valve the trip latch is in an open position.
James Brian Inman, Gary W. Neeley
Filed: 21 May 20
Utility
Tube support system for nuclear steam generators
20 Sep 22
Apparatus for a steam generator that employs tube support plates within a shroud that is in turn disposed within a shell.
Richard G. Klarner, Robert S. Horvath, Ghasem V. Asadi, Paul W. Shipp
Filed: 29 Aug 16
Utility
Universal inverted reactor
6 Sep 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: 20 Jun 19
Utility
Functionally graded lattice cermet fuel structure with shape corresponding to a mathematically-based periodic solid, particularly for nuclear thermal propulsion applications
23 Aug 22
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.
Benjamin D. Fisher, John R. Salasin, Craig D. Gramlich, Jonathan K. Witter
Filed: 31 Mar 20