Induced nuclear reactions: processes, systems, and elements inventions 07/09

20090190710 - Fast reactor having reactivity control reflector: A fast reactor having a reactivity control reflector has a reactor vessel in which a coolant is accommodated, a reactor core which is installed in the reactor vessel and dipped with the coolant, and a reflector installed outside of the reactor core so as to be movable in a vertical... Agent: Foley And Lardner LLP Suite 500

20090190711 - Container-loading cask for at least one nuclear fuel assembly, a gripping device and loading method: A cask for loading at least one nuclear fuel assembly in a transport container, including a body with a longitudinal axis (X) capable of sealably covering an upper end of a container, at least one aperture (10) for letting through a fuel assembly, at least one means for connecting to... Agent: Nixon Peabody LLP

20090190712 - Method of stress corrosion cracking mitigation for nuclear power plant structural materials: The object of this invention is to provide a method for mitigating a stress corrosion cracking of reactor structural material which makes it possible to suppress the rise in the main steam line dose rate without secondary effects such as a rise in the concentration of radioactive cobalt-60, etc. in... Agent: Brundidge & Stanger, P.C.

20090185651 - Control rod position detector and control rod drive mechanism: P

20090185652 - Recycled fuel assembly storage basket and recycled fuel assembly storage container: It is an object of the present invention to suppress, while securing heat transfer performance and a subcritical function, a fall in manufacturing efficiency when a material hard to be extruded such as a B-Al material is used. To attain the object, a recycled fuel assembly storage basket 1 according... Agent: Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian, LLP

20090185653 - Suppression method of radionuclide deposition on reactor component of nuclear power plant and ferrite film formation apparatus: A method of suppressing deposition of radionuclides on components of a nuclear power plant comprises forming a ferrite film by contacting a first chemical including iron (II) ions, a second chemical for oxidizing the iron (II) ions to iron (III) ions, and a third chemical for adjusting the pH of... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group

20090180581 - Accumulator: An object of the present invention is to provide an accumulator including a flow damper which is capable of performing a control so that a vortex may not be formed in a vortex chamber at the time of a large flow injection without requiring huge labors and fabrication costs. The... Agent: Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian, LLP

20090180582 - Spacer for a fuel assembly of a boiling water reactor: A spacer for a fuel assembly of a boiling water reactor has a frame formed of outer webs and inner webs disposed crosswise relative each other. Gills are disposed on the exterior of the outer webs. The exterior of the outer webs of the spacer is provided with a plurality... Agent: Lerner Greenberg Stemer LLP

20090175400 - First-wall component for a fusion reactor with a heat sink of a copper alloy: A first-wall component of a fusion reactor has a heat shield and a heat sink. The heat shield is formed of a material from the group of graphite material, carbidic material, tungsten and tungsten alloy. The heat sink is formed of a spray-compacted copper alloy.... Agent: Lerner Greenberg Stemer LLP

20090175401 - Non-intrusive method to identify presence of nuclear materials using energetic prompt neutrons from neutron-induced fission: Methods and systems for non-intrusively detecting the existence of fissile materials in a container via the measurement of energetic prompt neutrons are disclosed. The methods and systems use the unique nature of the prompt neutron energy spectrum from neutron-induced fission arising from the emission of neutrons from almost fully accelerated... Agent: Foley Hoag, LLP Patent Group, World Trade Center West

20090175402 - Method and system for providing fuel in a nuclear reactor: Exemplary embodiments provide automated nuclear fission reactors and methods for their operation. Exemplary embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, re-use of nuclear fission fuel, alternate fuels and fuel geometries, modular fuel cores, fast fluid cooling, variable burn-up, programmable nuclear thermostats, fast flux irradiation, temperature-driven surface area/volume ratio neutron absorption, low... Agent: Searete LLC Clarence T. Tegreene

20090175403 - Reactivity controlling apparatus and fast reactor: A fast reactor has a reactivity control assembly including a reactor shutdown rod of a backup reactor shutdown system and neutron absorbers to suppress the initial surplus reactivity, a reactor shutdown rod drive mechanism for releasing the reactor shutdown rod and units of neutron absorber drive mechanism capable of moving... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20090175404 - Apparatus for supporting radioactive fuel assemblies and methods of manufacturing the same: Apparatus for supporting radioactive fuel assemblies, such as spent nuclear fuel. In one aspect, the invention is an apparatus, which can be in the form of a fuel basket, fuel rack, or the like, in which hexagonal storage tubes are used not only for their internal cells but are also... Agent: The Belles Group, P.C.

20090168945 - Apparatus for magnetic and electrostatic confinement of plasma: An apparatus and method for containing plasma and forming a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) magnetic topology are described in which plasma ions are contained magnetically in stable, non-adiabatic orbits in the FRC. Further, the electrons are contained electrostatically in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic... Agent: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLPIPProsecution Department

20090168946 - Thermal limit analysis with hot-channel model for boiling water reactors: An analytical method for the initial flux and transient hot water flow parameters for a boiling water reactor with single fuel bundle. Firstly, the method is to calculate intial flux and transient hot water flow parameter based on single fuel bundle. Then, it uses supplier provided CPR (Critical Power Ratio)... Agent: Michael Lin