Induced nuclear reactions: processes, systems, and elements inventions

20090262881 - Cylindrical neutron generator: A cylindrical neutron generator is formed with a coaxial RF-driven plasma ion source and target. A deuterium (or deuterium and tritium) plasma is produced by RF excitation in a cylindrical plasma ion generator using an RF antenna. A cylindrical neutron generating target is coaxial with the ion generator, separated by... Agent: Fulbright & Jaworski Market Square

20090262880 - Man made platinum group metal as palladium: A man made method, utilizing particles bombardment technique, is used to produce Palladium. The particles bombardment technique uses particle accelerator to accelerate Beryllium particles to high speed. These high speed Beryllium particles contain high energy. These high energy Beryllium particles are used to bombard Molybdenum elements. Then elements Beryllium and... Agent: Kuai-teng Hsu

20090262882 - Distinguishing between classes of fissionable material: A first pulsed beam of charged particles from a particle accelerator is accelerated toward a first target that is configured to emit a fast neutron beam in response to being struck by an accelerated particle such that the fast neutron beam is directed toward a physical region. The last neutron... Agent: Fish & Richardson P.C.

20090257543 - Production of thorium-229 using helium nuclei: A method for producing 229Th includes the steps of providing 226Ra as a target material, and bombarding the target material with alpha particles, helium-3, or neutrons to form 229Th. When neutrons are used, the neutrons preferably include an epithermal neutron flux of at least 1×1013 n s−1·cm−2. 228Ra can also... Agent: Novak Druce +quigg LLP

20090257544 - Methods and devices relating to a nuclear light water reactor of the boiling water kind: A method of determining the R-factor for a bundle of nuclear fuel rods in a nuclear light water reactor of the boiling water reactor kind. The R-factor is a factor that accounts for the weighted local power influence on a fuel rod. A local R-factor (Ri(z)) is determined for each... Agent: Alston & Bird LLP

20090257545 - Reinforcement for a nuclear fuel assembly: A tie rod for reinforcing a nuclear fuel assembly. The tie rod includes an outer, hollow tubular member that extends from above the top nozzle through the bottom nozzle of the fuel assembly and has an axially split lower tip with an enlarged end and an upper portion having a... Agent: Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC

20090257546 - Nuclear fuel assembly with a lock-support spacer grid: An improved grid for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly that has an egg-crate base grid as the primary support structure with each support cell of the base grid that supports a fuel rod having a lock-support sleeve that is rotatable within the support cell between a first and second orientation.... Agent: Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC

20090252271 - Axial void fraction distribution measurement method and neutron multiplication factor evaluating method: A first intensity Az expressed as Az=az×Eα, a first reference intensity A0 expressed as A0=a0×Eα, a second intensity Bz expressed as Bz=bz×E, and a second reference intensity B0=b0×E, are evaluated. The first intensity and the first reference intensity are of radioactive nuclides generated by a neutron capture reaction of a... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20090252272 - Advanced digital control rod position indication system with rod drop monitoring for nuclear power plants: An advanced digital rod position indication (ADRPI) system having rod drop monitoring capability. When a reactor trip occurs, the ADRPI system derives the rod drop time from the signals induced in the detector coils by the falling drive rods. The ADRPI system is linked to the reactor trip breaker to... Agent: Pitts And Brittian P C

20090252273 - Automated nuclear power reactor for long-term operation: 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

20090252274 - Systems and methods for storing spent nuclear fuel having flood protection design: A system and method for storing spent nuclear fuel that affords adequate cooling capabilities under “smart flood” criteria. In one aspect, the invention is a method of storing spent nuclear fuel comprising: providing a system comprising a structure forming a cavity for receiving and storing a spent fuel canister, the... Agent: The Belles Group, P.C.

20090252275 - Chemical enhancement of ultrasonic fuel cleaning: A method for cleaning an irradiated nuclear fuel assembly includes chemically enhancing a technique utilizing an apparatus including a housing adapted to engage a nuclear fuel assembly. A set of ultrasonic transducers is positioned on the housing to supply radially emanating omnidirectional ultrasonic energy to remove deposits from the nuclear... Agent: Curatolo Sidoti Co., Lpa

20090252276 - Jet pump and nuclear reactor: m

20090252277 - Upper plenum structure of cooled pressure vessel for prismatic very high temperature reactor: An upper plenum structure of a cooled pressure vessel for a prismatic very high temperature reactor which secures a space for coolant to supply to a core and also supports an upper reflector located inside a graphite structure on top of the core. The upper plenum structure includes a cavity... Agent: Arent Fox LLP

20090252278 - Nuclear reactor (alternatives), fuel assembly of seed-blanket subassemblies for nuclear reactor (alternatives), and fuel element for fuel assembly: The invention relates to light water reactor designs in which thorium is used as fuel and in particular to designs of jacketless fuel assemblies, which make up the cores of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) such as the VVER-1000. Nuclear reactor cores containing seed and blanket subassemblies that make up the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20090252279 - Fuel pellet for a nuclear reactor and method for producing fuel pellet: A fuel pellet for a nuclear reactor contains a matrix made of an oxidic nuclear fuel and a metallic phase that is deposited within or between the fuel grains and is preferably aligned in a radial direction relative to the coating surface of the pellet. A method for producing the... Agent: Lerner Greenberg Stemer LLP

20090252280 - Detachable nuclear reactor fuel assembly component: Example embodiments are directed to fuel assembly components and nuclear fuel bundles including the fuel assembly components. Example embodiments of a fuel assembly component may include a cylindrical device having first and second ends and a mounting assembly on the first end of the cylindrical device configured to attach to... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C

20090252281 - Tube-in-tube threaded dashpot end plug: A nuclear fuel assembly having a tube-in-tube control rod guide tube design that incorporates an end plug that extends axially upward to an elevation above the lower most grid where it is sealed at its upper end to the lower end of the control rod guide tube. The guide tube... Agent: Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC

20090252282 - Fuel assembly: wherein said second fuel rods are placed at corners of an outermost layer of a fuel rod array; other second fuel rods are placed, in said outermost layer, adjacent to said second fuel rods placed at said corners; and other second fuel rods are placed adjacent to said water rod.... Agent: Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP

20090252283 - Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly adapted to permit expansion of the nuclear fuel contained therein: A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly adapted to permit expansion of the nuclear fuel contained therein. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure having enclosure walls to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids or a plurality of closed-cell voids. The voids permit expansion of... Agent: Searete LLC Clarence T. Tegreene