| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7623612 |
Bi-alloy spacer grid and associated methods |
November 24, 2009 |
| A bi-alloy spacer grid (BASG) is provided with grid straps and springs made using different zirconium alloys. The grid straps are made from a relatively low growth zirconium alloy, and the springs are made from a relatively high growth zirconium alloy. The springs are coupled to the |
| 7616728 |
Nuclear reactor internals alignment configuration |
November 10, 2009 |
| An alignment system that employs jacking block assemblies and alignment posts around the periphery of the top plate of a nuclear reactor lower internals core shroud to align an upper core plate with the lower internals and the core shroud with the core barrel. The distal ends of the |
| 7606686 |
Reactor dosimetry applications using a parallel 3-D radiation transport code |
October 20, 2009 |
| The invention relates generally to a method for the calculation of radiation field distributions employing a new parallel 3-D radiation transport code and, a multi-processor computer architecture. The code solves algorithms using a domain decomposition approach. For example, angular |
| 7596198 |
Over temperature and over power delta temperature operating margin recovery method and reactor s |
September 29, 2009 |
| A method is provided for recovering operating margin in a nuclear reactor. The reactor includes a steam generator, a Reactor Coolant System (RCS) having a hot leg with a temperature, T.sub.hot, and a cold leg with a temperature, T.sub.cold, a Reactor Trip System (RTS) having an Over |
| 7556696 |
Removal of niobium second phase particle deposits from pickled zirconium-niobium alloys |
July 7, 2009 |
| The present invention relates generally to a process and chemical composition for the removal of adherent niobium-rich second-phase particles (SPPs) from pickled niobium-containing zirconium alloys which includes applying to the alloy surface a chemical composition comprising alkalin |
| 7548602 |
Spacer grid with mixing vanes and nuclear fuel assembly employing the same |
June 16, 2009 |
| A spacer grid having tunable mixing vanes for optimizing coolant flow is provided for a nuclear fuel assembly. The mixing vanes include an upper piece and a lower piece, which are coupled to a middle ligament that is coupled to the top or downstream portion of one or more of the grid |
| 7515674 |
Tube-in-tube threaded dashpot end plug |
April 7, 2009 |
| 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 tipper end to the lower end of the control rod guide tube. The guide tube lower end |
| 7474726 |
Unirradiated nuclear fuel component transport system |
January 6, 2009 |
| An unirradiated nuclear fuel assembly component transport system that includes a clamshell-type inner liner that opens either along its axial dimension or from the top to load and unload the fuel assembly being transported. The exterior dimensions of the liner conform to a generic ov |
| 7468106 |
Removal of niobium second phase particle deposits from pickled zirconium-niobium alloys |
December 23, 2008 |
| The present invention provides a method for removing niobium-rich second-phase-particle (SPP) deposits from zirconium-niobium alloy components. The method comprises washing a freshly pickled and rinsed zirconium-niobium alloy component with an acidified oxalic acid or ammonium oxalat |
| 7459877 |
Solid state reversing AC motor starter with DC power source |
December 2, 2008 |
| A solid state reversing AC motor starter that employs a DC power source and a power bridge employing insulated gate bipolar transistors that provide an ungrounded three phase AC output. The AC output is connected to the power input of the motor starter, which requires simultaneous RUN |
| 7453972 |
Nuclear fuel assembly control rod drive thimble to bottom nozzle connector |
November 18, 2008 |
| A secure connection between the bottom nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly and the control rod guide thimbles having two or four crimped pockets in the side wall of a bottom nozzle leg counterbore which are formed by drilling two or four blind holes through the top surface of the bottom |
| 7420343 |
Current limiting DC motor starter circuit |
September 2, 2008 |
| A current limiting DC motor starter employing a closed loop current measurement to provide precise current control that adapts to changing motor conditions, integrated with a solid state reversing motor starter. The motor starter further includes a calibrated overcurrent indication a |
| 7412021 |
Advanced gray rod control assembly |
August 12, 2008 |
| An advanced gray rod control assembly (GRCA) is for a nuclear reactor. The reactor has a plurality of fuel assemblies each including numerous elongated fuel rods supported in an organized array by substantially transverse support grids, and a plurality of guide thimbles disposed thro |
| 7397222 |
On-line testable solid state reversing DC motor starter |
July 8, 2008 |
| A solid state reversing DC motor starter that is testable on-line and satisfies the requirements for nuclear safety grade equipment. The motor starter employs a bridge of solid state switches which connect the polarity of the motor winding to conform to the desired direction of trave |
| 7386086 |
Printed circuit card |
June 10, 2008 |
| A nuclear reactor plant protection system printed circuit card comprises a first logic device having a number of basic logic circuits, and a second logic device operatively connected with the first logic device for testing the number of basic logic circuits without taking the printed |
| 7314343 |
Miniature manipulator for servicing the interior of nuclear steam generator tubes |
January 1, 2008 |
| A manipulator for servicing tubes extending through a tube sheet having three major components: a base member, a block member, and a foot member. The base member has a holder for supporting tooling or inspection devices. The base member also has at least one gripper for releasably gr |
| 7287756 |
Film riding shaft seal |
October 30, 2007 |
| The invention is a film-riding seal for a pump shaft that is resistant to the deposition of iron oxides such as hematite and goethite on the confronting, spaced apart, seal surfaces. The seal generally comprises a ceramic runner mounted on the pump shaft and an adjacent ceramic stati |
| 7261874 |
Gas phase electrolyzer process for producing hydrogen |
August 28, 2007 |
| The invention provides a method for a sulfur based hydrogen production cycle wherein the sulfur products are maintained in a gaseous state throughout the cycle. The cycle includes a decomposition of a gaseous phase sulfur trioxide to sulfur dioxide and water in a decomposition reacto |
| 7257145 |
Spectroscopy-based safety system and method for a vacuum arc remelt furnace |
August 14, 2007 |
| A vacuum arc remelt furnace system that automatically monitors for electrode to crucible arcing in a VAR furnace. The vacuum arc remelt furnace system includes a crucible, an electrode provided within the crucible, and a spectrometer operatively coupled to the gap between the electro |
| 7224761 |
Method and algorithm for searching and optimizing nuclear reactor core loading patterns |
May 29, 2007 |
| A method is for establishing a nuclear reactor core loading pattern (LP) for fuel assemblies and burnable absorbers (BAs). The method establishes an optimum LP through the steps of: a) providing nuclear data representing fuel assemblies and BAs in a nuclear reactor core; b) depleting |
| 7218101 |
Eddy current method of inspecting a pressure vessel shell |
May 15, 2007 |
| A pressure vessel penetration sidewall adjacent a tube installed in the penetration by a clearance fit is inspected by passing an eddy current probe having a pair of circumferential coils through the tube. Eddy currents are induced in the pressure vessel as the probe passes through t |
| 7194908 |
Device and method for ultrasonic inspection using profilometry data |
March 27, 2007 |
| An ultrasonic testing assembly structured to examine a test object, wherein the test object has a surface, and the examination examines the structure of the test object under the surface as well as the profile of the surface. The ultrasonic testing assembly includes a sled assembly s |
| 7158605 |
Head assembly |
January 2, 2007 |
| A head assembly for a reactor pressure vessel includes a removable closure head, an array of control rod drive mechanisms, a seismic support platform, a missile shield assembly and a cooling system for drawing atmospheric air across electromagnetic coil stack assemblies. The cooling |
| 7151815 |
Nonintrusive method for the detection of concealed special nuclear material |
December 19, 2006 |
| A method and associated apparatus for detecting concealed fissile, fissionable or special nuclear material in an article, such as a shipping container, is provided. The article is irradiated with a source of fast neutrons, and fast neutrons released by the fissile or fissionable mate |
| 7149273 |
Method of fabricating a nuclear reactor fuel assembly grid |
December 12, 2006 |
| A method of fabricating a fuel assembly grid that includes providing a plurality of interconnected straps that form a lattice pattern, wherein the lattice pattern of the straps defines a plurality of cells, providing a sleeve that has a cylindrical portion and a flared portion, and i |
| 7139360 |
Use of boron or enriched boron 10 in UO.sub.2 |
November 21, 2006 |
| The present invention provides a nuclear fuel assembly, where a boron-containing compound is used as a burnable poison and is distributed in a majority of the rods in the assembly. The assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods, each fuel rod containing a plurality of nuclear fuel p |
| 7139355 |
Method of operating a nuclear power plant at multiple power levels |
November 21, 2006 |
| A method of operating a nuclear power plant includes determining and licensing a maximum power level at which the power plant can be operated subsequent to the beginning of a fuel cycle, and with the power plant being operated at less than its maximum power rating at certain times su |
| 7120219 |
Reactor pressure vessel |
October 10, 2006 |
| A reactor pressure vessel supports the flanges of a core barrel assembly and an upper support plate. These flanges have aligned holes for diverting inlet coolant water to the vessel head for cooling the head. The aligned holes have different cross-sectional areas for controlling unex |
| 7120218 |
Method for calibrating steam generator water level measurement |
October 10, 2006 |
| A method is provided for determining and controlling feed water level in a steam generator of a nuclear power plant, whereby the water level sensor is calibrated in terms of the pressure drop across structural components in the feed water path. The water level differential pressure senso |
| 7092477 |
BWR inspection manipulator |
August 15, 2006 |
| A reactor service manipulator delivery system supported on a remotely operated trolley that travels on top of a track attached to the steam dam of a BWR shroud. The trolley has a mast and pulley system designed to manipulate a TV camera for inspection of various reactor components in |
| 7088255 |
Health monitoring display system for a complex plant |
August 8, 2006 |
| A single page enterprise wide level display provides a comprehensive readily understood representation of the overall health status of a complex plant. Color coded failure domains allow rapid intuitive recognition of component failure status. A three-tier hierarchy of displays provid |
| 7085607 |
Control system display for monitoring a complex process |
August 1, 2006 |
| A system for controlling a complex process in which a supervisory sequential controller interface provides automatic sequencing of a plurality of sequential steps of a procedure for operating the complex process, and a display in dynamic communication with the supervisory sequential |
| 7085340 |
Nuclear reactor fuel assemblies |
August 1, 2006 |
| A nuclear fuel assembly having a parallel array of elongated fuel elements supported between an upper and lower nozzle. Main support grids are substantially evenly spaced along the elongated dimension of the assembly to maintain the spacing between fuel elements. A plurality of auxiliary |
| 6959267 |
Method of inspecting a heat exchanger and computer program product for facilitating same |
October 25, 2005 |
| A method of inspecting a heat exchanger including a plurality of tubes having ends fixed in a tubesheet includes the steps of: establishing a baseline for each tube of its location in the tubesheet and its unique eddy current pattern resulting, at least in part, from fixing the tube end |
| 6944254 |
Pressurized water reactor shutdown method |
September 13, 2005 |
| A reactor coolant system of a pressurized water nuclear reactor with fuel assemblies in the core is simultaneously shutdown and decontaminated in less than 90 hours after the shutdown is initiated. A LOMI or Can-Derem decontamination reagent is added to reactor coolant to reduce iron and |
| 6735549 |
Predictive maintenance display system |
May 11, 2004 |
| A display system in which subsequent failures of plant equipment and plant systems are predicted to occur and in which the probability of failure before a specified date and the probability of failure after a specified date is determined and displayed and in which the calendar date is |
| 6608880 |
Reduced pressure drop debris filter bottom nozzle for a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor |
August 19, 2003 |
| A reduced pressure drop debris filter bottom nozzle for use in a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor includes a plate member formed with a plurality of first flow holes and a plurality of second flow holes. The first flow holes are oblong in cross section and may be of an oval configu |
| 6543485 |
Waterhammer suppression apparatus |
April 8, 2003 |
| Phenomena in water systems caused by hydraulic transients known as "waterhammer" are suppressed by surge vessels containing crushable, cellular, polymeric materials such as polyethylene, polyurethane and polystyrene foam. The foam may be one piece or in the form of several separate p |
| 6542565 |
Semiconductor radiation source power monitor |
April 1, 2003 |
| A solid state semiconductor neutron detector that automatically varies its sensitivity to provide a pulsed output over the entire range of operation of a nuclear reactor. The sensitivity is varied by changing the thickness or makeup of a converter layer that emits charged particles to th |
| 6516041 |
Method and apparatus to eliminate confirmation switches and channel demultiplexer from soft cont |
February 4, 2003 |
| A method and apparatus for controlling components in a component control system in a nuclear power plant includes an image processing system and display processor (IPS-DP) for issuing an encrypted command for a selected component in a component command system (CCS) in the nuclear power p |
| 6477220 |
Flexible penetration attachment for strainers |
November 5, 2002 |
| A flexible penetration attachment for BWR wet-well strainers is provided that causes a suction pipe to communicate with liquid in the wet-well through an aperture in a wet-well wall. The penetration includes a boot for defining an outer circumference of the aperture. A suction pipe havin |
| 6442227 |
Sleeve assembly for nuclear fuel racks |
August 27, 2002 |
| A sleeve assembly for refurbishing a fuel rack having cells in which fresh or spent nuclear fuel assemblies may be stored, in which the cells have elongate rack walls extending from a rack base plate and the rack base plate has flow holes communicating with the cells. The sleeve has at l |
| 6421405 |
Monitoring control rod element assembly position |
July 16, 2002 |
| Compliance with administrative limits on cumulative exposure of control rod groups in the reactor core, is monitored by computing the incremental effective exposure for each group commensurate with core power, for each time increment at which each group is within the position range where |
| 6317477 |
Floating pool seal assembly with leak limiting annular support structure |
November 13, 2001 |
| A seal assembly for sealing a space between an annular flange on a nuclear reactor vessel and a surrounding ledge of a refueling canal to provide a temporary water barrier during refueling operations. The seal assembly includes an annular closure plate having an outer portion secured to |
