| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 376212000 | By altering quantity of characteristic of fuel within critical area | 11 |
| 20160099082 | FISSIONABLE MATERIAL ENERGY EXTRACTION APPARATUS SYSTEM AND METHOD - A self-regulating inherently safe apparatus for generating neutrons is described herein that includes a reaction chamber that sustains neutron generation when filled with a liquid fissionable material and an expansion chamber that dampens neutron generation from the liquid fissionable material in response to expansion of the liquid fissionable material into the expansion chamber. Consequently, the apparatus may substantially dampen neutron generation for operating temperatures above a nominal operating temperature without requiring active or external control and inherently limit neutron generation to a maximum desired output power. Also described herein is a self-regulating system and corresponding method for extracting energy from fissionable material that includes a neutron generator that generates neutrons from a liquid fissionable material and a sub-critical collection of fissionable material that generates a non-sustaining plurality of fission events from neutrons received from the neutron generator. | 04-07-2016 |
| 20160189812 | NUCLEAR MATERIALS PROCESSING - This disclosure describes systems and methods for treating nuclear fuel with supercritical fluids, such as supercritical carbon dioxide. The addition of various ligands to the supercritical fluids is disclosed, where one or more ligands can be chosen to selectively remove one or more fission products from the nuclear fuel. The nuclear fuel may be treated either within the nuclear reactor or may be removed from the reactor before treatment. This disclosure also presents methods and systems for liquid nuclear fuel treatment with supercritical fluids in, for example, a molten salt fast reactor, a traveling wave reactor, and a containerized molten salt reactor. | 06-30-2016 |
| 376213000 | Wherein control element includes a fissile material | 9 |
| 20100266089 | Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same - A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure adapted to enclose a porous nuclear fuel body having the volatile fission product therein. A fluid control subassembly is coupled to the enclosure and adapted to control removal of at least a portion of the volatile fission product from the porous nuclear fuel body. In addition, the fluid control subassembly is capable of circulating a heat removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body in order to remove heat generated by the nuclear fuel body. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100266090 | Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same - A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure adapted to enclose a porous nuclear fuel body having the volatile fission product therein. A fluid control subassembly is coupled to the enclosure and adapted to control removal of at least a portion of the volatile fission product from the porous nuclear fuel body. In addition, the fluid control subassembly is capable of circulating a heat removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body in order to remove heat generated by the nuclear fuel body. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100266091 | Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same - A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure adapted to enclose a porous nuclear fuel body having the volatile fission product therein. A fluid control subassembly is coupled to the enclosure and adapted to control removal of at least a portion of the volatile fission product from the porous nuclear fuel body. In addition, the fluid control subassembly is capable of circulating a heat removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body in order to remove heat generated by the nuclear fuel body. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20110110477 | Systems and methods for controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor - Illustrative embodiments provide a reactivity control assembly for a nuclear fission reactor, a reactivity control system for a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, methods of operating a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a system for controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of determining an application of a controllably movable rod, a system for determining an application of a controllably movable rod, and a computer program product for determining an application of a controllably movable rod. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110110478 | Systems and methods for controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor - Illustrative embodiments provide a reactivity control assembly for a nuclear fission reactor, a reactivity control system for a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, methods of operating a nuclear fission traveling wave reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a system for controlling reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor having a fast neutron spectrum, a method of determining an application of a controllably movable rod, a system for determining an application of a controllably movable rod, and a computer program product for determining an application of a controllably movable rod. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110164713 | Standing wave nuclear fission reactor and methods - Disclosed embodiments include nuclear fission reactor cores, nuclear fission reactors, methods of operating a nuclear fission reactor, and methods of managing excess reactivity in a nuclear fission reactor. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20130294559 | NUCLEAR REACTOR - A nuclear reactor is provided with a core which includes a new fuel part and a burning part at which neutrons are generated and fuel is burned. The burning part moves in a direction toward the new fuel part from the beginning to the end of the combustion cycle. The plurality of the fuel assemblies of the core include the fuel assemblies which are fastened to the core and the fuel assemblies which can move in the longitudinal direction of the fuel assemblies. By pulling out the fuel assemblies from the core, the nuclear reactor can be made to stop. Further, by inserting fuel assemblies into the core from the pulled out state, the nuclear reactor is started up. | 11-07-2013 |
| 20130322588 | NUCLEAR REACTOR AND POWER GENERATION FACILITY - A nuclear reactor provided with a core which is provided with a new fuel part which contains uranium and a burning part in which fuel burns, wherein power is generated by fission of plutonium and wherein the burning part moves in a direction toward the new fuel part from the beginning to end of the operation cycle. The nuclear reactor is provided with a reactivity applying mechanism to apply the reactivity which can change the power of the core when the temperature of the coolant which flows through the inside of the core changes and performs control to change the temperature of the coolant which flows through the inside of the core in accordance with the change of power which is demanded for the core. | 12-05-2013 |
| 20160189806 | FISSION REACTION CONTROL IN A MOLTEN SALT REACTOR - A molten salt reactor includes a nuclear reactor core for sustaining a nuclear fission reaction fueled by a molten fuel salt. A molten fuel salt control system removes a volume of the molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core to maintain a reactivity parameter within a range of nominal reactivity. The molten fuel salt control system includes a molten fuel salt exchange system that fluidically couples to the nuclear reactor core and exchanges a volume of the molten fuel salt with a volume of a feed material containing a mixture of a selected fertile material and a carrier salt. The molten fuel salt control system can include a volumetric displacement control system having one or more volumetric displacement bodies insertable into the nuclear reactor core. Each volumetric displacement body can remove a volume of molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core, such as via a spill-over system. | 06-30-2016 |
