Did You Know...
...that after Parker Brothers executives turned down the game of Monopoly because it had "52 fundamental errors" (including taking too long to play), a copy of the game wound up in the home of the company president who stayed up until 1 a.m. to finish playing it? He was so impressed by the game that the next day he wrote to inventor Charles Darrow and offered to buy it!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7333584 | Nuclear power plant and operation method thereof A nuclear power plant and method of operation for augmenting a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle to a level larger than a first reactor thermal power output in the previous operation cycle. The plant is equipped, for example, with a rea... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7317179 | Systems and methods to shape laser light as a homogeneous line beam for interaction with a film deposited on a substrate Systems and methods are disclosed for shaping and homogenizing a laser beam for interaction with a film. The shaping and homogenizing system may include a lens array and a lens that is positioned to receive laser light from the lens array and produce a respective el... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7277188 | Systems and methods for implementing an interaction between a laser shaped as a line beam and a film deposited on a substrate Systems and methods are disclosed for focusing a beam for an interaction with a film deposited on a substrate wherein the focused beam defines a short axis and a long axis. In one aspect, the system may include a detecting system to analyze light reflected from the ... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7259470 | Power control device for vehicle In a power control device for a vehicle, a monitoring control device 2 disposed separately from a power converter 1 judges normality/abnormality of the power converter 1, and sets an abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal | 08/21/2007 |
| 7222058 | Method of modeling and sizing a heat exchanger A method of modeling a heat exchanger is disclosed and comprises assigning input temperatures, assumed output temperatures, and a set of flow rates, inputting the parameters into a set of equations arranged to calculate a heat transfer coefficient, inputting paramet... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7218068 | Power source for re-circulation pump and method of controlling the same A variable-voltage variable-frequency power source for an electric motor that drives a re-circulation pump for a boiling water nuclear reactor. The power source has a semiconductor electric power converter and a speed controller for controlling the semiconductor ele... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7215729 | Fuel assembly and nuclear reactor A resistance member (e.g., fuel holding portion of the lower tie plate) is provided at the lower end of the fuel assembly. Provision is made of a coolant ascending path in which said water rods have coolant inlet ports that are open in a region lower than the resist... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7139355 | Method of operating a nuclear power plant at multiple power levels 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 a... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7002443 | Method and apparatus for cooling magnetic circuit elements An apparatus and method for providing cooling to a magnetic circuit element having a magnetic core disposed around a centrally located core support member having at least one core support member wall is disclosed which may comprise a core support coolant inlet; a co... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6980621 | Main steam system around nuclear reactor A main steam system around a nuclear reactor which comprises two main steam nozzles in a reactor pressure vessel, each of the main nozzles being disposed at a symmetrical position with respect to a plane parallel to steam outlet faces of steam dryers provided inside... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6909765 | Method of uprating an existing nuclear power plant An improved method of increasing the power output of an existing nuclear power plant includes increasing the thermal power output of the plant's nuclear island and constructing of an auxiliary BOP to handle the increased thermal power. The thermal power of the nucle... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6721383 | Maximum extended load line limit analysis for a boiling water nuclear reactor A computerized method for expanding the operating domain of a boiling water nuclear reactor that permits safe operation of the reactor at core flows lower than normal operating parameters is provided. The operating domain is characterized by a map of the reactor the... | 04/13/2004 |
| 6697447 | Maximum extended load line limit analysis for a boiling water nuclear reactor A method for expanding the operating domain of a boiling water nuclear reactor that permits safe operation of the reactor at low core flows is described. The operating domain is characterized by a map of the reactor thermal power and core flow. In an exem... | 02/24/2004 |
| 6673846 | Handling of a catalyst This invention relates to methods of minimizing catalyst degradation during the handling of a catalyst used in a slurry phase reactor. The methods include catalyst handling steps such as catalyst loading into a slurry phase reactor, slurry phase reactor s... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6643348 | Steam turbine control device of nuclear power plant A steam turbine control device. A main steam system runs between a nuclear reactor and a steam turbine and includes a main steam isolation valve (MSIV), a main steam control valve, and a turbine by-pass system with a turbine by-pass valve A calculating me... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6606366 | Nuclear power plant having steam turbine controller There is provided a nuclear power plant having a steam turbine controller. The nuclear power plant includes a main steam supply system and a turbine by-pass system. The main steam supply system guides steam from heat generated by the nuclear reactor to a ... | 08/12/2003 |
| 6594333 | Thermal load reducing system for nuclear reactor vessel The present invention is used to reduce thermal load itself, being the cause to generate stress, which develops near liquid surface in a nuclear reactor wall and to contribute to further improvement of safety. A partition member (5) is arranged above a co... | 07/15/2003 |
| 6553090 | Control system of nuclear power plant, and control method thereof A method of controlling a nuclear power plant includes determining a first maximum linear heat generation rate and a first minimum critical power ratio by a core monitoring system, and determining a second maximum linear heat generation rate and a second ... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6487266 | Siphon water rods A fuel bundle assembly for a boiling water nuclear reactor comprising a plurality of fuel rods having respective fuel columns therein, and arranged in an ordered array, extending between upper and lower support structures, the plurality of fuel rods enclo... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6477218 | Control system of nuclear power plant, and control method thereof A control system, and a control method, of a nuclear power plant capable of easily executing automatic output regulation by an automatic power regulator system even when a lower-accuracy maximum linear heat generation rate and a lower-accuracy minimum cri... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6305397 | Tunable anticipatory output response valve control A valve control apparatus for generating an anticipatory output response for controlling a fluid flow in a fluid flow line includes a valve provided inside the fluid flow line, at least one sensor for providing at least one input signal, the at least one ... | 10/23/2001 |
| 6278757 | Fuel assembly and nuclear reactor A resistance member (e.g., fuel holding portion of the lower tie plate) is provided at the lower end of the fuel assembly. Provision is made of a coolant ascending path in which said water rods have coolant inlet ports that are open in a region lower than... | 08/21/2001 |
| 6216728 | Tunable anticipatory output response valve control A valve control apparatus for generating an anticipatory output response for controlling a fluid flow in a fluid flow line includes a valve provided inside the fluid flow line, at least one sensor for providing at least one input signal, said at least one... | 04/17/2001 |
| 6198786 | Methods of reactor system pressure control by reactor core power modulation A method of controlling the system pressure in a power generating system, having a turbine-generator and a BWR, that modulates the core thermal power of the reactor while maintaining the main turbine control valves in a constant steady position is describ... | 03/06/2001 |
| 6021169 | Feedwater control over full power range for pressurized water reactor steam generators A feedwater control system and method for a pressurized water reactor steam generating system having first and second output signals. The first output signal is determined by first and second input signals, and, when combined with a third input signal aut... | 02/01/2000 |
| 5960049 | Pump selection logic The operator of a nuclear steam supply system manually selects a lineup of either one, two, or three main feedwater pumps for normal reactor operation to generate power. This selection sets or resets a status latch for each pump, representative of intende... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5896434 | Power supply system for driving reactor coolant recirculation pumps A power supply system for driving reactor coolant recirculation pumps within an advanced boiling water reactor is configured in such a manner that: at least one normal-operation busbar branches off from either a main on-site power line or from a power lin... | 04/20/1999 |
| 5857006 | Chimney for enhancing flow of coolant water in natural circulation boiling water reactor A chimney which can be reconfigured or removed during refueling to allow vertical removal of the fuel assemblies. The chimney is designed to be collapsed or dismantled. Collapse or dismantlement of the chimney reduces the volume required for chimney stora... | 01/05/1999 |
| 5774517 | Regulation of the core coolant flow rate of a natural circulation reactor A natural circulation reactor, especially a boiling water reactor, includes a reactor pressure vessel, a reactor core and a core jacket disposed within the reactor pressure vessel, surrounding the reactor core and having at least one inlet port and one ou... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5610957 | Reactor core coolant flow rate control system for a BWR type nuclear power plant A reactor core coolant flow rate control system for a BWR type nuclear power plant in which electric power is generated by a turbine-driven generator driven by a steam turbine rotating under the work of a main steam generated from a cooling water recircul... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5579355 | Heat dissipation system for a nuclear reactor, in particular a pressurized water reactor A nuclear reactor, in particular a pressurized water reactor, has a containment, a containment shell surrounding the containment and a concrete construction of a reactor building surrounding the containment shell. A heat dissipation system for the nuclear... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5568527 | Method and apparatus for remote ultrasonic inspection of core spray T-box welds A method and an apparatus for in situ ultrasonic inspection of the core spray T-box to thermal sleeve attachment weld and the core spray T-box to cover plate attachment weld in BWRs. The apparatus incorporates a stationary clamping mechanism and sliding a... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5528641 | Fuel assembly A fuel assembly is provided with a coolant ascending path for making coolant rise and a water rod having a coolant descending path for conducting the coolant. A ratio of a flow area in a coolant inlet port of the smallest in coolant ascending path 13 on t... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5524128 | Boiling water reactor stability control A control system for avoiding coupled neutronic-thermal hydraulic instabilities during maneuvering of a boiling water nuclear reactor that determines the average elevation in the reactor core of the coolant boiling boundary, and avoids instabilities by ma... | 06/04/1996 |
| 5519739 | Boiling water type thermal neutron reactor and its operating method The reactor shut-down margin and the thermal margin, as well as the output per unit volume of the core is increased. When A is the total cross sectional area of the non-boiling water areas in the channel boxes each surrounding a fuel assembly and non-boil... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5483565 | Fuel assembly for a boiling water reactor A fuel assembly (16) for a boiling-water nuclear reactor arranged in groups with four fuel assemblies in each group and with a centrally placed control rod (17) forming a supercell. Each fuel assembly (16) includes a plurality of vertical fuel rods (12) w... | 01/09/1996 |
| 5444747 | Jet pump electro-nozzle A method and a device for minimizing electrostatically enhanced deposition of charged particulates in the jet pump nozzles of operating BWR plants. The jet pump nozzle has an inner conducting surface which is electrically isolated from the main body of th... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5428651 | Nuclear reactor locking piston drive system and valve assembly A locking piston drive system and valve assembly is provided for shutdown of a nuclear reactor. "Chatter" in a check valve assembly which occurs during charging and/or re-charging of control fluid within a control line is eliminated by providing a valve h... | 06/27/1995 |
| 5386440 | Boiling water reactor An object of the present invention is to provide a boiling water reactor wherein two phase flow instability in a fuel assembly occurs scarcely. A bottom flow path is formed beneath a partition plate which is supported by control rod driving mechanism housings ... | 01/31/1995 |
| 5323430 | Method and system for fine control of thermal power of a boiling water reactor with natural circulation A method and a system for fine control of the thermal power of a nuclear boiling water reactor (BWR) with natural circulation. The reactor vessel, in which the core of such a reactor is enclosed, embodies an in-vessel part of a water level gauge containin... | 06/21/1994 |
