Quotables
"To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth--all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne. I am bold enough to say that such a man-made voyage will never occur regardless of all future advances."
Lee deForest, American radio pioneer ; 1957
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7151262 | Radioactive gas measurement apparatus and failed fuel detection system To provide a radioactive gas measurement apparatus that is simply constructed and can efficiently measure Xe-133 in a radioactive gas on-line under the condition that the radioactive gas is mixed with interference N-13, an apparatus is provided for measuring a radia... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7104127 | Nondestructive method for inspecting cladding tubes The present invention relates to a nondestructive method or inspecting defects of the cladding of a nuclear fuel rod, which is featured by a wave emitter obliquely discharging an inspection wave to an inspected tube and a receiver arranged at a side of the inspected... | 09/12/2006 |
| 6879653 | Method and device for measuring the diameter of a peripheral rod in a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor The diameter of a segment of a peripheral rod in a fuel assembly is measured between two successive spacer grids. A measuring tool is positioned at a level situated between the two successive spacer grids, the tool comprising two measuring fingers that are free to m... | 04/12/2005 |
| 6680994 | Monitoring the contents of a container by ultrasonic means The contents of a container 1 are non-intrusively monitored by probing the container with an ultrasonic signal, and measuring changes in the ultrasound signature of the received signal after the signal has passed through the contents of the container.... | 01/20/2004 |
| 6570949 | Method and apparatus for testing nuclear reactor fuel assemblies A method for testing whether fuel rods of fuel assemblies resting on a working base and under water, of a nuclear reactor are leaking is disclosed. The method includes heating at least one first fuel assembly of a first division of fuel assemblies for dri... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6345082 | Fuel assembly mechanical flow restriction apparatus for detecting failure in situ of nuclear fuel rods in a fuel assembly during reactor shutdown A fuel assembly mechanical flow restriction apparatus for detecting failure in situ of nuclear fuel rods in a fuel assembly during reactor shutdown.... | 02/05/2002 |
| 6345081 | Method and a device for evaluating the integrity of the nuclear fuel in a nuclear plant The invention concerns a method and a device for evaluating the integrity of the nuclear fuel in a nuclear plant having a reactor (1) enclosing a reactor core formed by a number of fuel cladding members (2) arranged to enclose said nuclear fuel. The value... | 02/05/2002 |
| 6134289 | Thermal neutron detection system According to the present invention, a system for measuring a thermal neutron emission from a neutron source, has a reflector/moderator proximate the neutron source that reflects and moderates neutrons from the neutron source. The reflector/moderator furth... | 10/17/2000 |
| 5892804 | One-way implodable tag capsule with hemispherical beaded end cap for LWR fuel manufacturing A capsule containing a tag gas in a zircaloy body portion having a hemispical top curved toward the bottom of the body portion. The hemispherical top has a rupturable portion upon exposure to elevated gas pressure and the capsule is positioned within a f... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5790617 | Method and apparatus for detection of failed fuel rods by use of acoustic energy frequency attenuation A system and method of the present invention measures the relative stress in the cladding of a nuclear fuel rod caused by the internal gas pressure of the rod. This is done by determining the attenuation ratio of two specific frequencies from a broadband ... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5706321 | Method for nonlinear optimization for gas tagging and other systems A method and system for providing nuclear fuel rods with a configuration of isotopic gas tags. The method includes selecting a true location of a first gas tag node, selecting initial locations for the remaining n-1 nodes using target gas tag compositions... | 01/06/1998 |
| 5638414 | Method for detecting failure of nuclear reactor fuel The present invention provides a method for identifying failed fuel elements and the scale of damage accurately, quickly and at low cost without disassembling a fuel assembly and without discharging radioactive waste. Radiation detector(s) for measurement... | 06/10/1997 |
| 5570400 | On line sipping air delivery system An on-line sipping air delivery system that propels bubbles across the entire surface of the fuel assembly. A pump delivers liquid through an aspirator located near the bottom of the fuel handling mast. Liquid flow through a venturi in the aspirator cause... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5546435 | Fission product leak detection in a pressurized-water reactor The invention relates to an arrangement for carrying out leak detection of a fuel assembly for a pressurized-water nuclear reactor. A substantially vertical hollow mast means open in both ends houses the fuel assembly to be examined. The fuel assembly is ... | 08/13/1996 |
| 5544208 | Method and apparatus for in situ detection of defective nuclear fuel assembly A process and a system for detecting defective nuclear fuel assemblies in situ. The system includes two basic subsystems. The first subsystem is a sample collection system consisting of a hood placed over the fuel. A technique whereby a vacuum is drawn ac... | 08/06/1996 |
| 5537450 | On-line analysis of fuel integrity Failed fuel cladding in light water reactors can lead to premature reactor shutdown for removal of the failed fuel bundles from the core. The lost power and associated fuel replacement costs are astronomically high, approaching a million dollars per day i... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5535253 | Method and device for detecting leaks in penetrations of a nuclear reactor vessel head during operation The method and the device are applicable to the penetrations (2) of a pressurised water nuclear reactor vessel head (1) during operation. The device includes a double circuit for picking off two gas samples (100, 16, 17; 12, 13, 14, 15) and a measurement assem... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5414742 | Leak-detection system and method for detecting a leaking container Leak-detection system and method for detecting a leaking container. The system includes an enclosure defining a cavity therein surrounding the container, which container may be a nuclear fuel rod having fission products leaking through a breach in the ext... | 05/09/1995 |
| 5383226 | Method of carrying out leak detection of nuclear fuel assemblies During leak detection of fuel assemblies (10) for a boiling water nuclear reactor, water is sucked from an area (12) located above an outlet (11) for water from the fuel assembly and around a gripper (8) for a loading machine (1) for fuel assemblies, whic... | 01/17/1995 |
| 5333157 | Expert system for identification of simultaneous and sequential reactor fuel failures with gas tagging Failure of a fuel element in a nuclear reactor core is determined by a gas tagging failure detection system and method. Failures are catalogued and characterized after the event so that samples of the reactor's cover gas are taken at regular intervals and... | 07/26/1994 |
| 5280507 | Method and apparatus for sensing obstructions in a nuclear fuel rod A method and apparatus of sensing obstructions in a tubular nuclear fuel rod or the like is disclosed. A nozzle is positioned to engage one end of the fuel rod in an air tight sealed relationship. A first gas flows through the nozzle and then into and thr... | 01/18/1994 |
| 5260218 | Autoclave corrosion test for zirconium alloys An improved short-term autoclave (10) test for ex-reactor evaluation of in-reactor corrosion resistance of zirconium alloy members (16) for use in pressurized water reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors by: providing a heat flux to initiate hydride pre... | 11/09/1993 |
| 5235624 | Method and device for detecting a leak from a fuel element of an assembly for a nuclear reactor The fuel element is inserted into a cell, under water, in a pool. Compressed air is injected into the cell so as to drain it of water. A pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is established in the cell and then the gases contained in the cell are subje... | 08/10/1993 |
| 5098643 | Method for detecting leaky rods in a nuclear fuel assembly In order to detect leaky rods inside a nuclear fuel assembly (24), this assembly is placed inside a pool (36) so that the gases contained inside the rods (10) escape from the leaky rods. By heating the upper part of the assembly by means of a heated sleev... | 03/24/1992 |
| 5062119 | Detection of broken coated fuel particles in ceramic coating layer A method of detecting coated fuel particles having a broken ceramic coated layer in coated fuel particles for high-temperature gas-cooled reactor which comprises permeating a liquid into the interior of the coated fuel particles having a broken ceramic co... | 10/29/1991 |
| 5009835 | Nuclear fuel rod helium leak inspection apparatus and method An inspection apparatus and method for testing nuclear fuel rods for helium leaks includes the basic operative steps of constantly leaking helium at a predetermined known value into a test chamber containing a fuel rod to be tested, and sampling the atmos... | 04/23/1991 |
| 4720994 | Method and apparatus for the detectable release of gases A method and apparatus with which a sealed gas containing first container, which is disposed in a sealed inaccessible and not visually observable further container, can be detectably opened. A thermally inducible opening mechanism disposed in a gas flow o... | 01/26/1988 |
| 4697322 | Method and device for repairing fuel assemblies of boiling-water nuclear reactors A method of repairing under water a boiling water reactor-fuel assembly having a fuel assembly channel and an upper grid plate by means of a channel stripping machine, disassembling the upper grid plate, determining a damaged fuel rod and exchanging the d... | 10/06/1987 |
| 4696787 | Monitoring pressure within a vessel A vessel for the long term storage and monitoring of nuclear fuel materials incorporates a device (12) within its interior for providing an externally detectable signal indicating whether any pressure loss has occurred. The device (12) comprises a magnet ... | 09/29/1987 |
| 4696788 | Process and device for detecting defective cladding sheaths in a nuclear fuel assembly A sipping test for detecting defective sheaths in a nuclear fuel assembly is carried out by increasing the pressure of the gases within the sheaths by increasing the temperature. The fission products are released in case of sheath failure. A mixture of wa... | 09/29/1987 |
| 4696784 | System for manipulating radioactive fuel rods within a nuclear fuel assembly A system constructed of three tools for manipulating fuel rods with a nuclear fuel assembly is disclosed. The individual tools are adapted for displacing fuel rods upwardly and downwardly along their longitudinal axes and for rotating same 360° without h... | 09/29/1987 |
| 4689193 | Mechanism for testing fuel tubes in nuclear fuel bundles A mechanism for testing fuel tubes in nuclear fuel bundles includes a carriage, carrying an elongated probe, and a grooved plate. The grooves are parallel to the probe and are spaced by the same distances as rows of tubes in the fuel bundle. They are conn... | 08/25/1987 |
| 4683104 | Equipment for the inspection of fuel rods of nuclear reactors A device for the inspection of fuel rods combined into fuel rod bundles in a fuel element of a nuclear reactor includes a frame for supporting a fuel element including a base plate, a cover plate and four supports in the form of four first leadscrew drive... | 07/28/1987 |
| 4659544 | Unitary structure of tag gas capsule and end cap of nuclear fuel cladding tube An end cap with a tag gas capsule adapted to close an end of a cladding tube of a nuclear fuel element and to introduce a tag gas into the fuel element. The end cap is fixed to the tag gas capsule to form a unitary structure. The end cap has a specific sh... | 04/21/1987 |
| 4657729 | Solid tags for identifying failed reactor components A solid tag material which generates stable detectable, identifiable, and measurable isotopic gases on exposure to a neutron flux to be placed in a nuclear reactor component, particularly a fuel element, in order to identify the reactor component in event... | 04/14/1987 |
| 4645636 | Measuring head for determining the pressure of fission gases released inside bars of nuclear fuel A measuring head suitable for determining the pressure of fission gases released inside non-instrumented bars of nuclear fuel (which have reached high irradiation levels), and for connection to said bars by a method which allows no escape of said active g... | 02/24/1987 |
| 4643866 | Nuclear fuel pellet-cladding interaction test device and method modeling in-core reactor thermal conditions A method and apparatus for testing characteristics of nuclear fuel pellet interaction with nuclear reactor fuel rod cladding whereby the temperature profile within a nuclear fuel rod is more closely modeled in the test device than in the prior art disclos... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4626401 | Apparatus for inspecting fuel elements Disclosed is an alpha monitor usable in an automated nuclear fuel pin loading and processing unit. Fuel pins or other elongated pins are fed laterally into the alpha monitor in a singular fashion and are translated by a first roller assembly into a weld f... | 12/02/1986 |
| 4612159 | Nuclear fuel element and process for fabricating the same A nuclear fuel element comprises plutonium-containing fuel pellets filled in a cladding with both end sealed with end plugs. One end plug has a filter at the inside and a passage communicating with the space in the cladding through the filter. The passage... | 09/16/1986 |
| 4605531 | Process for examining a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor and an examining machine for performing this process Process and apparatus for examining a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor. The apparatus includes a support on which is positioned the assembly to be examined, a wave transmitting source directed towards the assembly to be examined, a mechanism for examini... | 08/12/1986 |
