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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7330526 | System and method of storing high level waste A system and method for storing high level waste. In one aspect, the invention is a system comprising: an inner shell forming a cavity for receiving high level waste, the cavity having a top and a bottom; an outer shell surrounding the inner shell so as to form a sp... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7284931 | Magma evacuation systems for the prevention of explosions from supervolcanoes An apparatus controls the evacuation of volcanic magma to prevent explosions. Magma evacuation is through a single evacuation tube that heats the magma flow within the tube to prevent stickiness of the magma in the tube. The heating may use small combustion chambers... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7251938 | System and method for recovering geothermal energy and for converting recovered geothermal energy into useful power Recovery and conversion of geothermal energy from geologically stable, hot, dry rock is disclosed. Deep boreholes are drilled to form a system of feed and return conduits in the non-porous formation. Fluid is passed through the conduits where heat energy is transfer... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7139358 | Below grade cask transfer facility A system and method for transferring a canister of spent nuclear fuel from a transfer cask to a receiving cask. In one aspect, the system comprises a below grade opening adapted for receiving a cask; a platform positioned within the opening, the platform capable of ... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7069998 | Fuel cell for downhole and subsea power systems This invention relates to fuel cells, and in one embodiment, to fuel cells that are especially well suited for downhole use in oil and gas wells, and for subsea use in connection with offshore wells. ... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6793450 | Below grade cask transfer facility A system and method for transferring a canister of spent nuclear fuel from a transfer cask to a receiving cask. In one aspect, the system comprises a below grade opening adapted for receiving a cask; a platform positioned within the opening, the platform capable of ... | 09/21/2004 |
| 6714617 | Disposal of radiation waste in glacial ice Encapsulating calcined radioactive waste in strong, corrosion-resistant spheres of dimensions such that heat from the radiation melts the ice at a rate which brings the spheres to the bottom of the permanent icefield in a relatively short time, with the resulting wa... | 03/30/2004 |
| 6597755 | Apparatus and method for installing nuclear reactors A nuclear power plant (18) and its heat exhanger (26) are enclosed in an envelope (22) which is suspended above a bored shaft (14) from a support stem (30). When appropriate, the stem (30) can be melted by a furnace (34) to drop the envelope (22) to the b... | 07/22/2003 |
| 5920602 | Underground storage facility, and associated method of storing waste The invention concerns an underground storage facility for the initial storage of waste transported in containers (34, 36), in particular radioactive waste such as spent fuel elements. The store has transport galleries (10) giving access to storage galler... | 07/06/1999 |
| 5771265 | Method and apparatus for generating electrical energy from nuclear waste while enhancing safety A method and apparatus for generation of electricity from packages of spent-fuel rods either on a remote site or in a permanent underground waste repository. It can also be applied to abandoned deep mines with high temperatures. Also many low-temperature ... | 06/23/1998 |
| 5746540 | Method of isolating a nuclear reactor or other large structures A method of entombing a nuclear reactor where the reactor with its bio-shield remains intact. An access shaft, several lateral adits, and several chambers below the reactor location are excavated to provide access at underground locations below the reacto... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5223208 | Nuclear power generation system and its construction method Groundwater running below the surface is intercepted with a cutoff wall of a predetermined height and length to form an underground dam, and a nuclear power generation system is built below said underground dam. The water pooled in the underground dam is ... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5204054 | Nuclear reactor pressure vessel A nuclear reactor system pressure vessel comprises a steel inner liner part, an intermediate insulative layer part and an outer pre-stressed concrete part encasing these parts. Use of the pre-stressed construction allows for construction of pressure vesse... | 04/20/1993 |
| 5013519 | Autonomous, decentralized fast breeder reactor system An autonomous, decentralized fast breeder reactor includes a single reactor main vessel which houses a plurality of small-size reactor subsystems each having a small-scale fast breeder reactor core, and a plurality steam generator subsystems. These subsys... | 05/07/1991 |
| 4990026 | Process for lowering building structures In a process of lowering building structures, such as shutdown nuclear power plants or building structures which are to be erected as they are lowered, a caisson is constructed below the bed plate of the building structure. The caisson has a reinforced to... | 02/05/1991 |
| 4971751 | Shock-absorbing system for pulsed nuclear power plant Nuclear devices are detonated periodically inside an underground cavity in which a working fluid absorbs most of the thermal energy released by the device detonation. The kinetic energy contained in the shock wave created within the working fluid is absor... | 11/20/1990 |
| 4959193 | Indirect passive cooling system for liquid metal cooled nuclear reactors A liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor having a passive cooling system for removing residual heat resulting from fuel decay during reactor shutdown. The passive cooling system comprises a plurality of partitions surrounding the reactor vessel in spaced apa... | 09/25/1990 |
| 4923338 | Process for lowering building structures The process herein disclosed to lower into the ground building structures, such as shutdown nuclear power plants or building structures to be erected as they are lowered. A caisson for supporting the building structure is provided below the bed plate of t... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4839137 | Nuclear steam supply system and method of installation A method of providing a nuclear steam supply system that is constructed to include a barge or flotation base as an integrated portion thereof. The system is tested for operability and safety at the factory and then towed along navigable coastal or inland ... | 06/13/1989 |
| 4826652 | Low capacity nuclear reactor housed underground in the cavity of a cylindrical pressure vessel A low capacity nuclear reactor with spherical fuel elements laid out in an underground configuration and characterized by a compact structure and the far-reaching elimination of active operating installations, such as a charging apparatus, gas purificatio... | 05/02/1989 |
| 4788031 | Concrete reactor pressure vessel for a gas cooled nuclear reactor of low capacity A concrete reactor pressure vessel for a low capacity, gas cooled nuclear reactor is provided. To assure the safe containment of the cooling gas in an economical manner and to remove the heat generated in the reactor core, the pressure vessel is equipped ... | 11/29/1988 |
| 4701298 | Low capacity nuclear reactor placed underground in the cavity of a cylindrical pressure vessel A low capacity nuclear reactor with spherical fuel elements in a subterranean configuration. The reactor is characterized by a compact construction and extensive elimination of active operating devices, such as charging installation, gas purification devi... | 10/20/1987 |
| 4661311 | Nuclear power plant arranged in an underground cavity with a small high-temperature pebble bed reactor The invention concerns a nuclear power plant located in an underground cavity, with a small high-temperature reactor which, together with a heat exchanger apparatus, is housed in a steel reactor pressure vessel. The reactor core comprises spherical operat... | 04/28/1987 |
| 4650642 | Heat dissipating nuclear reactor with metal liner Disclosed is a nuclear reactor containment including a reactor vessel disposed within a cavity with capability for complete inherent decay heat removal in the earth and surrounded by a cast steel containment member which surrounds the vessel. The member h... | 03/17/1987 |
| 4643870 | Heat dissipating nuclear reactor Disclosed is a nuclear reactor containment adapted to retain and cool core debris in the unlikely event of a core meltdown and subsequent breach in the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel is seated in a cavity which has a thick metal sidewall that is integ... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4569819 | Pulsed nuclear power plant A spherical underground cavity is filled with saturated steam or a mixture of saturated steam and coal dust in which a nuclear device is detonated to provide the source of energy. The energy thus released heats the saturated steam to produce superheated s... | 02/11/1986 |
| 4500227 | Process and geological installation for the removal of radioactive waste It comprises in combination a series of vertical shafts for passing the waste down into the subsoil, and for ventilation purposes, linking the ground surface to the very deep storage location; a first upper plane of horizontal, parallel and equidistant tu... | 02/19/1985 |
| 4483790 | Method of disposing of shut-down nuclear power plants A shut-down atomic power plant or a section thereof, particularly the nuclear reactor, is disposed of by sinking it to below ground level by constructing a caisson with cutting edges from the foundations of said plant or section or by excavating a pit the... | 11/20/1984 |
| 4442065 | Retrofittable nuclear reactor core catcher A passive "core catcher" is provided for preventing the escape of radiation in the unlikely event of a major failure of a nuclear reactor by melt-down of the core. The "core-catcher" structure includes a narrow vertically downwardly extending isolation tu... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4297167 | Nuclear reactor installation Nuclear reactor installation having a concrete cell disposed beneath the earth of a hill for enclosing activity-carrying components includes at least one additional concrete cell disposed in the earth separated from the first-mentioned concrete cell, the ... | 10/27/1981 |
| 4277309 | Nuclear reactor installation Nuclear reactor installation having a tight concrete tank sunk at least in part into earth formed with a groundwater-permeable layer and a largely impermeable layer providing a lower boundary for the groundwater-permeable layer, includes a wall disposed i... | 07/07/1981 |
| 4244153 | Earth covered in-the-ground nuclear reactor facility A clay layer of low permeability and of a thickness of about 2 meters, depending somewhat upon the permeability, immediately covers and laterally surrounds the external concrete wall and roof structure of the nuclear reactor building, this layer extending... | 01/13/1981 |
| 4167087 | Nuclear reactor installation in underground construction Nuclear reactor installation in underground construction having a tunnel extending from a location at the surface of the earth to an underground concrete tank includes an auxiliary tunnel extending from a branching location of the first-mentioned tunnel t... | 09/11/1979 |
| 4151689 | Nuclear engineering installation Nuclear engineering installation having a concrete tank enclosing activity-carrying components of the installation, the concrete tank being covered by a hill formed of earth, includes means for connecting to the interior of the concrete tank a region of r... | 05/01/1979 |
| 4045289 | Nuclear reactor containment structure with continuous ring tunnel at grade A nuclear reactor containment structure which includes a reinforced concrete shell, a hemispherical top dome, a steel liner, and a reinforced-concrete base slab supporting the concrete shell is constructed with a substantial proportion thereof below grade... | 08/30/1977 |
| 4040480 | Storage of radioactive material Containers of radioactive material are placed in a well, so that the subterranean well lining absorbs much of the radiation from the containers. The heat generated by the radioactive material is transferred through the wall of the container through the wa... | 08/09/1977 |
| 4000038 | Nuclear power station Nuclear power station having a reactor buried in rock and machine groups formed with the use of turbines, compressors, generators or other apparatus, inclusive gas conduits; the individual machine groups and the gas conduits are arranged in rooms hollowed... | 12/28/1976 |
| 3996751 | Method of blasting and reinforcing rock cavities Before the rock cavity is completely excavated a plurality of arcuated tunnels extending between the top and bottom levels of the intended rock cavity are cut out in the rock outside the future side walls of the cavity, and these tunnels are filled with r... | 12/14/1976 |
| 3970140 | Air operated underground cooler means with natural lift The difference in density between heated and unheated air is used to provide flow of air across a heat transfer means located underground. An underground passageway connects an inlet orifice with an outlet orifice for flow of ambient air therethrough. The... | 07/20/1976 |
