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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7424412 | Method of determining nuclear reactor core design with reduced control blade density In the method, a reference core design is generated based on a defined set of limits. The set of limits may include a target hot excess reactivity constraint to be satisfied over a given core energy cycle and a given desired control blade definition that is set for ... | 09/09/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7257185 | Fuel assembly and thimble screw of the same A fuel assembly includes a bottom nozzle set on a lower core plate of a nuclear reactor, a top nozzle with a hold down spring to urge the bottom nozzle against the lower core plate, guide thimbles which guide control rods, having passed through the top nozzle, towar... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7231333 | Method and arrangement for developing core loading patterns in nuclear reactors In the method, a set of limits applicable to a core may be defined, and a test core loading pattern design, to be used for loading the core, may be determined based on the limits. Reactor operation on at least a subset of the core may be simulated to produce a plura... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7200541 | Method and arrangement for determining nuclear reactor core designs In the method, a set of limits are defined and a reference core design is generated based on the limits, and includes an initial loading pattern of current fresh fuel bundles arranged in a plurality of fuel locations. A unique subset of fresh fuel bundles is selecte... | 04/03/2007 |
| 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 |
| 6934350 | Core configuration for a nuclear reactor In an embodiment of the present invention, the core of a nuclear reactor includes a plurality of fuel cells and a plurality of large control rods. Each large control rod is about two times the width of a conventional control rod and includes four control rod blades ... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6882696 | Control rod for boiling water reactor and method for manufacturing the same A tie rod having a cruciform cross section is provided with steps for fixing sheaths at tips of cruciform arms of the tie rod; the tips of each of sheaths are fitted onto the steps of the tie rod, each of the sheaths having a U-shaped cross section; and each of the ... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6865242 | Method and device for restoring the fall-time of at least one control cluster for regulating reactivity in the core of a light-water-cooled nuclear reactor After a nuclear reactor has been stopped and allowed to cool down following a period of operation, action is taken in a pool of the nuclear reactor on at least one guide tube of the activated upper internal equipment of the nuclear reactor to enlarge (21b | 03/08/2005 |
| 6813327 | Core support for an F-lattice core of a boiling water nuclear reactor A core plate assembly for a nuclear reactor includes a plurality of support beams, a flat plate positioned on top of the support beams, a plurality of control rod guide tube openings arranged in staggered rows, and a plurality of fuel supports extending through the ... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6735266 | Control rod for boiling water reactor and method for manufacturing the same A tie rod having a cruciform cross section is provided with steps for fixing sheaths at tips of cruciform arms of the tie rod; the tips of each of sheaths are fitted onto the steps of the tie rod, each of the sheaths having a U-shaped cross section; and each of the ... | 05/11/2004 |
| 6473481 | Control rod guide tube cleaning apparatus in nuclear reactor The present invention is a control rod guide tube cleaning apparatus in a nuclear reactor which includes a rod member, one end side portion of which has a thickness such that the end side portion can pass through the inside of a connecting portion between... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6167104 | Pressurized water reactor fuel assembly with a guide tube and method for producing the guide tube A pressurized water reactor fuel assembly with a guide tube and a method for producing a guide tube for control elements are provided. Such guide tubes in pressurized water nuclear reactors which are composed of zirconium alloys (zircaloy-2 and zircaloy-4... | 12/26/2000 |
| 6097779 | Fuel bundle and control rod assembly for a nuclear reactor Fuel bundle and control rod assemblies for a nuclear reactor are described. In one embodiment of the apparatus, the nuclear reactor includes several conventional size fuel bundles and at least one large control rod. The large control rod includes four fue... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6033493 | Process for coating a passivatable metal or alloy substrate with an oxide layer, and fuel assembly cladding and guide tubes and spacer grid coated with an oxide layer Surface preoxidation of the substrate is carried out by bringing the substrate into contact with an oxidizing gas excited by a cold plasma, the substrate being situated in the flowing afterglow of the cold plasma used to excite the oxidizing element and b... | 03/07/2000 |
| 6026137 | Control rod guide tube mounting pin A control rod guide tube mounting pin for engaging a hole in an upper core plate of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel has a resilient tubular portion with one or more axial crimps which flex allowing for resiliently fitting into a hole in an upper core pl... | 02/15/2000 |
| 5852644 | Guide tube for a nuclear fuel assembly A control rod guide tube for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly consists of several mutually portions of zirconium-based alloy. They define a passage that is narrow in a bottom portion of the tube. The guide includes a top length extending over at least 70% ... | 12/22/1998 |
| 5844958 | Dismountable fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor cooled by light water The fuel assembly includes an arrangement for quickly fixing the guide thimble into an opening passing through the adaptor plate of a dismountable nozzle of the assembly. This arrangement includes at least two bearing stops inside the opening of the nozzl... | 12/01/1998 |
| 5838751 | Core plate repair using guide tube gap wedges A method and an apparatus for repairing a core plate having a cracked support structure. The method entails the step of providing a vertical compression load path between the core plate and one or more control rod guide tubes. This is accomplished by inst... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5778034 | Control rod drive mechanism This control rod drive limiter removes the need for piping for extraction drive, increases the reliability of linkage with respect to the control rod, and removes the need of a speed limiter for the control rod, since there is no need to assume that the l... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5646970 | Core plate repair using control rod guide tube load transfer collar A method and an apparatus for repairing a core plate having a cracked support structure. The method entails the step of providing a vertical compression load path between the core plate and one or more control rod guide tubes. This is accomplished by inst... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5606583 | Guide tube for a nuclear fuel assembly, and a method of manufacturing such a tube A method of manufacturing a guide tube for a nuclear fuel assembly, in which a tubular blank of constant thickness is prepared, the thickness of the blank is reduced over a fraction of its length in the range 70% to 90% while maintaining a constant inner ... | 02/25/1997 |
| 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 |
| 5465282 | Fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor A fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor, comprising a number of parallel fuel rods which are retained by means of spacer grids, arranged along the fuel rods, as well as guide thimbles wherein the guide thimbles, are fixed to the spacer grids. The guide thim... | 11/07/1995 |
| 5420900 | Internal equipments for a nuclear reactor having spacer columns and control cluster guides The equipment comprises a bottom plate formed with outlet openings for the coolant, a top plate, spacer rods interconnecting the plates, and cluster guides for guiding control clusters. At least some of the guides have respective top lengths that project ... | 05/30/1995 |
| 5416810 | Internal equipment for a nuclear reactor having control cluster guides Internal equipments located above the core of a nuclear reactor have a bottom plate formed with outlet openings for the core coolant, a top plate, spacer columns interconnecting the plates, and guides for control clusters that are vertically displacable b... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5406597 | Boiling water reactor including split control rod drives A boiling water reactor includes a pressure vessel containing a reactor core, chimney, steam separator assembly, and steam dryer assembly therein, with the vessel being filled with reactor water to a normal water level through the steam separator assembly... | 04/11/1995 |
| 5392326 | Boiling water reactor A boiling water reactor comprises a reactor pressure vessel accommodated in a vertical fashion, a core disposed at a low portion in the reactor pressure vessel, a plurality of control rods to be inserted from an upper side of the core into the spaces betw... | 02/21/1995 |
| 5375155 | Fuel assembly with rational screw fastenings of the upper tie plate to tubes or rods A pressurized water reactor fuel assembly includes a can with a flange engaging an upper surface of an upper tie plate through a bore and carrying a collar projecting beyond a lower surface of the upper tie plate and having an external thread. A bush at a... | 12/20/1994 |
| 5363421 | Control rod guide tube Control rod guide tube adapted to reduce vibration of a plurality of control rods disposed therein. The guide tube comprises an elongate housing surrounding the control rods, the housing having an opening at an end thereof for receiving a flowing fluid th... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5330589 | Hafnium alloys as neutron absorbers A hafnium alloy consisting essentially of hafnium and containing Sn by 0.1-1.5 weight %, O by 0.03-0.2 weight %, Fe by 0.01-0.15 weight %, Zr by 0.02-2.0 weight %, and (1) Cr by 0.01-0.15 weight %, and Ni by less than 0.10 weight %, (2) Cr by 0.01-0.15 we... | 07/19/1994 |
| 5282232 | Nuclear reactor upper internal equipment with cluster guide devices Upper internals for a nuclear reactor comprise an upper core plate and a plate which supports cluster guides tubes connecting the two plates together. The cluster guides project above the support plate. A bottom wall of the support plate is situated at a ... | 01/25/1994 |
| 5268940 | Reactor upper internals inspection device An inspection device for the upper internals of a nuclear reactor comprising an elongated probe body which is lowered through a central aperture in a support plate that forms part of the upper internals and includes a plurality of vertically extending con... | 12/07/1993 |
| 5267286 | Fuel assembly and reactor core A fuel assembly having a water cross or water rod arranged between the fuel rods, an inside of the water cross or water rod being divided into a coolant rising passage and a coolant lowering passage, and a control guide tube disposed inside the water cros... | 11/30/1993 |
| 5241570 | Core-control assembly with a fixed fuel support In a boiling-water nuclear reactor, a core-control assembly comprises a control rod, a fuel support, a control-rod guide tube, a control-rod drive, and a control-rod-drive housing. The fuel support is welded to the control-rod guide tube. To remove the co... | 08/31/1993 |
| 5232655 | Nuclear fuel assembly skeleton A nuclear fuel assembly comprises a skeleton that constitutes the structure of the assembly and that holds a bundle of fuel elements at nodes in a regular array. The skeleton comprises two end pieces interconnected by guide tubes. The connection between e... | 08/03/1993 |
| 5207978 | Nuclear reactor control cluster guide device A device for guiding a nuclear reactor control cluster comprises guide tubes provided in the fuel assemblies, and in the upper internals, a tubular casing having an upper closure with a hole for passing the cluster drive shaft, horizontal guide plates spa... | 05/04/1993 |
| 5200142 | Nuclear fuel assembly top nozzle with improved peripheral hold-down assembly A fuel assembly has a top nozzle which includes a lower adapter plate and a plurality of guide structures thereon. The lower adapter plate has a peripheral edge. The guide structures are attached to and extend upwardly from the lower adapter plate at loca... | 04/06/1993 |
| 5183628 | Nuclear reactor internals with cluster guides Internal equipments suitable for use in a nuclear reactor comprise a lower plate provided with openings for the coolant leaving the core, an upper plate, support columns connecting the plates together and guides for the vertically movable control clusters... | 02/02/1993 |
