Celebrity Inventors
Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) received Patent No. 121,992 for "An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments." He later received two more patents: one for a self-pasting scrapbook and one for a game to help players remember important historical dates.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7787584 | Debris filtering bottom spacer grid with louvers for preventing uplift of fuel rods Disclosed are a bottom spacer grid with a louver on a spring that can filter debris flowed through a channel of a lower end fitting with coolant on the lower end fitting of a nuclear fuel assembly, and can prevent uplift of fuel rods due to coolant, simultaneously. | 08/31/2010 |
| 7623612 | Bi-alloy spacer grid and associated methods A bi-alloy spacer grid (BASG) is provided with grid straps and springs made using different zirconium alloys. The grid straps are made from a relatively low growth zirconium alloy, and the springs are made from a relatively high growth zirconium alloy. The springs a... | 11/24/2009 |
| 7561654 | Nuclear fuel spacer assembly with debris guide In a fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor, a plurality of nuclear fuel rods and at least one fuel rod spacer assembly supporting the fuel rods in an organized array. The fuel rod spacer assembly includes a guide at a leading edge of the fuel rod spacer assembly. The ... | 07/14/2009 |
| 7149273 | Method of fabricating a nuclear reactor fuel assembly grid A method of fabricating a fuel assembly grid that includes providing a plurality of interconnected straps that form a lattice pattern, wherein the lattice pattern of the straps defines a plurality of cells, providing a sleeve that has a cylindrical portion and a fla... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7085340 | Nuclear reactor fuel assemblies A nuclear fuel assembly having a parallel array of elongated fuel elements supported between an upper and lower nozzle. Main support grids are substantially evenly spaced along the elongated dimension of the assembly to maintain the spacing between fuel elements. A ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7068594 | Method and apparatus for fault tolerant permanent voice calls in voice-over-packet systems A Multiservice Access Concentrator (MAC) is provided that provides fault tolerant permanent voice calls in a voice over packet-data-network system (VOPS). The MAC sets up at least one permanent voice call by coupling a number of nodes in series using a voice-over-pa... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7028765 | Heat exchanger tube support A tube support device is presented. The present invention includes at least two first plates and at least two second plates each having a plurality of slots mutually arranged and aligned so as to allow four or more plates to interlock and form a grid of depth-wise p... | 04/18/2006 |
| 6997141 | Anti-vibration support for steam generator heat transfer tubes and method for making same A tube support structure for heat transfer tubes in a steam generator has a plurality of tube support bars which are installed between the heat transfer tubes. At least one of the support bars has a first metal layer and a second metal layer. The first metal layer i... | 02/14/2006 |
| 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 |
| 6914955 | Heat exchanger tube support structure A support plate for retaining tube array spacing within a heat exchanger tube and shell structure. The support plate having a plurality of individual tube receiving apertures formed therein. Each aperture has at least three inwardly protruding members and bights are... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6810101 | Heat exchanger tube support structure A support plate for retaining tube array spacing within a heat exchanger tube and shell structure. The support plate having a plurality of individual tube receiving aperture formed therein. Each apertures has at least three inwardly protruding members and bights are... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6744842 | Fuel assembly for a pressurized-water reactor A fuel assembly for a pressurized-water reactor includes fuel rods held in cells of spacers, control rod guide tubes, and a headpiece and a foot piece, by which it is fixed to upper and lower core grids, respectively. A spacer having a first part, which lies on a ra... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6735268 | Fuel spacer/water rod capture apparatus and methods for boiling water nuclear reactors The spacer/water rod retention assembly includes a clip secured to the spacer having a slot perimetrically bounded both axially and laterally spaced portions of the clip. A resilient tab projects from one side portion into the slot. A water rod has a projecting tab ... | 05/11/2004 |
| 6707872 | Spacer grid for nuclear reactor fuel assemblies with grid springs maintaining conformal contact with fuel rods and enlarged elastic range A spacer grid used for placing and supporting fuel rods in nuclear reactor fuel assemblies is disclosed. The spacer grid of this invention has a plurality of grid springs designed to have an optimal shape of their vertical support parts, thus reducing fretting wear ... | 03/16/2004 |
| 6650723 | Double strip mixing grid for nuclear reactor fuel assemblies A double strip mixing grid for nuclear reactor fuel assemblies is disclosed. This grid is fabricated by intersecting at right angles a plurality of double strips, each fabricated by welding two thin sheets together into a single structure with coolant cha... | 11/18/2003 |
| 6542567 | Grid for nuclear fuel assembly and a strap for such a grid At regular intervals, the grid strap has formed therein notches for assembly with transverse straps. Between at least some pairs of notches, it has a rod-holding spring comprising two resilient strips cut out from the plane wall of the strap and integral ... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6519309 | Pressurized water reactor fuel assembly spacer grid A spacer grid for PWR assemblies is characterized by curved flow channels between adjacent fuel rods and straight, essentially flat strips connecting opposite side plates of the spacer. The latter strips prevent bowing-out of the side plates during fuel a... | 02/11/2003 |
| 6498827 | Heat exchanger tube support structure A support plate for retaining tube array spacing within a heat exchanger tube and shell structure. The support plate having a plurality of individual tube receiving apertures formed therein. Each apertures has at least three inwardly protruding members an... | 12/24/2002 |
| 6473482 | Spacer with specially fastened springs for fuel assemblies of nuclear reactors A spacer for a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor includes an elongated spring which is held in a mesh in such a way that there is structural freedom with respect to a selection of a shape of the spring and that little spring material is required. Two lat... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6415011 | Spacer and a fuel assembly for a nuclear boiling water reactor The invention concerns a spacer (14) for a nuclear boiling water reactor. The spacer (14) comprises a plurality of cells (16) for holding or allowing elongated elements (12) to pass through the cells. Between the cells (16) there are a plurality of flow c... | 07/02/2002 |
| 6385271 | Nuclear fuel assembly The present invention relates to a fuel assembly for a light-water reactor with a substantially square cross section wherein the fuel assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods (4). The fuel rods (4) extend between a bottom tie plate (5) and a top tie pl... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6310931 | Device and method for locking rods in a bottom tie plate of a fuel assembly The present invention relates to a fuel assembly (1) and a method therefor. The fuel assembly is intended for a light-water cooled nuclear reactor and comprises a first and a second locking member (9a, 9b, 10), a plurality of elongated elements (3, 3a) wh... | 10/30/2001 |
| 6285729 | Fuel spacer/water rod capture apparatus and methods for boiling water nuclear reactors The spacer/water rod retention assembly includes a clip secured to the spacer having a slot perimetrically bounded both axially and laterally spaced portions of the clip. A resilient tab projects from one side portion into the slot. A water rod has a proj... | 09/04/2001 |
| 6226342 | Fuel assembly comprising a component for retaining elongated elements A fuel assembly (1) comprising a plurality of elongated elements (3) filled with nuclear fuel and at least one component (5, 6, 7) for retaining the elongated elements (3), wherein the retaining component (5, 6, 7) is completely or partly made of a cerami... | 05/01/2001 |
| 6167105 | Spacer grid with H-spring for fuel rods for use in nuclear reactor fuel assemblies A spacer grid with H-springs for use in a nuclear reactor fuel assembly is disclosed. In the spacer grid, two sets of intersectional grid strips are arranged in sets at an angle to each other prior to being encircled by a plurality of perimeter strips, th... | 12/26/2000 |
| 5966419 | Spacing grid of a fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor and fuel assembly The spacer grids consist of interlaced metal straps defining a regular lattice of cells. A spring for holding a fuel rod against bearing stops is fixed on at least one wall of each of the cells. In its part which constitutes the wall of the cell, the stra... | 10/12/1999 |
| 5898750 | Nested sleeve grid restraint system A nested sleeve grid restraint system and a method for making a nested sleeve grid restraint system are disclosed. The nested sleeve grid restraint system comprises an insert tube installed in and secured to the intermediate spacer grid and concentrically... | 04/27/1999 |
| 5815545 | Nuclear fuel assembly spacer and spring The ferrule spacer includes a ferrule having an elongated slot with a pair of tabs projecting laterally into the slot. An elongated spring has opposite ends bearing against the interior wall of the ferrule and flats overlying the tabs along the outside of... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5732116 | Spacer grid of a fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor, including attached springs A spacer grid spring (6) consists of a single metal leaf including two end parts (6a, 6b) substantially in the same plane and a central part (6c) out of the plane of the end parts (6a, 6b). At least one of the end parts (6a, 6b) is laterally provided with... | 03/24/1998 |
| 5675621 | Reduced height flat spring spacer for nuclear fuel rods A spacer for a nuclear fuel bundle comprises a plurality of discrete, generally cylindrical ferrules, with each ferrule having a pair of circumferentially spaced fuel rod contacting portions along one side of the ferrule and three superposed openings in t... | 10/07/1997 |
| 5610960 | Fuel spacer and fuel assembly With an arrangement that the axial distance from the upper end of a first opening area to the upper end of the second opening area is equal to the axial distance from the upper end of a first coupling member to the upper end of a second coupling member, w... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5577081 | Method of forming grids for nuclear fuel assembly and grids formed by same method A method of forming a nuclear fuel assembly grid, as well as the resulting grid itself, are disclosed. In the formation of the grid, formed straps having slits are prepared, arranged into a grid form by intersecting the straps with each other through the ... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5566217 | Reduced height spacer for nuclear fuel rods A spacer includes a plurality of ferrules welded to one another to form a structural integral matrix for locating fuel rods in a fuel bundle. Each ferrule has a pair of stops along one side of the ferrule and a central opening along its opposite side. An ... | 10/15/1996 |
| 5539792 | Grid-shaped spacer for a nuclear-reactor fuel assembly A grid-shaped spacer includes a sheet-metal web having a web aperture formed therein defining two spaced mutually opposite aperture edges. The aperture edges oppose an elongation of an elongate spring which is curved about a direction transverse to its ow... | 07/23/1996 |
| 5530729 | Fuel assembly and spacer for a boiling reactor A fuel assembly and a spacer for a boiling reactor comprises an elongated fuel channel which is connected to a coolant intended to flow therethrough. In the fuel channel there is arranged a bundle of also elongated fuel rods retained by a plurality of spa... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5515408 | Fuel assembly A fuel assembly is presented in which a plurality of support grids are disposed along the longitudinal direction of the fuel rods. The straps forming the grid cells of the support grids are provided with mixing vanes for generating turbulent flow of the c... | 05/07/1996 |
| 5490191 | BWR nuclear fuel assembly A boiling water reactor fuel assembly having a lowered fuel rod support plate and increased fuel rod length while restraining the fuel rods against lateral vibration.... | 02/06/1996 |
| 5490192 | Fuel assembly A fuel assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods, tie plates for holding both ends of these fuel rods, and spacers which support these fuel rods. The spacer comprises a plurality of cells into which the fuel rods are inserted respectively, the adjacent ... | 02/06/1996 |
| 5488644 | Spring assemblies for adjoining nuclear fuel rod containing ferrules and a spacer formed of the spring assemblies and ferrules Spring assemblies are employed in adjoining ferrules of a spacer in a nuclear fuel bundle to bias the fuel rods against stops and hence position the fuel rods in the spacer. The spring assemblies in one form include back-to-back spring bodies having centr... | 01/30/1996 |
| 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 |
