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Title: Fail-safe reactivity compensation method for a nuclear reactor

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1417852

The present invention relates generally to the field of compensation methods for nuclear reactors and, in particular to a method for fail-safe reactivity compensation in solution-type nuclear reactors. In one embodiment, the fail-safe reactivity compensation method of the present invention augments other control methods for a nuclear reactor. In still another embodiment, the fail-safe reactivity compensation method of the present invention permits one to control a nuclear reaction in a nuclear reactor through a method that does not rely on moving components into or out of a reactor core, nor does the method of the present invention rely on the constant repositioning of control rods within a nuclear reactor in order to maintain a critical state.

Research Organization:
BWX Technologies, Inc., Charlotte, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
FC52-09NA29596
Assignee:
BWX Technologies, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
Patent Number(s):
9,875,818
Application Number:
13/649,419
OSTI ID:
1417852
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2012 Oct 11
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (12)

Device for Controlling the Reactivity of Nuclear Reactors patent March 1972
Samarium Compensation for Nuclear Reactor Fuel patent November 1974
Method and apparatus for preventing inadvertent criticality in a nuclear fueled electric powering generating unit patent April 1986
Reactivity control of nuclear fuel pellets by volumetric redistribution of fissile, fertile and burnable poison material patent May 1987
Nuclear reactivity control using laser induced polarization patent November 1991
Method and apparatus for increasing fuel efficiency in nuclear reactors patent December 1991
Nucleating device patent August 1992
Medical isotope production reactor patent January 1997
Self-regulating nuclear power module patent-application April 2004
Nuclear Reactor Control Rod patent-application February 2009
Combinatorial Heterogeneous-Homogeneous Reactor patent-application September 2009
Reactivity Control Rod For Core, Core Of Nuclear Reactor, Nuclear Reactor And Nuclear Power Plant patent-application March 2010

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