Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Device and method for skull-melting depth measurement

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6240976

A method of skull-melting comprises the steps of: (a) providing a vessel adapted for a skull-melting process, the vessel having an interior, an underside, and an orifice connecting the interior and the underside; (b) disposing a waveguide in the orifice so that the waveguide protrudes sufficiently into the interior to interact with the skull-melting process; (c) providing a signal energy transducer in signal communication with the waveguide; (d) introducing into the vessel a molten working material; (e) carrying out the skull-melting process so that a solidified skull of the working material is formed, the skull and the vessel having an interface therebetween, the skull becoming fused to the waveguide so the signal energy can be transmitted through the waveguide and the skull without interference from the interface; (f) activating the signal energy transducer so that a signal is propagated through the waveguide; and, (g) controlling at least one variable of the skull-melting process utilizing feedback information derived from the propagated signal energy.

DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
Assignee:
Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Patent Number(s):
US 5185031; A
Application Number:
PPN: US 7-815465
OSTI ID:
6240976
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English