US3127325A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Reactor with prompt negative temperature
Assignee: —
•
Filing: —
•
Granted: 1964-03-31
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Expires: 1981-03-31
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
No inventors recorded.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 21:25
CPC Classifications
G; G21; G21C; G21C5/00; G21C5/12; G21C1/00; G21C1/30; G21C7/00; G21C7/02; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E30/00; Y02E30/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
369 words
A NEUTRONIC REACTOR COMPRISING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING REACTOR TANK, A QUANTITY OF FLUID COOLANT IN SAID REACTOR TANK, AN INLET OPENING IN SAID TANK ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF FOR DELIVERING COOLANT TO SAID TANK, AN OUTLET OPENING IN THE SIDE OF SAID TANK ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR REMOVING COOLANT FROM SAID TANK AND FOR MAINTAINING A CONSTANT LEVEL OF COOLANT IN SAID TANK, VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER GRID MEMBERS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID TANK WITH THE LOWER GRID MEMBER POSITIONED ABOVE SAID INLET OPENING, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING REMOVABLE ALUMINUM TUBES HAVING A BODY PORTION DEFINING A GENERALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND SHAPE AND A LOWER END DEFINING A REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUPPORTED VERTICALLY WIWTHIN SAID TANK IN A PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER BY SAID GRID MEMBERS, SAID GRID MEMBERS BEING PROVIDED WITH VERTICAL ALIGNED OPENINGS, THE ALIGNED OPENINGS IN SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS TO SLIDABLY ACCOMMODATE THE BODY PORTION OF SAID TUBES AND THE ALIGNED OPENINGS IN THE LOWER GRID MEMBER BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS TO SLIDABLY ACCOMMODATE THE REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA PORTIONS OF SAID TUBES, SAID LOWER GRID MEMBER ALSO INCLUDING ADDITIONAL SPACED OPENINGS FOR PERMITTING THE COOLANT TO FLOW FREELY PAST SAID LOWER GRID MEMBER, MOST OF SAID ALUMINUM TUBES EXTENDING ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER AND HAVING AN UPPER END PORTION SHAPED SO AS TO BE ENGAGABLE BY THE END PORTION OF A COACTING ELONGATED PICKUP MEMBER FOR REMOVING SAID TUBES FROM SAID TANK, AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID ENGAGEABLE TUBES CONTAINING A HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF A SOLID MODERATOR AND A MATERIAL FISSIONABLE BY NEUTRONS OF THERMAL ENERGY WHICH CONSTITUTES THE FUEL FOR SAID REACTOR, SAID FUEL CONTAINING TUBES BEING FLUTED ADJACENT THE PORTIONS ENGAGED BY SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER WHEN THE FUEL ELEMENTS ARE IN POSITION WITHIN SAID TANK TO PERMIT THE COOLANT TO FLOW FREELY PAST SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER, AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID ALUMINUM TUBES EXTENDING ABOVE SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER AND CONTAINING VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBERS ACTUATED FROM THE TOP OF SAID REACTOR, SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBERS INCLUDING NEUTRON ABSORBINB MATERIAL FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID REACTOR.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
369 words
A NEUTRONIC REACTOR COMPRISING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING REACTOR TANK, A QUANTITY OF FLUID COOLANT IN SAID REACTOR TANK, AN INLET OPENING IN SAID TANK ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF FOR DELIVERING COOLANT TO SAID TANK, AN OUTLET OPENING IN THE SIDE OF SAID TANK ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR REMOVING COOLANT FROM SAID TANK AND FOR MAINTAINING A CONSTANT LEVEL OF COOLANT IN SAID TANK, VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER GRID MEMBERS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID TANK WITH THE LOWER GRID MEMBER POSITIONED ABOVE SAID INLET OPENING, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING REMOVABLE ALUMINUM TUBES HAVING A BODY PORTION DEFINING A GENERALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND SHAPE AND A LOWER END DEFINING A REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUPPORTED VERTICALLY WIWTHIN SAID TANK IN A PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER BY SAID GRID MEMBERS, SAID GRID MEMBERS BEING PROVIDED WITH VERTICAL ALIGNED OPENINGS, THE ALIGNED OPENINGS IN SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS TO SLIDABLY ACCOMMODATE THE BODY PORTION OF SAID TUBES AND THE ALIGNED OPENINGS IN THE LOWER GRID MEMBER BEING OF SUCH SIZE AS TO SLIDABLY ACCOMMODATE THE REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA PORTIONS OF SAID TUBES, SAID LOWER GRID MEMBER ALSO INCLUDING ADDITIONAL SPACED OPENINGS FOR PERMITTING THE COOLANT TO FLOW FREELY PAST SAID LOWER GRID MEMBER, MOST OF SAID ALUMINUM TUBES EXTENDING ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER AND HAVING AN UPPER END PORTION SHAPED SO AS TO BE ENGAGABLE BY THE END PORTION OF A COACTING ELONGATED PICKUP MEMBER FOR REMOVING SAID TUBES FROM SAID TANK, AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID ENGAGEABLE TUBES CONTAINING A HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF A SOLID MODERATOR AND A MATERIAL FISSIONABLE BY NEUTRONS OF THERMAL ENERGY WHICH CONSTITUTES THE FUEL FOR SAID REACTOR, SAID FUEL CONTAINING TUBES BEING FLUTED ADJACENT THE PORTIONS ENGAGED BY SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER WHEN THE FUEL ELEMENTS ARE IN POSITION WITHIN SAID TANK TO PERMIT THE COOLANT TO FLOW FREELY PAST SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER, AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID ALUMINUM TUBES EXTENDING ABOVE SAID UPPER GRID MEMBER AND CONTAINING VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBERS ACTUATED FROM THE TOP OF SAID REACTOR, SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBERS INCLUDING NEUTRON ABSORBINB MATERIAL FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID REACTOR.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
92 words
A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR, COMPRISING A FLUID TIGHT, ELONGATED TUBE CONTAINING A REACTIVE PORTION FORMED OF A SOLID HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE AND URANIUM, THE URANIUM IN SAID MIXTURE BEING A MIXTURE OF ABOUT 20 PERCENT URANIUM 235 AND THE REMAINDER URANIUM 238, THE RATIO OF THE NUMBER OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO THE NUMBER OF URANAIUM 235 ATOMS BEING APPROXIMATELY 150 TO 1, THE RATIO OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO ZIRCONIUM ATOMS BEING APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 1, AND A BODY OF REFLECTING MATERIAL AT ONE END OF THE TUBE.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
92 words
A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR, COMPRISING A FLUID TIGHT, ELONGATED TUBE CONTAINING A REACTIVE PORTION FORMED OF A SOLID HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE AND URANIUM, THE URANIUM IN SAID MIXTURE BEING A MIXTURE OF ABOUT 20 PERCENT URANIUM 235 AND THE REMAINDER URANIUM 238, THE RATIO OF THE NUMBER OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO THE NUMBER OF URANAIUM 235 ATOMS BEING APPROXIMATELY 150 TO 1, THE RATIO OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO ZIRCONIUM ATOMS BEING APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 1, AND A BODY OF REFLECTING MATERIAL AT ONE END OF THE TUBE.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
138 words
A NEUTRONIC REACTOR HAVING A HIGH, PROMPT NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF REACTIVITY, COMPRISING A REACTOR TANK, A QUANTITY OF WATER IN SAID REACTOR TANK WHICH SERVES BOTH AS A COOLANT AND A MODERATOR, AN ACTIVE CORE WITHIN THE WATER IN SAID TANK, SAID ACTIVE CORE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLUID-TIGHT, ELONGATED TUBES, EACH OF SAID TUBES CONTAINING A SOLID, HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE AND ENRICHED URANIUM, A MAJOR PROPORTION BY WEIGHT OF SAID URANIUM BEING URANIUM 238, SAID ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION BY WEIGHT OF THE MIXTURE WITH THE RATIO OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO ZIRCONIUM ATOMS BEING AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 1, SAID TUBES BEING SPACED WITHIN SAID TANK TO PROVIDE PASSAGEWAYS SURROUNDING EACH OF SAID TUBES, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING WATER TO FLOW IN SAID PASSAGEWAYS IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID TUBES.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
138 words
A NEUTRONIC REACTOR HAVING A HIGH, PROMPT NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF REACTIVITY, COMPRISING A REACTOR TANK, A QUANTITY OF WATER IN SAID REACTOR TANK WHICH SERVES BOTH AS A COOLANT AND A MODERATOR, AN ACTIVE CORE WITHIN THE WATER IN SAID TANK, SAID ACTIVE CORE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLUID-TIGHT, ELONGATED TUBES, EACH OF SAID TUBES CONTAINING A SOLID, HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE OF ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE AND ENRICHED URANIUM, A MAJOR PROPORTION BY WEIGHT OF SAID URANIUM BEING URANIUM 238, SAID ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDE COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION BY WEIGHT OF THE MIXTURE WITH THE RATIO OF HYDROGEN ATOMS TO ZIRCONIUM ATOMS BEING AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 1, SAID TUBES BEING SPACED WITHIN SAID TANK TO PROVIDE PASSAGEWAYS SURROUNDING EACH OF SAID TUBES, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING WATER TO FLOW IN SAID PASSAGEWAYS IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID TUBES.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1967-03-31 | 1967-09-30 | 1968-03-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1971-03-31 | 1971-09-30 | 1972-03-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1975-03-31 | 1975-09-30 | 1976-03-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |