US4722827A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Zirconium and hafnium with low oxygen and iron
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1985-09-26
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Granted: 1988-02-02
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Expires: 2005-09-26
Abstract
Abstract This is a high quality zirconium or hafnium sponge, a fuel element cladding liner having material of the quality of this sponge and a process utilizing this quality sponge to fabricate liner material for lined fuel element cladding. The sponge contains 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-300 ppm of iron impurity, and a total of 500-1,000 ppm of impurity. This material is much purer than conventional sponge and approaches the quality of crystal bar.
Inventors
- 👤 Young J. Kwon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:42
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B34/00; C22B34/10; C22B34/14; C22B5/00; C22B5/02; C22B5/04; G; G21; G21C; G21C3/00; G21C3/02; G21C3/04; G21C3/06; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E30/00; Y02E30/30; Y10; Y10S; Y10S376/00; Y10S376/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A high purity zirconium sponge or hafnium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being zirconium or hafnium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
61 words
A high purity zirconium sponge or hafnium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being zirconium or hafnium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The sponge of claim 1, wherein the total impurities comprise aluminum impurity of less than 20 ppm, uranium impurity of less than 1 ppm, and phosphorous impurity of less than 5 ppm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
A high purity zirconium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being zirconium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
A high purity zirconium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being zirconium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The sponge of claim 3, wherein the total impurities comprise aluminum impurity of less than 20 ppm and phosphorous impurity of less than 5 ppm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The sponge of claim 4, wherein the total impurities further comprise uranium impurity of less than 1 ppm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
A high purity hafnium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being hafnium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
A high purity hafnium sponge, said sponge consisting of 250-about 350 ppm of oxygen impurity, 50-350 ppm of iron impurity, total impurities of 500-1,000 ppm, with the remainder being hafnium, whereby an inexpensive intermediate product is provided which can be processed for use in applications requiring high purity material, without resorting to expensive crystal bar processing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The sponge of claim 6, wherein the total impurities comprise aluminum impurity of less than 20 ppm and phosphorous impurity of less than 5 ppm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The sponge according to claim 7, wherein the total impurities further comprise uranium impurity of less than 1 ppm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-02-01 | 1991-08-03 | 1992-02-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-02-01 | 1995-08-03 | 1996-02-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-02-01 | 1999-08-03 | 2000-02-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |