Patent
Rod assembly for nuclear reactors
| العنوان: | Rod assembly for nuclear reactors |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 9,899,107 |
| تاريخ النشر: | February 20, 2018 |
| Appl. No: | 12/879612 |
| Application Filed: | September 10, 2010 |
| مستخلص: | One embodiment provides a multi-segment rod that includes a plurality of rod segments. The rod segments are removably mated to each other via mating structures in an axial direction. An irradiation target is disposed within at least one of the rod segments, and at least a portion of at least one mating structure includes one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials. |
| Inventors: | Higgins, Russell Patrick (Wilmington, NC, US); Mills, Vernon W. (Wilmington, NC, US); Smith, David Grey (Leland, NC, US); Luciano, Gerald Anthony (Wilmington, NC, US); Van Slyke, Roger Howard (Wilmington, NC, US); Russell, II, William Earl (Wilmington, NC, US); Bloomquist, Bradley D. (Wilmington, NC, US) |
| Assignees: | GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC (Wilmington, NC, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A multi-segment rod, comprising: a plurality of rod segments configured to be in a nuclear reactor, the rod segments removably mated to each other via mating structures in an axial direction; an irradiation target disposed within at least one of the rod segments; and at least a first portion of at least one mating structure including one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials configured to reduce a power increase that would otherwise occur at the first portion of the at least one mating structure during an operational use of the nuclear reactor. |
| Claim: | 2. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials is not nuclear fuel. |
| Claim: | 3. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials includes a same material as the irradiation target. |
| Claim: | 4. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials does not include a same material as the irradiation target. |
| Claim: | 5. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has a neutron absorption rate that is about equal to a neutron absorption rate of the irradiation target. |
| Claim: | 6. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has an atomic weight greater than 3. |
| Claim: | 7. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rod segments at least includes a first rod segment removably mated to a second rod segment, the first rod segment having a male connection member, and the second rod segment having a female connection member receiving the male connection member. |
| Claim: | 8. The rod of claim 7 , wherein the male connection member of the first rod segment includes the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials. |
| Claim: | 9. The rod of claim 8 , wherein a portion of the female connection member includes the one and/or more combinations of the same and/or a different neutron absorbing material as the male connection member. |
| Claim: | 10. The rod of claim 7 , wherein the female connection member of the second rod segment includes the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials. |
| Claim: | 11. The rod of claim 10 , wherein a portion of the male connection member includes the one and/or more combinations of the same and/or a different neutron absorbing material as the female connection member. |
| Claim: | 12. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rod segments at least includes a first rod segment removably mated to a second rod segment, the first rod segment having a first male connection member, the second rod segment having a second male connection member, and a sleeve member having a first female connection member and a second female connection member, the first female connection member receiving the first male connection member and the second female connection member receiving the second male connection member. |
| Claim: | 13. The rod of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first and second male connection members includes the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials. |
| Claim: | 14. The rod of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first and second male connection members includes separate portions including the one and/or more combinations of the same and/or a different neutron absorbing material. |
| Claim: | 15. The rod of claim 12 , wherein the sleeve member includes the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials. |
| Claim: | 16. The rod of claim 15 , wherein a portion of at least one of the first and second male connection members includes the one and/or more combinations of the same and/or a different neutron absorbing material as the female connection member. |
| Claim: | 17. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the rod segments are individually cladded, the rod segments form a continuous multi-segment rod having continuous cladding in the axial direction when so mated in the axial direction. |
| Claim: | 18. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation target is not nuclear fuel. |
| Claim: | 19. The rod of claim 1 , wherein at least one rod segment contains at least one container assembly, the container assembly including, a first end, a second end, the irradiation target, and an end cap configured to attach to at least one of the first and the second end to seal the irradiation target inside of the container assembly. |
| Claim: | 20. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation target includes one of Cobalt Co-59, Molybdenum-99, Chromium-50, Copper-63, Dysprosium-164, Erbium-168, Holmium-165, Iodide-130, Iridium-191, Iron-58, Lutetium-176, Palladium-102, Phosphorus-31, Posassium-41, Rhenium-185, Samarium-152, Selenium-74, Sodium-23, Strontium-88, Ytterbium-168, Ytterbium-176, Yttrium-89, and Xenon-132. |
| Claim: | 21. A fuel bundle for use in a nuclear reactor, the fuel bundle comprising: a plurality of rods, at least one of the rods being a multi-segment rod, each multi-segment rod including, a plurality of rod segments, the rod segments removably mated to each other via mating structures in an axial direction; an irradiation target disposed within at least one of the rod segments; and at least a first portion of at least one mating structure including one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials configured to reduce a power increase that would otherwise occur at the first portion of the at least one mating structure during an operational use of the nuclear reactor; and a plurality of spacers, each spacer being spaced apart from other spacers in the axial direction, each spacer directly contacting only one of the mating structures along the axial length of the multi-segment rod. |
| Claim: | 22. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has a different neutron absorption rate than a second portion of the at least one mating structure and the plurality of rod segments, the second portion of the at least one mating structure not being the at least a first portion of the at least one mating structure. |
| Claim: | 23. The rod of claim 6 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has an atomic weight of less than 90. |
| Claim: | 24. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials includes one or more of Cobalt Co-59, Molybdenum-99, Chromium-50, Copper-63, Dysprosium-164, Erbium-168, Holmium-165, Iodide-130, Iridium-191, Iron-58, Lutetium-176, Palladium-102, Phosphorus-31, Posassium-41, Rhenium-185, Samarium-152, Selenium-74, Sodium-23, Strontium-88, Ytterbium-168, Ytterbium-176, Yttrium-89, and Xenon-132. |
| Claim: | 25. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials is a different material from the irradiation target. |
| Claim: | 26. The rod of claim 1 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has a higher neutron absorption rate than a second portion of the at least one mating structure and the plurality of rod segments, the second portion of the at least one mating structure not being the at least a first portion of the at least one mating structure. |
| Claim: | 27. The fuel bundle of claim 21 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials includes one or more of Cobalt Co-59, Molybdenum-99, Chromium-50, Copper-63, Dysprosium-164, Erbium-168, Holmium-165, Iodide-130, Iridium-191, Iron-58, Lutetium-176, Palladium-102, Phosphorus-31, Posassium-41, Rhenium-185, Samarium-152, Selenium-74, Sodium-23, Strontium-88, Ytterbium-168, Ytterbium-176, Yttrium-89, and Xenon-132. |
| Claim: | 28. The fuel bundle of claim 21 , wherein the one and/or more combinations of neutron absorbing materials has a higher neutron absorption rate than a second portion of the at least one mating structure and the plurality of rod segments, the second portion of the at least one mating structure not being the at least a first portion of the at least one mating structure. |
| Patent References Cited: | 2890158 June 1959 Ohlinger et al. 3158546 November 1964 Cordova 3229096 January 1966 Bonilla et al. 3269915 August 1966 Ransohoff et al. 3282655 November 1966 Case et al. 3745069 July 1973 Sofer et al. 3955093 May 1976 Quinby 3998691 December 1976 Shikata et al. 4196047 April 1980 Mitchem et al. 4284472 August 1981 Pomares et al. 4393510 July 1983 Lang et al. 4462956 July 1984 Boiron et al. 4475948 October 1984 Cawley et al. 4493813 January 1985 Loriot et al. 4500888 February 1985 Brandigampola 4532102 July 1985 Cawley 4597936 July 1986 Kaae 4617985 October 1986 Triggs et al. 4650635 March 1987 Le Rat et al. 4663111 May 1987 Kim et al. 4729903 March 1988 McGovern et al. 4782231 November 1988 Svoboda et al. 4818468 April 1989 Jungerman et al. 4859431 August 1989 Ehrhardt 4908515 March 1990 McLeod 5009837 April 1991 Nguyen et al. 5053186 October 1991 Vanderheyden et al. 5145636 September 1992 Vanderhevden et al. 5291533 March 1994 Orr 5309489 May 1994 Tate et al. 5347550 September 1994 Tanabe et al. 5349619 September 1994 Mochida et al. 5355394 October 1994 Van Geel et al. 5377247 December 1994 Yoshioka et al. 5394275 February 1995 Iketani et al. 5400375 March 1995 Suzuki et al. 5513226 April 1996 Baxter et al. 5596611 January 1997 Ball 5633900 May 1997 Hassal 5682409 October 1997 Caine 5758254 May 1998 Kawamura et al. 5867546 February 1999 Hassal 5871708 February 1999 Park et al. 5910971 June 1999 Ponomarev-Stepnoy et al. 5987087 November 1999 Zhuikov 6011825 January 2000 Welch et al. 6056929 May 2000 Hassal 6160862 December 2000 Wiencek et al. 6233299 May 2001 Wakabayashi 6299666 October 2001 Apostolidis et al. 6347130 February 2002 Nylund 6456680 September 2002 Abalin et al. 6516043 February 2003 Chaki et al. 6678344 January 2004 O'Leary et al. 6751280 June 2004 Mirzadeh et al. 6804319 October 2004 Mirzadeh et al. 6895064 May 2005 Ritter 6896716 May 2005 Jones 7139360 November 2006 Lahoda 7157061 January 2007 Meikrantz et al. 7235216 June 2007 Kiselev et al. 7526058 April 2009 Fawcett et al. 7781637 August 2010 Russell, II et al. 2002/0034275 March 2002 Abalin et al. 2003/0012325 January 2003 Kernert et al. 2003/0016775 January 2003 Jamriska, Sr. et al. 2003/0103896 June 2003 Smith 2003/0179844 September 2003 Filippone 2004/0064010 April 2004 Wagner 2004/0091421 May 2004 Aston et al. 2004/0105520 June 2004 Carter 2004/0196942 October 2004 Mirzadeh et al. 2004/0196943 October 2004 Di Caprio 2005/0105666 May 2005 Mirzadeh et al. 2005/0118098 June 2005 Vincent et al. 2006/0062342 March 2006 Gonzalez Lepera et al. 2006/0126774 June 2006 Kim et al. 2007/0133731 June 2007 Fawcett et al. 2007/0297554 December 2007 Lavie et al. 2008/0031811 February 2008 Ryu et al. 2008/0076957 March 2008 Adelman 2009/0122946 May 2009 Fawcett et al. 2009/0135989 May 2009 Russell, II et al. 2009/0135990 May 2009 Poon et al. 2010/0030008 February 2010 Russell, II et al. 2073214 September 2013 2647945 December 1990 2065955 July 1981 S61206900 December 1986 2006162613 June 2006 2009133856 June 2009 2009150881 July 2009 2010032512 February 2010 |
| Other References: | Search Report issued in connection with EP Application No. 11180346.6 dated Oct. 22, 2012. cited by applicant European Search Report dated Jul. 1, 2009. cited by applicant Borschev et al., “Possibilities for producing radionuclides in nuclear power plants,” Atomic Energy, Vo. 95, No. 6, 2003. cited by applicant Unofficial English translation of a JP Office Action dated Jan. 28, 2014, issued in connection with corresponding JP Patent Application No. 2011-195608. cited by applicant |
| Primary Examiner: | O'Connor, Marshall P |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Harness, Dickey & Pierce |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.09899107 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |