公开(公告)号：US11488731B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-01

申请号：US17080332

申请日：2020-10-26

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Ryan Abbott ,  Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr. ,  Daniel Flowers ,  Charles Gregory Freeman ,  Mark A. Havstad ,  Kevin Kramer ,  Jeffery F. Latkowski ,  Jon D. McWhirter ,  John R. Suyes, III

IPC分类号： G21C15/26 ,  G21C3/54 ,  G21C15/06 ,  G21C11/06 ,  G21C1/03 ,  G21C1/02 ,  G21C11/08

摘要： This disclosure describes various configurations and components of a molten fuel fast or thermal nuclear reactor for managing the operating temperature in the reactor core. The disclosure includes various configurations of direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS) heat exchangers and primary heat exchangers as well as descriptions of improved flow paths for nuclear fuel, primary coolant and DRACS coolant through the reactor components.

公开(公告)号：US20220339292A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-27

申请号：US17725409

申请日：2022-04-20

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Ken Czerwinski ,  Sayandev Chatterjee ,  Zuolei Liao ,  Pyoungchung Kim ,  Vladislav P. Vlasenko ,  Russell C. Ludwig ,  Christopher P. Dunckley

IPC分类号： A61K47/68 ,  A61P35/00 ,  A61K45/06

摘要： In one aspect, the technology relates to a method of producing Ac, the method including preparing a phosphate-modified titania material to produce an ion-exchange material, contacting a solution including 229Th with the ion-exchange material to produce a Th-loaded titania material, eluting the Th-loaded titania material with a wash solution to produce an eluted solution containing eluted compounds including 225Ac, concentrating the eluted solution to generate eluted compounds including the 225Ac, and separating the 225Ac from the eluted compounds.

公开(公告)号：US11373765B2

公开(公告)日：2022-06-28

申请号：US16782652

申请日：2020-02-05

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Ken Czerwinski ,  Bassem S. El-Dasher ,  William M. Kerlin ,  Aaron J. Unger

IPC分类号： G21C3/54 ,  C25B1/00 ,  C25B9/00 ,  B01J19/08 ,  C01G43/08 ,  C25B11/04

摘要： This disclosure describes systems and methods for synthesizing UCl3 from UCl4. These systems and methods may also be used to directly synthesize binary and ternary embodiments of uranium salts of chloride usable as nuclear fuel in certain molten salt reactor designs. The systems and methods described herein are capable of synthesizing any desired uranium chloride fuel salt that is a combination of UCl4, UCl3 and one or more non-fissile chloride compounds, such as NaCl. In particular, the systems and methods described herein are capable of synthesizing any UCl3—UCl4—NaCl or UCl3—NaCl fuel salt composition from UCl4—NaCl.

公开(公告)号：US11170901B2

公开(公告)日：2021-11-09

申请号：US16595064

申请日：2019-10-07

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Jesse R. Cheatham, III ,  Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr. ,  Jeffery F. Latkowski ,  James M. Vollmer ,  Christopher J. Johns

IPC分类号： G21C19/28 ,  G21C7/30 ,  G21C1/22 ,  G21C3/24 ,  G21C1/03 ,  G21C3/54 ,  G21C15/28 ,  G21C19/30 ,  G21C19/50 ,  G21C19/303 ,  G21C19/20 ,  G21C17/104 ,  G21C3/22

摘要： A molten salt reactor includes a nuclear reactor core for sustaining a nuclear fission reaction fueled by a molten fuel salt. A molten fuel salt control system removes a volume of the molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core to maintain a reactivity parameter within a range of nominal reactivity. The molten fuel salt control system includes a molten fuel salt exchange system that fluidically couples to the nuclear reactor core and exchanges a volume of the molten fuel salt with a volume of a feed material containing a mixture of a selected fertile material and a carrier salt. The molten fuel salt control system can include a volumetric displacement control system having one or more volumetric displacement bodies insertable into the nuclear reactor core. Each volumetric displacement body can remove a volume of molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core, such as via a spill-over system.

公开(公告)号：US11145424B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-12

申请号：US16264112

申请日：2019-01-31

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Ryan Abbott ,  Anselmo T. Cisneros ,  Kevin Kramer ,  James A. Roecker ,  Daniel J. Walter ,  Kent E. Wardle

IPC分类号： G21C1/32 ,  G21C3/44 ,  G21C19/04 ,  G21C1/22 ,  G21C7/30 ,  G21C19/28 ,  F22B37/00 ,  G21C1/03 ,  G21C15/18 ,  G21C3/54 ,  G21D1/00 ,  G21D1/04 ,  G21C11/06

摘要： A molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) includes a plurality of reflectors defining a central core having a core geometric center. A flow channel fluidically connected to the central core. The flow channel includes an outlet flow channel downstream of the central core and an inlet flow channel upstream from the central core. A primary heat exchanger (PHX) disposed outside the central core and between the outlet flow channel and the inlet flow channel. The MCFR also includes a decay heat heat exchanger (DHHX). At least a portion of the DHHX is disposed above the core geometric center, and a fuel salt is configured to circulate at least partially through the outlet flow channel, the DHHX, the PHX, the inlet flow channel, and the central core.

公开(公告)号：US20210272707A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-02

申请号：US17130123

申请日：2020-12-22

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Kent E. Wardle

IPC分类号： G21C1/22 ,  G21C15/24

摘要： A molten fuel reactor includes a reactor core having substantially a right-circular cylinder shape with a longitudinal axis. At least one inlet is configured to channel fuel salt into the reactor core. At least one outlet is configured to channel fuel salt out of the reactor core, and the inlet and outlet at least partially define a flow loop of fuel salt with respect to the reactor core. An orifice ring plate is disposed within the reactor core and proximate the at least one inlet. The orifice ring plate is configured to condition a flow of fuel salt entering the reactor core from the at least one inlet. The orifice ring plate extends circumferentially about the longitudinal axis and has a height defined in a direction along the longitudinal axis. The orifice ring plate includes a plurality of apertures configured to allow the flow of fuel salt therethrough.

公开(公告)号：US11075013B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-27

申请号：US16690694

申请日：2019-11-21

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Ryan Abbott ,  Anselmo T. Cisneros, Jr. ,  Mark R. Werner

IPC分类号： G21C1/32 ,  G21C3/54 ,  G21C5/12 ,  G21C1/04 ,  G21C3/04 ,  G21C5/10 ,  G21C5/16 ,  G21C11/08 ,  G21C1/22

摘要： This disclosure describes various configurations and components of a molten fuel fast or thermal nuclear reactor in which one or more primary heat exchangers are located above the reactor core of the nuclear reactor.

公开(公告)号：US11031142B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US14839418

申请日：2015-08-28

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Jesse R. Cheatham, III ,  Mark W. Reed ,  Micah J. Hackett

IPC分类号： G21C7/02 ,  G21C7/06 ,  G21C1/02 ,  G21C7/08

摘要： A fast neutron nuclear reactor contains a nuclear reactor core having an array of device locations. Some device locations in the nuclear reactor core contain fissile and fertile nuclear fuel assembly devices. One or more other device locations in the nuclear reactor core contain Doppler reactivity augmentation devices that amplify the negativity of the Doppler reactivity coefficient within the nuclear reactor core. In some implementations, a Doppler reactivity augmentation device can also reduce the coolant temperature coefficient within the nuclear reactor core. Accordingly, a Doppler reactivity augmentation device contributes to a more stable nuclear reactor core.

公开(公告)号：US20210047568A1

公开(公告)日：2021-02-18

申请号：US17016875

申请日：2020-09-10

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Benjamin L. Goodrich ,  Joshua C. Walter

IPC分类号： C10G1/02 ,  D01F9/32 ,  D01F9/15 ,  C10G1/00 ,  C10B21/08 ,  C10B57/08 ,  C10B57/02 ,  C10B57/14 ,  C10B33/02

摘要： Examples of a flexible pyrolysis system are provided that include at least one reaction chamber capable of pyrolyzing a combination of coal in a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere. The system includes a recuperating and condensing circuit that removes dissolved pyrolysis products from the supercritical CO2 atmosphere and then recovers CO2 for reuse in the reaction chamber. The recuperating and condensing circuit includes multiple stages of recuperators and collectors that can be independently controlled in order to selectively fractionate the pyrolysis products. In addition, the pyrolysis reaction may be controlled to alter the pyrolysis products generated.

公开(公告)号：US20200299588A1

公开(公告)日：2020-09-24

申请号：US16532334

申请日：2019-08-05

申请人： TerraPower, LLC

发明人： Benjamin L. Goodrich ,  Pyoungchung Kim ,  Matthew Targett ,  Joshua C. Walter

IPC分类号： C10C3/08 ,  C01B32/05 ,  D01F9/15

摘要： Embodiments of methods for improving mesophase pitch for carbon fiber production using supercritical carbon dioxide are described. The methods improve the relative amount and quality of mesophase pitch in feedstocks, such as coal tar, already having at least some mesophase pitch. One particular method includes performing a sCO2/toluene extraction on the coal tar to obtain a toluene insoluble fraction of the coal tar; mixing the toluene insoluble fraction with sCO2 to obtain a sCO2/toluene insoluble fraction mixture; and extruding the sCO2/toluene insoluble fraction mixture, thereby separating the sCO2 from the toluene insoluble fraction to obtain fibers of mesophase pitch.