G21C 17/06
Devices or arrangements for monitoring or testing fuel or fuel elements outside
Official title: Devices or arrangements for monitoring or testing fuel or fuel elements outside the reactor core, e.g. for burn-up, for contamination (G21C17/08, G21C17/10 take precedence; detecting leaking fuel elements during reactor operation G21C17/04)
G21C17/06 (Devices or arrangements for monitoring or testing fuel or fuel elements outside) appears on 396 US grants and 207 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in G21C- Granted patents
- 396
- Published applications
- 207
- Assignees
- 155
- Inventors
- 906
- Latest grant
- 17 Mar 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 8 | 0 |
| 1977 | 13 | 0 |
| 1978 | 11 | 0 |
| 1979 | 7 | 0 |
| 1980 | 12 | 0 |
| 1981 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | 7 | 0 |
| 1983 | 9 | 0 |
| 1984 | 6 | 0 |
| 1985 | 7 | 0 |
| 1986 | 9 | 0 |
| 1987 | 24 | 0 |
| 1988 | 12 | 0 |
| 1989 | 13 | 0 |
| 1990 | 11 | 0 |
| 1991 | 15 | 0 |
| 1992 | 15 | 0 |
| 1993 | 9 | 0 |
| 1994 | 6 | 0 |
| 1995 | 9 | 0 |
| 1996 | 10 | 0 |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 |
| 1998 | 5 | 0 |
| 1999 | 6 | 0 |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 |
| 2002 | 8 | 6 |
| 2003 | 9 | 7 |
| 2004 | 1 | 2 |
| 2005 | 5 | 6 |
| 2006 | 2 | 9 |
| 2007 | 3 | 6 |
| 2008 | 3 | 6 |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 |
| 2010 | 4 | 11 |
| 2011 | 2 | 11 |
| 2012 | 8 | 13 |
| 2013 | 7 | 8 |
| 2014 | 12 | 2 |
| 2015 | 7 | 8 |
| 2016 | 7 | 9 |
| 2017 | 4 | 6 |
| 2018 | 1 | 10 |
| 2019 | 8 | 8 |
| 2020 | 12 | 11 |
| 2021 | 9 | 16 |
| 2022 | 9 | 8 |
| 2023 | 10 | 11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 15 |
| 2025 | 11 | 7 |
| 2026 | 2 | 6 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
Recent patents
- Robust automatic tracking of individual triso-fueled pebbles through a novel application of x-ray imaging and machine learning17 Mar 2026US 12,580,089 B2University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
- Process for aiding the detection of migrating bodies within a fuel assembly24 Feb 2026US 12,562,290 B2Electricite de France
- Molten salt sampling system and methods of use thereof11 Nov 2025US 12,467,831 B2Georgia Tech Research Corporation
- System and procedure for inspection of the surface of a nuclear fuel rod for the automatic detection, location and characterization of defects7 Oct 2025US 12,437,889 B2Enusa Industrias Avanzadas, S.A., S.M.E
- Nuclear component testing23 Sep 2025US 12,424,341 B2
- Device and method for mechanically testing a tubular nuclear fuel cladding sample under accident conditions24 Sep 2026US 2026/0290637 A1Commissariat A L' Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
- Eddy current devices and methods for fuel channel inspection17 Sep 2026US 2026/0276591 A1Ontario Power Generation Inc.
- Robust automatic tracking of individual triso-fueled pebbles through a novel application of x-ray imaging and machine learning2 Jul 2026US 2026/0188532 A1University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
- Core component assembly including test samples for an in-core accelerated irradiation test18 Jun 2026US 2026/0171273 A1Westinghouse Electric Corp.
- System and method for detecting leaks in a nuclear fuel pool assembly23 Apr 2026US 2026/0112512 A1Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Most cited
By later US patents
- In-situ self-powered monitoring of stored spent nuclear fuel76US 6,252,923 B1Westinghouse Electric Corp. · 2001
- Optical scanning apparatus for indicia imprinted about a cylindrical axis66US 4,636,846 AThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy · 1987
- Determining fissile content of nuclear fuel elements65US 4,229,654 AGeneral Electric Company · 1980
- Method and apparatus for inspection of nuclear fuel rods57US 4,016,749 A1977
- Optical inspection system49US 4,532,723 AGeneral Electric Company · 1985