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US 2018/0122523 A1Published application
Controllable long term operation of a nuclear reactor
AssigneeTerraPower, LLC
InventorsRoderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Lowell L. Wood, JR.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Exemplary embodiments provide automated nuclear fission reactors and methods for their operation. Exemplary embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, re-use of nuclear fission fuel, alternate fuels and fuel geometries, modular fuel cores, fast fluid cooling, variable burn-up, programmable nuclear thermostats, fast flux irradiation, temperature-driven surface area/volume ratio neutron absorption, low coolant temperature cores, refueling, and the like.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- controlling spatial position as a function of time of a propagating nuclear deflagration wave within a burning wavefront heat generating region of a nuclear fission reactor core by moving one or more neutron modifying structures relative to the burning wavefront heat generating region, wherein the one or more neutron modifying structures include nuclear fuel as a neutron absorber.
A system comprising:
- a nuclear fission reactor core;
- one or more neutron modifying structures including fuel as a neutron absorber;
- and
- a control system configured to control spatial position as a function of time of a propagating nuclear fission deflagration wave within a burning wavefront heat generating region of the nuclear fission reactor core by moving the one or more neutron modifying structures relative to the burning wavefront heat generating region.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.