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US 9,793,014 B2Granted
Heat pipe fission fuel element
AssigneeTerraPower, LLC
InventorsCharles E. Ahlfeld, John Rogers Gilleland, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, David G. McAlees, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Thomas Allan Weaver, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Illustrative embodiments provide nuclear fission fuel elements, and systems, applications, apparatuses, and methods related thereto. Illustrative embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, nuclear fission fuel elements, heat pipe assemblies, heat pipes, methods of fabricating a nuclear fission fuel element, methods of fabricating a heat pipe assembly, and the like.
Claims14
A heat pipe comprising:
- a wall section defining a cavity therein, the wall section including at least one portion including nuclear fission fuel material disposed within a wall at a location external to the cavity, the cavity including an evaporator section and a condenser section;
- a capillary structure internal to at least one portion of the wall section, the capillary structure in fluid communication with the cavity;
- and
- a working fluid disposed within the cavity, wherein the working fluid is evaporable to flow from the capillary structure to the cavity in a first direction and condensable to flow from the cavity to the capillary structure in a second direction counter-parallel to the first direction.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.