Patents
US 10614922 B2: Non-invasive in-situ imaging of interior of nuclear reactors
- Granted
- 2020-04-07
- Filed
- 2015-04-01 application 14676636
- Type
- Utility · 22 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for non-invasive monitoring and imaging of nuclear fuel inside a nuclear reactor using muon detector arrays. In one aspect, these detector arrays are placed outside the reactor vessel or building for investigating the reactors without access to the cores, therefore the imaging process is non-invasive. In some implementation, these detector arrays measure both muon scattering and absorption to enable imaging and characterizing not only the very high-Z fuel materials, but also other materials in the reactor, thereby obtaining a more complete picture of reactor status. When applied to damaged reactors, the disclosed proposed techniques, systems, and devices, through the process of providing an image, can reveal the presence (or absence) of damage to fuel rod assemblies or puddles of molten fuel at the bottom of the containment vessel, thus providing crucial information to guide decisions about remedial actions.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg200407.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision Sciences International Corporation 43 patents | US company or organization | Poway, CA | DECISION SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state Decision Sciences International Corp Form D issuer FUZZY medium confidence: same name (legal endings aside) and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Casteel Milner | Santa Fe, NM | 4 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Konstantin N. Borozdin | Los Alamos, NM | 7 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Christopher L. Morris | Los Alamos, NM | 13 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Haruo Miyadera | Los Alamos, NM | 5 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| John Oliver Perry | Los Alamos, NM | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| G21C | Nuclear reactors | G21C17/06 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| G01N | Investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties | G01N23/04 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| G01F | Measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level; metering by volume | G01F23/288 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| Y02E | Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution | Y02E30/30 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-20 | Security interest Security interest Security interest | DECISION SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION signed 2026-04-17 | KROLL AGENCY SERVICES (US) LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 75477/738 | PASDL, file of 2026-10-15 |
| 2018-11-08 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC signed 2018-11-01 | TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC LOS ALAMOS, NM | 47485/173 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2017-11-02 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | MIYADERA, HARUO signed 2015-03-03 | LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC LOS ALAMOS, NM | 44022/172 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2015-06-23 | Government interest Confirmatory license | LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY signed 2015-04-13 | U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON, DC | 35882/897 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2015-04-01 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | BOROZDIN, KONSTANTIN N. signed 2015-03-25 MORRIS, CHRISTOPHER L. signed 2015-03-25 PERRY, JOHN OLIVER signed 2015-03-25 MILNER, EDWARD CASTEEL signed 2015-03-27 | LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC LOS ALAMOS, NM | 35315/495 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.