Patents
US 12754332 B2: Real-time change detection monitoring using isotopic ratio signatures
- Granted
- 2026-10-06
- Filed
- 2023-10-13 application 18379901
- Type
- Utility · 10 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A system and a method for the remote monitoring of an irradiated salt mass within a decay enclosure is provided. The system and the method determine a mass ratio of a first radioisotope relative to a second radioisotope, the second radioisotope having a significantly shorter half-life than the first radioisotope. In addition, the second radioisotope includes a shorter half-life than an effective half-life of the decay enclosure, and the first radioisotope includes a longer half-life than the effective half-life of the decay enclosure. The mass ratio quickly decreases outside of a target range after material diversion, while remaining below the target range for several years. As a consequence, the isotopic mass ratio presents a rapid and enduring indicator of inventory change, which is of extreme importance in detecting a diversion of the irradiated salt mass, which remains a potential proliferation target.
Source: PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 (ipgb20261006.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT-BATTELLE, LLC 1,197 patents | US company or organization | Oak Ridge, TN | UT-BATTELLE, LLC State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Reed | Knoxville, TN | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 | ||
| Eva Uribe | Snoqualmie, WA | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 | ||
| Louise G. Worrall | Maryville, TN | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 | ||
| Thomas J. Harrison | Knoxville, TN | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| G01T | Measurement of nuclear or x-radiation | G01T1/30 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 |
| G21C | Nuclear reactors | G21C19/50 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-10-06 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
No recorded assignments or security interests on file for this patent.
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.