Nobuo Miwa

Title: Nobuo Miwa’s Patents in Nuclear Fuel Assembly Technology.

Introduction

Nobuo Miwa is an inventor based in Ibaraki, Japan. His patent work includes equipment designed to improve the assembly and maintenance of nuclear fuel assemblies. He is associated with Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd., and has 4 patents.

Latest Patents

Miwa’s patent, “Apparatus for Removing Keys from Support Grid,” describes equipment for removing keys from the support grids of a fuel assembly. A robotic arm holds the grid with movable support members, while dedicated devices rotate and move the keys along their axes. The design aims to make key removal smoother and more reliable while enabling mechanization and automation of the operation.

His “Apparatus for Assembling Nuclear Fuel Assembly” patent concerns loading designated fuel rods into corresponding grid cells. Air-pressure-operated cylinders push the rods from a magazine into the grids, while support rollers help prevent the rods from sagging. This arrangement is intended to reduce scraping against grid straps and avoid potentially harmful surface scratches.

Career Highlights

Miwa’s described inventions address two stages of nuclear fuel assembly work: positioning fuel rods during assembly and removing keys from support grids. Both focus on specialized equipment to support precise, reliable operations.

Collaborations

Miwa is associated with Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd. His listed coworkers include Katsunori Ohuchi and Masashi Yoshida.

Conclusion

Nobuo Miwa’s patent work focuses on practical equipment for assembling and maintaining nuclear fuel assemblies, with an emphasis on precision, reliability, and automation.