Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

Terrapower, LLC

Bassem S El-Dasher

Andrew James Bayramian

Joseph Collin Farmer

Kevin J Kramer

James A Demuth

Ken Czerwinski

William M Kerlin

Sharon G Torres

Robert C Petroski

James A DeMuth

Joshua C Walter

Alexander M Rubenchik

Anselmo T Cisneros, Jr

Jeffery F Latkowski

Brian C Kelleher

Aaron J Unger

Anselmo T Cisneros

Jesse R Cheatham, Iii

Jon David McWhirter

Raymond John Beach

Robert J Deri

Charles Gregory Freeman

Christopher J Johns

Edward Ira Moses

Ryan Abbott

Daniel Flowers

Mark A Havstad

Sarath K Menon

John C Post

Terry McNelley

Dan Flowers

Ryan Jr Abbot

Iii Cheatham Jesse R

Kevin Kramer

Jr Cisneros Anselmo T

Jesse R Iii Cheatham

Jeffrey F Latkowski

Jon D Mcwhirter

Jesse R Cheatham

An anti-proliferation technique is disclosed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation due to the use fissionable fuel salts. The technique includes doping the fuel salt with one or more elements (referred to herein as activation dopants) that, upon exposure to neutrons such as would occur in the fuel salt when a reactor is in operation, undergo a nuclear reaction to, directly or indirectly, form highly active 'protecting isotopes' (of the same element as the activation dopant or a different element). A sufficient mass of activation dopants is used so that the Figure of Merit (FOM) of the fuel salt is decreased to below 1.0 within some target number of days of fission. This allows the FOM of the fuel salt to be controlled so that the fuel becomes too dangerous to handle before to the creation of a significant amount of weaponizable isotopes.

Anti-proliferation safeguards for nuclear fuel salts

The present disclosure relates to a system for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material, deposited as a powder bed and forming a substrate. The system makes use of a laser for generating a laser beam, and an optical subsystem. The optical subsystem is configured to receive the laser beam and to generate an optical signal comprised of electromagnetic radiation sufficient to melt or sinter the powdered material. The optical subsystem uses a digitally controlled mask configured to pattern the optical signal as needed to melt select portions of a layer of the powdered material to form a layer of a 3D part. A power supply and at least one processor are also included for generating a plurality of different power density levels selectable based on a specific material composition, absorptivity and diameter of the powder particles, and a known thickness of the powder bed. The powdered material is used to form the 3D part in a sequential layer-by-layer process.

System and method for high power diode based additive manufacturing

The present disclosure relates to a system for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material (PM) forming a substrate. The system uses a first optical subsystem to generate an optical signal comprised of electromagnetic (EM) radiation sufficient to melt or sinter a PM of the substrate. The first optical subsystem is controlled to generate a plurality of different power density levels, with a specific one being selected based on a specific PM forming a powder bed being used to form a 3D part. At least one processor controls the first optical subsystem and adjusts a power density level of the optical signal, taking into account a composition of the PM. A second optical subsystem receives the optical signal from the first optical subsystem and controls the optical signal to help facilitate melting of the PM in a layer-by-layer sequence of operations.

A method is disclosed for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process. A solution is used which has a volatile component within which is suspended particles of a powdered material. The solution is heated until it at least one of begins boiling or is about to begin boiling. The heated solution is then deposited at least at one location on a substrate to help form a layer of the part. The volatile component then evaporates, leaving only the particles of powdered material. The particles are then heated to the melting point. The deposition and heating operations are repeated to successively form a plurality of layers for the part. The evaporation of the volatile component helps to cool the part.

System and method for forming material substrate printer

This disclosure describes systems and methods for synthesizing UClfrom UCl. These systems and methods may also be used to directly synthesize binary and ternary embodiments of uranium salts of chloride usable as nuclear fuel in certain molten salt reactor designs. The systems and methods described herein are capable of synthesizing any desired uranium chloride fuel salt that is a combination of UCl, UCland one or more non-fissile chloride compounds, such as NaCl. In particular, the systems and methods described herein are capable of synthesizing any UCl&#x2014;UCl&#x2014;NaCl or UCl&#x2014;NaCl fuel salt composition from UCl&#x2014;NaCl.

Electro-synthesis of uranium chloride fuel salts

The present disclosure relates to a method of producing a product through additive manufacturing with heat treatment. The method involves using a fusing beam to melt powder particles disposed on a substrate, where the fusing beam is impressed with a two dimensional pattern containing image information from a first layer to be printed. The fused powder particles are then heat treated with a beam impressed with an additional two dimensional pattern. The additional two dimensional pattern has image information from the first layer to achieve heat treatment of the product. The heat treatment is completed prior to laying down additional new layers of material. The heat treatment is an annealing operation. The method may further involve providing a new layer of powdered material on top of the layer of fused powder particles subsequent to the heat treatment, and repeating the melting and heat treating operations in a layer-by-layer fashion using the two dimensional pattern and the additional two dimensional pattern, until the part is completed.

Heat treatment to anneal residual stresses during additive manufacturing

A system of 3D printing using a high temperature 3D print head that functions as a 'modified ink jet' printer. The print head has the ability to print high temperature material such as metal, silicon carbide, and other high temperature material as opposed to inks or plastics. The print head is fabricated from a high temperature material to maintain structural integrity while operation at temperatures above the melting temperature for the material that is being printed.

High temperature additive manufacturing print head

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that utilize neutron-reflecting coolants or a combination of primary salt coolants and secondary neutron-reflecting coolants. Further configurations are described that circulate liquid neutron-reflecting material around an reactor core to control the neutronics of the reactor. Furthermore, configurations which use the circulating neutron-reflecting material to actively cool the containment vessel are also described.

Molten fuel nuclear reactor with neutron reflecting coolant

An apparatus for use in a friction stir operation, such as friction stir welding (FSW) or friction stir processing (FSP). The apparatus may have a rotating tool adapted to be plunged into a material, where the material is susceptible to being softened by heating. The rotating tool may further be adapted to be advanced along a surface of the material. An optical energy generating subsystem may be used to heat a portion of the material using optical energy as the tool is advanced along the material.

System and method for light assisted friction stir processing and welding of metallic and non-metallic materials

An additive manufacturing system having a heat source for melting powder particles in a desired shape and pattern to produce a product. A secondary heat source is used for heat treating the product to achieve heat treatment. The secondary heat source is used to peen or anneal residual stresses caused by the additive manufacturing process.

A system is disclosed for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material forming a substrate. The system may make use of a diode array for generating an optical signal sufficient to melt a powdered material of the substrate. A mask may be used for preventing a first predetermined portion of the optical signal from reaching the substrate, while allowing a second predetermined portion to reach the substrate. At least one processor may be used for controlling an output of the diode array.

Systems and methods are disclosed for manufacturing a three dimensional (3D) part. In one implementation a system in accordance with the present disclosure may make use of an additive manufacturing (AM) subsystem for performing an AM operation to form the 3D part. The 3D part may be formed using a plurality of distinct material layers layered one on top of another. The system may also involve at least one of a laser peening (LP) subsystem and a High Velocity Laser Accelerated Deposition (HVLAD) subsystem. The LP subsystem may be used for laser peening a selected subquantity of the layers, to impart improved hardness to the selected subquantity of the layers and/or to the overall 3D part. The HVLAD subsystem may be used to bond at least one of the material layers to a previously laid down one of the material layers.

Method for enhanced additive manufacturing

Growing community of inventors

Livermore, CA, United States of America

Bassem S El-Dasher