X-Energy, LLC

Howard Kim

Peter J Pappano

Daniel Brown

A metal or ceramic layer may be deposited on nuclear materials by chemical vapor deposition using a non-halogenated liquid organometallic metal precursor. The chemical vapor deposition is carried out by a method including steps of introducing nuclear fuel particles into a fluidized bed reactor, and heating the fluidized bed reactor to a desired operating temperature T. A flow of a carrier gas is initiated through a vaporizer, and the non-halogenated liquid organometallic metal precursor is injected into the vaporizer and vaporized. A first mixture of the carrier gas and the vaporized non-halogenated liquid organometallic metal precursor may be mixed with a gaseous carbon source, a gaseous nitrogen source, a gaseous oxygen source, or a mixture thereof to produce a second mixture; and the second mixture flows into the fluidized bed reactor at operating temperature T, allowing deposition of a desired ceramic coating on the particles. The non-halogenated liquid organometallic metal precursor may be a compound of Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, W, V, Ti, or a mixture thereof.

Deposition of ceramic layers using liquid organometallic precursors

A nuclear reactor has an axially stratified fuel bed. The reactor features a reactor shell having a base, a top having an exhaust outlet, and an axis. The axially stratified fuel bed is within the reactor shell, and includes:

Nuclear reactor with an axially stratified fuel bed

A multi-inlet gas distributor for a fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition reactor that may include a distributor body having an inlet surface, an exit surface opposed to the inlet surface, and a side perimeter surface. The distributor body may also include multiple-inlets evenly spaced from each other, wherein the multiple-inlets penetrate the distributor body from the inlet surface to a first depth. The distributor body may additionally include cone-shaped apertures connecting to corresponding ones of the multiple-inlets at the first depth and extend from the first depth toward the exit surface. An apex may be formed on the exit surface at the intersection of the cone-shaped apertures.

Multi-inlet gas distributor for chemical vapor deposition coating of TRISO particles

A fluidized gas reactor includes a system for preventing a fluidizing gas comprising a reactant from premature reaction. The fluidized gas reactor includes a reaction chamber including a particle bed; a gas distribution plate having a plurality of openings therethrough, wherein each opening opens into the reaction chamber; and a plurality of vertical fluidizing gas inlet tubes, each of the fluidizing gas inlet tubes being in fluid communication with one of the openings in the gas distribution plate. Each fluidizing gas inlet tube is configured to receive a fluidizing gas and transport the fluidizing gas to the reaction chamber. A fluidizing gas source provides a stream of the fluidizing gas to the fluidizing gas inlet tubes. A coolant system prevents the fluidizing gas from undergoing reaction before entering the reaction chamber. The coolant system has a fluid inlet; a coolant flow path in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, the coolant flow path being configured to cool each fluidizing gas inlet tube; and a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the coolant flow path. Each fluidizing gas inlet tube may include a particle outlet and a valve system, where the valve system allows the fluidizing gas flow to the fluidizing gas inlet tubes to be stopped; and allows recovery of particles from the particle bed while the fluidizing gas flow is stopped.

Fluidized bed reactor system allowing particle sampling during an ongoing reaction

Entrained particles from an exhaust gas stream may be removed from the gas stream with a device including a housing having a top, an inner surface, and a bottom with a hole passing therethrough, where the housing further includes an impact surface. An entrance pipe guides the exhaust gas stream into the housing toward the impact surface, and is arranged so that the entrance pipe has an inner diameter x; and the impact surface is separated from the opening of the entrance pipe by a distance y, wherein y is between 3x and &#x2153;x. An exit pipe guide the exhaust gas stream out of the housing. A receptacle is removably connected to the hole in the bottom of the housing. The impact surface diverts the exhaust gas stream from a first flow direction to a second flow direction, causing the entrained particles to fall from the exhaust gas stream into the receptacle before entering the exit pipe.

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Howard Kim