Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC

Robert C O'Brien

Henry S Chu

Michael Paul Bakas

Steven K Cook

Allen A Beasley

Owen O Abe

Methods and systems for producing feedstock powders, suitable for use in laser-based additive manufacturing, use laser ablation to vaporize a source material, which may be in bulk solid or solid coarse grain form. The source material is vaporized by a laser (or other focused energy source) in a vaporization chamber that is temperature controlled to provide a vertical thermal gradient. The vertical thermal gradient may be controlled to, in turn, control the nucleation, coagulation, and agglomeration of the vaporized molecules, enabling formation of microparticles that may then be used as feedstock powders in laser-based additive manufacturing. The produced feedstock powder particles may be of uniform composition, of uniform shape (e.g., substantially spherical), and of uniform phase or homogeneously mixed phases.

Laser ablation methods for producing feedstock powder suitable for laser-based additive manufacturing

A sensor assembly for determining an operating characteristic of a nuclear reactor. The sensor assembly includes a solid-state lasing media and an optical fiber. The solid-state lasing media is doped with a fissile species. The solid-state lasing media is disposable within a core of the nuclear reactor and is configured to generate laser light. An output of the laser light is based at least in part by the fissile species. The optical fiber is operably coupled to the solid-state lasing media and configured to receive the laser light generated by the solid-state lasing media. The optical fiber is configured to extend out of the core of the nuclear reactor to a control system of the nuclear reactor.

Sensor assemblies and nuclear reactor systems comprising doped solid-state lasing media for use in determining an operating characteristic of a nuclear reactor, and related methods

A method of forming a fuel rod for a nuclear reactor comprises disposing a powder comprising particles of a fuel material on a substrate, exposing the powder to energy from an energy source to form a first layer of a nuclear fuel, the first layer comprising inter-granular bonds between the particles of the fuel material, disposing additional powder comprising particles of the fuel material over the first layer of the nuclear fuel, and exposing the additional powder to energy from the energy source to form a second layer of the nuclear fuel and to form the nuclear fuel to have a void fraction greater than about 0.20, the second layer comprising inter-granular bonds between the additional powder and the first layer of the nuclear fuel. Related nuclear fuels comprising a porous structure, fuel rods, nuclear reactors, and methods are disclosed.

Methods of forming fuel rods comprising porous fuel materials

A method of forming silicon carbide by spark plasma sintering comprises loading a powder comprising silicon carbide into a die and exposing the powder to a pulsed current to heat the powder at a rate of between about 50&#xb0; C./min and about 200&#xb0; C./min to a peak temperature while applying a pressure to the powder. The powder is exposed to the peak temperature for between about 30 seconds and about 5 minutes to form a sintered silicon carbide material and the sintered silicon carbide material is cooled. Related structures and methods are disclosed.

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Idaho Falls, ID, United States of America

Robert C O'Brien