Bwxt Mpower, Inc.

Bwxt Advanced Technologies LLC

Bwxt Nuclear Energy, Inc.

Babcock & Wilcox Mpower, Inc.

Scott Lee Fitzner

Earl Brian Barger

Jeffrey T Lee

Roger D Ridgeway

Scott James Shargots

Ryan Z Ziegler

Roger Dale Ridgeway

Jeffrey W Austin

Michael J Nilles

Emily Fleming

Todd Oswald

Earl B Barger

A fuel rod for a nuclear reactor, including a cladding tube having a first end with an annular end face, a second end with an annular end face, and a cylindrical body portion extending therebetween, and a first tube end plug including a front portion, an annular lip with an annular end face, and a substantially straight cylindrical body portion extending therebetween, wherein the surface area of the annular end face of the first end of the cladding tube and the annular end face of the annular lip of the first tube end plug are substantially equal, and the annular end face of the first end of the cladding tube and the annular end face of the annular lip of the first tube end plug are connected by a resistance pressure weld.

Resistance pressure weld for nuclear reactor fuel rod tube end plug

A nuclear fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor core, the fuel assembly having at least one fuel element including an elongated shell defining an interior volume, a lattice structure disposed within the interior volume, at least one flow channel extending through the lattice structure, at least one lattice site disposed in the lattice structure, and at least one fuel compact disposed within a corresponding one of the at least one lattice site, a first end cap including a boss having a first cross-sectional shape, the first end cap being affixed to a first end of the shell, and a second end cap including a first bore having a second cross-sectional shape, the second end cap being affixed to a second end of the shell, wherein the first cross-sectional shape of the boss is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the bore.

Nuclear reactor fuel assemblies and process for production

A control rod drive mechanism for use in a nuclear reactor including a reactor core disposed in a pressure vessel, including a control rod configured for insertion into the reactor core, a lead screw, the control rod being secured to the bottom end of the lead screw, a drive mechanism including a torque tube having a top end and a bottom end, a pair of segment arms that are pivotably mounted to the torque tube, a pair of roller nuts, each roller nut being rotatably secured to the bottom end of a respective segment arm, and a drive motor including a stator and a rotor secured to the top end of the torque tube that includes a plurality of permanent magnets embedded therein, wherein the stator defines a central bore in which the rotor is disposed, and a latch coil assembly including a latch coil, wherein the latch coil assembly defines a central bore in which the top ends of the segment arms are disposed radially-inwardly of the latch coil.

Control rod drive mechanism with separate latch and drive coils

An open end of a cladding tube of a nuclear fuel rod is plugged with an end plug having a main body and a cylindrical bond portion extending from the main body and terminating in a cladding seat with reduced diameter compared with the cylindrical bond portion. The plugging includes clamping the open end of the cladding tube against the cladding seat of the end plug and, while clamping, applying electrical current between the end plug and the open end of the cladding tube so as to force the open end of the cladding tube over the cladding seat and slide over the cylindrical bond portion of the end plug and to generate a resistance weld between a cylindrical bonding surface of the cylindrical bond portion of the end plug and the inside surface of the open end of the cladding tube.

Resistance welding of an end cap for nuclear fuel rods

A process chamber is configured to contain a work piece in a controlled atmosphere and to perform a process that emits pyrophoric particulates. A closed recirculating loop connected with the process chamber recirculates gas defining the controlled atmosphere through the process chamber. A filter in the closed recirculating loop captures the generated pyrophoric particulates in the recirculating gas. A valve set has a work configuration defining the closed recirculating loop including the connection of the process chamber with the filter, and a filter regeneration configuration in which the filter is blocked off from the process chamber and is connected with an exhaust. A work piece is loaded into the process chamber. With the valve set in the work configuration, the process is performed on the loaded work piece. Thereafter, regeneration gas containing oxygen is delivered to the filter with the valve set in the regeneration configuration.

Systems and methods for performing industrial processes that generate pyrophoric particles

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Appomattox, VA, United States of America

Scott Lee Fitzner