The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 22, 2016
Filed:
Apr. 19, 2012
David L. Stucker, Chapin, SC (US);
Robert J. Fetterman, Gibsonia, PA (US);
Jeffrey L. Bradfute, Irmo, SC (US);
David L. Stucker, Chapin, SC (US);
Robert J. Fetterman, Gibsonia, PA (US);
Jeffrey L. Bradfute, Irmo, SC (US);
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA (US);
Abstract
An advanced initial core fuel configuration is for improving the fuel management efficiency and thus economics for a nuclear reactor. A method of implementing such an initial core involves providing a plurality of fuel assemblies having different average enrichments of uranium 235 and arranging the fuel assemblies in an initial core configuration structured to emulate a known equilibrium reload cycle core at least in terms of spatial reactivity distribution. The resulting average enrichment within the initial core ranges from below about 1.0 percent weight of uranium 235 to about 5.0 percent weight of uranium 235. An advanced lattice design is also disclosed.