{
  "patent_number": "US 11942229",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a Molten Metal Buffer Improves Heat Transfer in Nuclear Reactors",
  "original_title": "Molten metal fuel buffer in fission reactor and method of manufacture",
  "summary": "This patent describes a nuclear fission reactor design that uses a liquid molten metal to fill gaps between the nuclear fuel and its protective casing, improving heat transfer and reactor safety.",
  "what_it_does": "This fission reactor design improves how heat moves from the nuclear fuel to the cooling system. Each 'heat generating source,' which is the nuclear fuel, is encased by a 'cladding' (Claim 1). Instead of directly touching, a 'molten metal' fills the space between the fuel and the cladding (Claim 2). This molten metal, which can be sodium or lead-bismuth (Claim 10), acts as a thermal buffer, ensuring excellent heat transfer contact (Abstract). The cladding itself has a specific shape, described as a 'hyperboloid of one sheet' in cross-section (Claim 1), which helps define the coolant channels around it. For example, if a small gap forms between the fuel and cladding due to heating or cooling, the liquid molten metal will flow to fill that gap, maintaining consistent heat transfer.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover reactor designs where the nuclear fuel directly contacts the cladding without an intervening molten metal layer.",
    "Does not cover designs where the cladding does not have a cross-sectional shape of a hyperboloid of one sheet.",
    "Does not cover reactors that use a gas or solid material, rather than a molten metal, to fill the space between fuel and cladding.",
    "Does not cover fission reactors where the molten metal is not in thermal transfer contact with both the heat generating source and the cladding."
  ],
  "filed": "2020-04-17",
  "granted": "2024-03-26",
  "expires": "2040-04-17",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "BWXT Advanced Technologies",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/bwxt-advanced-technologies",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Craig D. GRAMLICH",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/craig-d-gramlich"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "energy",
    "mechanical",
    "materials",
    "nuclear_engineering"
  ],
  "abstract": "Fission reactor has a cladding encasing a heat generating source including a fissionable nuclear fuel composition. The heat generating source is offset from the surface of the cladding and molten metal is located within the void space formed by the offset. As a liquid, the molten metal will flow and occupy any contiguous network of void space within the fuel cavity and provides thermal transfer contact between the heat generating source and the cladding. The cladding separates the heat generating source and the molten metal from the primary coolant volume.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11942229/molten-metal-fuel-buffer-in-fission-reactor-and-method-of-manufacture",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11942229/molten-metal-fuel-buffer-in-fission-reactor-and-method-of-manufacture/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11942229",
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}