{
  "patent_number": "US 9239385",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Making Special Materials Inside Commercial Nuclear Power Plants",
  "original_title": "Method of producing isotopes in power nuclear reactors",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for using the neutron radiation inside large commercial nuclear power reactors, specifically in their existing instrumentation tubes, to create useful isotopes like those used in medicine or industry.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent outlines a method for producing isotopes in a \"light water commercial power reactor\" that generates at least \"100 mega-watts thermal\" power (Claim 1). The process involves placing a \"non-fissile\" material, called an \"irradiation target,\" into an \"instrumentation tube\" within the reactor (Claim 1). This target is then exposed to the \"neutron flux\" generated by the reactor, causing it to transform into a desired isotope (Claim 1). The placement of the target is carefully chosen based on factors like the half-life of the desired isotope and the neutron absorption rate (Claim 1). For example, a cobalt target could be inserted to produce Cobalt-60, a radioisotope used for medical sterilization.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover producing isotopes using materials that are fissile, meaning they can split and release energy, as the target must be \"non-fissile\" (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover isotope production in reactors that are not \"light water commercial power reactors\" or those generating less than \"100 mega-watts thermal\" (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover placing irradiation targets directly within the reactor's fuel bundles; it specifically uses an \"instrumentation tube\" (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover methods where the containment structure holding the target significantly changes its nuclear properties during the irradiation process (Claim 4).",
    "Does not cover producing isotopes in dedicated research reactors, as it specifies a \"commercial power reactor\" for electrical power production.",
    "Does not cover methods where the target is not positioned based on factors like half-life, irradiation duration, or neutron absorption rate (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2010-09-27",
  "granted": "2016-01-19",
  "expires": "2030-09-27",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "General Electric",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/general-electric",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Steven Bruce Shelton",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/steven-bruce-shelton"
    },
    {
      "name": "Robert Bryant James",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/robert-bryant-james"
    },
    {
      "name": "Russell Patrick Higgins",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/russell-patrick-higgins"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lukas Trosman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/lukas-trosman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Russell Edward Stachowski",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/russell-edward-stachowski"
    },
    {
      "name": "Randy Peter Gonzales",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/randy-peter-gonzales"
    },
    {
      "name": "Russell Morgan Fawcett",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/russell-morgan-fawcett"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael Thomas Kiernan",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-thomas-kiernan"
    },
    {
      "name": "II William Earl Russell",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ii-william-earl-russell"
    },
    {
      "name": "David Grey Smith",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/david-grey-smith"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 5,
  "tags": [
    "nuclear_energy",
    "materials",
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "In a method of producing isotopes in a light water power reactor, one or more targets within the reactor may be irradiated under a neutron flux to produce one or more isotopes. The targets may be assembled into one or more fuel bundles that are to be loaded in a core of the reactor at a given outage. Power operations in the reactor irradiate the fuel bundles so as to generate desired isotopes, such as one or more radioisotopes at a desired specific activity or stable isotopes at a desired concentration.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9239385/method-of-producing-isotopes-in-power-nuclear-reactors",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9239385/method-of-producing-isotopes-in-power-nuclear-reactors/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9239385",
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}