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4851183 Underground nuclear power station using self-regulating heat-pipe controlled reactors
New Patents
along a track, such as a channel beam, affixed radially above and adjacent to the air prebeater basket. A drive assembly and an idler bracket assembly with a roller chain therebetween are disposed on the channel beam. The carriage assembly is attached to the roller chain and as the carriage is driven, the cleaning assembly is moved along the channel beam. Thus, when the basket, or the air prebeater cleaning apparatus, is rotated and the carriage is moved inward, a circular path of the basket is cleaned. Additionally, a variable speed motor control apparatus is used to increase the air preheater rotational speed as the carriage assembly moves inward, such that the relative speed between the cleaning assembly and the air preheater basket remains constant as inward movement occurs.
v
4832356 CRYOGENIC
Rueven Unger, Mark Kushnir, Kfar Vradim, Israel assigned to ICE Cryogenic Engineering Ltd An integral Stifling cryogenic cooler including a compressor, an expander-displacer portion defining an expansion volume, a cold tip adjacent the expansion volume, a cold tip adjacent the expansion volume, a regenerator heat exchanger and a displacer, a crank shaft arranged to receive input rotary power and to drive the compressor and the displacer, and apparatus for low vibration mounting of the expanderdisplacer portion with respect to the compressor.
4851183 UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR POWER STATION USING SELFREGULATING HEAT-PIPE CONTROLLED REACTORS Viktor E Hampel assigned to The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy A nuclear reactor for generating electricity is disposed underground at the bottom of a vertical hole that can be drilled using conventional drilling technology. The primary coolant of the reactor core is the working fluid in a plurality of thermodynamically coupled heat pipes emplaced in the hole between the heat source at the bottom of the hole and heat exchange means near the surface of the earth. Additionally, the primary coolant (consisting of the working flud in the heat pipes in the reactor core) moderates neutrons and regulates their reactivity, thus keeping the power of the reactor substantially constant. At the end of its useful life, the reactor core may be abandoned in place. Isolation from the atmosphere in case of accident or for abandonment is provided by the operation of explosive closures and mechanical valves emplaced along the hole. This invention combines technology developed and tested for small, highly efficient, space-based nuclear electric power plants with the technology of fast-acting closure mechanisms developed and used for underground testing of nuclear weapons. This invention provides a nuclear power installation which is safe from the worst conceivable reactor accident, namely, the explosion of a nuclear weapon near the ground surface of a nuclear power reactor.
COOLER
4852360 HEAT PUMP
CONTROL
SYSTEM
John H Harshbarger, John H Harshbarger assigned to Visual Information Institute Inc A control system for controlling a heating system having a heat pump and a source of supplemental heat. The indoor heat exchanger temperature is monitored, such as by a thermocouple or the like, and when the temperature falls below a given threshold level, defrost cycling of the heat pump is initiated. The control system monitors the defrost cycling of the heat pump, and when the heat pump is in its defrost cycle for more than a predetermined portion of a heating cycle, the heat pump will be shut down until the outdoor ambient temperature has risen by a predetermined amount or a given interval of time has elapsed.
4852366 HEAT PUMP
AND SYSTEM
Kenneth Harris assigned to Conserve Inc A heat pump installation for generating, for example, either hot water or cool air utilizing a low grade heat source. The installation comprises an oil filled inner tank having mounted and immersed therein an electric motor-compressor unit and an external tank for heating and circulating such water having mounted therein the inner tank in such a manner as to avoid contamination of the oil by the water. Mounted near the bottom of the outer tank in the immediate
along a track, such as a channel beam, affixed radially above and adjacent to the air prebeater basket. A drive assembly and an idler bracket assembly with a roller chain therebetween are disposed on the channel beam. The carriage assembly is attached to the roller chain and as the carriage is driven, the cleaning assembly is moved along the channel beam. Thus, when the basket, or the air prebeater cleaning apparatus, is rotated and the carriage is moved inward, a circular path of the basket is cleaned. Additionally, a variable speed motor control apparatus is used to increase the air preheater rotational speed as the carriage assembly moves inward, such that the relative speed between the cleaning assembly and the air preheater basket remains constant as inward movement occurs.
v
4832356 CRYOGENIC
Rueven Unger, Mark Kushnir, Kfar Vradim, Israel assigned to ICE Cryogenic Engineering Ltd An integral Stifling cryogenic cooler including a compressor, an expander-displacer portion defining an expansion volume, a cold tip adjacent the expansion volume, a cold tip adjacent the expansion volume, a regenerator heat exchanger and a displacer, a crank shaft arranged to receive input rotary power and to drive the compressor and the displacer, and apparatus for low vibration mounting of the expanderdisplacer portion with respect to the compressor.
4851183 UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR POWER STATION USING SELFREGULATING HEAT-PIPE CONTROLLED REACTORS Viktor E Hampel assigned to The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy A nuclear reactor for generating electricity is disposed underground at the bottom of a vertical hole that can be drilled using conventional drilling technology. The primary coolant of the reactor core is the working fluid in a plurality of thermodynamically coupled heat pipes emplaced in the hole between the heat source at the bottom of the hole and heat exchange means near the surface of the earth. Additionally, the primary coolant (consisting of the working flud in the heat pipes in the reactor core) moderates neutrons and regulates their reactivity, thus keeping the power of the reactor substantially constant. At the end of its useful life, the reactor core may be abandoned in place. Isolation from the atmosphere in case of accident or for abandonment is provided by the operation of explosive closures and mechanical valves emplaced along the hole. This invention combines technology developed and tested for small, highly efficient, space-based nuclear electric power plants with the technology of fast-acting closure mechanisms developed and used for underground testing of nuclear weapons. This invention provides a nuclear power installation which is safe from the worst conceivable reactor accident, namely, the explosion of a nuclear weapon near the ground surface of a nuclear power reactor.
COOLER
4852360 HEAT PUMP
CONTROL
SYSTEM
John H Harshbarger, John H Harshbarger assigned to Visual Information Institute Inc A control system for controlling a heating system having a heat pump and a source of supplemental heat. The indoor heat exchanger temperature is monitored, such as by a thermocouple or the like, and when the temperature falls below a given threshold level, defrost cycling of the heat pump is initiated. The control system monitors the defrost cycling of the heat pump, and when the heat pump is in its defrost cycle for more than a predetermined portion of a heating cycle, the heat pump will be shut down until the outdoor ambient temperature has risen by a predetermined amount or a given interval of time has elapsed.
4852366 HEAT PUMP
AND SYSTEM
Kenneth Harris assigned to Conserve Inc A heat pump installation for generating, for example, either hot water or cool air utilizing a low grade heat source. The installation comprises an oil filled inner tank having mounted and immersed therein an electric motor-compressor unit and an external tank for heating and circulating such water having mounted therein the inner tank in such a manner as to avoid contamination of the oil by the water. Mounted near the bottom of the outer tank in the immediate