US Patent Issued to BWXT Advanced Technologies on May 12 for "Fuel bundle with twisted ribbon fuel rodlets for nuclear thermal propulsion applications, structures for manufacture, and methods of manufacture" (Virginia Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,626,829, issued on May 12, was assigned to BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC (Lynchburg, Va.).

"Fuel bundle with twisted ribbon fuel rodlets for nuclear thermal propulsion applications, structures for manufacture, and methods of manufacture" was invented by Benjamin D. Fisher (Lynchburg, Va.) and John R. Salasin (Lynchburg, Va.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Fuel bundle has plurality of twisted ribbon fuel rodlets arranged in hexagonal packing or circle packing arrangement in a reactor core encased in a multilayer casing. Arrangement of twisted ribbon fuel rodlets is facilitated by rodlet seating fixture with seating surface having a plurali...