U.S. Patent Number 12,381,466 – Compact Annular Linear Induction Pump
Every Tuesday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office publishes newly granted patents. This blog post is part of a weekly series in which I pick an interesting new patent that has Idaho connections and briefly describe it.
Inventor: Bryce D. Kelly (Idaho Falls, ID)
Assignee: United States Department of Energy
As discussed in the background section of this patent, after the U.S. developed sodium cooled nuclear reactors in the 1950s, this reactor type never enjoyed mainstream use. Recently, however, interest in sodium cooled nuclear reactors has increased due to their “breed & burn” design and their ability to be manufactured and deployed as microreactors.
“Breed & burn” reactors are desirable because they can use spent fuel and generate more fissile material during operation.
The sodium cooled nuclear reactor is defined by its molten sodium coolant. One improvement needed for this reactor type is an electromagnetic pump that can transport the molten sodium.
The invention described in this patent has a duct through which the molten sodium coolant passes, a stator around the duct, and an inner core surrounded by the duct. Molten sodium is a paramagnetic fluid that can be moved by an electromagnetic field generated by the stator.
The stator contains evenly spaced slots, divisible by three to correspond with a three-phase electrical system, each slot housing a coil. Three conductors, wired in series, alternate through the stator slots so that every third coil belongs to one of the conductors. Applying a three-phase current to the conductors generates a magnetic field, inducing the sodium coolant to move through the duct.