Lightbridge Corporation, an advanced nuclear fuel technology company, announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance for a key divisional patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office related to Lightbridge’s innovative metallic nuclear fuel assemblies.
This is a divisional application based on a 2011 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application. The allowed claims include two independent claims: (1) The first independent claim covers a fuel assembly that includes fuel elements with a fuel kernel that comprises delta-phase UZr2 and has a moderator-to-fuel ratio in a region of the fuel elements of 2.4 or less and (2) The second independent claim covers a fuel assembly that includes fuel elements having a spirally twisted, multi-lobed profile that defines a plurality of spiral spacer ribs with cladding that is thicker at tips than at intersections.
Seth Grae, President and CEO of Lightbridge commented: “We are proud to add this latest Notice of Allowance to our growing portfolio of intellectual property that supports our strategy to commercialize Lightbridge Fuel™ in the United States. Our intellectual property serves as the foundation for our continued growth and is a testament to the ingenuity and hard work of our team that constantly pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the nuclear industry.”
Lightbridge Fuel has been designed to enhance the safety and economics of nuclear power for both existing reactors and small modular reactors that are being developed. Lightbridge has patents pending in various countries around the world, including the United States, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Eurasia, and Australia, as well as additional patents pending in Europe and China.
About Lightbridge Corporation
Lightbridge Corporation is focused on developing advanced nuclear fuel technology essential for delivering abundant, zero-emission, clean energy and providing energy security to the world. The Company is developing Lightbridge Fuel™, a proprietary next-generation nuclear fuel technology for existing light water reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors, significantly enhancing reactor safety, economics, and proliferation resistance. The company is also developing Lightbridge Fuel for new Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to bring the same benefits plus load-following with renewables on a zero-carbon electric grid.