Patents Examined by David C Mellon
  • Patent number: 11406919
    Abstract: A flocculation and sedimentation apparatus has: sedimentation tank that causes flocs in raw water to be sedimented and separated; sludge concentration tank that is surrounded by sedimentation tank and that collects and concentrates the flocs; and raw water supply mechanism having center line that passes through sludge concentration tank, wherein raw water supply mechanism rotates about center line and supplies the raw water to sedimentation tank. Raw water supply mechanism includes: raw water introducing portion that is located on center line and to which the raw water is introduced, raw water supply port that is open at a lower portion of an inner space of sedimentation tank and that supplies the raw water to sedimentation tank, and pipe portion that communicates both with raw water introducing portion and with raw water supply port and that extends above sludge concentration tank in a direction away from center line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: ORGANO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Rintarou Maeda
  • Patent number: 11401172
    Abstract: A filtration system can comprise a pressure pump configured to apply a pressure on fluid flowing between a first chamber and a second chamber. The filtration system can also comprise a flow sensor configured to determine at least one parameter associated with fluid flowing across a membrane deposited between the first chamber and a second chamber. The filtration system can comprise a pressure sensor configured to determine pressure readings of the fluid flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber. The filtration system can comprise a filtration management system configured to cause the pressure pump to apply a constant pressure on fluid flowing across the membrane for a first predetermined time based on the pressure reading. The filtration management system can be configured to cause the pressure pump to reverse the fluid flow across the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: INTELLIFLUX CONTROLS
    Inventors: Eric M. V. Hoek, Subir Bhattacharjee, Gil Hurwitz
  • Patent number: 11396468
    Abstract: A high salinity water purification system and process, including a forward osmosis system and a reverse osmosis or nanofiltration system. A concentrated brine of a zinc or iron complex combined with a salt or acid draws pure water across the FO membrane from the influent water. The diluted brine is pumped through a vessel holding an anionic adsorption media to remove the zinc or iron complex and the resultant brine is passed through the RO or nanofiltration system to obtain purified water and a concentrated brine stream. The adsorption media is regenerated by a rinse cycle using fresh water or water from the RO system, removing the zinc or iron complex adhered to the media. The resultant brine is stored and mixed with the output of the RO system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Aphinity
    Inventor: Stephen M. Mosher
  • Patent number: 11391408
    Abstract: The present invention is related to an intelligent and durable buried drainage pipe involving a method of separation and transmission. The intelligent and durable buried drainage pipe of the present invention includes an inner (11) and an outer (12) pipe. The outer pipe (12) is longer than the inner pipe (11); a permanent magnet (2) is installed on a section of the outer pipe (12) that is longer than the inner pipe (11). At least one electromagnet (3) is fixed at intervals from the permanent magnet (2); the energized electromagnet (3) can attract the permanent magnet (2) causing it to slide. The end of the electromagnet (3) facing the permanent magnet (2) is provided with a distance sensor (6), and the switch is turned on/off by the distance sensor (6). An elastic telescopic member (4) is arranged between the permanent magnet (2) and the electromagnet (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: CHANGSHA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Zhiqiang Liu, Jie Wen, Chengjie Jiang
  • Patent number: 11375676
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for treating irrigation water by introducing a propagating electromagnetic field into the irrigation water as it flows through an irrigation system. The treatments described herein may have a variety of beneficial effects on the water, including a significant increase in the percentage of the water that is maintained in the root zone of a given crop as plant-available water and the essential mineral, e.g. calcium and/or magnesium, uptake of that crop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: FLOW-TECH SYSTEMS, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Meyer, George Rihovsky
  • Patent number: 11377713
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for recovering an acid or a base during a metal extraction process. The method comprises contacting a feed stream comprising the acid or base and the metal with an ultrafiltration membrane to produce an ultrafiltration retentate and an ultrafiltration permeate, and contacting the ultrafiltration permeate with a nanofiltration membrane. The nanofiltration retentate produced comprises a majority of the metal from the feed stream, and the nanofiltration permeate produced comprises a majority of the acid or base from the feed stream. Also disclosed herein is a recovery apparatus for recovering an acid or a base during a metal extraction process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Paladin Intellectual Property Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Paul Boshoff, Merrill Ford, Shana McDougall, Mark Peacock
  • Patent number: 11369900
    Abstract: A pipeline strainer having a body with a straining element therein. One or more magnets are removably inserted into the straining element and configured to be removed from the body without causing liquid within the cavity to drain from the pipeline strainer. A drywell is used to house the magnets. The movement of withdrawing the magnets pulls metal particles along the outer surface of the drywell toward a debris drain. A baffle is disposed at the end of the drywell that is adjacent or near the debris drain to reduce turbulence from the fluid flow within the pipeline strainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: The Metraflex Company
    Inventors: Daniel T. Holbach, James R. Richter
  • Patent number: 11352269
    Abstract: A conventional media filter such as a gravity sand filter is converted into a membrane filter. The media is removed and replaced by immersed membrane modules. Transmembrane pressure is created by a static head pressure differential, without a suction pump, thereby creating a membrane gravity filter (MGF). Preferred operating parameters include transmembrane pressure of 5-20 kPa, 1-3 backwashes per day, and a flux of 10-20 L/m2/h. The membranes are dosed with chlorine or another oxidant, preferably at 700 minutes*mg/L as Cl2 equivalent per week or less. The small oxidant does is believed to provide a porous biofilm or fouling layer without substantially removing the layer. The media filter may be modified so that backwash wastewater is removed from near the bottom of the tank rather than through backwash troughs above the membrane modules. Membrane integrity testing may be done while the tank is emptied after a backwash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: BL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Pierre Lucien Cote, Jason Cadera, Steven Kristian Pedersen, Nicholas William H. Adams
  • Patent number: 11344893
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a hydro crusher for water treatment, for removing living organisms from water to be treated, the hydro crusher including: a body portion which has a cylindrical shape having an inner space, and includes an inflow portion to allow the water to be treated to be drawn into the inner space therethrough, and a discharge portion to discharge the water to be treated, drawn in through the inflow portion; and solid particles which are movable by the water to be treated, wherein the movable solid particles are filled in at least a portion of the inner space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventors: Hyung Oh Kim, Yong Jae Lee, Keun Hyung Choi
  • Patent number: 11338290
    Abstract: Systems and methods for levitating populations of moieties, cells, or other such units using one or more magnets in a microfluidic environment are provided. These systems and methods may be used to, for example, separate or sort heterogeneous populations of the units from one another, to assembly a multi-unit assembly during the levitating of the units, and to evaluate samples at the point of care in real-time. These systems and methods may also utilize a frame that enables an imaging device, such as a smartphone, to capture the units in real time as they are manipulated in the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Murat Baday, Naside Gozde Durmus, Semih Calamak, Utkan Demirci, Ronald W. Davis, Lars Steinmetz, Jaeyoung Yang, Thiruppathiraja Chinnasamy, Alessandro Tocchio
  • Patent number: 11331677
    Abstract: There is provided a magnet separator that removes a magnetic body from a liquid to be treated, the magnet separator including a rotary drum in which a plurality of magnets are disposed, and a sprocket that is fixed to the rotary drum and transmits a driving force, in which the sprocket is formed by a plurality of sprocket split bodies having sprocket teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES FINETECH, LTD.
    Inventor: Shinya Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 11332390
    Abstract: An electromagnetic pulsed-wave system having an electromagnetic boom for generating a time-varying pulsed-wave to control a colloidal mixture disposed in water and a depository. The electromagnetic boom comprising a plurality of electrically coupled solenoids disposed at the water for providing electromagnetic pulses to generate the time-varying pulsed-wave to transport the colloidal mixture. The depository having an electromagnetic ramp magnetically coupled with the electromagnetic boom and a separation receptacle for separating magnetized particles from the colloidal mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Natural Science, LLC
    Inventor: Arden A. Warner
  • Patent number: 11331626
    Abstract: This membrane filtration method includes: a membrane filtration process for adding a coagulant to water to be treated which contains viruses, and filtering the water to be treated by using a filtration membrane; and a cleaning process for, after the membrane filtration process, cleaning the filtration membrane, the membrane filtration process and the cleaning process being repeatedly performed, wherein, in the membrane filtration process, in the initial period of filtration, at least either an operation of filtering the water to be treated that includes the coagulant added by an amount larger than the amount of a coagulant added in a normal case, or an operation of filtering the water to be treated that has a pH lower than the pH of water to be treated in a normal case, is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Metawater Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naruaki Kadokawa, Yasuhiro Kato, Tomomi Sao
  • Patent number: 11312643
    Abstract: An induced symbiotic osmosis system and method for treating produced fluids from a hydraulic fracturing process or system for symbiotic fluids fractionation, salinity power generation, brines and salts solution reverse osmosis. The system includes a reverse osmosis membrane assembly to create potable water from produced water. The membrane assembly includes a hollow fiber or flat sheet membrane and headers to transfer desalinated water therefrom. The system can include an electro coagulation system, an ultra or nano filtration system, and a desalter to treat the produced water or brine. A heat exchanger can be positioned between adjacent reverse osmosis membrane assemblies. An osmotic power generation unit can create electrical power by receiving and utilizing produce water and brine water from a brine storage. The system reduces the release of global warming contributing gases associated with hydraulic fracturing, while producing potable water and power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Inventor: Maher Isaac Kelada
  • Patent number: 11305296
    Abstract: A multiphase fluid manifold comprises a cylindrical enclosure having, at one longitudinal end, an inlet orifice and, at an opposite longitudinal end, a plurality of cylindrical outlet orifices of the same right section that are regularly distributed around a longitudinal axis of the enclosure and that are aligned in a common plane extending transversely to the enclosure, each of the inlet and outlet orifices leading to or from the inside of the enclosure along a direction that is substantially tangential to the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SAIPEM S.A.
    Inventors: Raymond Hallot, Sadia Shaiek, Thomas Valdenaire
  • Patent number: 11291958
    Abstract: Disclosed are membrane separation cleaning processes and clean in place compositions for such membranes. The cleaning compositions can remove proteins, fats, and other food, beverage, and brewery based soils and offer an environmentally friendly alternative surfactant system to NPE. Branched extended chain PO/EO nonionic surfactants with certain characteristics may be used to provide superior cleaning to membranes. The specific surfactants may be used alone or in combination. In some embodiments, the surfactant package is used as part of a cleaning composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Frazer Schacht, Caleb Power, Keith G. Lascotte, Elizabeth Irey, Sukhwan Soontravanich
  • Patent number: 11292000
    Abstract: A variety of devices, systems, kits, and methods are provided for separating or enriching circulating tumor cells in a biological sample such as whole blood. In some aspects, the devices are multi-stage devices including at least a filtering stage, and two separation stages for ferrohydrodynamic separation of magnetically labelled white blood cells and for marker-independent and size-independent focusing of magnetically labeled particles so as to separate or enrich unlabeled rare cells in the biological sample. The devices and methods are, in some aspects, capable of high throughput in excess of 6 milliliters per hour while achieving high separation (>97%) of the unlabeled rare cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Leidong Mao, Yang Liu, Wujun Zhao
  • Patent number: 11268056
    Abstract: Methods of separating magnetic particles from a fluid include introducing a fluid mixture that includes a liquid media, a biological component, and magnetic particles into an internal compartment of a container through an inlet, allowing at least a portion of the mixture to travel around a partition formed within the internal compartment and then exit the internal compartment through an outlet on the opposite side of the partition, and applying a magnetic field to the mixture in the internal compartment so that the magnetic particles are retained within the container or internal compartment thereof by the magnetic field. The partition is formed by permanently or reversibly securing upper and lower container walls together, such as by welding or pressing, between the inlet and the outlet such that the media and biological component must flow around the partition and through the magnetic field to exit the internal compartment through the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignees: Life Technologies Corporation, Life Technologies AS
    Inventors: Lars Norderhaugh, Angel Varela-Rohena, Nephi D. Jones
  • Patent number: 11260400
    Abstract: An inclined magnetic holder comprises a magnetic base and a centrifuge tube support plate. The centrifuge tube support plate has centrifuge tube support holes. The magnetic base comprises a first bottom plate, a fixing plate, and two first-side support plates. Respective top portions of the two first-side support plates are provided with a position-locating slot. Two ends of the centrifuge tube support plate are respectively provided with a position-locating protruding block. The centrifuge tube support holes are evenly and linearly distributed on the centrifuge tube support plate. An elastic circular engagement component for holding a centrifuge tube is provided inside the centrifuge tube support holes. A block magnet is fixed to the fixing plate below and corresponding to each of the centrifuge tube support holes. A north pole or south pole surface of the block magnet faces the centrifuge tube and is parallel to an axis of the centrifuge tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Nanjing GenScript Biotech Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jinxin Zhu, Hong Qian, Weijuan Han, Ruina He, Tao Bai, Chao Wang
  • Patent number: 11261110
    Abstract: A system for reducing evaporative cooling water losses using an electric and magnetic field inducing device is disclosed. The device influences a liquid's properties including evaporation rate, diffusion, vapor, heat transfer rate, and/or fluid properties. The device comprises a malleable core with notches and electrically conductive windings wrapped around the flexible core around the notches. An insulative coating isolates the windings from the core. The device is pliable and is wrapped and/or attached around a conduit (e.g., a makeup line or pipe or a recirculating line or pipe of an evaporative cooling tower) with flowing fluid and current is passed through the windings to treat the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Inventor: Gary D. Wilson