Patents Examined by Eric Gorman
  • Patent number: 9353967
    Abstract: A fluid heating apparatus for use in water heaters, boilers, cooking applications or the like comprising a body. The fluid heating apparatus also comprises a primary heat exchanger arranged within the body and a secondary heat exchanger arranged adjacent to the primary heat exchanger within the body. The apparatus also comprises a burner arranged within the primary heat exchanger. The primary heat exchanger comprises a plurality of concentric doughnut shaped plates arranged over the burner. A blocking plate is arranged adjacent to one of the concentric plates of the primary heat exchanger. The secondary heat exchanger comprises a plurality of concentric doughnut shaped plates arranged adjacent to the blocking plate on a side opposite of the plates of the primary heat exchanger. The apparatus further comprises a manifold in fluid communication with the plurality of concentric plates and blocking plates of both the secondary heat exchanger and primary heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Inventor: Farshid Ahmady
  • Patent number: 9340455
    Abstract: A method for the production of hard plaster, a calcining plant, and a retrofit reactor for calcining plants. The method includes feeding plaster material, predominantly including beta-hemihydrate plaster, to a postreactor. The temperature is set to at least a calcining temperature of 95° C. during this step. The plaster material is retreated in the postreactor to form hard plaster, the beta-hemihydrate plaster being converted directly into alpha-hemihydrate plaster at a temperature above 95° C. The hard plaster can then be discharged out of the postreactor and cooled. Conversion can be carried out in the postreactor during continuous operation, and conversion of the beta-hemihydrate plaster can occur with a dwell time in the postreactor of less than 30 minutes. Steam can be externally supplied to the postreactor and the temperature and pressure in the postreactor can be regulated so that the temperature is at least 95° C. and an over pressure prevails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Claudius Peters Projects GmbH
    Inventors: Volker Goecke, Tobias Gehle
  • Patent number: 9322076
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a temperature within a reactor vessel such as an autoclave operating at elevated temperature and pressure. The apparatus includes a preheating vessel for preheating a feed material such as an aqueous slurry. The preheating vessel forms part of a preheating control system providing the primary means of temperature control within the reactor vessel. The apparatus also comprises secondary means for heating and cooling the reactor. Feed material temperature is increased or decreased by the preheating control system, based on the reactor temperature. Where the preheating control system is at or near its capacity for heating or cooling, the secondary heating or cooling means is activated to bring the reactor temperature within an optimum range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: HATCH LTD.
    Inventors: Kevin S. Fraser, Murray S. Pearson, William E. McCombe
  • Patent number: 9310343
    Abstract: A column oven that may enable a heat block to provide the best temperature distribution, and increase temperature evenness of a column is provided. In a column oven 400 that heats or cools a heat block 10 contacting a column 40 and adjusts temperature of the column 40 through heat transmission from the heat block 10, a plurality of temperature adjustment bodies 21 and 22 is separately disposed along the longitudinal direction of the heat block 10, and heats or cools the heat block 10, a plurality of temperature sensors 31 and 32 measuring the temperatures of the heat block 10 adjacent to the temperature adjustment bodies 21 and 22 is also disposed, and the corresponding temperature adjustment bodies 21 and 22 are controlled independently according to the temperatures measured by the temperature sensors 31 and 32.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Iso, Takao Okado
  • Patent number: 9291345
    Abstract: A method for operating a continuous flow steam generator with an evaporator heating surface is provided. A target value for a supply water mass flow is fed to a device for adjusting the supply water mass flow. In order to improve the quality of a predictive supply water or mass flow control and to maintain the enthalpy of the flow medium at the evaporator outlet particularly stable especially when load changes occur, a correction factor is taken into consideration during production of the target value for the supply water mass flow. The correction factor is a characteristic of the temporal derivative of enthalpy or the density of the flow medium at the input of one or more heating surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Jan Brückner, Joachim Franke, Frank Thomas
  • Patent number: 9285066
    Abstract: A vent pipe and system formed from such vent pipes is provided. The vent pipe includes an inner casing, an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, and an insulation material between the inner and outer casings. The vent pipe also includes, a male end portion, a female and portion for receiving a male end portion end of another vent pipe, the female end portion being opposite the male end portion. The vent pipe further includes a first flange extending from the male end portion, and a second flange extending from the female end portion for mating with the first external extending from the male portion of another vent pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Cheminee Securite International Ltee
    Inventor: Eric Brunette
  • Patent number: 9279821
    Abstract: A system for heating the sound-reflective mirror surface of a phased array monostatic sodar apparatus. The system has a heat source located at a position that is spaced from the mirror, a control system that controls the operation of the heat source, a working fluid that is heated by the heat source and used to transfer heat from the source to the mirror, and a delivery system that constrains the heated working fluid and delivers it from the heat source to the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: VAISALA, INC.
    Inventors: Niels LaWhite, Louis Manfredi, Michael Jobin, Walter L. Sass
  • Patent number: 9267678
    Abstract: A continuous steam generator including a combustion chamber with a plurality of burners for fossil fuel is provided. A vertical gas duct is connected downstream of the combustion chamber on the hot gas side, in an upper region via a horizontal gas duct. The outside wall of the combustion chamber is formed from evaporation pipes which are welded together in a gas-tight manner and mounted upstream of a water separator system on the flow medium side and from superheater pipes which are welded together in a gas-tight manner and mounted downstream of the water separator system. The water separator system includes a plurality of water separation elements, each element includes an inlet tube which is connected to the respective upstream evaporation for tubes, which extend into a water evacuation tube. A distributer element is arranged on the evaporator side between the respective water separator element and the inlet collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Jan Brückner, Martin Effert, Joachim Franke
  • Patent number: 9261291
    Abstract: A hot water heater comprises a hot water tank, a supply pipe to be connected to the public water mains and a discharge pipe to be connected to a tap. The hot water tank has a circumferential wall which encloses the interior of the tank and which is provided with a heating element disposed inside the hot water tank and with a temperature control device. The circumferential wall of the tank comprises a part which is bellows-shaped so as to be deformable under pressure, thus enabling the tank to expand and contract. The bellows-shaped part of the tank wall is surrounded by a gas chamber containing a gas under pressure, which is capable of balancing the expansion of the tank. The invention further relates to a method for supplying hot water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Henri Peteri Beheer B.V.
    Inventor: Niels Theodoor Peteri
  • Patent number: 9249988
    Abstract: A water heater includes a combustor, a gas valve, a blower, a detector, and an operating device. The detector senses a speed of a motor of the blower. The operating device is stored with reference speed ranges under various gas supplies to control the gas valve to cut off the gas supply when the detector senses that the speed of the motor of the blower is beyond the reference speed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Grand Mate Co., Ted.
    Inventors: Chung-Chin Huang, Chin-Ying Huang, Hsin-Ming Huang, Hsing-Hsiung Huang, Kuan-Chou Lin
  • Patent number: 9242313
    Abstract: A viewport assembly may allow viewing of a retort chamber while protecting the viewer from heat of the retort chamber through a high-temperature-resistant window in an end wall of the viewport assembly. An access port in the end wall may allow use of tools, such as a welding device. An insulated door between the viewport assembly and the retort chamber may enhance protection and heat retention. The assembly may enhance retention of inert atmosphere in the retort chamber as well as heat, facilitating work on superalloy articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Charles Woods, Ronald Lee Souther
  • Patent number: 9239189
    Abstract: A kiln comprising a cylindrical drum (11) arranged to rotate about a generally horizontal central axis, the drum configured such that rotation will cause particulate material to flow from one end (13) of the drum to the other end (15). The one end being closed by an end assembly (23) fixed relative to a support structure. An inner face of the drum provides a plurality of ports (29) spaced about, and opening into, an interior of the drum,. The ports (29) being connected to the end assembly (23) via a set of passageways (27). The end assembly (23) having an opening (25) connected to a source of air (31) and positioned such that, on rotation of the drum, one or more passageways come into fluid communication with the opening for limiting air flow to the ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: ANSAC Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Charlie Martella
  • Patent number: 9228575
    Abstract: A sealed and self-contained tankless water heater flushing system including a holding basin, a cover lid for the holding basin firmly securable and sealed liquid tight to the holding basin, a submersible pump contained within the holding basin, a submersible pump hose, securable from the submersible pump within the holding basin to a discharge opening in the cover of the holding basin, a filter system, securable within the holding basin to a filter opening contained in the cover lid, wherein the filter system includes a filter for filtering solid substances from the tankless water heater during a flushing process, a discharge hose for connecting the discharge opening to the water heater, and a filter hose for connecting the filter opening to the water heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: ZOELLER PUMP COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Deron B. Oberkorn, Gary L. Nichols, William L. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9217565
    Abstract: A technique of controlling a steam generating boiler system using dynamic matrix control includes preventing saturated steam from entering a superheater section. A dynamic matrix control block uses a rate of change of a disturbance variable, a current output steam temperature, and an output steam setpoint as inputs to generate a control signal. A prevention block modifies the control signal based on a saturated steam temperature and an intermediate steam temperature. In some embodiments, the control signal is modified based on a threshold and/or an adjustable function g(x). The modified control signal is used to control a field device that, at least in part, affects the intermediate steam and output steam of the boiler system. In some embodiments, the prevention block is included in the dynamic matrix control block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT POWER & WATER SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Allen Beveridge, Richard J. Whalen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9206992
    Abstract: The invention relates to a storage configuration having a predeterminable storage atmosphere, comprising a storage chamber for receiving a plurality of storage product carriers for storage product, which can be delivered to a feeding and removal opening for the storage and removal of the storage product using a transport apparatus, and further comprising an air-conditioning apparatus, which associated with the storage chamber and exhausts air from the storage chamber, treats it, and injects it back into the storage chamber via exhaust and injection openings provided on the storage chamber. The exhaust and injection openings are disposed such that the air flows through the storage chamber in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Hänel & Co.
    Inventor: Harald Ellwanger
  • Patent number: 9194013
    Abstract: A hot blast stove dome comprises a first dome portion adapted for support on a combustion chamber wall of a hot blast stove, and a second dome portion adapted for support on a checker chamber wall of a hot blast stove, wherein a vertical expansion joint is provided between the first dome portion and the second dome portion and is adapted to allow the first dome portion and the second dome portion to independently accommodate vertical expansion of their respective supporting walls. The dome is suitably provided in a hot blast stove which comprises a combustion chamber, a checker chamber, a cylindrical housing comprising a combustion chamber wall and a checker chamber wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: ALLIED MINERAL PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Floris Van Laar, Jacobus Van Laar
  • Patent number: 9181610
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide air cooling equipment for a heat treatment process for a martensitic stainless steel pipe, which is capable of shortening the time required for the heat treatment process by enhancing the cooling efficiency at the time when the inner surface of steel pipe is air cooled in the heat treatment ent process. Air cooling equipment 100 for a heat treatment process for a martensitic stainless steel pipe P in accordance with the present invention comprises: a conveying device 10 for intermittently conveying the steel pipe P in the direction substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the steel pipe P; and an air cooling device 20 provided with a nozzle 21 for spraying air Bi toward the inner surface of the steel pipe P, the nozzle 21 being arranged along the longitudinal direction of the steel pipe P at a stop position of the steel pipe P intermittently conveyed by the conveying device 10 so as to face to an end of the steel pipe P.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Mori, Akihiro Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 9182144
    Abstract: A hot air blower includes a shell including a fan mechanism, a combustion device, a vane mechanism, and a flame protector disposed therein. The vane mechanism includes a clipping seat and a plurality of guiding vanes extended thereon. The plurality of guiding vanes extend obliquely and prevents the air passing through the vane mechanism from generating turbulence. The clipping seat and the flame protector form a half-closed combustion chamber therebetween. Heat in the half-closed combustion chamber causes a thermal expansion of the air and, thereby increasing a speed and a volume of the air passing the guiding vanes of the vane mechanism. The heated air is discharged from an external flow tube and which controls a heating range of an area of the hot air blower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Pro-Iroda Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Wei-Long Chen
  • Patent number: 9177845
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for thermally processing mold wafers The method comprises: clamping a mold wafer at a first temperature on a first clamping device, the first temperature being below the hardening temperature of the plastic of the mold wafer; heating the mold wafer to a second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature and is above the hardening temperature; ending the clamping on the first clamping device and transporting the mold wafer heated to the second temperature to a second clamping device substantially contactlessly; clamping the heated mold wafer on the second clamping device; cooling the mold wafer down to a third temperature, which is lower than the second temperature and is below the hardening temperature; and ending the clamping on the second clamping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: ERS Electronic GMBH
    Inventor: Erich Reitinger
  • Patent number: 9170030
    Abstract: A storage hot water supplying apparatus provides heated water to a load circuit through which users uses water, and includes a water storage tank which stores water and has outlets for water to be heated at different heights, and an outlet selecting unit to select, from among the outlets, an outlet to take out the water, based on a provision temperature which is a temperature of water to be provided from the water storage tank to the load circuit and temperatures of the water to be taken out through the outlets. A heating unit heats the water taken out through the selected outlet and to be returned to the water storage tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiko Nagata, Gaku Hayashida