Patents Examined by Shuyi S Liu
  • Patent number: 11325136
    Abstract: A seal assembly for providing a seal between a first zone and a second zone includes a rotatable sealing member including a first sealing ring, a stationary sealing member including a second sealing ring and a device for bringing the first and second sealing rings into engagement with each other. The first and second sealing rings are arranged so that a double contact seal having at least one chamber arranged at a radial plane is formed upon engagement between the first and second sealing rings. The seal assembly further includes at least one fluid connection to the chamber. A centrifugal separator includes such a seal assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB
    Inventors: Klas Hilding, Jouko Pitkämäki, Peter Thorwid, Anders Ekström
  • Patent number: 11318402
    Abstract: A rotary vessel for a filter assembly has a rotor body rotatable about an axis of rotation and a spigot with a non-circular cross-section and integral with or coupled to the rotor body. The spigot extends away from the rotor body along the axis of rotation and engages with a bearing. The spigot facilitates transfer of rotary motion between the rotor body and the bearing. A filter assembly has a housing with a main body and a closure member separably attachable to the main body. The rotary vessel is disposed inside the housing. The closure member retains the rotary vessel inside the housing and is separable from the main body to permit removal of the rotary vessel from the housing. The spigot integral with or coupled to the rotor vessel engages with a bearing of the filter assembly to rotatably support the rotary vessel in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventors: Tiago Marques, Robin Nash, Angus Rouse, Anthony W. Fell
  • Patent number: 11311889
    Abstract: A centrifugal separator bowl includes a rotor casing enclosing a separation space in which a stack of frustoconical separation discs is arranged to rotate around a vertical axis of rotation, wherein the separation discs are arranged with the imaginary apex pointing to the axially lower end of the rotor casing; a feed inlet at the axially lower end for receiving the fluid mixture to be separated; a distributor for distributing the fluid mixture from the inlet to the separation space, the distributor being arranged for guiding the fluid mixture to be separated continuously from an axially lower position at the inlet to an axially upper position in the separation space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB
    Inventor: Kasper Höglund
  • Patent number: 11313188
    Abstract: A method for treating drilling mud includes directing a first flow portion of a flow of drilling mud to a decanter centrifuge, directing a second flow portion of the flow of drilling mud to a solids particle recovery hopper, and separating an underflow from the first flow portion with the decanter centrifuge, wherein the underflow includes first solids particles having a first density. The underflow is directed to the solids particle recovery hopper, the underflow is mixed with the second flow portion in the solids particle recovery hopper, and a flow of the mixed underflow and second flow portion is directed from the solids particle recovery hopper to an active mud tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: NOV CANADA ULC
    Inventors: Rennie K. Zazula, Dean M. Bird, Donald T. Crosswhite
  • Patent number: 11298707
    Abstract: A method and a device for monitoring the rotational speed of an element are disclosed. The element may be part of a centrifuge, e.g. a motor, drive shaft, or rotor of a laboratory centrifuge. The rotational speed of the element is not determined directly, but rather clock cycles are counted while the element rotates by a predetermined rotational angle. Exceeding a predetermined rotational speed is determined by comparing a number of counted cycles with a predetermined value. The method and device can be implemented in hardware without requiring a microcontroller with corresponding software, thereby eliminating a need to software certification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Eppendorf AG
    Inventors: Uwe Beukert, Thomas Sporn
  • Patent number: 11291931
    Abstract: A method and system for buoyant separation of a target constituent of a sample, the method comprising: at a process chamber, combining a volume of substrates having a first density with the sample, thereby producing a population of target-bound complexes comprising the target constituent bound to at least a portion of the volume of substrates; within the process chamber, physically separating the population of target-bound complexes from the sample based upon interaction between the volume of substrates and an applied force; aggregating the population of target-bound complexes at a collection region of the process chamber; extracting the population of target-bound complexes from the process chamber; and processing the target constituent from the population of target-bound complexes for further analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Akadeum Life Sciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon H. McNaughton, John G. Younger, Leo Ostruszka, Jonathan Roussey, Gene Parunak, Aaron Kehrer
  • Patent number: 11292014
    Abstract: Centrifuge counterbalances having an adjustable center of gravity are provided. Aspects of the centrifuge counterbalances include an elongated body having a distal end and a proximal end, a weight configured to be reversibly immobilized at a position along the longitudinal axis of the elongated body and a base configured to operably couple the centrifuge counterbalance to a centrifuge. Also provided are methods for balancing a centrifuge rotor when separating components of a liquid sample by centrifugation as well as systems suitable for practicing the subject methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth Welborn, Rodney Sparks
  • Patent number: 11260403
    Abstract: A centrifugal separator includes a rotating body driving and sealing structure in which a hermetically sealed space is formed between a rotating body and an outer case by sealing the inside and outside using a noncontact seal during rotation of the rotating body, in an airtight manner. A rotation coupling unit is provided at the upper end of a centrifugal cylinder, and even when the centrifugal cylinder is deformed during use causing an internal fluid to leak through a fitting portion of a bottom member to the centrifugal cylinder, the fluid leaks in the hermetically sealed space so that the driving system or the like is not contaminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazushige Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 11253873
    Abstract: A centrifugal field-flow fractionation device capable of improving analysis performance and shortening analysis time is provided. A first channel 111 communicating with a channel member is formed on a rotational shaft 11 that rotates together with a rotor. A second channel 644 communicating with the first channel 111 is formed on a fixing portion 60 fixed in a state of facing the rotational shaft 11 along a rotational axis L. A mechanical seal 66 having a pair of seal rings 661 and 662 that come into contact with each other and a biasing member 663 is provided to attach one seal ring 661 to the rotational shaft 11 and the other seal ring 662 to the fixing portion 60. The biasing member 663 biases the pair of seal rings 661 and 662 in a direction in which the pair of seal rings come in contact with each other. Since the rotational shaft 11 can be rotated at a high speed and the liquid sample can be fed at a high pressure, the analysis performance can be improved and the analysis time can be shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Aoki, Hiroki Honda, Haruhisa Kato
  • Patent number: 11247151
    Abstract: A rotary vessel for a filter assembly has a rotor body rotatable about an axis of rotation and a spigot, integral or coupled with the rotor body, extending away from the rotary body along the axis of rotation. The spigot has an abutment surface against which, in use, a cooperating surface of the filter assembly abuts to inhibit movement of the rotary vessel relative to the cooperating surface and parallel to the axis of rotation. The filter assembly has a housing with main body and closure member separably attachable to the main body. The closure member retains the rotary vessel inside the housing and is separable from the main body to permit removal of the rotary vessel from the housing. A connector releasably couples the closure member to the rotary vessel such that the rotary vessel is removable from the housing by separating closure member and main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventors: Tiago Marques, Robin Nash, Angus Rouse, Anthony W. Fell
  • Patent number: 11247215
    Abstract: A centrifuge includes a swing rotor. Rotor arms of the swing rotor have recesses into which hangers of the swing rotor at least partially swing in a swung-out state. As a result, the centrifuge container and thus also the centrifuges are more compact, because the swinging-out requires less space. An inertial mass of the swing rotor is reduced due to the recesses provided therein, whereby energy consumption, primarily when starting the centrifuge, is significantly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Eppendorf AG
    Inventors: Steffen Kühnert, Heinz Gerhard Köhn
  • Patent number: 11241701
    Abstract: A tri-axial centrifuge apparatus for testing of petro-physical properties of a test sample includes a tri-axial sample holder located within an inner bore of a cell body. An axial pressure fluid supply line delivers an axial pressure fluid to apply an axial pressure on the test sample. A confining pressure fluid supply line delivers a confining pressure fluid to apply a biaxial confining pressure on the test sample. A test fluid holder contains test fluid and is static relative to the cell body. The axial pressure fluid, the confining pressure fluid, and the test fluid are contained in separate flow systems. A centrifuge has a window that is located on a portion of a path of the tri-axial sample holder. The tri-axial sample holder is loaded in the centrifuge and spinning with the centrifuge. An x-ray instrument is static and is aligned with the window of the centrifuge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventor: Mustafa Hakimuddin
  • Patent number: 11224882
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a small rotor for a centrifuge, the rotor being configured such that numerous sample containers can be mounted simultaneously and it is easy to take out the sample containers. In an inner peripheral surface 20A of an outer wall part 20, recessed areas 20B locally carved outward are provided in areas between sample container insertion holes 11 that are adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction. In the locations of the recessed areas 20B, the spaces between adjacent sample containers 51 are wider, and the sample containers 51 can easily be taken out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Eppendorf Himac Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Sawa, Jun Sato
  • Patent number: 11219904
    Abstract: A facility for the centrifugal clarification of a suspension includes a centrifuge and a device with a container having a tubular envelope surface at least in sections for conducting the medium, which is arranged on a liquid outlet of the centrifuge. The container with a tubular envelope surface at least in sections includes an inlet for supplying a pressurizing gas, and the volume of the container with a tubular envelope surface at least in sections is smaller than the double receiving volume of the centrifuge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: GEA MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT GMBH
    Inventors: Wolf-Dietrich Herberg, Meinolf Berlage
  • Patent number: 11219905
    Abstract: A drive device for a solid bowl screw centrifuge includes a motor for rotating a drum of the centrifuge, a transmission which is connected between the motor and the drum, and a cooling device for cooling the transmission during operation when the drum is rotating. The cooling device is an annular body which is fitted on the outside of the transmission and has an air guiding device that conducts air from farther outwards radially inwards onto a surface of the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: GEA Mechanical Equipment GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Hermeler, Volker Knospe, Martin Overberg, Stefan Terholsen, Andreas Knobel, Christian Driftschroeer
  • Patent number: 11213831
    Abstract: A centrifugal separator having a device for the transformation of kinetic energy of a liquid rotating in a discharge chamber around a rotational axis to pressure energy includes a discharge element for the discharge of liquid out of the discharge chamber, which discharge element has a radially outer part shaped as a body of revolution about the rotational axis and is arranged to be located in a rotating liquid body in the discharge chamber, and at least one outlet channel formed in the discharge element and having an inlet opening located in a surface of the body of revolution and elongated in the liquid flow direction, the inlet opening connecting to the interior of an outlet tube via the outlet channel. The outlet channel has a defined axial height and a defined width which vary along their extension from the inlet opening to the connection to the outlet tube in such a way that a defined aspect ratio h/w decreases along at least a part of the extension of the outlet channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB
    Inventor: Leonard Borgström
  • Patent number: 11202978
    Abstract: A liner for a filter sub-assembly has a wall having an innermost surface that bounds a cavity extending between opposing first and second ends of the liner. The wall has a deflected portion extending into the cavity and delimiting an opening. The liner may be used in a rotor of a filter assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventors: Anthony W. Fell, Tiago Marques, Angus Rouse, Vikas Jilakarapalli Prabhakar, Robin Nash, Prashanth Mari Ambanna
  • Patent number: 11199063
    Abstract: A hermetically sealed horizontal washing decanter centrifuge for enhanced drilling fluid recovery and drilled solids washing. A process and apparatus for liquid phase-solid phase separation of oil based drilling mud-containing drill cuttings is described including flowing the drilling mud-containing drill cuttings into a horizontal washing decanter wherein the stresses imposed within the decanter act as a wash as the diluent and oil based drilling mud move away from the drill cuttings. Diluent is added prior to flowing the drilling mud containing drill cutting to the hermetically sealed horizontal washing decanter centrifuge. The entire process is performed in a gas-tight environment preventing escape of diluent from the process into the external atmosphere and preventing introduction of gases into the process from the external atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: RECOVER ENERGY SERVICES INC.
    Inventors: Stan Ross, Mike Biersteker, Wendell Palmer, Paul Sudlow
  • Patent number: 11192120
    Abstract: Provided is a centrifugal field-flow fractionation device that can stably press a fixing member toward an inner peripheral surface of a rotor by a wedge-shaped member, even when a relatively large centrifugal force acts on the wedge-shaped member. An arc-shaped (C-shaped) fixing member 17 is provided along an inner peripheral surface of a channel member 16 on a side of a rotation axis of the channel member 16. A wedge-shaped member 18 is attached between opposite ends of the fixing member 17 and applies a force in a direction of spreading the opposite ends apart, to thereby press the fixing member 17 toward the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 14. The wedge-shaped member 18 has a pair of contact surfaces 184 that respectively come into contact with the opposite ends of the fixing member 17.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Aoki, Hiroki Honda
  • Patent number: 11192121
    Abstract: A blood component separator (1) includes a blood storage vessel (20) that includes a first storage part (21) and a second storage part (22), a slider (30) movable from the first storage part to the second storage part, and a flow path (40f) for communicating an inside and an outside of the storage vessel. When the slider is in the first storage part, the first storage part and the second storage part are in communication with each other. When the slider is inserted into the second storage part, a liquid-tight seal is formed between the slider and the inner peripheral surface of the second storage part and the communication between the first storage part and the second storage part is blocked by the slider. The slider is movable in the second storage part while maintaining the liquid-tight seal between the slider and the inner peripheral surface of the second storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TRANSELL Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nariyuki Hamada, Shuji Nakamura, Katsuyuki Sado, Kenta Kaneda