Patents by Inventor Douglas Paul Dee
Douglas Paul Dee has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20210285719Abstract: A heat exchanger apparatus can be configured so that there is at least one “U” or “C” shape configured manifold in combination with at least one “Z” or “S” shape configured manifold for the heat exchanger apparatus for the input and output of fluid into and out of the heat exchangers of the heat exchanger apparatus. In some embodiments, downstream and/or upstream lines can be connected to the manifolds at a center or off-center point for conveying inlet fluid and outlet fluid. A method of retrofitting a pre-existing plant, building a new plant, or designing a new plant that utilizes an embodiment of the heat exchanger apparatus can help provide an improved heat exchanger arrangement without significantly increasing the footprint needed for the arrangement so that a plant can be improved with an embodiment of the apparatus without requiring an enlarged footprint for the plant.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2020Publication date: September 16, 2021Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Fang Xu, Xukun Luo, Douglas Paul Dee, Donn Michael Herron, William T. Kleinberg
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Patent number: 8601833Abstract: An air stream is compressed in multiple stages using refrigeration derived from a refrigerant comprising natural gas for inter-stage cooling. The possibility of natural gas leaking into the air stream is reduced by use of an intermediate cooling medium (“ICM”) to transfer the refrigeration from the refrigerant to the inter-stage air stream. The compressed air stream can be fed to a cryogenic air separation unit that includes an LNG-based liquefier unit from which a cold natural gas stream is withdrawn for use as said refrigerant.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2007Date of Patent: December 10, 2013Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Donn Michael Herron, Jung Soo Choe
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Patent number: 8591634Abstract: An apparatus and process for recovering a desired gas such as xenon difluoride, xenon, argon, helium or neon, from the effluent of a chemical process reactor that utilizes such gases alone or in a gas mixture or in a molecule that becomes decomposed wherein the chemical process reactor uses a sequence of different gas composition not all of which contain the desired gas and the desired gas is captured and recovered substantially only during the time the desired gas is in the effluent.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2011Date of Patent: November 26, 2013Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: David Charles Winchester, Matthew John Bosco, Gerald W. Klein, Isaac Patrick West, Richard Linton Samsal, Douglas Paul Dee, Andrew David Johnson, Eugene Joseph Karwacki, Jr.
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Publication number: 20120012201Abstract: An apparatus and process for recovering a desired gas such as xenon difluoride, xenon, argon, helium or neon, from the effluent of a chemical process reactor that utilizes such gases alone or in a gas mixture or in a molecule that becomes decomposed wherein the chemical process reactor uses a sequence of different gas composition not all of which contain the desired gas and the desired gas is captured and recovered substantially only during the time the desired gas is in the effluent.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2011Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.Inventors: David Charles Winchester, Matthew John Bosco, Gerald W. Klein, Isaac Patrick West, Richard Linton Samsal, Douglas Paul Dee, Andrew David Johnson, Eugene Joseph Karwacki, JR.
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Patent number: 7712331Abstract: A system is set forth to increase the capacity of an LNG-based liquefier in a cryogenic air separation unit wherein, in a low production mode, the nitrogen that is fed to the LNG-based liquefier consists only of at least a portion of the high pressure nitrogen from the distillation column system while in a high production mode, a supplemental compressor is used to boost the pressure of at least a portion of the low pressure nitrogen from the distillation column system to create additional (or replacement) feed to the LNG-based liquefier. A key to the present invention is the supplemental compressor and the associated heat exchange equipment is separate and distinct from the LNG-based liquefier. This allows its purchase to be delayed until a capacity increase is actually needed and thus avoid building an oversized liquefier based on a speculative increase in liquid product demand.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2006Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Jung Soo Choe, Donn Michael Herron
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Patent number: 7552599Abstract: A cryogenic air separation process is set forth wherein, in order to provide the refrigeration necessary when at least a portion of the oxygen product is desired as liquid oxygen, LNG-derived refrigeration is used to liquefy a nitrogen stream in the process. A key to the present invention is that, instead of feeding the liquefied nitrogen to the distillation column, the liquefied nitrogen is heat exchanged against the air feed to the distillation column system.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2006Date of Patent: June 30, 2009Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Donn Michael Herron, Jung Soo Choe, Douglas Paul Dee
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Publication number: 20090100863Abstract: An air stream is compressed in multiple stages using refrigeration derived from a refrigerant comprising natural gas for inter-stage cooling. The possibility of natural gas leaking into the air stream is reduced by use of an intermediate cooling medium (“ICM”) to transfer the refrigeration from the refrigerant to the inter-stage air stream. The compressed air stream can be fed to a cryogenic air separation unit that includes an LNG-based liquefier unit from which a cold natural gas stream is withdrawn for use as said refrigerant.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2007Publication date: April 23, 2009Applicant: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Donn Michael Herron, Jung Soo Choe
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Publication number: 20080216512Abstract: A cryogenic air separation process is set forth wherein, in order to provide the refrigeration necessary when at least a portion of the oxygen product is desired as liquid oxygen, LNG-derived refrigeration is used to liquefy a nitrogen stream in the process. A key to the present invention is that, instead of feeding the liquefied nitrogen to the distillation column, the liquefied nitrogen is heat exchanged against the air feed to the distillation column system.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2006Publication date: September 11, 2008Inventors: Donn Michael Herron, Jung Soo Choe, Douglas Paul Dee
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Patent number: 6824590Abstract: A process for separating a feed gas into at least one product gas includes: (a) providing a gas separation apparatus with at least one adsorption layer including a lithium-exchanged FAU adsorbent having water desorption characteristics, defined by drying curves, similar to those for the corresponding fully sodium-exchanged FAU, a heat of adsorption for carbon dioxide equal to or lower than that for the corresponding fully sodium-exchanged FAU at high loadings of carbon dioxide, and onto which the adsorption layer water and/or carbon dioxide adsorb; (b) feeding into the gas separation apparatus a feed gas including nitrogen, oxygen, and at least one of water and carbon dioxide; and (c) collecting from a product end of the gas separation apparatus at least one product gas containing oxygen.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2003Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Robert Ling Chiang, Gregory John Gondecki, Roger Dean Whitley, Jane Elizabeth Ostroski
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Publication number: 20030106430Abstract: A process for separating a feed gas into at least one product gas includes: (a) providing a gas separation apparatus with at least one adsorption layer including a lithium-exchanged FAU adsorbent having water desorption characteristics, defined by drying curves, similar to those for the corresponding fully sodium-exchanged FAU, a heat of adsorption for carbon dioxide equal to or lower than that for the corresponding fully sodium-exchanged FAU at high loadings of carbon dioxide, and onto which the adsorption layer water and/or carbon dioxide adsorb; (b) feeding into the gas separation apparatus a feed gas including nitrogen, oxygen, and at least one of water and carbon dioxide; and (c) collecting from a product end of the gas separation apparatus at least one product gas containing oxygen.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2003Publication date: June 12, 2003Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Robert Ling Chiang, Gregory John Gondecki, Roger Dean Whitley, Jane Elizabeth Ostroski
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Patent number: 6544318Abstract: Pressure swing adsorption process for the recovery of high purity oxygen from a feed gas comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. The process includes a forward flow stage which comprises (a) passing the feed gas into a first adsorption zone containing an adsorbent selective for the adsorption of nitrogen over oxygen and argon, and withdrawing therefrom a nitrogen-depleted intermediate gas; (b) passing the nitrogen-depleted intermediate gas into a second adsorption zone containing an adsorbent which is selective for the adsorption of nitrogen over argon and selective for the adsorption of argon over oxygen; (c) withdrawing an oxygen-enriched product gas from the second adsorption zone; and (d) terminating the passing of feed gas into the first adsorption zone and withdrawing an oxygen-enriched depressurization gas from the second adsorption zone in the same flow direction as (c).Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2001Date of Patent: April 8, 2003Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Robert Ling Chiang, Edwin John Miller, Roger Dean Whitley
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Publication number: 20020144596Abstract: Pressure swing adsorption process for the recovery of high purity oxygen from a feed gas comprising oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. The process includes a forward flow stage which comprises (a) passing the feed gas into a first adsorption zone containing an adsorbent selective for the adsorption of nitrogen over oxygen and argon, and withdrawing therefrom a nitrogen-depleted intermediate gas; (b) passing the nitrogen-depleted intermediate gas into a second adsorption zone containing an adsorbent which is selective for the adsorption of nitrogen over argon and selective for the adsorption of argon over oxygen; (c) withdrawing an oxygen-enriched product gas from the second adsorption zone; and (d) terminating the passing of feed gas into the first adsorption zone and withdrawing an oxygen-enriched depressurization gas from the second adsorption zone in the same flow direction as (c).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2001Publication date: October 10, 2002Inventors: Douglas Paul Dee, Robert Ling Chiang, Edwin John Miller, Roger Dean Whitley
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Publication number: 20020108495Abstract: An AgX-type zeolite having a silver exchange level of 20-70% and a Ar/O2 Henry's law selectivity ratio at 23° C. of 1.05 or greater has an optimum combination of selectivity for argon over oxygen at lower cost than higher silver exchange levels. This material can be used in oxygen VSA/PSA processes to produce oxygen at purities above 97%.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2001Publication date: August 15, 2002Inventors: Robert Ling Chiang, Roger Dean Whitley, Jane Elizabeth Ostroski, Douglas Paul Dee
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Patent number: 6432170Abstract: An AgX-type zeolite having a silver exchange level of 20-70% and a Ar/O2 Henry's law selectivity ratio at 23° C. of 1.05 or greater has an optimum combination of selectivity for argon over oxygen at lower cost than higher silver exchange levels. This material can be used in oxygen VSA/PSA processes to produce oxygen at purities above 97%.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2001Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Robert Ling Chiang, Roger Dean Whitley, Jane Elizabeth Ostroski, Douglas Paul Dee
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Patent number: 6428607Abstract: A pressure swing adsorption process for the separation of a pressurized feed gas containing at least one more strongly adsorbable component and at least one less strongly adsorbable component.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2000Date of Patent: August 6, 2002Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Jianguo Xu, Mark Robert Pillarella, Douglas Paul Dee
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Patent number: 6425938Abstract: A single bed pressure swing adsorption process with at least one transfer tank is utilized to separate less adsorbable components from more adsorbable components such as the separation of oxygen from air. Depressurization gas is collected in the transfer tank and is used later exclusively for purging the bed during the regeneration period.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2000Date of Patent: July 30, 2002Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: Jianguo Xu, Mark Robert Pillarella, Douglas Paul Dee, Rakesh Agrawal
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Patent number: 6096115Abstract: Pressure swing adsorption process and system for separating gas mixtures comprising at least one more strongly adsorbable component and at least one less strongly adsorbable component. The process includes storing gas enriched in one of the components in a first storage tank and a second storage tank which are arranged in series. Final product gas is provided from the second storage tank while gas for purge, rinse, and/or repressurization is provided from the first storage tank.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 1999Date of Patent: August 1, 2000Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Inventors: William Thomas Kleinberg, Mark Robert Pillarella, Douglas Paul Dee