Patents by Inventor Eric William Scharpf

Eric William Scharpf 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).

  • Patent number: 6568206
    Abstract: A process for recovering a first component and/or a second component from a multicomponent feed gas mixture containing the first component and the second component includes multiple steps. The first step is to pass the feed gas mixture through a membrane separation unit, thereby separating the feed gas mixture into a first stream enriched in the first component and a second stream lean in the first component. The second step is to cool the first stream. The third step is to expand the cooled first stream in a work extraction device, thereby generating a refrigeration supply for the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric William Scharpf
  • Publication number: 20030024388
    Abstract: A process for recovering a first component and/or a second component from a multicomponent feed gas mixture containing the first component and the second component includes multiple steps. The first step is to pass the feed gas mixture through a membrane separation unit, thereby separating the feed gas mixture into a first stream enriched in the first component and a second stream lean in the first component. The second step is to cool the first stream. The third step is to expand the cooled first stream in a work extraction device, thereby generating a refrigeration supply for the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventor: Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 6266976
    Abstract: A process for obtaining purified carbon monoxide from a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and one or more additional impurities to be removed by one or more vapor-liquid separation devices is provided which includes the steps of providing a feed stream of the gaseous mixture, cooling and partially condensing the feed stream to partially separate the feed stream into at least one hydrogen rich vapor substream and at least one carbon monoxide rich liquid substream, withdrawing a first and a second substream from one of the carbon monoxide rich substreams, passing the first substream through a first expansion valve to let down the pressure to a pressure nominally the same as that of a vapor-liquid separation device downstream, vaporizing the second substream using a heat exchange device to produce a third substream at a pressure substantially above that of the vapor-liquid separation device, passing the third substream through a work extraction device to provide a substantial portion of all refrige
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 6161397
    Abstract: Gas mixtures are separated by cryogenic separation, preferably a cryogenic condensation separation cycle, into at least a first gas mixture and a second gas mixture having at least one component common with the first gas mixture; at least one gas mixture selected from at least a portion of said feed gas mixture and at least a portion of said second gas mixture is subjected to non-cryogenic separation to provide a separated gas rich in said common component; and said separated gas is added to said first gas mixture to contribute to a product gas mixture. It is particularly preferred to also blend a portion of the second gas mixture with the first gas mixture to facilitate, in conjunction with the separated stream, simultaneous control of both the amount and composition of the first gas mixture product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Alfred McNeil, Eric William Scharpf, David Graham Winter
  • Patent number: 6073461
    Abstract: Carbon monoxide is separated from a gaseous mixture containing hydrogen and methane and contaminated with nitrogen by scrubbing carbon monoxide from a vapor portion of the feed by a liquid methane wash; stripping dissolved hydrogen from the resultant CO-loaded liquid methane stream; fractionating the resultant hydrogen-stripped CO-loaded liquid methane stream to separate nitrogen therefrom; and fractionating the resultant nitrogen-freed bottoms liquid into CO product overheads vapor and methane bottoms liquid. If the gaseous mixture also contains argon, argon content can be removed with the methane content to obviate a separate argon-separation stage as required by prior art processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Alfred McNeil, Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 6062042
    Abstract: Carbon monoxide is separated from a gaseous mixture containing hydrogen and contaminated with nitrogen by separating hydrogen and carbon monoxide contents to provide a carbon monoxide-enriched nitrogen-containing stream and separating carbon monoxide and nitrogen contents of said stream in a nitrogen-separation column to provide a nitrogen-enriched overheads vapor and a nitrogen-freed bottoms liquid. The overheads vapor is washed with liquid nitrogen to remove carbon monoxide therefrom and the resultant carbon monoxide-enriched liquid nitrogen is returned to said column as additional reflux. The liquid nitrogen wash simultaneously reduces the loss of carbon monoxide with the nitrogen-enriched vapor and provides refrigeration to the process. When the gaseous feed is a synthesis gas also containing methane, the methane and carbon monoxide contents can be separated before or after separation of the nitrogen and carbon monoxide contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Alfred McNeil, Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 5865023
    Abstract: A method for improving the efficiency of a gasification combined cycle system for the coproduction of electric power and one or more chemical or liquid fuel products from a synthesis gas feed containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Waste heat is recovered from the chemical reaction system in the form of heated water which is used to heat and humidify one or more gas streams introduced into the combustor of the combined cycle system gas turbine. Waste refrigeration recovered from the synthesis gas purification system optionally is used to cool the air inlet to the gas turbine compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christian Sorensen, Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 5842345
    Abstract: Work is recovered from a first process stream in a high temperature range by heating and vaporizing a condensate-containing mixed component working fluid, expanding the vapor in an expansion turbine to generate work, and condensing the turbine exhaust by indirect heat exchange with a second process stream in a low temperature range to provide the condensate-containing mixed component working fluid. The composition of the working fluid is changed in response to a change in the high temperature range, a change in the low temperature range, or changes in both temperature ranges in order to maintain the efficiency of the work recovery step. The working fluid can be a mixture of ammonia and water. The first and second process streams can be process streams in a combined cycle power generation system or an ammonia synthesis plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 5832747
    Abstract: The molar ratio of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in synthesis gas is changed by partially condensing at least a portion of the feed gas and separating the partially condensed feed mixture by non-fractionating phase separation. Preferably, the partially condensed feed mixture is separated by a first phase separation into a first liquid stream and a first vapor stream; the first vapor stream is partially condensed and separated by a second phase separation into a second liquid stream and a second vapor stream; the second vapor stream is warmed and expanded to provide refrigeration and partial condensation; and the expanded partially condensed stream is separated by a third phase separation to provide a third liquid stream and a third vapor stream. The synthesis gas product is at least partially derived from the third liquid stream and a portion of the third vapor stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: John Dollin Bassett, Brian Alfred McNeil, Eric William Scharpf
  • Patent number: 5666800
    Abstract: A method for improving the efficiency of a gasification combined cycle system for the coproduction of electric power and one or more chemical or liquid fuel products from a synthesis gas feed containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Waste heat is recovered from the chemical reaction system in the form of heated water which is used to heat and humidify one or more gas streams introduced into the combustor of the combined cycle system gas turbine. Waste refrigeration recovered from the synthesis gas purification system optionally is used to cool the air inlet to the gas turbine compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christian Sorensen, Eric William Scharpf