Patents by Inventor Herman J. Hittner

Herman J. Hittner 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: 5711018
    Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Herman J. Hittner, R. Lee Byers, John N. Lees, Jr., David W. Rierson, Ludmila Dinter-Brown
  • Patent number: 5616296
    Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Herman J. Hittner, R. Lee Byers, John N. Lees, Jr., David W. Rierson, Ludmila Dinter-Brown
  • Patent number: 5476990
    Abstract: An industrial waste management facility (IWMF) for disposing of spent potlining includes a co-current gas-fired rotary kiln for containing a molten pool of spent potlining throughout the entire length of the rotary kiln from the inlet to the outlet, an ash quencher and cooler for receiving molten residue from the discharge end of the rotary kiln, a secondary combustion chamber, and a down-draft transition chamber for channeling discharge gases from the rotary kiln to the secondary combustion chamber. Pneumatic injection slingers feed and distribute spent potlining into the inlet end of the rotary kiln. A discharge dam provides a predetermined average depth of molten bath material in the rotary kiln over its entire length. A blended ratio of comminuted materials injected through the pneumatic injection slinger feeder is adjusted and controlled in response to signals received from a radiative optical kiln bath temperature measurement system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Herman J. Hittner, R. Lee Byers, John N. Lees, Jr., David W. Rierson, Ludmila Dinter-Brown
  • Patent number: 5024822
    Abstract: A process for treating spent potlining from the electrolytic smelting of aluminum in cryolite includes incinerating the potlining to combust carbonaceous material to form an ash at a temperature low enough to maintain low fluorine vapor pressures, admixing siliceous material with the potlining either before of after the ash-forming stage, and heating the ash and siliceous material to form a glassy residue.The residue formed by the process of the present invention produces a spent potlining suitable for landfill characterized by a low leachability of fluorine in water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1991
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Herman J. Hittner, Quyen C. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 4956158
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for treating spent potlining from the electrolytic smelting of aluminum in cryolite including burning the spent potlining to form an ash, mixing with a siliceous material either before or after the ash-forming step, and heating to form a residue suitable for landfill. The ash and siliceous material are mixed in a specified mole ratio of at least about 1.4 silicon to sodium. The process further includes cooling the residue rapidly.The residue formed by the process of the present invention produces a spent potlining suitable for landfill characterized by a low leachability of fluorine in water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Aluminum Company of America
    Inventors: Quyen C. Nguyen, Herman J. Hittner