Patents by Inventor Jerod Smeenk

Jerod Smeenk 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: 9353321
    Abstract: A method and assembly for producing substantially tar free product gas from gasification of carbonaceous material. The assembly preferably includes a first stage gasifier to produce char-ash and tar laden product gas and a second stage gasifier which has a char-ash heating zone, at least one cyclone, and at least one standpipe for the purpose of allowing selective delivery of char-ash to the char-ash heating zone. A char-ash heating zone that utilizes oxidation of char-ash is preferred and this results in the heat required to convert tar, additional yield of product gas, and an oxidized, activated carbon surface to facilitate tar conversion in the riser, thereby reducing the temperature required to achieve the desired tar conversion. Alternatively, external heat is supplied to the heating zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: FRONTLINE BIOENERGY, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas J Paskach, Jerod Smeenk
  • Publication number: 20150083971
    Abstract: A method and assembly for producing substantially tar free product gas from gasification of carbonaceous material. The assembly preferably includes a first stage gasifier to produce char-ash and tar laden product gas and a second stage gasifier which has a char-ash heating zone, at least one cyclone, and at least one standpipe for the purpose of allowing selective delivery of char-ash to the char-ash heating zone. A char-ash heating zone that utilizes oxidation of char-ash is preferred and this results in the heat required to convert tar, additional yield of product gas, and an oxidized, activated carbon surface to facilitate tar conversion in the riser, thereby reducing the temperature required to achieve the desired tar conversion. Alternatively, external heat is supplied to the heating zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Thomas J Paskach, Jerod Smeenk
  • Publication number: 20110308155
    Abstract: A system for gasifying solid matter uses multiple stages to produce low-tar combustible gas includes a first reactor having a fluidized bed to produce hydrogen containing gas, pyrolysis vapors, tars, and char particles at temperature less than the exit of the second reactor and a higher temperature partial oxidation combustor zones. A second reactor includes a higher temperature partial oxidation zone to activate hydrogen and cause cracking of aromatic ring compounds, a co-flow moving granular bed with a char gasification stage to catalyze tar reduction, and control char residence time, and a media screen comprising a parallel wire screen substantially vertically oriented supporting granular media.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Thomas J. Paskach, John P. Reardon, Paul Evans, Jerod Smeenk
  • Publication number: 20050016377
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for filtering gas (58) with a moving granular filter bed (48) involves moving a mass of particulate filter material (48) downwardly through a filter compartment (35); tangentially introducing gas into the compartment (54) to move in a cyclonic path downwardly around the moving filter material (48); diverting the cyclonic path (58) to a vertical path (62) to cause the gas to directly interface with the particulate filter material (48); thence causing the gas to move upwardly through the filter material (48) through a screened partition (24, 32) into a static upper compartment (22) of a filter compartment for exodus (56) of the gas which has passed through the particulate filter material (48).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2002
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Brown, Corey Wistrom, Jerod Smeenk