Patents by Inventor Justin B. Ashton
Justin B. Ashton 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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Patent number: 11897768Abstract: Systems for producing hydrogen gas for local distribution, consumption, and/or storage, and related devices and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a pyrolysis reactor that can be coupled to a supply of reaction material that includes a hydrocarbon. The reactor includes one or more flow channels positioned to transfer heat to the reaction material to convert the hydrocarbon into an output that includes hydrogen gas and carbon particulates. The system also includes a carbon separation system operably coupled to the pyrolysis reactor to separate the hydrogen gas the carbon particulates in the output. In various embodiments, the system also includes components to locally consume the filtered hydrogen gas.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2021Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Modern Hydrogen, Inc.Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Roelof E. Groenewald, Kevin J. Hughes, Arvind Kannan, William Kokonaski, Max N. Mankin, Tony S. Pan, Lowell L Wood, John J. Lorr, Amit Goyal, Guido Radaelli, Vikram Seshadri
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Publication number: 20220315424Abstract: Systems for producing hydrogen gas for local distribution, consumption, and/or storage, and related devices and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a pyrolysis reactor system that can be coupled to a supply of reaction material that includes a hydrocarbon. The pyrolysis reactor system includes one or more combustion components positioned to transfer heat to the reaction material to convert the hydrocarbon into an output that includes hydrogen gas and carbon particulates. The pyrolysis reactor system also includes a carbon separation system positioned to separate the hydrogen gas the carbon particulates in the output. In various embodiments, the system also includes components to locally consume the filtered hydrogen gas, such as a power generator, heating appliance, and/or a combined heat and power device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2022Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Roelof E. Groenewald, Kevin J. Hughes, William Kokonaski, Max N. Mankin, Tony S. Pan, Levi D. Rodriguez, Lowell L. Wood, John J. Lorr, Amit Goyal, Guido Radaelli, Vikram Seshadri, MJ Mahdi, Matthew Ballard, Stephen Harris, Alex Pearse
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Publication number: 20220120217Abstract: Combined heat and power (CHP) systems and related methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the CHP system includes a combustion component and a power cell operably coupled to the combustion component. The power cell can include a first heat exchanger thermally coupled to the combustion component to receive heat; a second heat exchanger; and an electricity generation component with a first portion thermally coupled to the first heat exchanger and a second portion thermally coupled to the second heat exchanger. The electricity generation component is positioned to receive at least a portion of the heat received at the first heat exchanger and generate an electrical output using the received heat. To recycle unused heat from the power cell, the second heat exchanger can be thermally coupleable to a third heat exchanger in a residential heating appliance.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2021Publication date: April 21, 2022Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Max N. Mankin, Daniel Kraemer, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, William Kokonaski, Peter J. Scherpelz, Kristen M. Palughi, Vikas Patnaik, Samantha A. Tran
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Publication number: 20210380407Abstract: Systems for producing hydrogen gas for local distribution, consumption, and/or storage, and related devices and methods are disclosed herein. A representative system includes a pyrolysis reactor that can be coupled to a supply of reaction material that includes a hydrocarbon. The reactor includes one or more flow channels positioned to transfer heat to the reaction material to convert the hydrocarbon into an output that includes hydrogen gas and carbon particulates. The system also includes a carbon separation system operably coupled to the pyrolysis reactor to separate the hydrogen gas the carbon particulates in the output. In various embodiments, the system also includes components to locally consume the filtered hydrogen gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2021Publication date: December 9, 2021Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Roelof E. Groenewald, Kevin J. Hughes, Arvind Kannan, William Kokonaski, Max N. Mankin, Tony S. Pan, Levi D. Rodriguez, Lowell L. Wood, John J. Lorr, Amit Goyal, Guido Radaelli, Vikram Seshadri
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Publication number: 20210351722Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one alkali metal thermal-to-electricity converter (AMTEC) has a high pressure zone and a low pressure zone, the high pressure zone being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the low pressure zone being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2021Publication date: November 11, 2021Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Alexander J. Pearse, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood
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Publication number: 20210254581Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one alkali metal thermal-to-electricity converter (AMTEC) has a high pressure zone and a low pressure zone, the high pressure zone being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the low pressure zone being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Alexander J. Pearse, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood
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Publication number: 20210257959Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one thermophotovoltaic converter has a photon emitter and at least one photovoltaic cell, the photon emitter being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the at least one photovoltaic cell being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Alexander J. Pearse, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood
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Publication number: 20210257958Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one thermophotovoltaic converter has a photon emitter and at least one photovoltaic cell, the photon emitter being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the at least one photovoltaic cell being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2021Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Alexander J. Pearse, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood
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Publication number: 20200294780Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one thermionic energy converter has a hot shell and a cold shell, the hot shell being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the cold shell being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2020Publication date: September 17, 2020Applicant: Modern Electron, LLCInventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood
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Publication number: 20200294779Abstract: Various disclosed embodiments include combined heating and power modules and combined heat and power devices. In an illustrative embodiment, a combined heat and power device includes a heating system including: at least one burner; at least one igniter configured to ignite the at least one burner; a fluid motivator assembly including an electrically powered prime mover; and a heat exchanger fluidly couplable to the fluid motivator assembly. At least one thermionic energy converter has a hot shell and a cold shell, the hot shell being thermally couplable to the at least one burner, the cold shell being thermally couplable to the heat exchanger.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2020Publication date: September 17, 2020Applicant: Modern Electron, LLCInventors: Justin B. Ashton, Stephen E. Clark, William Kokonaski, Daniel Kraemer, John J. Lorr, Max N. Mankin, David J. Menacher, Patrick D. Noble, Tony S. Pan, Ad de Pijper, Lowell L. Wood