Patents by Inventor L. Paul Combs

L. Paul Combs 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: 4536603
    Abstract: A process wherein coal is reacted with a hot gas stream to produce acetylene. The process comprises the sequential steps of reacting a fuel, oxygen and steam under controlled conditions of temperature to produce a hot gas stream principally comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and steam along with minor amounts of carbon dioxide, and essentially free of O, OH and O.sub.2. The hot gas stream is accelerated to a high velocity and impinged upon a stream of particulate bituminous or subbituminous coal and thereafter the mixture of hot gas and coal is decelerated to a velocity of from about 150 to 300 feet per second. The amounts of the streams of particulate coal and hot gas are controlled to produce in the reaction zone a pressure in the range of from about 10 to 100 psia and a temperature of from about 1800.degree. to 3000.degree. F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1985
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Sprouse, Merlin D. Schuman, L. Paul Combs
  • Patent number: 4138986
    Abstract: A domestic furnace for heating a fluid that is circulated through a residential building includes an oil burner, a firebox for combustion products of the burner, a heat exchanger and a flue. A conduit extending from outside of the building supplies outside air to the burner and to the flue through a pressure controlled damper; the combustion air supplied to the burner is filtered. The air inlet to the burner includes a damper that closes automatically when the burner is extinguished, to eliminate heat losses up the flue during furnace standby. Nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon, and smoke emissions are minimized by the design of the burner and firebox combination. A conventional type burner head is used, rather than a flame retention type, and its choke diameter is related quantitatively to the burner firing rate. In addition, the burner head has oversized, internal, peripheral air swirler vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1979
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    Inventors: L. Paul Combs, Allan S. Okuda, Larry H. Russell