Patents by Inventor Ludolf Plass

Ludolf Plass 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: 4996836
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process of carrying out a combined gas turbine and steam turbine process of increased efficiency.A fuel gas is produced at a temperature of from 900.degree. to 1100.degree. C. in a circulating fluidized bed by a gasification of 70 to 95 wt. % of the carbon contained in the carbonaceous material and is treated at a temperature of from 850.degree. to 950.degree. C. with suspended solids consisting of calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide and/or calcium carbonate-containing solids to remove pollutants. The main portion of the fuel gas is burnt to produce a gas which is used to operate the gas turbine and which contains at least 5% by volume oxygen and is at a temperature of at least 1000.degree. C. Combustion of the carbonaceous gasification residue to produce process steam is performed in a second circulating fluidized bed at a temperature of from 800.degree. to 950.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Rolf Graf, Martin Hirsch, Ludolf Plass
  • Patent number: 4444568
    Abstract: In a process of simultaneously producing fuel gas and process heat from carbonaceous materials wherein the carbonaceous materials are gasified in a first fluidized bed stage and the combustible constituents left after the gasification are subsequently burnt in a second fluidized bed stage the throughput rate and the flexibility are increased in that the gasification is carried out at a pressure of up to 5 bars and a temperature of 800.degree. to 1100.degree. C. by a treatment with oxygen-containing gases in the presence of steam in a circulating fluidized bed and 40 to 80% of the carbon contained in the starting material are thus reacted. Sulfur compounds are removed from the resulting gas in a fluidized state at a temperature in the range from 800.degree. to 1000.degree. C. and the gas is then cooled and subjected to dust collection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 24, 1984
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft, Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans Beisswenger, Georg Daradimos, Martin Hirsch, Ludolf Plass, Harry Serbent
  • Patent number: 4409086
    Abstract: In electrolytic apparatus comprising cell chambers through which is passed an electrolyte and in which sets of anode plates are provided, each of which are connected to current-feeding center pins, and the mutually staggered electrode plates protrude into the gaps between plates having the opposite polarity. To ensure a simple, quick and reliable installation and removal of the anode plates, the center pin is provided with contact straps, which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the pin and serve to secure the anode plate. The contact straps are suitably spaced about 180.degree. apart and have at least one opening, which consists preferably of a tapped bore.The electrolytic apparatus is used in processes of producing alkali chlorate by the electrolytic decomposition of aqueous alkali chloride solutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1983
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gunther Haas, Ludolf Plass, Karl Lohrberg
  • Patent number: 4226844
    Abstract: Thermally splitting hydrate of aluminum chloride to produce aluminum oxide wherein the hydrate is at least partially split by contact with hot gases and hot calcined product in a turbulent zone, transmitting the material from the turbulent zone into a residence zone, recycling a portion of the solids from the residence zone to the turbulent zone in an amount to maintain a desired suspension density while the remainder is passed to a turbulent cooling zone in heat exchange with the fluidizing gas introduced into the turbulent zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1980
    Assignee: Aluminum Pechiney
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Ludolf Plass, Philippe Marchessaux, Raman Sood
  • Patent number: 4145398
    Abstract: A first substance and a liquid are conveyed along a conduit at least part of which is arranged in heat-exchange relationship with a second substance. Upstream of this part of the conduit, a suspension of the first substance in the liquid is formed wherein the first substance has an average particle size between 10 and 150 microns and a concentration between 1 and 6 volume percent. The suspension is conveyed along the conduit under conditions of turbulent flow. In this manner, the efficiency of the heat-exchange between the suspension and the second substance is increased. The method may be used to increase the heat-exchange efficiency in the extraction of bauxite so that an apparatus of given size can extract greater quantities of bauxite or, conversely, so that a given quantity of bauxite can be extracted with an apparatus of smaller size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1979
    Assignee: Vereinigte Aluminium-Werke A.G.
    Inventor: Ludolf Plass
  • Patent number: 4111158
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for carrying out an exothermic process in which a combustible-containing solid (e.g. coal shale, pyrite or limestone in combination with fuel oil) are burned in a fluidized-bed reactor with primary and secondary streams of oxygen-containing combustion-sustaining gas (in a volume ratio of 1:20 to 2:1) supplied at different levels so that the primary gas acts as the fluidizing gas. The gas velocities and rate of gas feeds are controlled to provide a mean suspension density above the secondary gas inlet of 10 to 40 kg/m.sup.3. The major portion of solid feed is introduced into the space below the secondary gas inlet which is maintained substantially free of internal fixtures and the effluent gases are separated from the entrained solids which are recycled to the bed. Solids withdrawn from the bed are cooled in a fluidized-bed cooler and the temperature of the bed is maintained constant by the controlled recirculation of cooled solids thereto from the cooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1978
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Martin Hirsch, Ludolf Plass
  • Patent number: 4107281
    Abstract: The thermal decomposition of aluminum chloride hydrate in which the preponderant portion of the hydrate is thermally decomposed in an indirectly heated reaction chamber while in a fluidized state with any remainder thermally decomposed in a directly heated rotary furnace and passing the formed aluminum oxide in heat exchange with combustion gases to cool the aluminum oxide and to preheat the combustion gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1978
    Assignee: Aluminum Pechiney
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Ludolf Plass, Philippe Marchessaux
  • Patent number: 4091085
    Abstract: Thermal decomposition of aluminum chloride hydrate in a fluidized bed reactor in which the concentration of solids diminishes from the bottom upwards, the improvement wherein most of the hydrogen chloride is removed from the hydrate by direct heat and the largely decomposed aluminum chloride is fed into a calcining reactor and from the calcining reactor to a residence time reactor fluidized at low gas velocity, recycling solids from the residence reactor to the calcining reactor in an amount to adjust the suspension density and feeding the remainder to a cooler after sufficient time in the residence reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1977
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1978
    Assignee: Aluminum Pechiney
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Ludolf Plass, Philippe Marchessaux
  • Patent number: 4080437
    Abstract: Process for the thermal decomposition of aluminum chloride hexahydrate into anhydrous Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, comprising predrying and then decomposition in a fluidization reactor, the said fluidization being ensured by recycled gaseous HCl, and finally heating at the temperature necessary to obtain the desired crystallization state, namely anhydrous Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, the said pre-drying being carried out by the gases coming from this final heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1978
    Assignee: Aluminum Pechiney
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Ludolf Plass, Hans Werner Schmidt, Gunter Schoene, Philippe Marchessaux
  • Patent number: 4076796
    Abstract: Endothermic processes are carried out in a fluidized-bed reactor which is connected to a holding reactor, solids being recirculated between the two reactors. The primary fluidized-bed reactor uses a fast-fluidized bed system in which the solids concentration decreases continuously from the bottom to the top of the reactor. After the necessary residence time in the holding reactor, solids are discharged. Solids are entrained with the gas stream from the primary reactor and are separated therefrom to be delivered to the holding reactor. The reaction is controlled by regulating the rate of recirculation of solids from the holding reactor to the fast fluidized bed reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1978
    Assignee: Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Lothar Reh, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Ludolf Plass