Patents by Inventor William D. Sands

William D. Sands 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).

  • Pressure gradient passivation of carbonaceous material normally susceptible to spontaneous combustion
    Patent number: 6146432
    Abstract: This invention is a process for the passivation or deactivation with resp to oxygen of a carbonaceous material by the exposure of the carbonaceous material to an oxygenated gas in which the oxygenated gas pressure is increased from a first pressure to a second pressure and then the pressure is changed to a third pressure. Preferably a cyclic process which comprises exposing the carbonaceous material to the gas at low pressure and increasing the pressure to a second higher pressure and then returning the pressure to a lower pressure is used. The cycle is repeated at least twice wherein the higher pressure may be increased after a selected number of cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy
    Inventors: Thomas L. Ochs, William D. Sands, Karl Schroeder, Cathy A. Summers, Bruce R. Utz