Patents Represented by Attorney Christopher Egolf
  • Patent number: 4698172
    Abstract: An anti-icing fluid suitable for ground treatment of aircraft, being a glycol-based solution containing a gel-forming carrageenan, in an amount of less than 5 wt %. The carrageenan is present in the glycol-based solution in an amount sufficient to thicken the fluid to promote its adherence to aircraft surfaces when applied to a stationary aircraft. Use of this thickened deicing fluid does not adversely affect airfoil lift characteristics during takeoff, because the fluid exhibits shear thinning and readily flows off the aircraft surfaces when exposed to wind shear during the aircraft's takeoff run.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1987
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Tye, George E. Lauterbach, Philip R. Standel
  • Patent number: 4693896
    Abstract: A coated aspirin tablet, which is capable of being disintegrated quickly in gastric fluid, containing a thin film of plasticized ethylcellulose. The ethylcellulose thin film coating represents less than about 2 wt % of the coated tablet weight and is the dried residue of an aqueous ethylcellulose dispersion that is spray-coated onto the tablet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1987
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Wheatley, Rashminkumar S. Shah
  • Patent number: 4687648
    Abstract: A method for improving utilization of limestone in a sodium-limestone double alkali flue gas desulfurization process. Spent alkaline absorber solution, containing sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite, is diverted for regeneration treatment in a series of stirred tank reactors, where it is contacted with the limestone regenerating agent. Dilute slurry from the last reactor is concentrated in a thickener, and the concentrated underflow slurry from the thickener is then treated further in an after-reactor circuit. Since the thickener underflow slurry contains residual unreacted limestone, the slurry is contacted with a side stream of spent alkaline absorber solution in the after-reactor circuit to promote further reaction of residual limestone before the solids are separated and discarded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1987
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Biolchini, Willard L. Boward, Jr., Kuei-Hsiung Wang
  • Patent number: 4659672
    Abstract: A device for replicating microbial or other cell colonies or aggregates comprises a layer of moisture absorbent material either in the form of a coherent film or comprising individual particles or a combination of film and particles, said layer being secured to a suitable handle forming element by means of which the device may be manipulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1987
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Richard B. Provonchee, Donald W. Renn
  • Patent number: 4654204
    Abstract: Sodium bicarbonate is produced by introducing solid sodium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, and/or Wegscheider's salt into a reversion slurry, saturated with respect to bicarbonate and containing at least 10 wt. % solids, to effect rapid and complete conversion of the feed solids to crystalline sodium bicarbonate which is recovered from the slurry. Carbon dioxide is introduced into the reversion liquor to maintain its composition at a relatively constant value, preferably in a region of the Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 --NaHCO.sub.3 --H.sub.2 O phase diagram that minimizes the equilibrium partial pressure of CO.sub.2 vapor above such liquor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development Corporation
    Inventors: William C. Copenhafer, Henry A. Pfeffer, III, Francis Rauh
  • Patent number: 4652054
    Abstract: A cyclic solution mining method that uses aqueous sodium hydroxide for recovering valuable alkali values, preferably as soda ash, from subterranean deposits of trona or nahcolite, even when such deposits are NaCl-contaminated. The aqueous sodium hydroxide mining solvent is generated via electrodialysis of a recirculating sodium chloride brine stream. Hydrogen chloride that is also generated in the cell's operation is neutralized with aqueous sodium carbonate, to regenerate sodium chloride brine that is recirculated to the electrodialysis cell as brine feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1987
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development Corporation
    Inventors: William C. Copenhafer, Henry A. Pfeffer, III
  • Patent number: 4588569
    Abstract: Hot flue gas containing sulfur oxides is treated in a dry injection desulfurization process by injecting a dry particulate soda ash sorbent into the SO.sub.2 -contaminated gas stream, which must contain 0.5-10 wt % water and be at a temperature of 100.degree.-175.degree. C., and collecting the sorbent in a solids collection device like a baghouse filter. The dry soda ash sorbent is a porous sodium carbonate, derived from calcination of a NaHCO.sub.3 -containing compound, and must have a minimum surface area of at least 2 m.sup.2 /g and less than 10 wt % residual bicarbonate. In this process, at least 40% of the sorbent's sodium content is utilized in the desulfurization reaction, at a normalized stoichiometric ratio=1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1985
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1986
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Cyran, William C. Copenhafer
  • Patent number: 4519806
    Abstract: A method for enhancing the recovery of dense soda ash from Na.sub.2 SO.sub.4 - and NaCl-containing aqueous sodium carbonate solutions by first co-crystallizing anhydrous sodium carbonate and burkeite and next introducing the co-crystallized solids to an aqueous medium at elevated temperature to dissolve the burkeite and cause reversion of the anhydrous sodium carbonate solids to crystalline sodium carbonate monohydrate, which is then separated from the dissolved sulfate and recovered as product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1985
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development Corp.
    Inventors: William C. Copenhafer, Michael L. Pinsky
  • Patent number: 4498706
    Abstract: Separate deposits of trona or nahcolite ore are solution mined with two solvents, aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous hydrogen chloride. Aqueous sodium carbonate solution is withdrawn from the region of the NaOH-treated ore deposit, for recovery of soda ash. Aqueous sodium chloride brine is withdrawn from the region of the HCl-treated ore deposit and introduced to an electrodialysis cell to regenerate the two solvents and thereby continue the solution mining cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1985
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development Corp.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ilardi, David Goldstein
  • Patent number: 4476001
    Abstract: Device for attachment to the overflow line of an electrolytic cell, for collection of alkaline cell liquor and for concurrent interruption of electrical current flow from cell in such liquor. The device consists of a closed container having a liquor inlet in the top portion of the container and outlet in the bottom portion, with the container being divided internally by a horizontal perforated plate, for separating the incoming liquor flow stream into a multiplicity of streamlets or droplets. The device is fabricated from a non-metallic, transparent material that is resistant to the hot alkaline cell liquor, preferably polymethylpentene plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1984
    Assignees: Nova Rubber Co., FMC Corporation
    Inventors: J. Barrett McDonald, Terry V. Fontalbert
  • Patent number: 4462794
    Abstract: Method of operating a rotary calciner retrofitted from oil- or natural gas-firing to coal-firing, in which coal is burned in a coal furnace and the coal combustion gases are then heated further in a booster burner utilizing oil or natural gas, to raise the combustion gas temperature to permit processing of calcine at up to a design capacity rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1984
    Assignee: Intermountain Research & Development
    Inventors: Henry A. Pfeffer, III, Judith N. Fradkin
  • Patent number: 4439411
    Abstract: Sodium hydrosulfide is continuously produced from the reaction of hydrogen sulfide and with sodium sulfide by continuously introducing an aqueous sodium sulfide solution into an unvented reaction chamber, which may be a tower or tank, while maintaining a source of gaseous hydrogen sulfide in pressure demand relationship with the solution in the chamber, and continuously withdrawing aqueous sodium hydrosulfide solution from the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1981
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1984
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventor: James L. Manganaro
  • Patent number: 4431618
    Abstract: A method of controlling the continuous operation of the absorption and regeneration processes of a sodium-limestone double alkali flue gas desulfurization system, in which measurements of absorber effluent solution pH or flow diverted for regeneration are used as the primary control parameter governing the limestone addition rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1984
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Willard L. Boward, Jr., Kuei H. Wang
  • Patent number: 4430454
    Abstract: Polymeric foam compositions, useful as insulating material are obtained from the reaction of polymaleic anhydride with a hydroxyl-containing compound like ethylene glycol or its derivatives, in the presence of an organic isocyanate. Hydroxyl-containing compounds suitable for reaction with polymaleic anhydride include C.sub.2 -C.sub.10 diols, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 trilos, C.sub.4 -C.sub.5 tetraols and their derivatives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1984
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Harry M. Castrantas, Sidney Berkowitz
  • Patent number: 4421729
    Abstract: Strontium carbonate is prepared by the process of reacting strontium nitrate in an aqueous reaction medium with carbon dioxide to precipitate strontium carbonate product, the nitric acid byproduct that forms being neutralized by the introduction of lime to the reaction medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1983
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: John S. Chiang, David Goldstein
  • Patent number: 4410500
    Abstract: A flue gas desulfurization method for efficiently removing sulfur oxides from a gas stream with an aqueous sodium sulfite- and sodium bisulfite-containing absorption solution, in which absorber effluent solution at a pH of from 5.8 to 6.6 and having an active sodium concentration of from 0.5 M to 0.9 M is regenerated with sufficient ground limestone to yield a treated solution with a higher pH of from 6.3 to 7.0 and whose bisulfite concentration is reduced by from 35 to 70%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventors: Kuei-Hsiung Wang, Robert J. Biolchini, L. Karl Legatski
  • Patent number: 4401635
    Abstract: A method for recovering alkali values from subterranean deposits of trona ore associated with sodium chloride by contacting the trona with an aqueous mining solution containing sodium hydroxide and subsequently utilizing the alkali values contained in the resultant salt- and sodium carbonate-containing solution. The alkali values are preferably crystallized as substantially salt-free sodium carbonate monohydrate, which is dried to recover soda ash. The mother liquor containing all of the salt is then treated to prepare a dilute sodium hydroxide solution, which may be employed as aqueous mining solution in a cyclic method to recover additional alkali values from trona.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Assignee: Intermountain Research and Development Corporation
    Inventor: William R. Frint
  • Patent number: 4375454
    Abstract: Calcined trona and/or nahcolite bearing ore particles are separated into a plurality of fractions of relatively uniform particle size. Those calcined particles smaller than about 6.7 mm in size and larger than about 0.2 mm in size are passed through an electrostatic separator to obtain an ore concentrate containing a greater percentage of soda ash and a lesser percentage of insoluble impurities than were present in the ore; a middling fraction and an ore tailing fraction containing a lesser percentage of soda ash and a greater percentage of insoluble impurities than were present in the ore. The middling fraction may be recycled to increase the yield of ore concentrate. Calcined particles smaller than about 0.2 mm may be combined with the ore concentrate. The combined ore concentrate fraction may be marked as technical grade soda ash or used as a high grade feed to a monohydrate refining process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1983
    Assignee: Intermountain Research and Development Corporation
    Inventors: Eugene G. Imperto, Orval H. Hilliard
  • Patent number: 4367212
    Abstract: A method for controlling the concentration of dissolved thiosulfate byproduct which forms in a wet desulfurization process, by introducing a peroxygen chemical into its recirculating aqueous absorption medium. A peroxygen chemical such as aqueous hydrogen peroxide is introduced into the recirculating aqueous alkaline absorption medium, preferably after its regeneration, in an amount sufficient to maintain the concentration of thiosulfate byproduct below a saturation concentration. The method is applicable to cyclic wet desulfurization processes, used to recover elemental sulfur from H.sub.2 S-containing gas streams, in which the absorption medium contains a regenerable oxidizing agent and is subject to thiosulfate byproduct buildup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1980
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1983
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventor: Harry M. Castrantas
  • Patent number: 4347231
    Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide is prepared by the homogeneously catalyzed reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in an inert organic solvent, by employing an iridium complex as the catalyst in the presence of a quinone reaction promoter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1982
    Assignee: FMC Corporation
    Inventor: Robert C. Michaelson