Patents Represented by Attorney Jennifer R. Knight
  • Patent number: 7858730
    Abstract: A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a plurality of horizontally elongated and vertically spaced tubular members coupled to and extending between a pair of horizontally spaced and vertically elongated headers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Thomas Lloyd Yount, Bruce Roger DeBruin, Michael Paul Ekart, Larry Cates Windes, David Allen Sliger
  • Patent number: 7847053
    Abstract: A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a plurality of horizontally elongated and vertically spaced reactor segments coupled to and extending outwardly from a common header. One or more of the reactor segments can contain a tray that divides the internal volume of the reactor segment into upper and lower chambers. The reaction medium can flow away from the header in the upper chambers and back to the header in the lower chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Thomas Lloyd Yount, Bruce Roger DeBruin, Michael Paul Ekart, Larry Cates Windes, David Allen Sliger
  • Patent number: 7842777
    Abstract: A sloped tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The reactor can include a downwardly sloped tubular member, a flow divider disposed in the tubular member, and one or more internal trays disposed in the tubular member. The flow divider divides flow of the reaction medium among the trays and the bottom of the tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Michael Paul Ekart, Larry Cates Windes
  • Patent number: 7838596
    Abstract: A process for preparing modified polymer by withdrawing a slip stream of polymer melt from the discharge line of a continuous polymerization reactor, admixing in a highly modified polymeric additive into the polymer melt within the slip stream, then introducing the modifier containing slip stream late in the manufacturing process prior to the slip stream withdrawal point. The improved processes of the invention have particular utility for large-scale, continuous reactor where transitions and short production runs are economically prohibitive thereby limiting the product breath. The process is particularly suited for producing a family of copolyesters using a continuous melt phase production process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Frederick Leslie Colhoun, Kenrick Lyle Venett, Bruce Roger DeBruin
  • Patent number: 7834109
    Abstract: A polyester production facility capable of producing an esterified product stream having a low impurity concentration relative to product streams produced in conventional polyester production facilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Richard Gill Bonner
  • Patent number: 7829653
    Abstract: A horizontal trayed reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The reactor can include a plurality of vertically spaced trays disposed within the horizontally elongated vessel shell. The reaction medium can flow in generally opposite directions on vertically adjacent trays so that the reaction medium flows generally back-and-forth through the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Thomas Lloyd Yount, Bruce Roger DeBruin, Larry Cates Windes, Roy Douglas Flores, Alan Wayne White, Steven Paul Bellner
  • Patent number: 7790840
    Abstract: A method of crystallizing a plurality of polymeric pellets includes a step of introducing the pellets into a pneumatic conveying system with an initial average temperature. The plurality of polymeric pellets are pneumatically transferred from the inlet to an outlet with a conveying gas. While residing within the conveying system, the pellets have a sufficient temperature for crystallization to occur. A pneumatic conveying system implementing the methods of the invention is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Richard Gill Bonner
  • Patent number: 7714094
    Abstract: Disclosed are modified PET polymer compositions and process for making modified PET polymer compositions by reacting purified terephthalic acid and non-hydrogenated isophthalic acid with ethylene glycol. Compositions with acceptable visual appearance, such as clarity and color, can be made at typical modification levels for many packaging application. Disclosed are also shaped articles and the process for making shaped articles of the modified PET polymer composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant
  • Patent number: 7674877
    Abstract: A process for thermally crystallizing a polyester polymer by introducing pellets into a liquid medium having a temperature of at least 140° C. within a liquid medium zone and crystallizing the submerged pellets at or above the vapor pressure of the liquid medium without increasing the molecular weight of the pellets, and while the pressure on at least a portion of the pellets is equal to or greater than the vapor pressure of the liquid medium, separating at least a portion of said pellets and at least a portion of the liquid medium from each other. The crystallization is desirably conducted in the liquid medium zone without mechanically induced agitation. Optionally, the pellets are wormed by an underfluid pelletizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Mary Therese Jernigan, Michael Paul Ekart, Luciano Dalmacio Samitier, Cory Lee Wells, Larry Cates Windes
  • Patent number: 7641950
    Abstract: This invention relates to a polyester/polyamide blend having an excellent gas barrier property. More particularly, the present invention relates to combinations of a polyethylene terephthalate polymer and a polyamide polymer having an excellent gas barrier property and short oxygen scavenging induction periods, where the polyamide polymer has a C:A terminal group concentration ratio of 2:1 or more and a C+A terminal group concentration of at least 0.17 meq/g of polyamide polymer, wherein C represents a cumulative total of a terminal carboxyl group concentration and a terminal hydrocarbyl group concentration expressed in meq/g of polyamide, and A represents a terminal amine group concentration expressed in meq/g of polyamide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Steven Lee Stafford, Mark Edward Stewart, Benjamin Bradford Gamble
  • Patent number: 7638596
    Abstract: A method of crystallizing a plurality of crystallizable polymer pellets includes a step in which the pellets passed through regions that are temperature adjusted by a heat transfer jacket. The heat transfer jacket adjusts the temperature of the pellets by having a temperature sufficient to allow at least partial crystallization of the plurality of polymeric pellets while maintaining the average pellet temperature of the plurality of pellets below the melting temperature of the pellets. A crystallizer implementing the methods of the invention is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Richard Gill Bonner
  • Patent number: 7638593
    Abstract: A method of crystallizing a plurality of crystallizable polymer pellets includes a step in which the pellets are contacted with a temperature adjusting fluid in a crystallizer. The fluid adjusts the temperature of the pellets by having a temperature sufficient to allow at least partial crystallization of the plurality of polymeric pellets while maintaining the average pellet temperature of the plurality of pellets below the melting temperature of the pellets. A crystallizer implementing the methods of the invention is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Richard Gill Bonner
  • Patent number: 7615663
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently producing and purifying aromatic dicarboxylic acids (e.g., terephthalic acid). The optimized system employs at least one zoned slurry concentrator to enhance purification of the aromatic dicarboxylic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Robert Lin, Ruairi Seosamh O'Meadhra
  • Patent number: 7586010
    Abstract: Disclosed are catalyst solutions for preparing aldehydes with variable normal- to iso-aldehyde ratios comprising one or more phosphonite ligands, rhodium, and a hydroformylation solvent. Also disclosed is a process for preparing aldehydes with variable normal- to iso-aldehyde ratios comprising contacting an olefin, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide with one or more phosphonite ligands, rhodium, and a hydroformylation solvent. The phosphonite-based catalyst solutions provide the ability to manipulate the normal- to iso-aldehyde ratio by varying one or more process variables including carbon monoxide partial pressure, temperature, and gram moles ligand to gram atoms rhodium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Yun-Shan Liu, Thomas Allen Puckette
  • Patent number: 7501482
    Abstract: A method of crystallizing polymeric pellets includes a step in which a plurality of polymeric pellets are introduced into a crystallizer. While within the crystallizer, the plurality of pellets is contacted with a plurality of solid additives for the purpose of adjusting the average pellet temperature. The plurality of solid additives adjusts the temperature of the pellets by having a temperature sufficient to allow at least partial crystallization of the plurality of polymeric pellets while maintaining the average pellet temperature below the melting temperature. Finally, the plurality of polymer pellets is removed from the outlet of the crystallizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Bruce Roger DeBruin, Richard Gill Bonner
  • Patent number: 7390869
    Abstract: A process for removing metal species from a composition comprising contacting: a. an oligomer mixture stream comprising the monomers of a partially aromatic polyester polymer and at least one metal species, or b. a molten polyester polymer stream comprising partially aromatic polyester polymers and at least one metal species, with a non-catalytic porous material in the presence of hydrogen to produce a treated stream containing a reduced amount of at least one metal species. There is also provided a composition comprising a partially aromatic polyester polymer having an It.V. of at least 0.50 produced in a direct esterification melt phase process, from greater than 0 to less than 50 ppm antimony, and less than 40 ppm cobalt. There is also provided a composition comprising partially aromatic polyester polymers having an It.V. of at least 0.50 produced in an ester exchange melt phase process, from greater than zero to less than 5 ppm titanium, and less than 10 ppm manganese.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Zhufang Liu, Jeff Scott Howell