Patents Represented by Attorney Kenneth R. Priem
  • Patent number: 5565068
    Abstract: In the multistage distillation of a methyl tertiary butyl ether reaction product comprising methyl tertiary butyl ether, tertiary butyl alcohol, methanol, isobutylene and water, the methyl tertiary butyl ether reaction product is separated in a primary methyl tertiary butyl ether distillation column into a lower boiling methyl tertiary butyl ether fraction and a higher boiling aqueous tertiary butyl alcohol fraction; the lower boiling aqueous tertiary butyl alcohol fraction is separated in a tertiary butyl alcohol distillation column into a vaporized overhead tertiary butyl alcohol fraction and a higher boiling water fraction; cooling water is charged to the reflux condenser for the tertiary butyl alcohol distillation column to liquify the vaporized, overhead tertiary butyl alcohol fraction and to convert the cooling water to wet steam, and the wet steam is independently charged to the reboiler for the primary methyl tertiary butyl ether distillation zone to supply the heat necessary for the distillation to b
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Development Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart J. Parker, Arlen G. Sliger, Rei-Yu J. Hwan
  • Patent number: 5563518
    Abstract: The gas fraction and the slip velocity are proportional to the difference in dielectric readings taken in a vertically upward flowing stream of oil/water/gas and in a vertically downwardly flowing stream of the same mixture. Actual water cuts are obtained by appropriately adjusting the dielectric water cut readings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Michael G. Durrett, Wayne F. Warren, Raymond C. Hedges, Gregory J. Hatton
  • Patent number: 5563301
    Abstract: Methyl tertiary butyl ether is sequentially prepared from tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol by:passing tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol through a primary reaction zone to form a primary etherification reaction product comprising unreacted methanol, unreacted tertiary butyl alcohol, water, dimethyl ether, isobutylene and methyl tertiary butyl ether;separating the primary etherification reaction product into a methanol recycle fraction, a tertiary butyl alcohol recycle fraction, an isobutylene fraction and a methyl tertiary butyl ether product fraction;recycling the methanol recycle fraction and the tertiary butyl alcohol recycle fraction to the methyl tertiary butyl ether etherification reaction zone;passing at least a portion of said isobutylene fraction together with added methanol through a secondary reaction zone to form a secondary etherification reaction product comprising water, methanol, isobutylene, DME, methyl tertiary butyl ether and tertiary butyl alcohol; andrecovering the methyl tertiary but
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Development Corp.
    Inventors: Kyle L. Preston, Lawrence E. Tillotson, Rei-Yu J. Hwan
  • Patent number: 5563846
    Abstract: A meso-scale profiling tool has separate upward and downward focused seismic sources, separate upward looking and downward looking directional receivers and a section of the tool containing the sources and receivers adapted to rotate with respect to the remainder of the tool so that the sources and receivers are always in a proper substantially vertical orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventor: Richard H. Fillon
  • Patent number: 5558685
    Abstract: A gasoline fuel composition comprising a major portion of gasoline and a minor portion of a mixture of dialkyl diphenylamines, effective to increase the octane number of the gasoline composition represented by the formula: ##STR1## where R and R' independently comprise one or more of butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl and octyl alkyl radicals in any isomeric form is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. DeRosa, William M. Studzinski, Joseph M. Russo, Benjamin J. Kaufman, Robert T. Hahn
  • Patent number: 5558684
    Abstract: The invention provides a stabilized fuel additive composition comprising a major portion of the reaction product of a 4-alkyl-2-morpholinone and an alkylphenoxypolyoxyalkylene amine and a minor portion of a stabilizing agent sufficient to prevent the formation of haze in the additive composition comprising a compound selected from polypropyleneoxide diamines of formula H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2 CHCH.sub.3 O).sub.n NH.sub.2 where n is a number between about 4 and about 25, and triethylene tetramine. A method of stabilizing a fuel additive composition is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas F. DeRosa, Joseph M. Russo, Benjamin J. Kaufman, Joseph T. Mastropierro
  • Patent number: 5556824
    Abstract: A naphtha or a middle distillate hydrocarbon is hydrodearomatized by hydrotreating in the presence of a catalyst containing boron, non-noble Group VIII metal, and Group VIB metal on a carbon support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Chakka Sudhakar, Frank Dolfinger, Jr., Max R. Cesar, Jeffrey G. Weissman
  • Patent number: 5554202
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for deslagging a gasifier's combustion chamber which has accumulated a residual solidified slag as a result of the fuel being combusted. The gasifier is provided with means for liquefying the slag into a flowable state by heating the combustion chamber to a temperature of which the slag will flow. To epitomize the gasifiers' deslagging mode, the combustion chamber is provided with an array of strain monitoring or measuring load cells which are located to detect and collectively respond to movement at the combustion chamber floor whereby to control the slag removing procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Donald D. Brooker, James S. Falsetti, James K. Wolfenbarger, Dinh-Cuong Vuong, Allen J. Pertuit
  • Patent number: 5554586
    Abstract: A grease composition with a high yield comprises a lubricating oil and a polyurea thickener prepared by reacting a diisocyanate compound with a monoamine and a low molecular weight polyoxyalkylene diamine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventor: Samuel Pratt
  • Patent number: 5554346
    Abstract: Internal components for a vertical downflow reactor include a quench nozzle for the symmetrical introduction of a quench fluid into a quench zone. An interzone mixing configuration is in vertical communication with the bottom of the quench zone. An inwardly sloping collector tray has an opening concentric with the vertical axis of the reactor vessel. A mixing device is provided for mixing the liquid and vapor components entering from above the collector tray and conveying the mixed vapor and liquid downwardly through the opening. Flow deflectors are positioned immediately below the collector tray opening for directing liquid flow towards the axial centerline of the reactor. A collection pan is positioned below and in axial alignment with the collector tray to capture and retain the liquid. A radially outwardly flared downwardly extending skirt is provided to disperse the liquid flowing form the collector pan toward the reactor walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: George K. Perry, John C. Strickland
  • Patent number: 5551469
    Abstract: Steam quality is maintained substantially equal in the two outlet legs of a horizontal impact T junction, as the mass extraction ratio in each leg varies, by orifice plates fixed in each outlet leg and bypass pipes connected between a point upstream of the junction and down stream of the respective orifice plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventor: Edward A. Woerheide
  • Patent number: 5551513
    Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in a prepacked well screen assembly which includes coating the granular material in the filter medium with a resin system including an oligomer of furfuryl alcohol, a catalyst including an oil soluble, slightly water soluble organic acid, and an ester of a weak organic acid to consume water produced by the polymerization of the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Billy W. Surles, Howard L. McKinzie
  • Patent number: 5550300
    Abstract: Disclosed is an integrated process for the generation of a mixture of ethers, such as diisopropyl ether, methyl tertiary butyl ether, and/or isopropyl tertiary butyl ether, from a crude by-product acetone stream composed of acetone, tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol by passing such a stream, in the presence of hydrogen, over a catalyst system characterized by having both a hydrogenation activity gradient along the reactor in one direction and an etherification activity gradient in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Chemical Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Jr., Pei-Shing E. Dai, John F. Knifton
  • Patent number: 5549000
    Abstract: The present invention determines the presence of a pig in a pipeline and the condition of the pig, as regards to the material the pig may be pushing, by passive acoustic detectors which determine the acoustic characteristics for the pipe and the pig. From these a computer is used to determine from changes in these characteristics the nature of the materials picked up by the pig or the condition of the pig and the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco, Inc.
    Inventors: Winthrop K. Brown, Victor Diatschenko, James R. Stoy
  • Patent number: 5546007
    Abstract: Apparatus which determines the water cut of a sample petroleum stream irradiates the sample stream at two different locations with microwave energy. The distance that the microwave energies pass through the sample stream are also different. A receiver receives the microwave energies and provides corresponding received signals. The water cut is determined in accordance with the received signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventor: John D. Marrelli
  • Patent number: 5545602
    Abstract: Heavy hydrocarbons are hydrotreated to increase content of components boiling below 1000.degree. F. by contact with Group VIII non-noble metal oxide and Group VI-B metal oxide on alumina having a Total Surface Area of 150-240 m.sup.2 /g, a Total Pore Volume, (TPV) of 0.7-0.98, and a Pore Diameter Distribution whereby .ltoreq.20% of the TPV is present as primary micropores of diameter .ltoreq.100 .ANG., at least about 34% of TPV is present as secondary micropores of diameter of about 100 .ANG.-200 .ANG., and about 26%-46% of the TPV is present as mesopores of diameter .gtoreq.200 .ANG..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald V. Nelson, Govanon Nongbri, Roy E. Pratt, David E. Sherwood, Jr., Pei-Shing E. Dai
  • Patent number: 5545393
    Abstract: Manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve (OMS) is produced by the method comprising:a) forming an aqueous reaction medium containing manganese cation and permanganate anion, the reaction medium being maintained at a pH of not greater than about 4.5;b) refluxing the aqueous reaction medium under conditions which are effective to produce solid crystalline manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve product; and,c) recovering the solid crystalline product.The method of this invention is carried out in an open system, i.e., a reflux condenser, and results in the formation of OMS which is thermally stable up to about 600.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Chi-Lin O'Young, Robert A. Sawicki
  • Patent number: 5545238
    Abstract: The progress and completion of slag removal from the quench chamber of a partial oxidation reactor during controlled oxidation can be monitored by measuring such quench water parameters as pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, and sulfate concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Donald D. Brooker, James S. Falsetti, James K. Wolfenbarger, Dinh-Cuong Vuong
  • Patent number: 5538930
    Abstract: A sulfided carbon support catalyst bearing (i) a non-noble Group VIII metal, (ii) a Group VI-B metal, and (iii) a metal of Group IA, II A, III-B, or the lanthanide Group of rare earths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Chakka Sudhakar, Gerald G. Sandford, Phillip L. Dahlstrom, Mahendra S. Patel, Edwin L. Patmore
  • Patent number: 5537364
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for conducting seismic surveys from a single wellbore utilizing an array of seismic detectors and an seismic source suspended downhole from the detectors on a coiled tubing. Actuation of the airgun both generates a seismic signal penetrating the adjacent lateral geological formations and a plurality of air bubbles pass up the borehole to attenuate tube wave propagation in the borehole fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Texaco, Inc
    Inventor: Donald L. Howlett