Patents Represented by Attorney Robert A. Petrusek
  • Patent number: 3996022
    Abstract: Heretofore waste rubber, a substantial amount of it in the form of used automobile tires, has been buried, burned, or otherwise disposed of in manners and by means totally inconsistent with good ecological practices and considerations. Now, such waste or scrap rubber, both natural and synthetic, can readily be converted in the presence of molten acidic halide Lewis salt catalysts to useful products, including fuels comprising a naptha-like oil, a burnable solid carbonaceous material, and a mixture of gases. The most promising salts are zinc chloride, tin chloride, and antimony iodide. Also, an extremely active catalyst can be prepared by adding up to about 60 percent by weight of sodium chloride to the zinc chloride catalyst. The burnable carbonaceous material has been shown to be a carbon black of moderate quality and is believed to be suitable for reuse in tires if blended with high-quality fresh carbon black.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventor: John W. Larsen
  • Patent number: 3991225
    Abstract: The apparatus provides a homogeneous (with respect to particle size), dense, mass of sized particles in random motion so that highly uniform coatings of the same or of different solids can be applied to each particle by conventional spray-coating with the liquified coating material(s). The apparatus is a horizontal rotary drum containing lifting flights. A novel deflector pan is fixed in space inside the upper section of the drum which deflects particles falling from the lifting flights to the side of the drum where they form a narrow, dense falling cascade. The coating material is sprayed onto the cascading particles, preferably as they free-fall after leaving the lower edge of the pan. However, if desired, some or most of the coating material may be directed onto the top edge of the moving bed including the juncture of the cascade therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1974
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventor: Glenn M. Blouin
  • Patent number: 3985538
    Abstract: Process for the production of granular mixed fertilizer in which ammonium phosphate melt is prepared in a pipe reactor and dispersed through a plurality of apertures in the wall of the pipe to bind small particles of fertilizer materials into granules. Wet-process phosphoric acid is ammoniated to an NH.sub.3 :H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 mole ratio of about 1.0 and the steam formed by the heat of reaction atomizes the ammonium phosphate melt resulting in proper distribution of the melt for granulation. Up to about 30 percent of the P.sub.2 O.sub.5 in the melt may be polyphosphate. The ammonium phosphate is essentially anhydrous and the granules of mixed fertilizers do not require drying. Elimination of drying greatly decreases investment, dust and fume evolution, and fuel requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventors: Gordon C. Hicks, Fred E. Lancaster, Jr.
  • Patent number: 3975178
    Abstract: Our invention relates to an improved process for the partial purification of wet-process phosphoric acid with co-production of impure phosphoric acid or solid fertilizer materials containing most of the impurities originally present in the crude acid. The crude acid is treated with methanol and ammonia to precipitate most of the metallic and fluorine impurities as solid ammonium metallic phosphates and fluorine compounds that filter and settle rapidly. The solids are separated from the reaction mixture and methanol is distilled from the resulting clarified solution to form concentrated partially purified acid. The solid ammonium metallic phosphates are fertilizer materials. Alternately, the reaction slurry is separated into a clarified liquid fraction and a settled slurry fraction. Methanol is distilled from the settled fraction which causes most of the impurities to redissolve yielding an impure phosphoric acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1974
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventors: John F. McCullough, Leland L. Frederick
  • Patent number: 3969483
    Abstract: Particulate carbonaceous matter in ammonium polyphosphate liquid made from impure wet-process phosphoric acid is removed by intimately mixing the liquid with a combination of selected organic flocculating agents and then transferring the mixture to a separation vessel where the particulate carbonaceous matter floats rapidly to the surface. Clarified liquid that contains essentially no particulate carbonaceous matter is withdrawn from the bottom of the separation vessel. The particulate carbonaceous matter and a minor portion of the input ammonium polyphosphate liquid are withdrawn from the top of the separation vessel and processed into fluid or solid fertilizers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1975
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1976
    Assignees: Tennessee Valley Authority, Akzona Incorporated
    Inventors: John M. Stinson, Horace C. Mann, Jr., Dale H. Johnson
  • Patent number: 3967948
    Abstract: My invention relates to a new method for purification of wet-process phosphoric acid with co-production of nitrogen solution. The crude acid is treated with urea by known processes to form urea phosphate free of most of the impurities in the crude acid. The urea phosphate is treated with concentrated nitric acid to form solid urea nitrate and phosphoric acid. The purified phosphoric acid is separated from the urea nitrate and withdrawn as product. The urea nitrate is washed with concentrated nitric acid and the wash soluton then is used for reaction with urea phosphate. The washed urea nitrate is then treated with ammonia and water to form nitrogen solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1975
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventor: John F. McCullough
  • Patent number: 3954942
    Abstract: A process for the production of fertilizers from phosphoric and sulfuric acids, liquid anhydrous ammonia, and water. The ammonia is premixed with a small quantity of water in a common pipe; the resulting mixture is subsequently mixed downstream of said common pipe with the acids introduced to the pipe through a pipe cross. The acids and aqua ammonia react in the pipe cross and extension of the pipe beyond the cross. Overall length of the pipe reactor is 7 feet and it is cooled by a water jacket. In another variation of the process, the cooling water jacket is not used and the reaction tube is made of either Hastelloy C metal or Teflon-lined mild steel pipe. Slurry from the reactor is granulated with recycle fines, additional phosphoric and sulfuric acids, and ammonia in a rotary drum. Product from the granulator is cooled and screened for product size removal. Equipment is uncomplicated, easy to operate, and inexpensive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1976
    Assignee: Tennessee Valley Authority
    Inventors: Frank P. Achorn, Josiah S. Lewis, Jr.