Patents Represented by Attorney Russell L. Brewer
  • Patent number: 5289688
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improvement in a process for the separation of a multi-component stream by distillation. A multi-component feed is introduced to a multicolumn distillation system comprising a main column and a side column wherein at least a light component A is separated from a heavier component C in the main column, the lighter component A being removed as an overhead fraction and the heavier component C being removed as a bottoms fraction. The improvement for enhanced recovery of a component in the side column comprises withdrawing a liquid fraction from the main column at a point intermediate the overhead and bottoms and introducing that liquid fraction to an upper portion of the side column. Lighter components are withdrawn from the side column and returned to an optimal location in the distillation system, typically the main column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 1, 1994
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Rakesh Agrawal
  • Patent number: 5280710
    Abstract: This invention relates to a continuous process for the preparation of slush hydrogen. The process comprises substantially continuously injecting liquid hydrogen at a temperature slightly above its triple point temperature into a slush hydrogen generator; forming solid hydrogen by removing hydrogen vapor from the slush hydrogen generator; fracturing and dispersing surface solid as it is formed into the slush; concentrating the crystalline solid particles in the slush to a level of at least 30%, and preferably from 45 to 60%, by weight; and substantially continuously removing the slush hydrogen from said slush hydrogen generator at a rate such that a substantially constant level of slush is maintained in said slush hydrogen generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 25, 1994
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Lee S. Gaumer, Jr., Robert B. Moore, Glenn E. Kinard
  • Patent number: 5280091
    Abstract: This invention pertains to epoxy resins having increased chemical resistance to solvents, and good cured mechanical properties which are prepared by curing the epoxy resins with a curing agent comprising a mixture of methylene bridged poly(cyclohexyl-aromatic)amines. The methylene bridged poly(cyclohexyl-aromatic)amine curing agents are the residue obtained from the distillation of a mixture of poly(cyclohexylaromatic)amines formed by the hydrogenation of crude methylenedianiline or crude di(4-amino-3-methylcyclohexyl)methane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Dubowik, Peter A. Lucas, Andrea K. Smith
  • Patent number: 5275701
    Abstract: A process for the purification and concentration of sulfuric acid contained with nitric acid by-products and organic components pursuant to the mixed acid nitration of aromatics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1994
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Mazzafro, Stephen I. Clarke, Philip N. Taylor
  • Patent number: 5272213
    Abstract: This invention pertains to scorch retardant systems for peroxide curable elastomers. Polyunsaturated monomers copolymerizable with the elastomer in the presence of peroxides are mixed with hydroquinone and sulfenamides and incorporated into elastomer formulations. The formulations are milled and cured. Excellent Mooney scorch times and hardness values, as well as other physical properties are obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Knowles, David A. Cornforth, Francis M. Carney
  • Patent number: 5250193
    Abstract: This invention relates to improved wet oxidation process for the destruction of organic components in a wastewater stream contaminated with inorganic salts. In wet oxidation, the wastewater stream is contacted with an oxygen-containing water stream at elevated temperatures and pressures. The improvement for treating aqueous wastewater streams contaminated with inorganic salts wherein the organic contaminants are present in an amount from about 0.5 to 2% by weight resides in oxidizing the organic components in a tubular reactor at a temperature ranging from 325.degree. C. to not more than 370.degree. C. and a pressure ranging from 220 to 345 bar. The oxidation reaction is carried out in a reaction time of 5 minutes or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Sawicki, Baldomero Casas, Chiung-Yuan Huang, William R. Killilea, Glenn T. Hong
  • Patent number: 5246984
    Abstract: This invention relates to a water compatible polyamine-epoxy adduct formed by the reaction of a polyamine with a mixture of a monoepoxide and polyepoxides, the monoepoxide being added in an amount to react with about 10 to 50% of the primary amino groups in said polyamine and the polyepoxides being added in an amount to react with from about 35 to 65% of the remaining primary amino groups.This invention also contemplates a water dispersible blend resin as an amine salt and comprises a water compatible polyamine-epoxy adduct and a resin compatible polyamine-epoxy adduct wherein the water compatible polyamine-epoxy adduct is as described above and the resin compatible polyamine-epoxy adduct is formed by reacting a polyamine with an aromatic monoepoxide, said aromatic monoepoxide reacted in an amount to provide from about 0.4 to 1 equivalents epoxide per primary amino group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart P. Darwen, Daniel A. Cornforth
  • Patent number: 5244615
    Abstract: A multi-step blow molding process for producing fuel containers having excellent resistance to permeation by hydrocarbon fuels and organic fuel additives such as lower alkanols and ethers. In blow molding, a parison is formed from a thermoplastic material, expanded within a closed mold by means of an inflating gas for conforming the parison to the shape of the mold and fluorinated under conditions sufficient to effect surface fluorination of the interior of the parison. The parison is evacuated and the article recovered. The improvement in the blow molding operation comprises pressurizing the parison with a reactive fluorine containing gas containing from 0.1 to 1% fluorine by volume while the parison is at a temperature above its self supporting temperature and for a time sufficient to effect fluorination of the interior surface of the parison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: John P. Hobbs
  • Patent number: 5240472
    Abstract: This invention pertains to an improved process for the removal of moisture from a moisture laden gas stream such as air utilizing a membrane dryer unit. The membrane dryer unit is equipped such that it incorporates a selective surface flow adsorbent membrane consisting essentially of an inorganic membrane material selected from the group consisting of alumina and silica gel membranes wherein the membrane has a thickness of approximately 0.5 to 50 microns with a mean pore size of less than about 15 A and preferably within about 4 to 10 A. In the cryogenic separation of air, an air stream contaminated with moisture and carbon dioxide is passed through the membrane dryer unit in countercurrent flow to a dry purge gas, wherein the water is selectively removed from the air stream. The partially dried air stream then is conveyed to an adsorption system operated under thermal swing or pressure swing conditions wherein the residual water and carbon dioxide are removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicls, Inc.
    Inventor: Shivaji Sircar
  • Patent number: 5230217
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improvement in a process for the separation of a multi-component stream comprising component A, B and C with A being the most volatile and C the least volatile. A multi-component feed is introduced to a multicolumn distillation system comprising a first or main distillation column and a side column wherein at least a light component A is separated from a heavier component C in the main distillation column, the lighter component A being removed as an overhead fraction and the heavier component C being removed as a bottoms fraction. The improvement for enhanced recovery of component B in the side column comprises withdrawing a liquid fraction from the main distillation column at a point intermediate the overhead and feed and introducing that liquid fraction to an upper portion of the side column. Lighter components are withdrawn as an overhead from the side column and returned to an optimal location in the distillation system, typically the main distillation column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Rakesh Agrawal, Donald W. Woodward
  • Patent number: 5227493
    Abstract: N-fluoro perfluoroheterocyclic sulfonamides of the following Formula I ##STR1## wherein Het.sub.f represents an aromatic perfluoroheterocyclic radical of valency n and each R independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl substituted C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl group, are novel electrophilic fluorinating agents. Preferably Het.sub.f is a perfluorinated nitrogen-containing aromatic group, especially pyridyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl or 1,3,5-triazinyl; n is 1; and R is perfluorinated, especially trifluoromethyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald E. Banks
  • Patent number: 5218825
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for the coproduction of a volatile component with normal purity and ultra high purity from a stream containing other heavier components and contaminated with lighter impurities which are more volatile than the volatile component. The improvement resides in removing a stream of the volatile component which is substantially free of the lighter impurities and then introducing the stream stripped of impurities to a second distillation column for fractionation. The second distillation column is equipped with a rectification section wherein the stream is rectified and the volatile component obtained in ultra high purity as an overhead. The volatile component with normal purity is obtained from the first distillation column as an overhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Rakesh Agrawal
  • Patent number: 5205127
    Abstract: This invention relates to a cryogenic process for the separation of air utilizing an integrated multi-column distillation system wherein an ultra high purity nitrogen product is generated. In the cryogenic distillation separation of air, air is initially compressed, pretreated and cooled for separation into its components. Ultra high purity, e.g., nitrogen having less than 0.1 ppm of light impurities is generated with enhanced nitrogen product recovery by withdrawing liquid nitrogen from a first column at an intermediate point and charging that fraction as feed to the second column, withdrawing a nitrogen stream which is rich in volatile contaminants from the top of the first column, partially condensing that nitrogen stream against crude liquid oxygen, and removing the uncondensed portion which has been concentrated in volatile contaminants as a purge stream. An ultra high purity nitrogen product is obtained from a second column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Rakesh Agrawal
  • Patent number: 5196587
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for the catalytic hydrogenation of methylene bridged polyphenylamines using rhodium as th e catalyst to produce the methylene bridged polycyclohexylamine counterparts. The improvement for hydrogenating crude methylene bridged polyphenylamines containing polyphenylamine oligomers and trace amounts of impurities, such as the formamide of the methylene bridged polyphenylamines, comprises contacting the crude polyphenylamine feed with a hydrogenation catalyst, other than rhodium, and one which is not a catalyst poison to rhodium, under conditions sufficient to at least partially hydrogenate the polyphenylamine mixture and then effecting hydrogenation of the methylene bridged polyphenylamine to the polycyclohexylamine counterpart in the presence of a rhodium catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Gamini A. Vedage, William W. Henderson, Bernard A. Toseland
  • Patent number: 5180851
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for the formation of N-(l-alkoxyalkyl)amides with coproduction of alkylidene bisamides. The N-(l-alkoxyalkyl)formamides of this invention are prepared by reacting formamide with an acetal or hemiacetal carboxylate ester represented by the formulas below in the presence of a solid acid ion exchange resin wherein the acid groups have been neutralized with an amine compound having a pKa (as the protonated amine in water) from about 4 to 9. The hemiacetal ester is represented by formula I and the acetal is represented by formula II. ##STR1## In the above formulas, R is C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, aralkyl or aryl; R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, or aryl; and R.sub.3 is secondary or tertiary alkyl having from 3-8 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
    Inventors: Mark L. Listemann, Robert K. Pinschmidt, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5175369
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for separating methoxyisopropylamine and particularly to an improvement in the process for the recovery of methoxyisopropylamine from the reaction of methoxyisopropanol with ammonia under amination conditions. In this process water is produced as a byproduct and in the separation process an azeotrope is formed which comprises about 14% water and 86% methoxyisopropylamine at atmospheric pressure. The process for enhancing separation of the azeotrope comprises contacting the azeotrope of methoxyisopropylamine and water with diisopropylamine in sufficient amount to form the azeotrope of water and diisopropylamine and separating the azeotrope from the other materials in a distillation column. The overheads in this column is charged to a decanter where water is removed as a bottoms phase and the diisopropylamine as the upper phase and returned as reflux to the distillation volumn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert L. Fowlkes
  • Patent number: 5175230
    Abstract: This invention pertains to alkyl substituted difunctional cyclohexylisocyanates having an isomer distribution. The isocyanates are represented by the formulas: ##STR1## wherein; R.sup.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkyl; R.sup.2 is C.sub.1-4 alkyl andn is 0 or 2.The invention also relates to polyurethane and polyurethane/urea resins prepared using the alkyl substituted difunctional cyclohexylisocyanates as at least a portion of the polyisocyanate used in forming the polyurethane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Quay, Jeremiah P. Casey, Kenneth M. Kem
  • Patent number: 5167125
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved distillation process for recovering exceptionally light gases, e.g. hydrogen, neon, and helium from gas streams containing higher boiling components, e.g., nitrogen and C.sub.1-2 hydrocarbons. The improvement resides in partially condensing a vapor obtained from a top section in a distillation system thereby concentrating light gases in a vapor phase and concentrating heavier components in the liquid phase. The uncondensed vapor phase rich in light gases is separated from the condensed phase and recovered as product or processed further to further concentrate the light gases. In addition, at least a portion of feed which is to be introduced to the column is cooled against liquid in a bottom section of the distillation system of the column to generate boilup and remove essentially all traces of light gases from the liquid. A purified liquid substantially free from light gases is removed from the bottom of the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Rakesh Agrawal
  • Patent number: 5159816
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for preparing high purity argon employing a cryogenic adsorptive technique. In the process air is separated into its components and a crude argon feed containing 0.8 mol % oxygen or less and 0.5 mol % nitrogen or less is generated. The crude argon feed is initially subjected to cryogenic adsorption for effecting nitrogen removal and then further subjected to cryogenic adsorption for effecting removal of oxygen. By conducting cryogenic adsorption in this manner, essentially no supplemental refrigeration is required in the cryogenic adsorption steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth W. Kovak, Rakesh Agrawal, Janice C. Peterson
  • Patent number: 5154062
    Abstract: This invention relates to a continuous process for the preparation of slush hydrogen by the freeze-thaw technique. The process comprises substantially continuously injecting liquid hydrogen at or near its triple point temperature into a slush hydrogen generator; forming solid hydrogen by removing hydrogen vapor from the slush hydrogen generator; alternately adjusting the pressure in the slush hydrogen generator to a pressure below the triple point of hydrogen and then to a pressure slightly above the pressure at the triple point thereby effecting formation and dispersion of solids in said slush; concentrating the crystalline solid particles in the slush to a level of at least 30%, and preferably from 45 to 60%, by weight; and substantially continuously removing the slush hydrogen from said slush hydrogen generator at a rate such that a substantially constant level of slush is maintained in said slush hydrogen generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1992
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Lee S. Gaumer, Jr., Robert B. Moore, Glenn E. Kinard