Patents Represented by Attorney William S. Brown
  • Patent number: 4445931
    Abstract: Fine mesh metal powder, such at titanium powder, is prepared by reaction of a halide of the metal, in vapor form, with a fine spray of molten sodium at a temperature below the melting point of the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventor: Robert B. Worthington
  • Patent number: 4442072
    Abstract: Metal values are recovered from ore concentrates by forming a sulfide matte, grindng the matte, leaching with sulfuric acid at elevated temperature to selectively extract nickel and iron, and roasting and leaching the residue with dilute sulfuric acid to selectively extract copper. The residue contains a high concentration of platinum, palladium and gold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Elizabeth G. Baglin, John M. Gomes
  • Patent number: 4437994
    Abstract: A process of extraction of ions of metals from an aqueous feed solution and liberation of such in an aqueous product solution wherein the feed solution is circulated through the lumens of hollow fibers, the walls of said fibers consisting of a microporous membrane having the pores filled with an organic liquid comprising a complexing agent, and the ions travel through said walls to be liberated in an aqueous product solution circulated over the outside of the fibers. A preferred embodiment of the process employs an anisotropic microporous membrane having pores of about 0.01 to 0.04 micron in diameter at each surface and larger pores in the interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventor: Richard W. Baker
  • Patent number: 4435302
    Abstract: Concentration and reclaiming of magnetic fluids is accomplished by (1) flocculation of the magnetic particles by addition of hydrochloric acid, (2) separation of the resulting flocculated particles, and (3) redispersion of the flocculated particles by addition of an aqueous suspension of ammonia, preferably with heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1984
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: George W. Reimers, Sanaa E. Khalafalla
  • Patent number: 4423011
    Abstract: Metal values are recovered from ore concentrates by forming a sulfide matte, grinding the matte, leaching with sulfuric acid at elevated temperature to selectively extract nickel and iron, and leaching the residue with an acidic aqueous ferric or cupric salt to selectively extract copper. The residue contains a high concentration of platinum, palladium and gold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Elizabeth G. Baglin, John M. Gomes
  • Patent number: 4410496
    Abstract: Metal values, such as copper, lead and zinc, are recovered from complex sulfides, e.g., ores or smelter flue dusts, by means of aqueous leaching in the presence of oxygen and CaCl.sub.2 or BaCl.sub.2 at elevated temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Gary A. Smyres, Philip R. Haskett
  • Patent number: 4409020
    Abstract: Metal values, such as Co, Ni, Cu and Fe, are recovered from magnet alloy grinding sludge by means of a process comprising: (1) treatment with an organic solvent to remove a major portion of sulfur and oil contaminants, (2) drying, grinding, sizing and magnetic separation to remove a major portion of grinding media contamination, (3) controlled oxidation-roasting to selectively remove residual sulfur and carbon, and (4) gaseous hydrogen reduction to deoxidize metal values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: James L. Holman, Jr., Leander A. Neumeier
  • Patent number: 4409189
    Abstract: Tungsten is recovered from alkaline brines by: (1) initial loading of metal values on an 8-hydroxyquinoline-resorcinol-formaldehyde resin, (2) selective desorption of boron, arsenic and sulfur from the resin by means of an NH.sub.4 Cl--NH.sub.4 OH solution having a pH of about 7.5 to 9.5, and (3) desorption of tungsten from the resin by means of water or an alkaline solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: S. Ralph Borrowman, Paulette B. Altringer, Parkman T. Brooks
  • Patent number: 4407775
    Abstract: Pressureless consolidation of metallic powders is achieved by sintering, in a nonoxidizing atmosphere, a blend of the metallic powder with a small amount of finely divided lithium tetraborate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: James L. Holman, Jr., John F. McIlwain, L. A. Neumeier
  • Patent number: 4402932
    Abstract: Aluminum chloride hexahydrate is thermally decomposed to alumina by sequential treatment in two dense fluidized-bed decomposers, the first decomposer being operated at a temperature of about 200.degree. to 400.degree. C. and the second at a temperature of about 900.degree. to 1100.degree. C. About 90 to 95 percent decomposition is achieved in the first decomposer, with substantially complete decomposition of the remainder in the second decomposer. Fluidization in the first decomposer is preferably achieved by means of recycle of product gases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Eugene Miller, Gerald B. McSweeney
  • Patent number: 4401632
    Abstract: Arsenic is recovered from flue dusts by forming an aqueous slurry of the dust, treating the slurry with SO.sub.2 gas to solubilize arsenic, and precipitating the arsenic as As.sub.2 O.sub.3 by means of sulfuric acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Brent W. Madsen, Henry Dolezal, Philip A. Bloom, Monte B. Shirts
  • Patent number: 4394368
    Abstract: Aqueous aluminum sulfate solution is hydrolyzed at temperatures above about 300.degree. C. to produce a basic aluminum sulfate product that is readily purified and converted to Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventor: Donald E. Shanks
  • Patent number: 4388280
    Abstract: A process for recovery of aluminum from clay comprising treating the crushed clay with water in the form of a fine mist, and in an amount sufficient to form compact surfaces on the particles without agglomeration thereof, and subsequently drying the misted clay to cause the particles to shrink and harden, and calcining and leaching with a mineral acid to extract aluminum from the clay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: William G. Gruzensky, Richard S. Olsen
  • Patent number: 4386518
    Abstract: A system for determining the concentration of polymers in solution by measuring a differential pressure across a section of tubing through which the solution flows, where the tubing is bent in a loop. A drag reduction can be computed from the differential pressure value and the concentration may be determined by referring to calibration data which shows the drag reduction for known concentrations of polymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventor: Jalna R. Zatko
  • Patent number: 4385998
    Abstract: Nonfibrous suspended solids, such as quartz, clays and phosphate slime solids, are removed from water by filtration through a bed of MgO.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Joseph E. Schiller, Sanaa E. Khalafalla
  • Patent number: 4381287
    Abstract: Zirconium- and uranium-containing hydrocarbon-amine solutions are treated for separation of zirconium and uranium by means of a process comprising: (1) selective stripping of zirconium with an aqueous chloride solution, and (2) scrubbing the resulting aqueous solution with chloride-loaded hydrocarbon-amine solution to selectively remove uranium, thereby yielding an aqueous zirconium solution of low uranium content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: David J. MacDonald, Helen G. Henry
  • Patent number: 4377410
    Abstract: To recover chromium and other metals from scrap such as superalloy scrap, the scrap is sulfided to provide a molten matte which is cooled and fragmented, the fragments are leached selectively in an aqueous solution with chlorine at a controlled temperature and with agitation while controlling chlorine flow by redox potential to provide the major portion of the chromium in the leach residue and dissolving other valuable metals present as chlorides and thereafter recovering the chromium from the solid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1983
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: John A. Thomas, David L. Jones, Victor A. Ettel
  • Patent number: 4362615
    Abstract: Rutile is recovered from copper ore tailings by means of a froth flotation process comprising: (a) flotation of sulfides and carbonates at a pH of about 9 to 10, using sodium isopropyl xanthate and sodium oleate as collectors, and detrine as rutile depressant, and (b) flotation of rutile from the resulting tailings at a pH of about 2 to 3, using hydrofluoric acid as a rutile selectivity-assisting agent and water-soluble petroleum sulfonate as rutile collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1982
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Thomas O. Llewellyn, Gerald V. Sullivan
  • Patent number: 4362557
    Abstract: Oxide impurites are removed from the titania slag by: (1) admixing the slag with an alkali metal carbonate, sulfate or chloride, (2) reacting the admixture with SO.sub.3 or mixed SO.sub.2 --O.sub.2 gases at elevated temperature to form sulfates of the impurities and (3) leaching the sulfates from the reaction product with water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1982
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: Gerald W. Elger, Ruth A. Holmes
  • Patent number: 4340253
    Abstract: A process for the in-situ mining of subterranean uranium ore deposits comprising pretreating the deposits by the steps of injecting an aqueous inorganic chloride solution therein to substantially saturate the deposits and injecting an aqueous alkaline lixiviant solution therein to flush the chloride solution from the deposits. Thereafter, the pretreated deposits may be solution mined in conventional fashion such as by injecting an oxidant-containing aqueous alkaline lixiviant therein and recovering uranium-containing lixiviant solution. The inorganic chloride solution is preferably potassium chloride and the preferred lixiviants are potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate and ammonium carbonate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1982
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
    Inventors: William M. Breland, Terry R. Guilinger, Robert S. Schechter