Patents Assigned to Air Product and Chemicals, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11596895
    Abstract: A radial adsorber can be configured to facilitate utilization of different layers of material. The radial adsorber, system using at least one radial adsorber, and methods of utilizing embodiments of the radial adsorber can help permit improved efficient operation of fluid purification processing while also being configured to minimize, if not fully avoid, being susceptible to the effect of fluidization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Gowri Krishnamurthy, Nasim Ul Hassan Malik, Edward Landis Weist, Jr., King Wai Hung
  • Patent number: 11598522
    Abstract: A method of melting a charge in a double-pass tilt rotary furnace having a door, including operating a first burner at a first firing rate, the first burner being mounted in a lower portion of the door and producing a first flame having a length; operating a second burner at a second firing rate, the second burner being mounted in an upper portion of the door and producing a second flame having a length, the second flame being distal from the charge relative to the first flame; in an initial phase when the solids in the charge impede the first flame, controlling the second firing rate to be greater than the first firing rate; and in an later phase after melting of the solids in the charge sufficiently that the first flame is not impeded, controlling the first firing rate to be greater than the second firing rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell James Hewertson, Shailesh Pradeep Gangoli, J. Bruce Kenworthy, Xiaoyi He, Anup Vasant Sane
  • Patent number: 11598520
    Abstract: A burner gas supply apparatus for increasing flame turbulence, the apparatus comprising a conduit having a characteristic width, W, defined by an inner surface having a circumferential direction and an axial direction, the axial direction terminating in a nozzle defining a nozzle exit plane and having a characteristic dimension, d, where d<=W; and three bluff bodies each with a characteristic dimension, Dbb-i, projecting a length, Li into the conduit from the inner surface, and an axial spacing Xi between adjacent bluff bodies (between the downstream bluff body and the nozzle exit plane in the case of X1) wherein 0.5<=Li/W<=1 and wherein Xi/Dbb-i<=30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Daniel D'Agostini, Michael J. Gallagher, Ashwin Vinod
  • Publication number: 20230060258
    Abstract: A combined vessel comprises a stripping section for removing acid gases from a sour water stream and a direct contact heat exchanger section for heating a graywater stream in order to improve heat and mass transfer in the treatment and recycle of water streams for a gasification process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Yanlai Zhang, Xukun Luo
  • Patent number: 11592178
    Abstract: A combustor for a gas turbine engine having a compressor upstream of the combustor and a turbine downstream of the combustor. The combustor also includes a combustor chamber, an oxy-fuel pilot burner (104) centrally positioned at an end of the combustor chamber, and an air-fuel premix burner configured to at least partially premix air and fuel. The air-fuel premix burner surrounds the oxy-fuel pilot burner (104) in an annular configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Daniel D'Agostini, Anup Vasant Sane
  • Publication number: 20230059012
    Abstract: A process for producing syngas that uses the syngas product from an oxygen-fired reformer to provide all necessary heating duties, which eliminates the need for a fired heater. Without the flue gas stream leaving a fired heater, all of the carbon dioxide produced by the reforming process is concentrated in the high-pressure syngas stream, allowing essentially complete carbon dioxide capture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: XIANG-DONG PENG, YU ZHANG, TORI DAWN COURTNEY
  • Publication number: 20230053522
    Abstract: A process for producing syngas that uses the syngas product from a partial oxidation reactor to provide all necessary heating duties, which eliminates the need for a fired heater. Soot is removed from the syngas using a dry filter to avoid a wet scrubber quenching the syngas stream and wasting the high-quality heat. Without the flue gas stream leaving a fired heater, all of the carbon dioxide produced by the reforming process is concentrated in the high-pressure syngas stream, allowing essentially complete carbon dioxide capture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: XIANG-DONG PENG, Henry Choisun Chan, Kelly Danielle Aguilar, Shihong Yan, Qiong Zhou, Shylaja Gowda
  • Publication number: 20230027070
    Abstract: A method of purifying air via a pre-purification unit (PPU) of an air separation unit (ASU) system having a pre-PPU chiller that is upstream of the PPU to cool compressed air before the compressed air is fed to the PPU can include passing air through an adsorber of the PPU to pass the air through a bed of adsorbent material within a vessel of the adsorber. In response to the pre-PPU chiller being determined to have an issue resulting in the pre-PPU chiller being tripped or requiring the pre-PPU chiller to be taken off-line, continuing to operate the ASU system at a full capacity even though nitrous oxide (N2O) within the air output from the PPU exceeds a first pre-selected threshold and is below a second pre-selected threshold associated with carbon dioxide (CO2) breakthrough. An ASU and a PPU can be designed to implement an embodiment of the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: NASIM UL HASSAN MALIK, GOWRI KRISHNAMURTHY, DINGJUN WU
  • Patent number: 11561049
    Abstract: A coil-wound heat exchanger with mixed refrigerant shell side cooling that is adapted to reduce radial temperature maldistribution by providing tube sheets at one end of a warm bundle that are each connected to tube sheets in a single circumferential zone and are in fluid flow communication with a control valve. Tube sheets at the other end of the warm bundle are each connected to tube sheets in a single radial section and in multiple circumferential zones. A temperature sensor is provided in each circumferential zone. When a temperature difference is detected, one or more of the control valves is adjusted to reduce the temperature difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, Justin David Bukowski, Annemarie Ott Weist
  • Publication number: 20230012835
    Abstract: A method of controlling an industrial gas production facility comprising: receiving time-dependent power data receiving time-dependent operational characteristic data; defining one or more power constraints for the operational parameters of the power network; defining one or more process constraints for the operational parameters of each industrial gas plant; generating, based on the power data, the operational characteristic data, the one or more power constraints and the one or more process constraints, control set point values for the one or more industrial gas plants to achieve a pre-determined production parameter for the industrial gas production facility; and sending the control set point values to a control system to control the one or more industrial gas plants by adjusting one or more control set points of the industrial gas plants to achieve the pre-determined production parameter for the industrial gas production facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Espie, Pratik Misra, Graeme Richard Wilson
  • Patent number: 11549874
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling blending of a gas mixture containing known components, including first, second, and third control valves for controlling the flow of first, second, and third components, respectively, a first gas density sensor to measure the density of a first mixture of the first and second components, a second gas density sensor to measure the density of a second mixture of the first mixture and the third component, and a controller to determine based on data from the first and second gas density sensors the relative compositions of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture, and to control the first, second, and third control valves to obtain a desired relative composition of the first, second, and third components in the second mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Liang He, Ranajit Ghosh, Donald James Bowe, Reed Jacob Hendershot
  • Publication number: 20230003444
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a methane-containing synthetic gas (MCSG). An MCSG feed stream may be cooled and partially liquefied using one or more heat exchanger units. A first phase separator and a second phase separator in downstream fluid flow communication with the first phase separator may be used to separate the partially liquefied MCSG stream into a first residue gas stream and first and second feed streams, the first and second feed streams then being fed into a distillation column to produce an LNG stream and a second residue gas stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, Fei Chen, Russell B. Shnitser
  • Publication number: 20220401878
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are membrane-based onboard gas separation methods and systems, and in particular membrane-based onboard air separation methods and systems for ships and offshore installations, in which a vacuum is applied on the permeate side of the membrane separator unit in order to reduce the energy consumption of the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Christer Haugland, Rune Holmer, Hallgeir Angel
  • Publication number: 20220397118
    Abstract: A stable discharge pressure of compressed hydrogen gas generated from the electrolysis of water is achieved and maintained at the outlet of a “hybrid” multistage compression system comprising at least a first section comprising at least one centrifugal compressor powered at least in part by electricity generated from at least one renewable energy source and a further section downstream of the first section, wherein the further section comprises at least one reciprocating compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory W. Henzler, Nicolas John Haryett, Ghassan Altimany, Patrick J. Smith
  • Publication number: 20220397119
    Abstract: Energy efficiency and/or operational stability of a multistage compression system comprising a plurality (N) of centrifugal compressors that is compressing a gas feed having a variable flow rate is improved by adjusting reversibly the load on each compressor in response to changes in the flow rate of the gas feed using a main recycle system to enable operation of the centrifugal compressors at turndown capacity during periods when the flow rate is below total turndown capacity for all of the compressors, and if necessary, using the local recycle systems in order to avoid activation of anti-surge control, and switching one or more centrifugal compressors into low power mode or shutdown mode as required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Espie, Gregory W. Henzler, Zhong-Xiang (John) Zhu, Graeme Richard Wilson
  • Publication number: 20220397117
    Abstract: Operation of a multistage compression system comprising at least one centrifugal compressor having a dry gas seal with opposed seal faces, for compressing a gas feed having a variable flow rate is improved by operating the or at least one centrifugal compressor in a low power mode where the opposed faces of the dry gas seal are not in contact during periods when gas flow through the centrifugal compressor(s) is not sufficient for normal operation. Such operation not only reduces damage to the dry gas seals and hence improves reliability, but also reduces the overall power requirement of the overall compression system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory W. Henzler, Nicolas John Haryett, Ghassan Altimany, Patrick J. Smith
  • Patent number: 11512897
    Abstract: A process for recovering at least one fluid (e.g. argon gas and/or nitrogen gas, etc.) from a feed gas (e.g. air) can include utilization of a compression system, primary heat exchanger unit, plant processing units to separate and recover at least one desired fluid (e.g. nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc.). In some embodiments, the process can be configured so that fluid flows output from a low pressure column and/or high pressure column of the plant can provide a condensation duty or refrigeration duty that is utilized to process certain fluid flows for recovery of argon and/or nitrogen gases. Some embodiments can be configured to provide an improved recovery of argon and/or nitrogen as well as an improvement in operational efficiency by reducing an amount of power (e.g. electrical power) needed to recover the nitrogen and/or argon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: D. Michael Herron, Alan D. Berger
  • Patent number: 11499775
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for liquefying natural gas using an open-loop natural gas refrigeration cycle; coil wound heat exchanger units suitable for cooling one or more feed streams, such as for example one or more natural gas feed streams, via indirect heat exchange with a gaseous refrigerant; and methods and systems for removing heavy components from a natural gas prior to liquefying the natural gas using an open-loop natural gas refrigeration cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, John A. Dally
  • Publication number: 20220359858
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the atmosphere of a multizone calcination (firing) furnace for production of high-quality nickel-rich cathode material for lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. A high-quality oxygen-rich atmosphere is maintained to ensure the quality of the cathode material. An atmosphere control system continuously measures and analyzes the composition of the calcination furnace atmosphere in different zones and adjusts the flowrate of oxygen-rich atmosphere into the furnace to optimize the calcination process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Jingjing Cai, Paulina Weronika Kus, Liang He, Guido Plicht, David Millington
  • Publication number: 20220357104
    Abstract: A process for recovering at least one fluid (e.g. xenon gas and/or krypton gas, etc.) from a feed gas can include utilization of a compression system, primary heat exchanger unit, a pre-purification unit (PPU), and other units to separate and recover at least one desired fluid. In some embodiments, fluid flows output from a first heat exchanger or separation system of the plant can be split so that a portion of a stream is output for downstream processing to purify xenon (Xe) and/or krypton (Kr) product flow(s) while another portion of the stream is recycled to a compression system or the PPU to undergo further purification and heat exchange so that the product output for downstream processing has a higher concentration of Xe or Kr. Some embodiments can be configured to provide an improved recovery of Xe and/or Kr as well as an improvement in operational efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Declan Patrick O'Connor, Garret C. Lau