Patents Assigned to Air Products and Chemical, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11656612
    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: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Espie, Pratik Misra, Graeme Richard Wilson
  • Publication number: 20230147084
    Abstract: Described herein are coil wound heat exchangers (CWHEs), and methods of cooling and/or liquefying streams of fluid using said CWHEs, in which one or more tube layers of the tube bundle are provided with a non-uniform tube winding angle and tube pitch in order to facilitate the equalization of radial pressure imbalances on the shell side of the CWHE, thereby reducing radial maldistribution of fluid on the shell side and improving the heat transfer efficiency of the CWHE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo Jin, Justin David Bukowski, Patrick Alan Houghton, Christopher Michael Ott, Mark Julian Roberts, Mark Robert Pillarella
  • Publication number: 20230137335
    Abstract: A hydrogen generator can adjust production as necessary depending on station usage. When the generator is running at a high output and there isn't enough usage from a dispenser, then excess hydrogen can be fed to storage in at least one trailer. As the generator attempts to match usage rates, it may slow down. If the production rate is slowed and the dispensing need for hydrogen subsequently increases, then the required additional supply can be provided from the at least one trailer until the generator ramps up output to meet the increased demand. The trailer storage can allow for matching of usage with production. At least one trailer can be maintained at each pressure level at a station to enable trailers to be removed as they become full or to be replaced as they become empty to match station demand and provide import and export capability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: ANTHONY R. KYVELOS, JOSEPH P. COHEN
  • Patent number: 11639824
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cooling a gas stream is provided comprising at least one heat exchanger in which a gas stream is cooled against a cooling liquid, whereby the cooling liquid temperature increases from a first temperature to a second temperature, at least one air cooler for cooling the cooling liquid after passing though the at least one heat exchanger, surface area of the at least one air cooler being designed to decrease temperature of the cooling liquid to the first temperature; a pump; and conduits to form a closed-circuit for the cooling liquid to pass continuously through the at least one heat exchanger and the at least one air cooler. The ratio of surface area of the at least one air cooler to the surface area of the at least one heat exchanger is optionally 12 or lower, and the difference of temperature between the second temperature and first temperature being greater than 15° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd M. Moyle, Xukun Luo
  • Publication number: 20230114525
    Abstract: A biogas upgrading system can include a multiple stage membrane system that is configured to remove oxygen so that the biogas is upgraded to have a higher concentration of methane, a pre-selected oxygen (O2) concentration (e.g. less than or equal to 0.2 mol %, etc.), and a pre-selected carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration (e.g. less than or equal to 5 mol %, etc.). The membrane system can be configured to reject O2 by utilizing a low CO2/O2 selectivity that is within a pre-determined range (e.g. less than 5 or less than 4.5). In some embodiments, the upgraded biogas that is output from the system can be entirely made up of methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. In other embodiments, the biogas can be almost entirely composed of these components along with a small amount of nitrogen and a trace amount (e.g. less than or equal to 0.2%-0.1%, etc.) of other components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald E. Henry
  • Patent number: 11624555
    Abstract: A system and method for increasing the efficiency of natural gas liquefaction processes by using a hybrid cooling system and method. More specifically, a system and method for converting a transcritical precooling refrigeration process to a subcritical process. In one embodiment, the refrigerant is cooled to sub-critical temperature using an economizer. In another embodiment, the refrigerant is cooled to a sub-critical temperature using an auxiliary heat exchanger. Optionally, the economizer or auxiliary heat exchanger can be bypassed when ambient temperatures are sufficiently low to cool the refrigerant to a sub-critical temperature. In another embodiment, the refrigerant is isentropically expanded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Gowri Krishnamurthy, Mark Julian Roberts
  • Patent number: 11625020
    Abstract: There is provided a method of controlling an industrial gas plant complex comprising a plurality of industrial gas plants powered by one or more renewable power sources, the method being executed by at least one hardware processor, the method comprising receiving time-dependent predicted power data for a pre-determined future time period from the one or more renewable power sources; receiving time-dependent predicted operational characteristic data for each industrial gas plant; utilizing the predicted power data and predicted characteristic data in an optimization model to generate a set of state variables for the plurality of industrial gas plants; utilizing the generated state variables to generate a set of control set points for the plurality of industrial gas plants; and sending the control set points to a control system to control the industrial gas plant complex by adjusting one or more control set points of the industrial gas plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sanjay Mehta, Pratik Misra
  • Patent number: 11626730
    Abstract: There is provided a method of determining and utilizing predicted available power resources from one or more renewable power sources for one or more industrial gas plants comprising one or more storage resources. The method is executed by at least one hardware processor and comprises: obtaining historical time-dependent environmental data associated with the one or more renewable power sources; obtaining historical time-dependent operational characteristic data associated with the one or more renewable power sources; training a machine learning model based on the historical time-dependent environmental data and the historical time-dependent operational characteristic data; executing the trained machine learning model to predict available power resources for the one or more industrial gas plants for a pre-determined future time period; and controlling the one or more industrial gas plants in response to the predicted available power resources for the pre-determined future time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sanjay Mehta, Pratik Misra
  • Publication number: 20230107342
    Abstract: The invention relates to an integrated hydrogen fueling station for fueling of vehicle tanks with hydrogen characterized in that it comprises an electrochemical compressing unit in which secondary hydrogen originating from leakage, boiling-off or venting of hydrogen-containing gas in one or more of the fueling station's operative units is compressed wherein the secondary hydrogen contains hydrogen and further gaseous components, and to a method for operating such a hydrogen fueling station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: David Jonathan Chalk, Joseph P. Cohen, David John Farese, Benjamin H. S. Torda
  • Publication number: 20230087673
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for purifying air via a pre-purification unit (PPU) of an air separation unit (ASU) system can include passing air through a first adsorber of the PPU to purify the air for operation of the ASU system while it is at or below a first pre-selected operational capacity. In response to the operational capacity of the ASU system needing to be increased to a level above the first pre-selected operational capacity threshold, a second adsorber can be brought on-line in parallel with the first adsorber or in series with the first adsorber to provide improved purification capacity to account for the increased demand for purification capacity resulting from the increased operational capacity of the ASU system. This second adsorber can be different from the first adsorber (e.g. different in size, adsorption capacity for impurities within air, and/or configuration, etc.).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: GOWRI KRISHNAMURTHY, DINGJUN WU, NASIM UL HASSAN MALIK
  • Publication number: 20230076428
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the nitrogen concentration in an LNG product and fuel from flash gas within preferred ranges. A cooled LNG stream is separated into a nitrogen-enriched vapor stream, a fuel stream, and an LNG product stream using a plurality of phase separating devices, such as flash drum or rectifying column. A portion of the vapor stream is recycled to the rectifying column as reflux. A portion of a stream having a higher concentration of nitrogen is combined with the fuel stream to maintain the fuel stream within a desired nitrogen concentration range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Michael Ott, Mark Julian Roberts, Annemarie Ott Weist
  • 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: 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
  • 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
  • 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