Patents Assigned to L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
  • Publication number: 20240084941
    Abstract: Disclosed is a self-closing emergency coupling and release device for the transport of cryogenic fluid, comprising two fluid transport pipes extending in a longitudinal direction and each comprising, at a connection end, a valve mechanism configured to automatically close the pipe when the connection ends are separated and to open the pipe when the connection ends are coupled, the device further comprising an outer tube arranged around each transport pipe and delimiting a vacuum space for thermally insulating the transport pipe, the device further comprising a mechanism for holding the transport pipe in the outer tube, characterized in that the holding mechanism comprises a frustoconical connection tube having a first end connected to the outer tube and a second end connected to the transport pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: L'AIR LIQUIDE, SOCIETE ANONYME POUR L'ETUDE ET L'EXPLOITATION DES PROCEDES GEORGES CLAUDE
    Inventors: Gaetan COLEIRO, Yan PENNEC
  • Patent number: 11920732
    Abstract: A quality control method for the preparation of dry compressed gas cylinder including passivating and/or preparing the compressed gas cylinder with the technique to be validated, filling the passivated/prepared compressed gas cylinder with gaseous carbon dioxide to a normal working pressure, wherein the gaseous carbon dioxide has a known ?18O isotope ratio, maintaining the pressurized gas cylinder at ambient temperature for a first predetermined period of time, and gradually emptying the pressurized gas cylinder, while simultaneously measuring the ?18O isotopic ratio, wherein a predetermined variation in the measured isotopic ratio of ?18O indicates a properly prepared cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: Airgas, Inc., America Air Liquide, Inc., L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Tracey Jacksier, Mani C. Matthew, Richard A. Socki, Jun Sonobe, Megumi Isaji, James McHale
  • Patent number: 11920736
    Abstract: Heat is transferred from a flow of liquid hydrogen to a flow of a heat transfer fluid at a first heat exchanger to produce a warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and a cooled flow of heat transfer fluid. Heat is also transferred at a second heat exchanger, to the cooled flow of heat transfer fluid, from a flow of pressurized hydrogen that is derived from one or more buffer vessels filled by the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and/or the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen from the first exchanger to produce a cooled flow of pressurized hydrogen that is used to fill tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Vincent Fairy, Anh Thao Thieu
  • Patent number: 11920737
    Abstract: Device for storing and for supplying fluid fuel, comprising a reservoir of liquefied fuel gas in equilibrium with a gas phase, in particular hydrogen, a circuit for filling the reservoir, at least one circuit for tapping fluid from the reservoir, and at least one circuit for regulating the pressure in the reservoir, the filling circuit, tapping circuit and pressure-regulating circuit comprising a set of valves arranged in a housing separate from the reservoir, the housing being removably connected to the reservoir via a demountable mechanical coupling system, the tapping circuit, the pressure-regulating circuit and the filling circuit comprising a set of demountable fluidic connectors situated at the junction between the reservoir and the housing and configured to allow the separation between portions of circuits situated in the reservoir and in the housing during the demounting of the housing with respect to the reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Emmanuel Bensadoun, Patrick Bravais, Patrick Sanglan
  • Publication number: 20240066493
    Abstract: A hydrogen production facility having equipment with a nitridation protective layer is provided. The hydrogen production facility can include a reformer configured to catalytically convert a feed stream into a product stream comprising hydrogen, the reformer having a plurality of catalyst tubes and a plurality of burners configured to provide heat to the catalyst tubes; means for providing the feed stream to the reformer from an ammonia source, wherein the feed stream comprises at least 90% of ammonia, wherein the plurality of catalyst tubes comprise a nitridation protective layer on an inner surface of the catalyst tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Christoph BEYER, Robert BREINING, Dieter ULBER
  • Publication number: 20240068081
    Abstract: A method for converting an existing steam methane reformer (SMR) to produce hydrogen via ammonia cracking is provided. The method can include the steps of: providing the existing SMR, wherein the SMR was formerly used to produce hydrogen from a hydrocarbon feedstock; and improving the nitridation resistance of the inner surface of the equipment by adding a protective layer to an inner surface of equipment to be used in the existing SMR, wherein the equipment is selected from the group consisting of a catalyst tube, feed piping, a feed preheater, process gas heat exchangers, and combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Christoph BEYER, Robert BREINING, Dieter ULBER
  • Patent number: 11912651
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing methanol from a synthesis gas is provided. The method includes (i) producing, in a partial oxidation chamber, the synthesis gas having a stoichiometric number of less than 1.8 by performing a partial oxidation process with a hydrocarbon stream and an oxygen stream, (ii) passing, in a water-gas shift reactor, the synthesis gas over a water-gas shift catalyst to convert at least a portion of carbon monoxide and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, (iii) producing a dry, shifted synthesis gas by separating liquid condensate from shifted synthesis gas, (iv) combining, in a recycle compressor, the dry, shifted synthesis gas with a recycle synthesis gas comprised of unreacted synthesis gas and a hydrogen rich product to form a mixed synthesis gas stream, and (v) converting, in a cooled methanol synthesis reactor, at least a portion of the mixed synthesis gas stream into methanol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Karsten Covella, Hans Kopetsch, Bryce Williams, Julien Aoun
  • Patent number: 11916267
    Abstract: An installation for supplying a fuel cell with hydrogen comprising a fuel cell, a liquefied hydrogen storage facility and a supply circuit that includes at least one upstream end connected to the storage facility and one downstream end connected to a fuel inlet of the fuel cell, the supply circuit including at least one system for heating hydrogen by heat exchange with a heat source and a set of control valves, the liquefied hydrogen storage facility being configured to keep the liquefied hydrogen in equilibrium with a gaseous phase at a determined nominal storage pressure of between 1.5 and 4.5 bar, the supply circuit including a buffer tank for pressurized gaseous hydrogen which is configured to store the hydrogen withdrawn from the storage facility and heated by the heating system, the set of valves being configured to accumulate pressurized gas in the buffer tank at a determined storage pressure of between 4 and 100 bar, for example between 6 and 8 bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Laurent Allidieres
  • Patent number: 11912576
    Abstract: An integrated process for producing a purified and converted synthesis gas and a corresponding plant including initially converting in a synthesis gas generation stage a carbon-containing input material into a raw synthesis gas which in a subsequent CO conversion zone is altered in respect of its H2/CO ratio and finally sent to a gas scrubbing zone operating according to a physical gas scrubbing process with methanol as the absorption medium in which the content of unwanted gas constituents, in particular of acidic gas constituents, in the synthesis gas is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventor: Stefan Walter
  • Patent number: 11913718
    Abstract: A method for producing power and argon is provided by providing a residual gas stream, purifying the residual gas stream in a front-end purification unit to remove carbon dioxide, thereby forming a purified residual gas stream, and introducing the purified residual gas stream to a cold box, wherein the purified residual gas stream is cooled and expanded within the cold box to produce power and then fed to a distillation column system for separation therein, thereby forming an argon-enriched stream and optionally a nitrogen-enriched stream and/or an oxygen-enriched stream, wherein the residual gas stream is sourced from a retentate stream of a cold membrane having oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Alain Guillard, Michael A. Turney, Abigail Bonifacio
  • Patent number: 11913720
    Abstract: A supply quantity adjustment device 500 comprises: a total demand quantity calculation unit 502 that calculates a total demand quantity used at a supply destination, based on plant information; an excess/deficit information setting unit 503 that compares the total demand quantity and a flow rate set value and sets a first calculated pressure value; a backup coefficient setting unit that sets a backup coefficient set value based on a reference gasholder pressure, the first calculated pressure value, a reference backup pressure set value, and a measured gasholder pressure value; and a production coefficient setting unit that compares a production pressure set value obtained by adding the reference gasholder pressure and a first pressure output value with the measured gasholder pressure value, and sets a production coefficient so as to modify a variation in the quantity of product gas produced by the air separation apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Takuya Kaneda, Shigenobu Kuwada
  • Patent number: 11913719
    Abstract: A liquefaction apparatus that automatically adjusts the load on the liquefaction apparatus correspondingly with an upper limit value of contracted power in different time slots, and which is capable of maximizing the amount of liquefied product produced and of achieving optimum operating efficiency is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Takuya Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20240058762
    Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l?Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC
    Inventors: Sandeep K. KARODE, Karl BEERS, Sudhir S. KULKARNI, Tim POLUDNIAK, Fan Z. WORLEY, Ed SANDERS, JR.
  • Publication number: 20240058763
    Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane bundle useful for manufacturing a wide variety of hollow fiber membrane modules having different flow configurations includes hollow fiber membranes arranged around a porous support tube, a cured resin tubesheet formed at first end of the bundle, and either a cured resin nub or a cured resin tubesheet formed at a second end of the bundle. The bore(s) of the hollow fiber membranes are open at a face of the tubesheet adjacent the first end of the bundle. The tubesheet has an annular structure that encapsulates the hollow fiber membranes and the porous support tube at the first end of the bundle but which does not completely block a bore of the porous support tube, wherein the collection tube has a plurality of orifices formed therein at least at positions adjacent the nub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC
    Inventors: Sandeep K. KARODE, Karl BEERS, Sudhir S. KULKARNI, Tim POLUDNIAK, Fan Z. WORLEY, Ed SANDERS, JR.
  • Patent number: 11904343
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for injecting a fluid, in particular a cryogenic fluid, the device comprising a fluid feed head and a fluid dispenser body, detachably mounted on said feed head, said feed head comprising a groove for circulating the fluid fed to said body, said groove being closed when the body is mounted on the feed head and said groove being open when the feed head and the body are detached from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignees: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude, Air Liquide France Industrie
    Inventors: Jo Algoet, Alain Brangeon, Michel Pichou, Christian Reymond
  • Publication number: 20240053098
    Abstract: An air separation unit comprises: a first waste gas control valve which is provided in a first waste gas pipe; a first waste gas flow rate control unit which measures a gas flow rate in the first waste gas pipe and adjusts a degree of opening of the first waste gas control valve so that a measured value which has been measured reaches a preset first waste gas flow rate set value; a second waste gas control valve which is provided in a second waste gas pipe; a regeneration gas flow rate control unit which measures the gas flow rate in a regeneration gas pipe and outputs a first output value based on a measured value which has been measured and a preset regeneration gas flow rate set value; and a control unit which uses, as a target set value of the flow rate of a second waste gas, a value obtained by subtracting the first waste gas flow rate set value of the first flow rate measuring unit from the flow rate set value of the regeneration gas flow rate, compares the first output value with a second output value
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventor: Takuya KANEDA
  • Publication number: 20240051675
    Abstract: Disclosed is a drive device, in particular for a flying vehicle such as an aircraft or a spacecraft, comprising at least one engine and a device for cooling the engine, the device for cooling the engine comprising a cryogenic refrigerator, i.e. refrigerating to a temperature between ?100° C. and ?273° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l?Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Martin STAEMPFLIN, Guillaume DELAUTRE, Loic JEUNESSE, Baptiste ZIMMERMANN
  • Patent number: 11896927
    Abstract: A radial adsorber comprising: an adsorbent mass containing particles, a cylindrical shell ring extending along a longitudinal axis that is vertical when the adsorber is in operation, an external grid and an internal grid arranged in such a way as to be permeable to the gas and impermeable to the particles, the internal grid and external grid between them forming an annular volume housing the adsorbent mass, an internal chamber located between the vertical longitudinal axis and the internal grid, an external chamber located between the external grid and the shell ring, the internal chamber and external chamber being intended for the circulation of the gas, the external grid being formed by a plurality of wires and a plurality of supports, the supports being mounted transversely to the wires, the supports and the wires being mounted secured to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Lian-Ming Sun, Christophe Sobre, Christian Monereau, Vincent Gueret
  • Patent number: 11885562
    Abstract: In a method for separating argon by cryogenic distillation, in which a flow containing argon, oxygen and nitrogen and being more rich in argon than the air is sent to a distillation column, and an argon-rich gas flow is withdrawn at the top of the column, a portion of the argon-rich gas flow is mixed with beads to form a gas mixture containing beads, the beads being capable of adsorbing oxygen in the presence of argon at the column operating temperatures; the portion of the argon-rich gas flow mixed with the beads is condensed and then sent to the top of the column; and a bottom liquid containing beads is withdrawn from the column and treated to remove the beads, the beads removed being regenerated to remove the adsorbed oxygen and being again mixed with the argon-rich gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Nicolas Kofman, David Bednarski, Bernard Saulnier, Guillaume Cardon, Mikael Wattiau
  • Patent number: 11885565
    Abstract: To provide a method with which it is possible to ascertain a gas concentration in a furnace rapidly, and to charge an amount of fuel and/or oxygen corresponding to the state within the furnace, and with which it is possible to reduce the device maintenance load. In order to solve the abovementioned problem, this method for analyzing components contained in flue exhaust gas of a furnace includes: a sampling step of collecting a portion of the flue exhaust gas from a flue; a dust removal step of using a centrifugal dust collecting device to separate out dust in the flue exhaust gas collected in the sampling step, to yield an analysis gas; a measuring step of measuring components in the analysis gas to obtain the concentration of carbon monoxide in the analysis gas; and an analysis gas discharging step of causing the analysis gas to be sucked by an ejector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Shoichi Fujishima, Shigeto Uchimura, Kohei Nakatani