Patents Assigned to The Lummus Company
  • Patent number: 4423022
    Abstract: Processes for carrying out catalytic exothermic and endothermic high-pressure gas reactions with a single-walled pressure vessel or shell containing cross-flow (e.g., radial flow) heat transfer exchangers, a continuous catalytic bed having at least two stages, and means for effecting "cross-over" material flows from "outside" to "inside" (for exothermic reactions) and vice versa (for endothermic reactions), whereby conditions of: maximum gas temperature always being in the core of said vessel or shell, minimal pressure drop, and minimal compression of catalyst particles are achieved, along with significant economic savings in cost of the pressure vessel or shell and catalyst (through extension of catalyst life).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: John V. Albano, George Friedman
  • Patent number: 4415357
    Abstract: In the direct reduction of iron ore wherein a solid mixture of unused carbonaceous reductant and spent flux is roasted to convert calcium sulfide to sulfate, the solids recovered from the roasting are carbonated to further reduce the sulfide content, and convert calcium oxide to the carbonate to provide a stabilized solid waste for disposal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: William V. Bauer
  • Patent number: 4415460
    Abstract: Organic impurities in aqueous salt solutions; e.g., alkali or alkaline earth chloride solutions in particular, brines, are oxidized with chlorate ions at a pH of no greater than 5.0 and a temperature of at least 130.degree. C. to convert the organics to carbon dioxide. The process has particular applicability to oxidation of organic impurities in an aqueous brine solution derived from the saponification of a chlorohydrin to olefin oxide, prior to introduction of the brine into an electrolytic cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: George D. Suciu, John E. Paustian
  • Patent number: 4414141
    Abstract: A catalyst for hydrotreating of heavy feedstocks comprised of nickel and molybdenum, supported on alumina having a defined pore size distribution which has been calcined at a temperature of from 1150.degree. F.-1300.degree. F. Calcining of such catalyst at such temperatures is required in order to provide for effective use thereof as a hydrotreating catalyst for higher boiling feedstocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Harvey D. Schindler
  • Patent number: 4411768
    Abstract: In a hydrogenation operation employing an ebullated catalytic bed, recycle is recovered from the hydrogenated product with at least 25%, by volume, of the recycle boiling above 950.degree. F. The recycle is cooled to a temperature of from 350.degree. to 600.degree. F. to separate coke precursors, prior to recycle to the hydrogenation. Higher conversion levels can be achieved by effecting recycle in such manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: Harold Unger, Morgan C. Sze, Roger P. Van Driesen
  • Patent number: 4410714
    Abstract: A process for producing an epoxy compound by chlorinating a tertiary alkanol to the corresponding hypochlorite, followed by reaction of the hypochlorite with water and an olefinically unsaturated compound to produce the corresponding chlorohydrin and saponification of the chlorohydrin to the corresponding epoxy compound. The hypochlorite production and the saponification are effected with calcium oxide in an aqueous solution of calcium chloride, with calcium chloride being produced as by-product in an aqueous solution having a calcium chloride concentration of at least 25 wt. %. In this manner, calcium chloride by-product is recovered in a more usable form thereby eliminating the problems associated with recovery of calcium chloride by-product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: George J. Apanel
  • Patent number: 4405362
    Abstract: In the direct reduction of iron ore, there is recovered a solid mixture of carbonaceous reductant and used flux, followed by dispersion of the mixture in an aqueous liquid and carbonation of the flux in the mixture in order to enable effective separation of the used flux from the carbonaceous reductant. After separation, the carbonaceous reductant is recycled to the reducing of iron ore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: William V. Bauer
  • Patent number: 4405439
    Abstract: Coal tar pitch is contacted with a promoter liquid having a 5 volume percent distillation temperature of at least 250.degree. F. and a 95 volume percent distillation temperature of at least 350.degree. F. and no greater than about 750.degree. F. with the liquid having a characterization factor of at least 9.75 to promote the separation of quinoline insolubles from the pitch. A coat tar pitch fraction essentially free of quinoline insolubles is then subjected to coking to produce a needle coke. The process is also applicable to separation of quinoline insolubles from coal tar derived binder pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Andre A. Simone
  • Patent number: 4391880
    Abstract: Process and system for cooling a reaction effluent containing volatized catalyst wherein the effluent is contacted with circulating cooled solid catalyst in dilute phase transport contact, with the volatized catalyst being condensed onto the solid catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Utah Tsao
  • Patent number: 4376865
    Abstract: Olefin is reacted with alkyl hypochlorite and water to produce an effluent containing the chlorohydrin and alkanol. An organic solvent is employed to extract the alkanol and chlorohydrin from the aqueous effluent, followed by saponification with base to produce olefin oxide. Olefin oxide is separated from the saponification effluent, followed by separation of an organic phase of the organic solvent, and an aqueous phase, which contains the alkanol. The aqueous phase containing alkanol, is chlorinated to produce the alkyl hypochlorite, with the organic phase being recycled to the extraction. The process is preferably integrated with the electrolytic production of chlorine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1981
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1983
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: George J. Apanel
  • Patent number: 4360405
    Abstract: There is disclosed a process and apparatus for the fractionation of close boiling components of a multi-component system and comprised of at least two fractionation columns having a plurality of equilibrium stages wherein the vapor from a down-stream fractionation column is compressed and passed into a lower portion of a preceding fractionation column. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the compressed overhead vapor stream is passed in heat transfer relationship to a liquid stream withdrawn from the preceding fractionation column prior to introduction into the lower portion of such preceding fractionation column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Utah Tsao
  • Patent number: 4356336
    Abstract: In the production of a chlorinated hydrocarbon, such as chlorinated methanes, a purge stream is recovered from the chlorinated hydrocarbon effluent, which contains inerts and unreacted hydrocarbon. The unreacted methane present in the purge stream is combusted to recover the fuel values thereof; e.g., as a fuel in the waste chlorinated hydrocarbon combustion to recover chlorine values, with the inerts then being purged from the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Angel Sy
  • Patent number: 4353162
    Abstract: Apparatus and process for manufacturing a finned tube, said apparatus comprising a tube feed assembly which has absolute control over the rotational speed of the bare tube being processed as well as the linear feed rate thereof, a grooved roller assembly (when forming an applied fin "G" tube) to materially improve the material flow distribution of the tube during groove formation, a fin forming assembly which deforms the finning material to permit the use of thinner finning material and which compensates for fluctuations between feed rates of the finning material and rotational speed of the tube or presentation rate of the grooved tube to the deforming finning material during fin swageing, and a fin swageing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Johannes Van Meteren
  • Patent number: 4351819
    Abstract: In an integrated process for oxychlorination and combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbon is burned to recover chlorine values essentially as hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen chloride is recovered from the effluent from the combustion by absorption with aqueous hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen chloride recovered by the absorption is subsequently recovered and employed in an oxychlorination reaction. A gas containing hydrogen chloride, water vapor and some oxygen recovered from the oxychlorination is cooled to condense aqueous hydrogen chloride which is employed in the absorption for recovering hydrogen chloride. The remaining gas is employed in the combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: Herbert Riegel, Chiung-Yuan Huang
  • Patent number: 4348537
    Abstract: Olefin is oxidized in the absence of oxygen with a carboxylic acid in the presence of Mn(IV) oxide promoted with a noble metal to produce an effluent which includes mono and/or diester corresponding to the olefin and acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: Joon T. Kwon, Abraham P. Gelbein
  • Patent number: 4346047
    Abstract: A molten salt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides, such as mixture of cuprous and cupric chloride, is contacted with oxygen and hydrogen chloride to enrich the salt in the higher valent metal chloride. The salt enriched in the higher valent metal chloride is contacted with carbon monoxide to both strip gaseous chlorine from the salt and produce phosgene by reaction with carbon monoxide and thereby recover essentially all chlorine values added to the salt. The reaction can be effected to provide stoichiometric quantities of carbon monoxide and chlorine in the effluent for producing additional phosgene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Herbert Riegel
  • Patent number: 4346069
    Abstract: In an integrated process for oxychlorination and combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons is burned to recover chlorine values essentially as hydrogen chloride. Combustion effluent and off-gas from an oxychlorination reaction are simultaneously treated to recover anhydrous hydrogen chloride for use in the oxychlorination reaction. In accordance with one embodiment, off-gas from the oxychlorination is employed in the combustion, prior to hydrogen chloride recovery in order to utilize any oxygen values therein. The process has particular applicability to an oxychlorination reaction of the type wherein a molten salt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal is contacted with hydrogen chloride and oxygen to recover hydrogen chloride by enriching the higher valent metal chloride content of the molten salt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: Herbert Riegel, Chiung-Yuan Huang
  • Patent number: 4343691
    Abstract: A hot aqueous waste, containing solids, such as tailings from the hot water extraction of bitumen from tar sands, is contacted with air to increase the heat and moisture content of the air, followed by contacting the heated and moisturized air with water to condense moisture from the air and increase the heat content of the water, with the heated water containing condensed moisture being employed as make-up hot water in the extraction. Water recovery can be further increased by subjecting at least a portion of the tailings, prior to contact with air, to an evaporation procedure wherein heat requirements are provided by indirect heat transfer with steam. Evaporate and condensed steam are employed in the extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Ari A. Minkkinen
  • Patent number: 4342735
    Abstract: In stripping ammonia and carbon dioxide from an aqueous ammonium carbonate solution including organic ammonium salts, inorganic base is introduced into the column at a point below the point of the feed introduction and above the column bottom to liberate ammonia from the ammonium salts and thereby produce a bottoms of reduced ammonium content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventor: Utah Tsao
  • Patent number: 4342642
    Abstract: A portion of a steam pyrolysis tubular coil, preferably the outlet portion, is provided with an insert to provide a radiation absorption surface within the tube. The insert is dimensioned to increase heat flux without adversely increasing pressure drop. A preferred insert has a central body and outwardly extending vanes in contact with the interior of the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1982
    Assignee: The Lummus Company
    Inventors: William V. Bauer, Morgan C. Sze