Patents Examined by Alexa A. Doroshenk
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Patent number: 6923940Abstract: A bath tub solids container for containing solids separated from cracked product vapors produced in a riser reactor and issuing from a separator. The bath tub solids container receives and contains solids from the separator, has a collar which fits around the riser reactor to keep the solids from contacting the riser reactor, an aeration device for fluidizing the solids within the container and an outlet for the solids.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2003Date of Patent: August 2, 2005Assignee: Stone & Webster Process Technology, Inc.Inventor: Kelly Benham
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Patent number: 6921515Abstract: In a chemical decontamination apparatus, a catalyst decomposition column in an upstream side of an ion exchange resin column and a hydrogen peroxide injection apparatus in a further upstream side, reduce the amount of waste products caused by a chemical decontaminating agent where a mixed decontaminating agent for a composition trapped in a cation resin column and for a composition trapped in an anion exchange resin are used for the chemical decontaminating agent, selectively decompose the composition trapped in the cation resin column in an inlet side of a cleaning apparatus when radioactive nuclides in the decontaminating agent are cleansed using the cation resin column during decontamination, and decompose both compositions after completion of the decontamination. The chemical decontamination thus selectively decomposes the chemical decontaminating agent, which is a component of the load to the cation resin column.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2001Date of Patent: July 26, 2005Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Kurita Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Nagase, Naohito Uetake, Kazushige Ishida, Fumito Nakamura, Kazumi Anazawa, Tadashi Tamagawa, Hiroo Yoshikawa
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Patent number: 6919048Abstract: An elongate reaction vessel and process includes at least two stages in the vertical direction in which an endothermic or exothermic catalytic reaction is carried out and comprises: a catalytic reaction zone (12a, 12b) per stage (6, 7); introducing (2) a reaction fluid to a stage adapted for transverse motion of the fluid across the whole vertical extent of the reaction zone; introducing and extracting the catalyst; a heat exchanger (5a) for reaction fluids located inside the vessel between two successive reaction zones; means (6) for transporting reaction fluids from one stage to another preferably connected to the exchanger of the stage under consideration and to the inlet for reaction fluids of the subsequent stage; and means for recovering reaction fluids downstream of the last stage. The temperature variation in each zone and the temperature level are respectively adjusted by the thickness of each zone and by heat exchange.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2002Date of Patent: July 19, 2005Assignee: Institut Francais du PetroleInventors: Frédéric Hoffmann, Eric Lenglet, Philippe Mege
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Patent number: 6916448Abstract: For the selective production of propylene from an olefinic C4 fraction, a process is implemented that successively comprises: 1) the selective hydrogenation of butadiene with isomerization of butene-1 into butene-2; 2) the separation by distillation of a mixture that is rich in isobutene and butene-1 at the top and a fraction that is rich in butene-2 at the bottom; 3) the skeletal isomerization of isobutene into n-butenes on the top fraction, with recycling in stage 1; and 4) the metathesis of the butene-2-rich fraction with ethylene. The advantage of this process is to produce in a very selective way polymerization-quality propylene from all of the olefinic compounds of a C4 fraction, including isobutene.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2003Date of Patent: July 12, 2005Assignee: Institut Francais du PetroleInventors: Dominique Commereuc, Christine Travers
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Patent number: 6911058Abstract: A method for producing clean energy from coal by feeding the coal in a reactor which is sealed to the atmosphere and moving the coal in the reactor while injecting oxygen to combust a portion of the coal in a substoichiometric mode to devolatilize the coal and yield a pressurized hydrogen rich raw gas which contains coal-derived cancer causing distillates and hydrocarbons together with a hot char. The distillates and the hydrocarbons are cracked to result in a cracked gas of essentially 2H2 and 1CO which after desulfurization becomes an ideal synthesis gas that can be synthesized to a liquid fuel for heating and transportation as an alternate to petroleum. The hot char is gasified in an air blown gasifier to produce a fuel gas and a molten slag which are jointly directed out of the gasifier through a common port which is maintained open for the free flow of both.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2001Date of Patent: June 28, 2005Assignee: Calderon Syngas CompanyInventors: Albert Calderon, Terry James Laubis
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Patent number: 6911184Abstract: An NOx storage-and-reduction type catalyst is used which exhibits a saturated NOx storage amount of 5 g or more as NO2 with respect to 1 liter of a catalyst volume at 500° C., and rich spiking is controlled so that an actual NOx storage amount of the NOx storage-and-reduction type catalyst becomes 50% or less of the saturated NOx storage amount. Since the saturated NOx storage amount is large, the NOx storage amount is large even when it is 50% or less, it is possible to prolong intervals of the rich spiking. Then, since NOx storage component stores NOx preferentially into the sites which are likely to store and release NOx, a reduction efficiency is high. Therefore, while prolonging the intervals of the rich spiking and sustaining an effect of mileage improvement, it is possible to improve the reduction efficiency of NOx.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2000Date of Patent: June 28, 2005Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo KenkyushoInventors: Shinichi Matsunaga, Shuichi Kubo, Motohisa Saiki
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Patent number: 6911187Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for the production of hydrogen by the reformation of a hydrocarbon or aliphatic alcohol having a hollow cylindrical frame; a columnar catalytic member having a multitude of axial passages, mounted in and supported by the cylindrical frame so as to be rotatable relative thereto by a drive unit; a lid body, closing an upper end of the cylindrical frame and making a space immediately above the columnar catalytic member; a partition wall for subdividing the space into a first and a second independent space; a gas inlet port formed in the lid body for introducing a mixture gas of hydrocarbon or aliphatic alcohol and water vapor into the first space; a hydrogen outlet port formed in the lid body for recovering hydrogen generated from the second space; and an oxygen inlet port for introducing oxygen into a region of the catalytic member, wherein the oxygen inlet port may make further use of the gas inlet port and/or be additionally provided for communication with a closedType: GrantFiled: February 16, 2001Date of Patent: June 28, 2005Assignee: Nippon Chemical Plant Consultant Co., Ltd.Inventor: Saburo Maruko
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Patent number: 6905660Abstract: There is provided a method for loading solid particles into a multi-tube reactor having an upper tube-sheet holding together the upper ends of the multitude of reactor tubes, the method comprising positioning a loading device having a plurality of holes on top of the upper tube-sheet such that the loading device rests on and substantially covers the upper tube-sheet and the holes correspond to the reactor tubes, the loading device comprising a plurality of adjacent polygonal plates, each polygonal plate having from 1 to 30 holes, each hole corresponding to one reactor tube; pouring the particles over the combined polygonal plates covering the tube-sheet; sweeping the particles through the holes in the plates into the respective reactor tubes; removing residual particles and any dust remaining on and between the plates; and removing the loading device.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2002Date of Patent: June 14, 2005Assignee: Cat Tech, Inc.Inventors: Jamie Stewart Harper, Karl Barry Thew
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Patent number: 6902707Abstract: A process and apparatus for atomizing a fluid is disclosed herein. The fluid is mixed with an atomizing fluid in a plurality of locations and passed through a nozzle.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2002Date of Patent: June 7, 2005Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering CompanyInventors: William R Adamson, George A. Swan, III, Michael W. Bedell
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Patent number: 6896855Abstract: A miniaturized temperature-zone flow reactor, used for thermally controlled biochemical or molecular-biological processes, especially polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables more efficient reactions by providing at least one closed flow path which is divided into three partial paths (A1 . . . An; B1 . . . Bn and BB1 . . . BBn?1; C1 . . . Cn) with the reactor having three substrate chips (A; B; C) which are made of a material having a high heat conductivity, and which have defined channel sections that are spaced apart relative to each other, and are connected by a connecting chip (V) made of a poor heat-conductive material. The substrate chips (A; B; C) are maintained at different temperatures by various means, including the use of controlling heating elements in contact with the chips.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 1999Date of Patent: May 24, 2005Assignee: Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie e.V.Inventors: Johann Michael Köhler, Andreas Mokansky, Siegfried Poser, Torsten Schulz
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Patent number: 6887285Abstract: An apparatus for carrying out a multi-step process of converting hydrocarbon fuel to a substantially pure hydrogen gas feed includes a plurality of modules each module being in fluid communication with adjacent modules. The modules may be arranged axially along a common axis of flow or alternatively the modules are arranged along a common axis so that they are nested one within the other. The multi-step process includes: providing a fuel processor having a plurality of modules; and feeding the hydrocarbon fuel successively through each of the modules in the reactor to produce the hydrogen rich gas.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2001Date of Patent: May 3, 2005Assignee: Texaco Inc.Inventor: Vijay A. Deshpande
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Patent number: 6881387Abstract: A quench zone mixing apparatus (16) that occupies a low vertical height and has an improved mixing efficiency and fluid distribution across the catalyst surface includes a swirl chamber (20), a rough distribution network (100), and a distribution apparatus (120). In the swirl chamber (20), reactant fluid from a catalyst bed above is thoroughly mixed with a quench fluid by a swirling action. The mixed fluids exit the swirl chamber (20) through an aperture to the rough distribution system (100) where the fluids are radially distributed outward across the vessel to the distribution apparatus (120). The distribution apparatus (120) includes a plate (122) with a number of bubble caps (130) and associated a drip trace (150) that multiply the liquid drip stream from the bubble caps (130) to further symmetrically distribute the fluids across the catalyst surface. Alternatively, deflector baffles may be associated with the bubble caps (130) to provide a wider and more uniform liquid distribution below the plate (122).Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 1999Date of Patent: April 19, 2005Assignee: Fluor CorporationInventors: Garry E. Jacobs, Steven W. Stupin, Robert W. Kuskie
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Patent number: 6878354Abstract: A catalyst for internal combustion engine exhaust purification without frequently switching to a rich burn mode. The catalyst includes a catalyst A containing an NOx absorbing substance and an NOx reducing catalyst, a catalyst B containing a hydrogen adsorption substance and a hydrogen oxidizing catalyst, an electron conductive substance C, and an ion conductive substance D. Electrons move between the catalyst A and the catalyst B through the electron conductive substance C, ions move through the ion conductive substance D, and an electrochemical reducing reaction and an electrochemical oxidizing reaction respectively occur on the catalyst A and on the catalyst B. Therefore, it is possible to quickly reduce the adsorbed NOx using the adsorbed hydrogen without depending on the atmosphere.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2000Date of Patent: April 12, 2005Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenro Mitsuda, Minoru Satou, Hiroaki Sigeoka, Ryoji Nishiyama, Yuji Kishimoto, Hideaki Katashiba, Hirofumi Oouchi
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Patent number: 6872363Abstract: A process of producing polyethylene, the process comprising copolymerizing ethylene and an alpha-olefinic comonomer comprising from 3 to 8 carbon atoms in the presence of a chromium-based catalyst in a main polymerization reactor and, in a gas-phase preliminary reactor upstream of the main polymerization reactor, chemically treating the chromium-based catalyst with at least one treatment agent prior to introduction of the catalyst into the main polymerization reactor and releasing from the preliminary reactor waste gases produced during the chemical treatment.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2001Date of Patent: March 29, 2005Assignee: Fina Research, SAInventor: Guy Debras
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Patent number: 6869578Abstract: A process and apparatus cools a heat exchange type reaction zone by passing the incoming reactants through heat exchange channels in heat exchange relationship with the reaction zone. The invention simplifies the operation and construction of the heat exchanging type reaction zone by directly communicating reaction channels that contain the reaction with the heating channels that heat reactant across an open manifold located at the end of the channels. Additional reactants, cooling fluids, or other diluents may enter the process directly through the manifold space to permit further temperature control of the reaction zone. The invention promotes better heat transfer efficiency than tube and shell heat transfer arrangements that have been used for similar purposes. The narrow channels are preferably defined by corrugated plates. The reaction channels will contain a catalyst for the promotion of the primary reaction.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2001Date of Patent: March 22, 2005Assignee: UOP LLCInventors: Philippe Hebert, Jacques J. L. Romatier, Peter R. Pujado, Bipin V. Vora
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Patent number: 6858191Abstract: A device used as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger in general, with a thin tube plate, of the type in which at least one pipe is connected to a tube plate, this tube plate being closed by a chamber with a container function, wherein this chamber is produced by a section with any shape, with a base which is joined to the plate by a lateral portion; connection elements are also provided between the tube plate and the base of the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2002Date of Patent: February 22, 2005Assignee: Nuovo, Pignone Holding S.p.A.Inventors: Vasco Mezzedimi, Lorenzo Barbieri, Andrea Ronchieri
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Patent number: 6852294Abstract: Tubes within a radiant heating section of a coking furnace are arranged differently than in a single vertical column and connected together in a simple, planar serpentine pattern. The tubes are arranged in a plurality of offset or staggered vertical columns. This arrangement permits the upper tubes to be close to the radiant heat source and allows the tube bends connecting adjacent tubes to be of greater radius, so that the pressure at which the feedstock is passed through the tube bundle can be lower allowing more vaporization of the cracked process fluids.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2001Date of Patent: February 8, 2005Assignee: ConocoPhillips CompanyInventor: Brian Jay Doerksen
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Patent number: 6849160Abstract: An apparatus and method are for the pyrolysis of waste. The aparatus has a rotating cell formed of a cylinder in combination with a truncated cone rotating on the same axis. The apparatus also has a hopper for charging the waste at one end of the cylinder, an ash box at the other end of the cylinder, a gas recuperator, and a retaining threshold between the cylinder and the truncated cone. A region of intimate contact of the waste with itself is created, whereby the waste is converted into coke which is used as fuel in the pyrolysis of the waste.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 1997Date of Patent: February 1, 2005Assignee: SanifaInventor: Louis Rousseau
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Patent number: 6835219Abstract: An apparatus and method is disclosed for rapidly heating fuel processor components during startup of a fuel cell powered vehicle. Rapid heating is achieved by placing a water adsorbent downstream of the fuel processor's primary reactor, which converts a hydrocarbon-based fuel to a hydrogen-rich fuel. In addition to hydrogen, the reformed fuel (reformate) includes carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water. The water adsorbent, which has a high heat of adsorption, produces heat as it adsorbs water in the reformate. Heat generated by water adsorption enhances the rate at which fuel processor components, such as a water-gas-shift reactor, reach their operating temperatures. In addition, water adsorption reduces water condensation on the water-gas-shift reactor catalyst. Once the fuel processor components attain their operating temperatures, water desorbs from the adsorbent and is available for converting carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the water-gas-shift reactor.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2001Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Craig S Gittleman
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Patent number: 6827908Abstract: In a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, a regenerator, a stripper or a withdrawal well connecting to either of the vessels, includes a standpipe for circulating catalyst from one vessel to another, the standpipe having an inlet design which reduces gas entrainment during catalyst transport by partial de-fluidization in the standpipe inlet region. The standpipe inlet design could include multiple inlet openings through the top of the standpipe or from the side wall by slots, or both, and a horizontal disk surrounding the standpipe below the slots for blocking the upward flow of bubbles, the combination thereby forming a dense fluidization zone above the disk and surrounding the inlet, including the slots. Additionally, the disk may include a downwardly-projecting lip or edge forming an inverted void space around the standpipe and the downwardly-projecting edge may further include vent holes around its circumference which allow bubbles trapped under the disk to be vented outside the standpipe inlet region.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2000Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Assignee: Shell Oil CompanyInventor: Ye-Mon Chen