Patents Examined by Brian King
  • Patent number: 10350512
    Abstract: A system and apparatus for atmospheric water generation using alternative cold sources provides a thermally conductive thermal transfer media of carbon graphitic foam for capturing cold energy by direct or indirect exposure thereto, transferring the cold energy to a condenser exposed to air having moisture, and for condensing the moisture from the air into liquid and collecting the liquid water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Eco Squared Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles B. Rau, III
  • Patent number: 10168000
    Abstract: A method of pumping a liquid with a tank truck, power is transferred from a diesel engine through a automatic transmission device to a triplex pump, wherein the triplex pump has a fluid provided to an inlet, an fluid outlet pressure and a fluid outlet flow rate, the diesel engine has a rotational speed, and the automatic transmission has an outlet rotational speed, and has multiple gear ratios is provided. The method comprising determining a delta P by comparing the fluid outlet pressure of the triplex pump to a predetermined pressure, determining a delta F by comparing the fluid outlet flow rate of the triplex pump to a predetermined flow rate, adjusting the rotational speed of the diesel engine to reduce the delta P and delta F, wherein the rotational speed of the diesel engine is held constant once either the delta P or the Delta F is approximately zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Air Liquide Large Industries U.S. LP
    Inventor: Jeff Harrington
  • Patent number: 10162023
    Abstract: A pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) comprising a pedestal head and a regenerator tube assembly is provided having particular application in cooling a Magnetic Resonance Imaging system. The PTR comprises a pedestal head and at least one cooled stage, the at least one cooled stage being mounted to a distal end, with respect to the pedestal head, of each of an associated regenerator tube and an associated pulse tube, the associated regenerator tube and associated pulse tube together providing pressurized coolant gas to the at least one cooled stage, wherein the associated regenerator tube and the associated pulse tube are elongate along substantially parallel axes; and further arranged, wherein, the displacements of the distal ends of each of the associated regenerator tube and the associated pulse tube in response to the cyclical changes in coolant pressure, are substantially the same when the pulse tube refrigerator is in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: OXFORD INSTRUMENTS NANOTECHNOLOGY TOOLS LIMITED
    Inventors: Matthias Buehler, Theo Hertrich, John Garside, Dieter Jedamzik
  • Patent number: 10156371
    Abstract: Apparatus for the cooling of a process fluid. The apparatus comprises a process fluid circuit along which there are provided in succession a compressor, a condenser, a first throttling member and an evaporator which can effect heat exchange with a fluid requiring treatment, and a regulating device. The regulating device includes an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, and a calibrated passage hole which provides further communication between the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber in addition to a main passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: M.T.A. S.P.A.
    Inventor: Mario Mantegazza
  • Patent number: 10139138
    Abstract: An assembly for operating a cryocooler pedestal is provided. The assembly is operable when in use to provide a cryocooler pedestal with cyclical gaseous connection to high pressure and low pressure gas supply lines, and has a return conduit through which gas is caused to flow from the cryocooler pedestal into the low pressure supply line. The assembly further comprises a dispersion chamber adjacent the return conduit and in flow communication therewith through a plurality of orifices so as to reduce acoustic noise. The assembly has particular application in cooling a Magnetic Resonance Imaging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: OXFORD INSTRUMENTS NANOTECHNOLOGY TOOLS LIMITED
    Inventors: John Garside, Matthias Buehler, Dieter Jedamzik
  • Patent number: 10141814
    Abstract: Liquid cryogen from a tank having a head space pressure P1 is vaporized with a pressure building vaporizer to gaseous cryogen and the pressure of the gaseous cryogen is built to a pressure P2. The pressurized gaseous cryogen at pressure P2 is expanded across an expander to decrease its pressure and fed to a point of use at an installation including the vaporizer at a pressure P3. P2?2×P3. Energy from the expanded gas may be recovered in the form of mechanical energy, electrical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Airgas USA, LLC
    Inventor: Charles L. Caristan
  • Patent number: 10130906
    Abstract: At least one gaseous impurity, for example silane, is removed by absorption from a feed gas stream, for example a gas stream comprising nitrogen and hydrogen, the gaseous impurity being less volatile than the feed gas stream. The absorption is effected by a sub-cooled absorbent at a first cryogenic temperature and a first pressure. The absorbent is typically propane. The absorption may be conducted in a liquid-vapor contact column (130). Absorbent containing impurity may be regenerated in a regeneration vessel 150 and returned to the column (130).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Edwards Limited
    Inventors: Andrew James Seeley, Robert Bruce Grant
  • Patent number: 10125755
    Abstract: A cryopump includes a cryopanel, a cryocooler which is configured to cool the cryopanel, and includes a cryocooler motor configured to drive the cryocooler and a cryocooler inverter configured to control an operating frequency of the cryocooler motor, and a control unit configured to control the cryocooler to perform a cool-down operation by which a temperature of the cryopanel is decreased from room temperature to a standard operating temperature. The control unit includes an operating frequency determination unit configured to determine an operating frequency of the cryocooler motor within an operating frequency range having an upper limit operating frequency and outputs the operating frequency to the cryocooler inverter, and an upper limit adjustment unit configured to decrease the upper limit operating frequency based on a decrease in a temperature of the cryopanel during the cool-down operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Kakeru Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10126049
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing benzene from a lean natural gas feed is provided. The method and apparatus are capable of removing benzene from lean natural gas that is predominantly composed of methane and contains very little heavier hydrocarbon components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: IHI E&C International Corporation
    Inventor: Kamal Shah
  • Patent number: 10113695
    Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid nitrogen cooling sensor device container and liquid nitrogen cooling sensor equipment, and effectively reduces low-frequency noise while maintaining the ease with which a probe can be inserted in and removed from liquid nitrogen. Said invention comprises: a liquid nitrogen containing insulating container that contains liquid nitrogen; a sensor fixing member which has a distal end portion to which a sensor operating at a temperature of the liquid nitrogen is attached; and a fixing buffer member which is for fixing the sensor fixing member to the liquid nitrogen containing insulating container, wherein the fixing buffer member exerts a buffering effect in the liquid nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: JAPAN OIL, GAS AND METALS NATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsunehiro Hato, Keiichi Tanabe
  • Patent number: 10107549
    Abstract: Process for liquefying natural gas in a cryogenic heat exchanger by flowing in indirect contact with refrigerant fluid entering heat exchanger at a first inlet at temperature T0 and pressure P1, and flowing through the exchanger as co-current with the natural gas stream, leaving the heat exchanger in the liquid state, then being expanded at the cold end of the exchanger to return to gaseous state at a pressure P?1 P1 and temperature T1 T0, before leaving the hot end of exchanger by outlet orifice in gaseous state T0. The fluid is then reliquefied to the inlet of the exchanger via compression followed by partial condensation and phase separation, a first liquid phase taken to the first inlet, a first gaseous portion compressed by a second compressor and cooled in desuperheater by contact with portion of the first liquid phase, prior to condensing in a second condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Saipem S.A.
    Inventors: Marc Bonnissel, Bertrand Du Parc, Boris Bolosier
  • Patent number: 10101420
    Abstract: A cryostat arrangement (1), with a vacuum container (2) and an object (4) to be cooled, is provided, wherein the object (4) to be cooled is arranged inside the vacuum container (2) comprising a neck tube (8) leading to the object (4) to be cooled. A closed cavity (9) is formed around the cooling arm (10) of a cold head (11), wherein the cavity (9) in normal operation is filled at least partly with a first cryogenic fluid (34), and wherein a first thermal coupling component (15) is provided for the thermal coupling of the first cryogenic fluid (34) in the cavity (9) to the object (4) to be cooled. The cryostat arrangement (1) further comprises a pump device (14), to which the cavity (9) is connected, and with which the cavity (9) is configured to be evacuated upon failure of the cooling function of the cold head (11). Various cryostat configurations are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: BRUKER BIOSPIN GMBH
    Inventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn
  • Patent number: 10101084
    Abstract: An apparatus for the production of low pressure gaseous oxygen includes a heat exchanger and a system of columns comprised of an auxiliary column, a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column. The LP column and the HP column are thermally integrated via a top reboiler/condenser disposed on top of the HP column. The system of columns is configured to separate a cooled air stream into oxygen and nitrogen. The auxiliary column comprises a distillation section and a first and second reboiler. One of the reboilers is driven by the cooled air stream and the other reboiler is driven by a pressurized nitrogen stream. The first and second reboilers boil their fluids at the same pressure as the auxiliary column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Paul Musicus
  • Patent number: 10094396
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a fan with a cold air function which, through supply of liquid oxygen (LOX), has a strong cold air function and at the same time provides an air cleaning effect by supplying oxygen. A fan including a base part (10) equipped with a plurality of buttons (11), a main body part (20) installed on the top of the base part (10), a motor part (30), rotary blades (40) coupled to a motor shaft at the front of the motor part (30), and a protection net (50) installed to surround the rotor blades (40), the fan comprises: a mounting part (60) in which a liquid oxygen (LOX) charge canister (62) is removably mounted; an opening and closing controller (63) for controlling the output amount of an oxygen gas discharged from the charge canister (62) mounted in the mounting part (60); and a discharge pipe (64) which is connected to the opening and closing controller (63) and configured in such a manner that the discharged oxygen gas is diffused through the rotary blades (40) to the front.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Inventors: Jae Ha Song, Yu Jin Kim, So Yeon Joo
  • Patent number: 10094515
    Abstract: The present invention provides non-venting transfer systems and methods related to transferring cryogenic liquid between two vessels without venting evaporated cryogenic liquid into the atmosphere. The stations, systems, and methods utilize a feed line and a return line connecting a source tank and a pump system to allow for flow of a cryogenic liquid to the pump and return of evaporated cryogenic liquid to the source tank, thereby avoiding release of the evaporated cryogenic liquid into the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: CLEAN ENERGY FUELS CORP.
    Inventors: Kenny Oldham, Devin Martin
  • Patent number: 10087896
    Abstract: A liquefied light hydrocarbon (LLH) fuel system for a hybrid vehicle is disclosed. The fuel system comprises an insulated fuel tank having a buffer space, a fuel control valve, wherein an outlet to the fuel tank connects to a first end of the fuel line, wherein an inlet of the fuel control valve connects to a second end of the fuel line and wherein an outlet of the fuel control valve is adapted to connect to a fuel inlet to an internal combustion engine; and a tank heating system comprising: a heating element, wherein the heating element is disposed adjacent to or within the fuel tank; a heating power control system, wherein the heating power control system controls the amount of heat produced by the heating element to vaporize the LLH fuel. Methods of using the fuel system are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Inventor: Alberto Martin Perez
  • Patent number: 10088229
    Abstract: A system and method for cryogenic purification of a hydrogen, nitrogen, methane and argon containing feed stream to produce a methane free, hydrogen and nitrogen containing synthesis gas and a methane rich fuel gas, as well as to recover an argon product stream, excess hydrogen, and excess nitrogen is provided. The disclosed system and method are particularly useful as an integrated cryogenic purifier in an ammonia synthesis process in an ammonia plant. The excess nitrogen is a nitrogen stream substantially free of methane and hydrogen that can be used in other parts of the plant, recovered as a gaseous nitrogen product and/or liquefied to produce a liquid nitrogen product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: PRAXAIR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Henry E. Howard
  • Patent number: 10088228
    Abstract: The apparatus for liquefying a gaseous stream received from a pipeline that is comprised predominantly of ethane and a relatively small amount of other components by using a mixed refrigerant refrigeration cycle loop incorporating heavy hydrocarbons, as well as a distillation column to remove constituents lighter than ethane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Michael A. Turney, Yasser Jebbari
  • Patent number: 10082319
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a chamber, a first heat exchanger, an adapter, and a second heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger includes a cold finger positioned within the chamber. The second heat exchanger is positioned around an adapter and within the chamber. The second heat exchanger is a counter flow heat exchanger to precool refrigerant entering a Joule-Thomson valve. The adapter is positioned between the cold finger and the second heat exchanger. The adapter transfers heat from a thermal load to both the cold finger and the refrigerant emitted from the Joule-Thomson valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Paul M. Lyons, Daniel W. Brunton, Jon E. Leigh
  • Patent number: 10082332
    Abstract: A system and method for argon and nitrogen extraction and liquefaction from a low-pressure tail gas of an ammonia production plant is provided. The preferred tail gas of the ammonia production plant comprises methane, nitrogen, argon, and hydrogen. The disclosed system and method provides for the methane rejection via rectification and hydrogen rejection by way of a side stripper column or phase separator. The resulting nitrogen and argon containing stream is separated and liquefied in a double column distillation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: PRAXAIR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Henry E. Howard