Patents Examined by Brian M King
  • Patent number: 11585489
    Abstract: A dosing vessel includes a reservoir having an inlet and an outlet and is configured to contain a supply of a cryogenic liquid with a headspace above. The outlet is configured to be connected to a dosing arm having a dosing head. A low pressure sensor is configured to detect a vapor pressure in the headspace. A high pressure sensor is configured to detect a pressure in a bottom portion of the reservoir. An inlet valve is in fluid communication with the inlet of the reservoir and is placed in communication with a source of cryogenic liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Chart Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Daniell Gaddis, Paul Kunst Rybak
  • Patent number: 11569099
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a wafer cooling/heating system that includes a load-lock and a thermo module. The load-lock uses a level stream design to improve temperature uniformity across one or more wafers during a cooling/heating process. The load-lock can include (i) a wafer holder configured to receive wafers at a front side of the load-lock; (ii) a gas diffuser with one or more nozzles along a back side of the load-lock, a side surface of the load-lock, or a combination thereof; and (iii) one or more exhaust lines. Further, the thermo module can be configured to control a temperature of a gas provided to the load-lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Otto Chen, Chia-Chih Chen
  • Patent number: 11561043
    Abstract: A system and method for producing an LNG product stream to provide fuel to generators, as an alternative to diesel, to power drilling and other equipment. Using sales gas from a natural gas/NGL plant containing less than 95% methane as a feed stream, production of LNG having 95% or more methane in quantities of 100,000 GPD or more LNG product are achievable with the system and method. The system and method preferably combine use of strategic heat exchange between the feed and a nitrogen-methane flash vapor stream and other streams within the LNG processing system without requiring heat exchange with process streams in the natural gas/NGL plant and a rectifier column that uses an internal knockback condenser and does not require a reboiler to remove heavier components from the sales gas feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: BCCK Holding Company
    Inventor: Rayburn C. Butts
  • Patent number: 11549746
    Abstract: One object of the present invention is to provide a natural gas liquefaction device which uses noncombustible gas as a refrigerant, and can reduce the power consumption a range of relatively low refrigerant pressure, and the present invention provides a natural gas liquefaction device including a compressor which is configured to compress a refrigerant containing noncombustible gas by a plurality of compression stages; a heat exchanger which is configured to cool and liquefy a natural gas to be a liquefied natural gas; a natural gas liquefaction line which is configured to introduce the natural gas into the heat exchanger and supply the liquefied natural gas to an outside; a first refrigerant line which is configured to introduce a refrigerant-1 passed through the compressor into the heat exchanger, and then further introduce the refrigerant-1 into a decompressor; a second refrigerant line which is configured to introduce the refrigerant-2 decompressed by the decompressor into the heat exchanger, and further
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TAIYO NIPPON SANSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Irisawa
  • Patent number: 11548350
    Abstract: A temperature modulation assembly for a motor vehicle's passenger compartment includes an assembly panel having a single or a plurality of solar panels which convert sunlight into electricity and an assembly housing which includes an internal thermoelectric Peltier cooler having a heat sink on its cool side and a heat sink on its hot side and an internal fluid distribution module which draws air into the assembly housing, causes some of the air to be cooled by passing through the cool side heat sink and directed back into the passenger compartment and the rest of the air to be heated by passing through the hot side heat sink and directed back into the passenger compartment. The components of the assembly housing utilize electricity that originates at the assembly panel, and the assembly housing is structured to distribute cooled towards near the passenger seating and heated air towards the windshield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Inventors: Salvatore Paul Salmeri, Kevin Michael Kilpatrick
  • Patent number: 11549646
    Abstract: The invention primarily concerns a facility for storing and cooling a liquefied gas, for example a liquefied natural gas, the facility comprising at least one tank configured to contain the liquefied gas, a closed cooling circuit configured to be supplied with liquefied gas in the liquid state coming from the tank, at least one injection member configured for reinjecting cooled liquefied gas into the tank, the facility being characterized in that it comprises at least one connection line configured to recover a cooled gas from at least one remote container that is separate and independent from the facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Bernhardt, Fabien Durand, Cecile Gondrand, Veronique Grabie
  • Patent number: 11543180
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus are disclosed for a compact processing assembly to improve the recovery of C2 (or C3) and heavier hydrocarbon components from a hydrocarbon gas stream. The preferred method of separating a hydrocarbon gas stream generally includes producing at least a substantially condensed first stream and a cooled second stream, expanding both streams to lower pressure, and supplying the streams to a fractionation tower. In the process and apparatus disclosed, the tower overhead vapor is directed to an absorbing means and a heat and mass transfer means inside a processing assembly. A portion of the outlet vapor from the processing assembly is compressed to higher pressure, cooled and substantially condensed in a heat exchange means inside the processing assembly, then expanded to lower pressure and supplied to the heat and mass transfer means to provide cooling. Condensed liquid from the absorbing means is fed to the tower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Kyle T. Cuellar, Michael C. Pierce, Scott A. Miller, John D. Wilkinson, Joe T. Lynch, Hank M. Hudson, Andrew F. Johnke, W. Larry Lewis
  • Patent number: 11536510
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing liquefied natural gas. A pretreated natural gas stream is compressed in at least two serially arranged compressors to a pressure of at least 1,500 psia and cooled. The resultant cooled compressed natural gas stream is expanded in at least one work producing natural gas expander to a pressure less than 2,000 psia and no greater than the pressure to which natural gas stream has been compressed, thereby forming a chilled natural gas stream that is separated into a refrigerant stream and a non-refrigerant stream. The refrigerant stream is warmed in a heat exchanger through heat exchange with one or more process streams associated with pretreating the natural gas stream, thereby generating a warmed refrigerant stream. The warmed refrigerant stream and the non-refrigerant stream are then liquefied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Yijun Liu, Fritz Pierre, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11530825
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for cooling air-conditioning water used to air-condition a hospital building, comprising the steps of: (a) providing nitrogen in liquid form (LIN); (b) providing oxygen in liquid form (LOX); (c) providing air-conditioning water to be cooled; and (d) performing a heat exchange (4) between the air-conditioning water to be cooled and the nitrogen in liquid form (LIN) and/or the oxygen so as to cool the air-conditioning water and to vaporize the nitrogen and/or the oxygen and obtain nitrogen in gaseous form (GAN) and/or oxygen in gaseous form (GOX).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventor: Ben Pletincx
  • Patent number: 11519666
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of maintaining an initial quantity of mRNA vaccine cargo in an EPS container containing dry ice as a passive coolant during shipment from a manufacturing site, wherein the initial quantity of mRNA vaccine cargo is shipped to a first depot and then repackaged into smaller quantities at one or more additional depots en route to the final destinations. Dry ice can be added or ordered in advance to be available at the next depot for the cargo. Indicators show the status of the cargo and whether it has undergone unacceptable temperature or humidity excursions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: INTEGREON GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventor: Nima MokhtarzadehBahadorani
  • Patent number: 11519810
    Abstract: A recovery and recharge apparatus and method for delivering a dose of fluorescent dye to an air conditioning/HVAC system. A supply line provides for both recovering and recharging of refrigerant into the system. The supply line includes a first segment connected to the recovery and recharge unit and having a single internal conduit for channeling reclaimed refrigerant into the recovery and recharge unit and for channeling refrigerant from the reservoir. A dye compartment is fluidly connected to the first segment and includes an interior cavity with an access panel for permitting access to the cavity for receiving a fluorescent dye material. A second segment is fluidly connected to the dye compartment and has an outlet port for connecting to a low side connection on the air conditioning/HVAC system. Preferably one way valves are located on opposite sides of the dye compartment and allow recovered refrigerant to bypass the dye compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Spectronics Corporation
    Inventor: John Duerr
  • Patent number: 11519657
    Abstract: Dry ice shippers with unique structural features designed to deliver optimized performance for preserving one or more perishable items in a presence of dry ice during transport are provided. The improved dry ice shippers exhibit superior properties that overcome the performance limitations of conventional dry ice shippers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert R. Sever, Ying Zhou, Ranko Bursac, Amitabh Gupta
  • Patent number: 11512897
    Abstract: A process for recovering at least one fluid (e.g. argon gas and/or nitrogen gas, etc.) from a feed gas (e.g. air) can include utilization of a compression system, primary heat exchanger unit, plant processing units to separate and recover at least one desired fluid (e.g. nitrogen gas, argon gas, etc.). In some embodiments, the process can be configured so that fluid flows output from a low pressure column and/or high pressure column of the plant can provide a condensation duty or refrigeration duty that is utilized to process certain fluid flows for recovery of argon and/or nitrogen gases. Some embodiments can be configured to provide an improved recovery of argon and/or nitrogen as well as an improvement in operational efficiency by reducing an amount of power (e.g. electrical power) needed to recover the nitrogen and/or argon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: D. Michael Herron, Alan D. Berger
  • Patent number: 11506454
    Abstract: A method for liquefying a feed gas stream. A compressed first refrigerant stream is cooled and expanded to produce an expanded first refrigerant stream. The feed gas stream is cooled to within a first temperature range by exchanging heat only with the expanded first refrigerant stream to form a liquefied feed gas stream and a warmed first refrigerant stream. A compressed second refrigerant stream is provided is cooled to produce a cooled second refrigerant stream. At least a portion of the cooled second refrigerant stream is further cooled by exchanging heat with the expanded first refrigerant stream, and then is expanded to form an expanded second refrigerant stream. The liquefied feed gas stream is cooled to within a second temperature range by exchanging heat with the expanded second refrigerant stream to form a sub-cooled LNG stream and a first warmed, second refrigerant stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobile Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: Fritz Pierre, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11499776
    Abstract: Provided is a method of constructing a natural gas liquefaction plant, which can shorten a construction time period by minimizing effect of a lead time for the refrigerant compressor thereon, the method including: transporting a refrigerant compression module body 175 to an installation area 85, wherein the refrigerant compression module body is provided with a frame 120 configured to allow refrigerant compressor 150 for compressing a refrigerant for cooling natural gas to be mounted therein; installing the refrigerant compression module body 175 to the installation area 85; and mounting the refrigerant compressor 150 into a mounting space 130 predefined in the frame 120 of the installed refrigerant compression module body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Chiyoda Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Kobayashi, Takeshi Kaji, Makoto Yamagata
  • Patent number: 11499775
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for liquefying natural gas using an open-loop natural gas refrigeration cycle; coil wound heat exchanger units suitable for cooling one or more feed streams, such as for example one or more natural gas feed streams, via indirect heat exchange with a gaseous refrigerant; and methods and systems for removing heavy components from a natural gas prior to liquefying the natural gas using an open-loop natural gas refrigeration cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, John A. Dally
  • Patent number: 11493270
    Abstract: A dual-mode LNG liquefier arrangement that is configurable to operate in a first mode broadly characterized as a low pressure, liquid nitrogen add LNG liquefier without turbo-expansion or a second mode broadly characterized as a low pressure, liquid nitrogen add LNG liquefier with turbo-expansion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: PRAXAIR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Neil M. Prosser, Richard M. Kelly, Aditya Vaze
  • Patent number: 11485455
    Abstract: This invention provides a means of loading, processing and conditioning raw production gas, production of CGL, storage, transport, and delivery of pipeline quality natural gas or fractionated products to market. The CGL transport vessel utilizes a pipe based containment system to hold more densely packed constituents of natural gas held within a light hydrocarbon solvent than it is possible to attain for natural gas alone under such conditions. The containment system is supported by process systems for loading and transporting the natural gas as a liquid and unloading the CGL from the containment system and then offloading it in the gaseous state. The system can also be utilized for the selective storage and transport of NGLs to provide a total service package for the movement of natural gas and associated gas production. The mode of storage is suited for both marine and land transportation and configured in modular form to suit a particular application and/or scale of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SEAONE HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Morris, Bruce Hall, Tolulope O. Okikiolu, CP Woodruff, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11486628
    Abstract: A refrigerator 10 comprises at least one box-shaped storage compartment 14 and a heat radiating member 23. The storage compartment 14 is formed in such a way that one side of a frame formed by a wall member is closed and the other thereof is provided with an opening surface configured to be opened or closed by a door. The wall member includes a hollow structure composed of a plurality of plate members 21 and 22 and a foam insulation 25 filled in the hollow structure. The heat radiating member 23 is arranged in the wall member. In the wall member, a pressure member 24 configured to press the heat radiating member against the plate member is provided. The pressure member 24 is a material configured to press the heat radiating member 23 under predetermined conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Aoki, Kenji Takeuchi, Toshimitsu Tsuruga
  • Patent number: 11486608
    Abstract: A heat exchanging device includes a regenerator that heats an absorbent by external energy and generates a vapor refrigerant by evaporating a refrigerant from the absorbent, a condenser that generates a liquid refrigerant by cooling and liquefying the vapor refrigerant, an evaporator that generates a vapor refrigerant by vaporizing the vapor refrigerant, an absorber that absorbs the liquid refrigerant into the absorbent, and first and second cover members arranged opposite to each other. The evaporator absorbs heat from a space on a second cover member side in a space between the first and second cover members through the second cover member. The absorber dissipates the heat from a space on a first cover member side in the space between the first and second cover members through the first cover member, and circulates the refrigerant and the absorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: PORTA-PARK, INC.
    Inventor: Takuju Nakamura