Patents Examined by Charles Bushey
  • Patent number: 10005004
    Abstract: An oil scrub column having a petroleum spirit section and an oil section where each section has mass transfer trays having a plurality of runoff elements that extend parallel to and at a distance from one another, to form angular profiles. The runoff elements have first and second runoff surfaces that converge to form an edge. Scrubbing media introduced onto the edges of the runoff elements flows off via the runoff surfaces at both sides of the edge. The oil section has a greater number of mass transfer trays than the petroleum spirit section. The petroleum spirit section is shorter than the oil section. The mass transfer trays of the petroleum spirit section may be sieve trays, bubble trays or valve trays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Gerhard Alzner, Christian Matten
  • Patent number: 9999842
    Abstract: A hybrid Contact tray for a mass transfer column is provided. The tray has a deck for passage of liquid along a liquid flow path thereon. The deck also has a plurality of orifices for passage of ascending vapor through the tray deck. The contact tray includes a cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section having a first portion of the plurality of orifices and a co-current vapor-liquid mixing section having at least one co-current mixing device associated with a second portion of the plurality of orifices. The co-current mixing device includes a conduit having: a vapor inlet in fluid communication with one or more of the second portion of orifices; a froth inlet in fluid communication with the liquid flow path; a fluid outlet; and a packing material within a co-current flow path of vapor and liquid within the conduit disposed after the vapor and froth inlets and before the fluid outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Sven Glüer, Mark William Pilling
  • Patent number: 9993778
    Abstract: A diffuser is disclosed and includes a channel with an inner portion having an inlet and an outlet through which a gaseous substance enters and exits the diffuser, respectively. The inner portion includes a first conical section that has an increasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to a central axis, in a first direction. The inner portion also includes a second conical section that has a decreasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis, in the first direction. The second conical section is communicatively coupled with the first conical section. The outer portion includes a first annular section that has an increasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis, in a second direction opposite the first direction. The diffuser further includes a plurality of orifices that communicatively couple the second conical section with the first annular section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Gary D. Grayson, Martin E. Lozano, Victor J. Barackman
  • Patent number: 9995533
    Abstract: A heat exchange apparatus is provided with an indirect evaporative heat exchange section. The indirect evaporative heat exchange section includes a series of serpentine tubes, and an evaporative liquid is passed downwardly onto the indirect heat exchange section. The evaporative liquid is collected in a sump and then pumped upwardly to be distributed again across the indirect heat exchange section. An improved heat exchange apparatus is provided with an indirect evaporative heat exchange section including a series of serpentine tubes with run sections and return bend sections of both normal and increased height. A direct heat exchange section may be provided in the vertical spacing between run sections formed by the increased height return bends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.
    Inventors: David Andrew Aaron, Zan Liu, Branislav Korenic, John Edward Rule, Preston P. Blay, Philip S. Hollander, Glenn David Comisac, Gregory Michael Lowman
  • Patent number: 9993743
    Abstract: The invention is a distributor tray (2) of a column for heating and/or material exchanging material between a gas and a liquid, comprising gas passage casings (4), liquid passages (6) and a secondary distribution system (7) projecting from the lower part of tray (2). Secondary distribution system (7) allows the liquid to be collected and distributed more homogeneously over the contactor. The invention also relates to a gas/fluid heat or material exchange column comprising such a distributor tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: IFP ENERGIES NOUVELLES
    Inventors: Yacine Haroun, Aude Royon-Lebeaud, Cecile Plais
  • Patent number: 9987566
    Abstract: A hybrid contact tray for a mass transfer column is provided. The contact tray includes a tray deck for passage of liquid along a liquid flow path thereon. The tray deck has a plurality of orifices for passage of ascending vapor through the tray deck, a cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section having a first portion of the plurality of orifices, and a co-current vapor-liquid mixing section including at least one co-current mixing device associated with a second portion of the plurality of orifices. The tray deck also has features capable of altering liquid head levels with respect to the plurality of orifices such that the liquid head level within the co-current vapor-liquid mixing section is greater than the liquid head level within the cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Sven Glüer, Mark William Pilling, Peter Mervyn Wilkinson
  • Patent number: 9981235
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a tray deck orifice device for use with a tray deck in a vessel. The repair device includes a flat member having a defined thickness and a void at a center thereof, and at least one anti-spin tab extending from an edge or edges of the flat member inwardly towards the void, wherein the repair device is designed to attach to the surface of the tray deck such that the void is aligned with a hole in the tray deck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Woven Metal Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Lee Lasser
  • Patent number: 9975106
    Abstract: A packing element, for use in mass and/or heat transfer columns or towers through which a gas and/or liquid flows, includes at least one first group of strips having a plurality of exchange surfaces formed by the surfaces of half-wave-shaped and/or wave-shaped strips. The periodic length l1 of a strip of the first group of strips adjoins a second group of strips with a periodic length l2, which are matched to each other in such a way, that the two adjoining strips are in contact with each other at at least one point, enabling a liquid transfer between these two strips. The at least one strip extends from a first end bridge to a second end bridge, wherein the two end bridges run along the transverse direction of the packing element. At least one strip of the packing element is torsioned about a longitudinal torsion line of the packing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: RASCHIG GMBH
    Inventor: Michael Schultes
  • Patent number: 9968893
    Abstract: A carbonator tank assembly is disclosed for use in a beverage machine that dispenses a carbonated beverage therefrom. The carbonator tank includes walls defining a carbonator tank interior. A probe assembly is provided for coupling in a gaseous and fluid-type manner to the walls of the carbonator tank. The probe assembly has no floats but includes electrical, elongated probes having removed ends configured to extend into the interior of the carbonator tank and near ends exposed exteriorly. An electronics module is adapt to fluidly enclose an electronics assembly therein and to receive an electrical cable carrying electrical energy from a remote source. Elements within the electronics module receive the electrical energy from the cable and provide it to the electrodes extending from the walls of the electronics module into the carbonator tank. The electrodes and the electronics module are adapted to removably couple to the probe assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Schroeder Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: A. A. Jud Schroeder, Albert Griego, David Santy, Jason Minica
  • Patent number: 9964318
    Abstract: A water tower applied to the water source heat pump central air conditioner is provided, and includes a tower body, a water storage tank, an air distributing device, cooling fillers, a water distributing device, a water collector, and ventilating equipment, wherein the water storage tank is arranged at the bottom of the interior of the tower body, and the air distributing device, the cooling fillers, the water distributing device, the water collector and the ventilating equipment are sequentially arranged above the water storage tank. Furthermore, the water tower applied to the water source heat pump central air conditioner includes a plurality of return water pipes and a plurality of supply pipes; the water inlet ends of the multiple return water pipes are in connection with the return water outlets of a plurality of air conditioner main units, arranged in all stories correspondingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: GUANGDONG JINBEI ENERGY-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD
    Inventors: Tu Qian, Xiaopeng Qian
  • Patent number: 9956500
    Abstract: A liquid mixing collector includes first and second sump zones, a first and optionally a second liquid collection region, first and second interspersed sets of spaced apart liquid collection channels positioned in the first liquid collection region, the first and second sets of collection channels being associated with the first and second respective sump zones, wherein adjacent liquid collection channel sets are vertically displaced in parallel horizontal planes. The invention also relates to the process of using the collector within a heat or mass transfer column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Sulzer Chemtech AG
    Inventors: Marc Wehrli, Christian G. Bachmann, Hans-Peter Brack, Florian Kehrer
  • Patent number: 9956540
    Abstract: A structured packing sheet includes a top interface region, a first turning region, a central region, a second turning region, and a bottom interface region. The central region includes a plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion and arranged generally parallel to each other. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a first angle with respect to a vertical axis. The top interface region and the bottom interface region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a second angle with respect to the vertical axis. The second angle is smaller than the first angle. The first turning region and the second turning region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross. The plurality of corrugations have a plurality of breaks in the first turning region and the second turning region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: GTC Technology US LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Binkley, Casey F. Bowles, Phillip Bradley Fleming
  • Patent number: 9958201
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a column (1) having a cylindrical, vertical column body (2) forming a column cavity (3), and a mass transfer tray (4) disposed in the column cavity (3) and forming a collecting area (5). The column (1) is characterized by a circulation device (9) having at least one drain orifice (10) formed in the column body (2) above the collecting area (5), a circulation line (11) in fluid connection with the drain orifice (10) and at least one recycling orifice (14; 14-1 to 14-3) which is in fluid connection with the circulation line (11) and is formed in the column body (2) above the collecting area (5). Also disclosed herein is a thermal separating process in which a gas ascends within a column (1) of the present disclosure, and a liquid descends within the column (1), said gas and/or liquid containing (meth)acrylic monomers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Ulrich Hammon, Thomas Walter
  • Patent number: 9950087
    Abstract: A biocidal treatment evaporates a liquid having biocidal properties. An absorption organ has absorbent strips suited to retain the liquid, each absorbent strip having a top first end and a bottom second end, The liquid is injected into the first end of each absorbent strip, the liquid flowing by gravity along the absorbent strip towards the second end, the liquid having biocidal properties being injected at a predetermined flow rate. The liquid is evaporated by producing a gas flow directed towards the absorption organ at a temperature below 50° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: XEDA INTERNATIONAL
    Inventor: Alberto Sardo
  • Patent number: 9943776
    Abstract: The invention is a distributor tray having at least one perforated wall defining compartments. The distributor tray has at least one distribution compartment through which gas and the liquid flows through the tray, and at least one retention compartment through which the liquid cannot flow through the tray. The at least one retention compartment is on the periphery of the tray. The invention also relates to a column for heat and/or material exchange between a gas and a liquid equipped with a distributor tray, to a floating barge including the column and to the use of the column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: IFP ENERGIES NOUVELLES
    Inventors: Yacine Haroun, Pascal Alix, Manel Fourati
  • Patent number: 9937463
    Abstract: Provided is a gas separation apparatus advantageous in suppression of increase in pressure loss and achievement of reduced size and weight, thereby reducing costs. The gas separation apparatus causes an absorbent to flow down along the surface of a packing arranged in a treatment chamber, and supplies to the treatment chamber a gas to be treated which contains a target gas component, and then causes the gas to be treated and the absorbent flowing down along the surface of the packing to come into gas-liquid contact. Thus the target gas component contained in the gas to be treated is absorbed into the absorbent and separated or recovered from the gas to be treated. The packing has at least one packing unit configured by a plurality of expanded metal plates standing vertically and being aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: JIan Huang, Shinsuke Matsuno, Atsushi Murakami, Yoshiyuki Iso, Mariko Katou, Kenji Takano, Naoki Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 9920266
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for mixing and atomizing a hydrocarbon stream using a diluent/dispersion stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Shoeb Hussain Khan, Bidyut De, Satheesh Vetterkunnel Kumaran, Manoj Kumar Yadav, Debasis Bhattacharyya, Brijesh Kumar
  • Patent number: 9914997
    Abstract: A method for supplying a process with an enriched carrier gas. A first apparatus and a second apparatus are provided. The first apparatus has a precursor and is configured to bring a carrier gas into contact with the precursor and to enrich the carrier gas with the precursor. The second apparatus has a precursor and is configured to bring a carrier gas into contact with the precursor and to enrich the carrier gas with the precursor. The first apparatus supplies the second apparatus with an enriched carrier gas. The second apparatus supplies the enriched carrier gas for the process. A temperature of the first apparatus is controlled as a function of a quantity of precursor in the second apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Koller, Alexander Behres
  • Patent number: 9909824
    Abstract: A liquid distributor is provided for receiving and distributing a liquid stream in a mass transfer column. The liquid distributor has a plurality of elongated primary troughs and a plurality of secondary troughs that are positioned adjacent the primary troughs at a location to receive at least some of the individual primary discharge streams from the primary troughs. Splash baffles are spaced a preselected distance from liquid discharge holes in the side walls of the secondary troughs to receive at least some of the individual secondary discharge streams and cause a lateral spreading thereof as the individual second discharge streams descend along the splash baffles and drip from lower edges thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Koch-Glitsch, LP
    Inventors: Izak Nieuwoudt, Darran Matthew Headley, Patrick K. Quotson
  • Patent number: 9909822
    Abstract: A channel guide distributor of a heat exchanger including a flanged body, a nozzle fluidly connected to the flanged body, a diffuser fluidly connected to the nozzle, a pin operably connected to the nozzle, a cone operably connected to the nozzle and a post removably connected to the flanged body and configured to receive the diffuser. The post having a tubular portion, an open end, a closed end, an inner surface, an outer surface, a post longitudinal axis, and twenty-four apertures in the tubular portion. The apertures are aligned linearly along the post longitudinal axis and equidistantly spaced. A diameter of the outer surface of the tubular portion is about 1.156±0.003 inches (2.936±0.01 centimeters).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard Rusich, Theodore C. Wright, James N. Streeter