Patents Examined by Donovan Bui-Huynh
  • Patent number: 10683219
    Abstract: A system and process for the removal of divalent ions from a MEG-water stream are presented. The system includes a chemical treatment tank that receives the MEG-water stream, means for precipitating the calcium, magnesium, and hydroxide ions that are contained in the MEG-water stream, means for discharging the MEG-water stream from the chemical treatment tank, and means for recycling the discharged MEG-water stream back to the chemical treatment tank or routing it to a solids removal system. The means for precipitating the calcium, magnesium, and sulfate ions may be employed simultaneously or sequentially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: CAMERON SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Brian E. Messenger
  • Patent number: 10676374
    Abstract: A wastewater stream including ammonia and water is fed to at least one packed column including packing material having a surface of solid magnesium phosphate or solid magnesium ammonium phosphate or both. Each of the packed columns is capable of cycling between an ammonia absorption operation and an ammonia regeneration operation. The magnesium phosphate compound reacts with the water and ammonia to form a magnesium ammonium phosphate compound. In one embodiment, this system provides for the regeneration of the magnesium ammonium phosphate compound for further use as an ammonia sorber. In another embodiment, the magnesium ammonium phosphate compound is used as fertilizer. Additionally, the ammonia capture and recovery system may be used in conjunction with other unit operations in an overall wastewater treatment system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of NASA
    Inventors: Griffin M. Lunn, Andrew F. Gleich, Oscar A. Monje, Julia M. Worrell
  • Patent number: 10625010
    Abstract: A housing for a dialysis machine, with a wall, an opening which is provided in the wall, and a door by means of which the opening can be closed. The door or an additional wall has an installation space for a device component, which can be closed by means of an additional door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: B. Braun Avitum AG
    Inventors: Andreas Iske, Bruno Stenzel
  • Patent number: 10561969
    Abstract: A filter element is provided with a filter bellows that has an inflow side and an outflow side for a fluid to be filtered, wherein the filter bellows is made of a zigzag-folded filter medium with folds with fold edges. The inflow side is defined by the fold edges of the folds of the zigzag-folded filter medium at the inflow side and the outflow side is defined by the fold edges of the folds of the zigzag-folded filter medium at the outflow side. At least one filter element holding device is provided that holds the filter element in a filter housing. The at least one filter element holding device is connected directly or indirectly with the filter bellows. At least one supporting element supports the filter element in the filter housing; the at least one supporting element is separate from the at least one filter element holding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventors: Nadine Sorger, Pascal Neef, Mario Rieger, Werner Blossey, Markus Nefzer, Robert Hasenfratz, Andreas Weber
  • Patent number: 10556814
    Abstract: A denitrification biofilter device, including: a regulating pool, a reactor body, a water tank, a first doser, a second doser, a backwash pump, a water inlet pump, and a blower. The regulating pool includes a raw water inlet and a water outlet. The reactor body includes a uniform water distributor, a filler layer, a buffer layer, a filter layer, a supporting layer, a filler supporting plate, a backwash water outlet, a treated water outlet, and a backwash water inlet. The treated water outlet and the backwash water inlet are disposed at the bottom of the reactor body and are connected to the water tank via pipes. The filler layer is filled with zeolites having a grain size of between 4 and 8 mm, a density of between 1.9 and 2.6 g/cm3, a porosity greater or equal to 48%, and a specific surface area of between 570 and 670 m2/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: NANJING UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hongqiang Ren, Haidong Hu, Jinju Geng, Ke Xu
  • Patent number: 10550301
    Abstract: The group of inventions relates to the field of organic chemistry and can be used for collecting films of petroleum, oils, mazut, fuels, hydrocarbons and other petroleum products with the aim of cleaning the surface of water, and also for cleaning water flows which have been contaminated by petroleum or petroleum products. A substance for collecting petroleum or petroleum products from the surface of water includes a natural polymer and additionally includes a biodegradable surfactant in the form of an aqueous solution with a concentration of no less than 0.1 g/L, and, as the natural polymer, contains polysaccharide microgels having a mass of between 20,000 and 200,000 daltons and a particle size of between 50 and 600 nm in the form of an aqueous solution with a concentration of no less than 0.2 g/L, wherein the ratio of polysaccharide microgels to biodegradable surfactant is between 12:1 and 2:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Obschestvo S Ogranichennoj Otvetsvennostyu “NPO Biomikrogeli”
    Inventors: Andrey Aleksandrovich Elagin, Maksim Anatolevich Mironov, Ilya Dmitrievich Shulepov
  • Patent number: 10532329
    Abstract: Microporous polyamide-imide membranes and methods for making them are disclosed. The microporous membrane includes polyamide-imide polymer, wherein the membrane has an HFE bubble point, and an IPA flow-time. The microporous membrane has an HFE bubble point from about 25 psi to about 200 psi and has an IPA flow-time from about 400 second to about 40,000 seconds. Another microporous polyamide-imide membrane includes a polyamide-imide polymer, wherein the membrane has a HFE bubble point from about 25 psi to about 200 psi. The membrane is asymmetric—and has a tight layer with a thickness of <10 microns. Filter and purification devices incorporating such devices are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: ENTEGRIS, INC.
    Inventor: Sina Bonyadi
  • Patent number: 10517280
    Abstract: An aquarium filter cartridge includes a frame and a media pack attached to the frame. The frame includes recessed sections along the sides. The filter cartridge can be part of dual filter cartridge, also including a biological host media filter element. The filter cartridge or the dual filter cartridge can be mounted in a filter housing by sliding within receiving grooves in the filter housing. Methods of servicing are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Spectrum Brands, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel A. Newman
  • Patent number: 10502448
    Abstract: A method of modifying the apparent wettability (the area contacted by a liquid) of solids with liquids by controlling the surface geometry or the capillary geometry. This modification is possible by understanding the geometric relationship between the contact angle and the included angle of surface features. This same geometric relationship can be used to enhance two-phase fluid separation during phase transformation as well as measure dynamic contact angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Wesley P Hoffman, Phillip G Wapner
  • Patent number: 10501348
    Abstract: As an example embodiment, a system may detect water flow in a well water system and may responsively trigger a pump to inject a chlorinating substance into untreated water from the well. Further, the system may include a contact reservoir that allows the water and the chlorinating substance to combine. In this way, the chlorinating substance is drawn only when needed, but is given the opportunity to achieve time in solution with the untreated water. As a result, bacteria in untreated water may be dispatched, while other organic substances in the untreated water are given the opportunity to settle to the bottom of the contact reservoir. A static mixer may be used to mix the chlorinating substance and the untreated water prior to entering the contact reservoir and/or while in the contact reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Angel Water, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 10449472
    Abstract: Disclosed is a centrifugal filtration apparatus including a casing, a shaft, a stand tube, a rotor, and a stereoscopic filter. The shaft is vertically installed in the casing and guides a fluid to an upper end of the casing. The stand tube rotates about the shaft and sprays the fluid to the upper end of the casing. The rotor rotates along with the stand tube and forms a space in the casing to receive and filter the fluid sprayed from the stand tube. The stereoscopic filter includes a plate member and wire members. The plate member is rolled up around the stand tube and is installed in the rotor. The wire member is installed between layers of the plate member to secure a gap between the layers of the plate member and forms a filter layer to filter the fluid that flows between the layers of the plate member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Shin Heung Precision Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong Keun Kim, Tae Ja Kim, Seok Jae Yang
  • Patent number: 10441919
    Abstract: A deep ocean desalination system that uses hydrostatic pressure to reverse osmosis the seawater. The membrane structure is deployed to a predetermined ocean depth and includes a submersible pump system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Inventor: Stephen K. Oney
  • Patent number: 10414960
    Abstract: The claimed group of inventions relates to the field of organic chemistry and can be used for removing oils, including petroleum, fuel oil, fuels, hydrocarbons and liquid fuel, from soil; and can also be used for processing and gathering petroleum, oils, fuel oil, fuels, hydrocarbons and other petroleum products from hard surfaces, for example, from the inner surfaces of tanks for storing petroleum or petroleum products, of equipment used during the recovery, re-processing and transportation of petroleum, of equipment used for producing petroleum products, drilling sludge, gravel or sand in storage facilities, or from other hard surfaces. The substance for removing oils, including petroleum and petroleum products, from soil and hard surfaces is in the form of an aqueous solution of a natural polysaccharide and a surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoj Otvetstvennostyu “NPO Biomikrogeli”
    Inventors: Andrey Aleksandrovich Elagin, Maksim Anatolevich Mironov, Il'ya Dmitrievich Shulepov
  • Patent number: 10214437
    Abstract: Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kurt Blohm, Richard Peterson, Ann E. Lane, Slawomir Winecki, Darwin Argumedo
  • Patent number: 10214438
    Abstract: Systems and processes for purifying and concentrating a liquid feed stream are disclosed. In the systems, the concentrated liquid output from the high pressure side of a reverse osmosis stage is used as the draw solution in the low pressure side of the reverse osmosis stage in a configuration called osmotically assisted reverse osmosis. This reduces the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane, permitting high solute concentrations to be obtained, hastening the purification of the liquid. Reduced system pressures are also obtained by arranging multiple osmotically assisted reverse osmosis stages in a cross-current arrangement. Overall system energy consumption is reduced compared to conventional thermal processes for high concentration streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Kurt Blohm, Richard Peterson, Ann E. Lane, Slawomir Winecki
  • Patent number: 10196287
    Abstract: Methods for dispersing foulants are disclosed herein. Various effective dispersant compositions are also disclosed. The dispersant composition can include a silt dispersant and a hydrocarbon dispersant. Generally, the silt dispersant can be a homopolymer or a copolymer of one or more monomers, and the monomers can be one or more of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, ?-halo acrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, vinyl acetic acid, allyl acetic acid, fumaric acid, ?-carboxylic acrylate, and their salts. The silt dispersant can also be a terpolymer of acrylic acid, acrylamide, and sulfonated acrylamide. The hydrocarbon dispersant can be a non-ionic surfactant or a nonylphenol or a nonylphenol ethoxylate, such as a high EO 9 Nonyl phenol resin. Also disclosed are methods for preventing or reducing fouling in equipment that contacts water used during a hydrocarbon production process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: ECOLAB USA INC.
    Inventors: Jasbir S Gill, Edward Maharajh, Thomas M. Miller
  • Patent number: 10190710
    Abstract: A foldable drain pipe for draining effluent from a decanter in a settling tank in a water treatment system, comprising a plurality of pipe sections sealingly connected together end to end by pivotable elbow coupling pairs to form an articulated drain foldable in a vertical direction. The drain pipe is attachable at an upper end to the decanter and at a lower end to a tank outlet in the tank wall. The drain pipe can support its own weight and cannot come into contact undesirably with any other portion of the tank wall. The pipe unfolds upward as needed when the decanter and effluent level are high, and folds compactly between the decanter and the tank outlet when the decanter and effluent level are low. Multiple hobble apparatus options may be selected as defined herein to prevent rotational hyperextension of any of the elbow coupling pairs to assure that the pipe folds correctly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: ClearCove Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Butler, Alfred Bertoni, Jonathan M. Jacobs
  • Patent number: 10173214
    Abstract: Novel water softening products and methods of treating hard water are provided. The products comprise a salt and a metal chelating agent. The products are useful for regenerating ion exchange material in a water softening system and providing softened water containing both sodium and potassium ions, while having dramatically increased efficiencies over prior art products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Compass Minerals America Inc.
    Inventors: Geoffrey A. Brown, Kristopher Lee Shelite, Darlene R. Linscott, Jerry L. Poe
  • Patent number: 10143947
    Abstract: A filter element for filtering a fluid is provided with a first end disc and a second end disc. An annularly arranged filter medium is held between the first and second end discs. The filter medium can be flowed through by a fluid to be filtered in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the filter element from an exterior of the filter element to an interior of the filter element. A fluid outlet socket is connected to the filter medium and extends away from the filter medium in an axial direction past the first end disc. The fluid outlet socket is provided with a wall and at least one vent hole extending through the wall in the radial direction. A fluid filter is provided with a filter housing and with the afore described filter element that is arranged in the filter housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Mann+Hummel GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Jokschas, Stefan Eichinger
  • Patent number: 10118113
    Abstract: A portable drinking water filter system, such as a pitcher, having a sleeve and a floatable body including a filter opening configured to receive a water filter, the floatable body having a seal extending outward from an outer surface of the floatable body. The floatable body is disposed in a sleeve cavity such that a body seal engages the sidewall and restricts water from passing between the floatable body and the sidewall. The seal is configured to create friction with the sidewall, wherein the friction created when the floatable body rises in the sleeve is different than when the floatable body lowers in the sleeve. The friction created when the floatable body rises in the sleeve is greater than when the floatable body lowers in the sleeve, allowing the floatable body to auto-retract toward a cavity base without burping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Bonvi Water, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus J. Shotey, Jason Swanson, David M. Daniel, Daniel Reed