Patents Examined by L. M. Crawford
  • Patent number: 5395600
    Abstract: A multicellular monolith converter body having a plurality of corrugated thin metal sheets or strips in alternating relation with a thin wire mesh or frame, and which monolith has a cell density up to 100 cells per square inch. These monoliths are useful under conditions where back-pressure is a critical factor, e.g., natural draft exhaust applications. These devices may have corrugated thin metal sheets coated with a refractory metal oxide, e.g., alumina, with or without a noble metal catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: W. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.
    Inventor: Richard C. Cornelison
  • Patent number: 5395599
    Abstract: A metallic carrier for carrying a catalyst for cleaning exhaust gas and a production method thereof, produced from corrugated plates having a trapezoidal cross section and flat plates, both being resistant to high-temperature oxidation, joined by welding and soldering in the vicinity of the welded portions, which are strongly joined and can be used with no problems of telescoping even under heavy heat cycles and gas pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1995
    Assignee: Nippon Yakin Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Koshiba, Yukio Aoki
  • Patent number: 5391358
    Abstract: Processes and systems for purifying high purity helium group gas which may have been contaminated with water, oxygen and/or hydrogen during its transmission to customers' sites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Carl J. Heim
  • Patent number: 5389342
    Abstract: In an endothermic steam active catalytic process employing a fixed catalyst bed in a fuel fired reactor for the dehydrogenation of alkanes to alkenes, wherein a reaction temperature above about 500.degree. C. (932.degree. F.) is maintained for commercially feasible conversions, and wherein catalyst activity declines during a production period, apparatus for control of a process temperature so as to compensate for catalyst activity decline includes a temperature sensor mounted in the reaction effluent stream in combination with a temperature controller which automatically adjusts the quantity of fuel supplied to the fired reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Pillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Kelly B. Savage, Francis M. Brinkmeyer, Steven D. Bridges
  • Patent number: 5386718
    Abstract: A method determining the concentrations of fluids in a two-part fluid system. The heat loss in a test apparatus for measuring the temperatures and flow rate of a flowing fluid mixture is determined and the specific heat of the fluid mixture is calculated. Knowing the relationship between the specific heat of the fluid and its composition allows the fluid composition to be directly calculated, and hence the ratio of the two constituent fluids to be determined. A preferred heater is comprised of an electrically conductive conduit through which the fluid mixture flows which when energized efficiently heats the fluid mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Marathon Oil Company
    Inventors: Arthur C. Proffitt, William C. Barron
  • Patent number: 5384092
    Abstract: There is disclosed the sterilization of infectious hospital waste to generating a residue which is suitable for disposal. The invention comprises a first step of digestion at elevated temperatures and under highly alkaline condition for one to three hours. This step is combined with the necessary comminution, e.g., grinding, pulverizing and the like, to ensure substantially complete liquefaction of the wastes. The liquid reaction products from the first step are neutralized to a slightly alkaline pH, e.g., 7.5-9.5, and the waste is then subjected to enzymatic digestion with a suitable proteolytic enzyme for a short period of time. Preferably this proteinase treatment is combined with further comminution to further reduce any oversized particles that may remain in the waste following the first treatment. The enzymatic treatment is continued for a period from 30 to 90 minutes at temperatures most suitable for the selected enzyme and results in substantially complete hydrolysis of the proteins in the waste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Inventors: James W. Sawhill, Leon D. Freeman, Carl McKinney
  • Patent number: 5371011
    Abstract: Anti-fungal and anti-microbial bacterial strains of Serratia are used in the preparation and preservation of animal feedstuffs made from forage. Bacterial strains of Serratia rubidaea are particularly useful for such purposes, and permit hay to be baled at higher moisture content. Mixtures of this strain with another anti-fungal bacterial, such as Bacillus subtilis, and/or lactic acid-producing bacterial strains, such as strains of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Lactococcus and Pediococcus are used in the preparation and preservation of silage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Zeneca Corp.
    Inventors: Roger L. Bernier, Anne-Marie M. LaPointe
  • Patent number: 5368826
    Abstract: An ultraviolet fluid disinfection system including:one or more fluid flow passageways,one or more modules located in each passageway, each module having one or more rows of ultraviolet lamps, positioned to irradiate the fluid with ultraviolet,a lamp control assembly connected to each row of lamps to monitor data from and control operation of the lamps,a power distributor connected to the lamp control assemblies,a data interface connected to the lamp control assemblies, anda data control assemblies connected to the data interface and to the lamp control assemblies to read data from the lamp control assemblies and communicate with the data interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Infilco Degremont, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard K. Weltz, Peter Schuerch
  • Patent number: 5366698
    Abstract: Components, usually but not exclusively gaseous components, are removed in a liquid medium from gas streams and chemically converted into an insoluble phase or physically removed. Specifically, hydrogen sulfide may be removed from gas streams by oxidation in aqueous chelated transition metal solution in a modified agitated flotation cell. A gas-liquid contact apparatus, generally a combined chemical reactor and solid product separation device, comprising such modified agitated flotation cell also is described. In order to effect efficient mass transfer and rapid reaction, gas bubbles containing hydrogen sulfide and oxygen are formed by rotating an impeller at a blade tip velocity of at least about 350 in/sec. to achieve the required shear. To assist in the reaction, a surrounding shroud has a plurality of openings, generally of aspect ratio of approximately 1, of equal diameter and arranged in uniform pattern, such as to provide a gas flow therethrough less than about 0.02 lb/min/opening in the shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignees: The University of Toronto, Innovations Foundation, Apollo Environmental Systems Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Smith, David T. R. Ellenor, John N. Harbinson
  • Patent number: 5364827
    Abstract: By continuously or intermittently adding amounts of magnetically active moieties, e.g. iron compounds, over time so that the moiety deposits on a catalyst or sorbent in a fluid catalytic cracker or similar circulating hydrocarbon conversion unit, older catalyst, being more magnetic, can be readily separated from catalyst which has been in the system a shorter time. Separation is readily accomplished by passing the catalyst and/or sorbent through a magnetic field and discarding the more magnetic 50% by wt. or more preferably 20% by wt., while recycling the remainder back to the hydrocarbon conversion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Ashland Oil, Inc.
    Inventors: William P. Hettinger, Roger M. Benslay
  • Patent number: 5364797
    Abstract: A sensor device includes ultra-large pore crystalline material M41S as a selective detecting element, and a measuring element for quantifying physical, chemical or biological events which occur within the crystalline material. The crystalline material may also contain an additional selective detecting component within its pores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp.
    Inventors: David H. Olson, Galen D. Stucky, James C. Vartuli
  • Patent number: 5362453
    Abstract: A device for the generation of synthesis gas with a plurality of catalyst-filled reformer tubes suspended in a pressure vessel, the reformer tubes being at least partially enveloped by jacket tubes intended to conduct product gas in an upward direction from a lower mixing chamber into the head space of the pressure vessel, the intended purpose of said device being to provide a solution, in particular for improving the mixing of the ensuing streams while simultaneously equalizing the heat transfer by mechanically simple and economical means.This is achieved by making the jacket tubes protrude beyond the ends of the reformer tubes thus forming an individual mixing chamber for each reformer tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Uhde GmbH
    Inventor: Hans-Dieter Marsch
  • Patent number: 5360598
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fluid catalytic cracking system in which the catalytic cracking reaction takes place in a dilute phase, and the reaction product contains a reduced volume of off gas having a low concentration of SO.sub.x and NO.sub.x. The use of off gas, which is produced during a regeneration step, to strip entrained vapor from spent catalytic cracking catalyst acts to reduce SO.sub.x and NO.sub.x byproducts, and eliminates the need to separately recover and treat the off gas stream from the regenerator portion of the system. The entire process, including the reaction step, the stripping step and the regeneration step, can be performed in a single non-partitioned vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Exxon Research & Engineering Company
    Inventor: Patrick H. Terry
  • Patent number: 5350567
    Abstract: The centrifugal fluidizing granulator for powder coating granulation has a sensor for detecting changes of viscosity of the growing particles by means of a load cell or a displacement detector; and output signal of the sensor is compared with the data stored in a memory contained in a control unit which determines whether the growing particles are in their wetted state or dried state. The control unit controls the spraying of the liquid and the dispersion of the guest powder based on the result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1994
    Assignee: Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toyohiko Takeda, Koji Sato, Yusuke Suzuki, Yoshitaka Tomoda
  • Patent number: 5346518
    Abstract: During wafer fabrication, a transportable enclosure, such as a Standard Manufacturing InterFace (SMIF) pod encloses a nascent product, such as a semiconductor wafer, to protect the wafer against contamination during manufacture, storage or transportation. However chemical vapors emitted inside the pod can accumulate in the air and degrade wafers during subsequent fabrication. In order to absorb the vapors inside a closed pod, a vapor removal element typically including an activated carbon absorber, covered by a particulate-filtering vapor-permeable barrier, and covered by a guard plate with holes is disposed within the enclosure. A vapor removal element is disposed closely adjacent to each respective wafer. Alternatively, a single vapor removal element is located inside the enclosure. In certain instances, a fan or thermo-buoyant circulation causes any vapors located inside the enclosure to a vapor removal element for removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Baseman, Charles A. Brown, Benjamin N. Eldridge, Laura B. Rothman, Herman R. Wendt, James T. Yeh, Arthur R. Zingher
  • Patent number: 5342582
    Abstract: An apparatus for reprocessing special waste of photocrosslinkable scrap material is composed of a housing equipped with a feed hopper, one or more UV emitters arranged in the housing to irradiate the scrap material, and a chopper arranged in the housing to comminute the scrap material by chopping. The apparatus is usefully employed in a method for reprocessing photocrosslinkable scrap material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Assignee: Morton International, Inc.
    Inventors: Klaus Horn, Juergen Lingnau, Horst Weiler
  • Patent number: 5340747
    Abstract: A diagnostic microbiological testing apparatus and method includes at least one test tray including a plurality of reaction chambers, a light source disposed proximate to the test tray for directing light, at an excitation wavelength of a fluorescence emitting agent contained within the reaction chambers, at the test tray, a filter for passing therethrough only light generated by a fluorescence emitting reaction resulting from the interaction of the fluorescence emitting agent and a sample, and an imaging mechanism for detecting only the light generated by the fluorescence emitting reaction at the emission wavelength simultaneously from the plurality of reaction chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Difco Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Gideon Eden
  • Patent number: 5341212
    Abstract: A wave front interferometer for determining the shape of a surface from interference fringes has a light source which projects a light beam through a beam splitter disposed in an optical path between the light source and an optical surface whose shape is to be determined. The beam splitter bends a phase conjugate wave to become incident on the optical surface and to be reflected as a reflected beam. A phase conjugate mirror disposed in the optical path receives the light beam along a beam path through the beam splitter and reflects the light beam as the phase conjugate wave. The phase conjugate mirror reflects the light beam back along the same beam path so that the distance of the focus point of the light beam reflected from the phase conjugate mirror increases as the distance between the light source and the beam splitter and/or the phase conjugate mirror increases, so that either a convex or concave surface having a large radius of curvature can be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Limited
    Inventor: Tomohiro Yonezawa
  • Patent number: 5338517
    Abstract: A distillation column reactor is provided having special trays arranged within the column to provide better mixing and thus achieve better mass and energy transfer between the liquid, vapor and catalyst. The trays comprise a slotted support plate for the catalyst with openings to allow vapor passage through the catalyst from the tray below. A draft chimney or riser is provided directly above the slotted openings to increase the vapor velocity and carry the liquid and catalyst upward on the tray. A hood is included at the upper end of the chimney to direct the liquid-vapor-catalyst flow back down onto the tray. The liquid from the tray above is distributed onto the tray about the chimney by distributors which preferably extend below the static catalyst level on the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1994
    Assignee: Chemical Research & Licensing Company
    Inventors: William T. Evans, III, Karl Stork
  • Patent number: 5336473
    Abstract: An apparatus for removing cobalt values from the crude product of a cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation reaction wherein an overhead stripper-reactor reflux product is recycled to a location on the stripper-reactor which is capable of forming a stripping zone in the upper portion of the stripper-reactor and a reaction zone in the lower portion of the stripper-reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1994
    Assignee: Exxon Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Kirk C. Nadler, Thomas R. Broussard, Joseph K. Pitre