Patents Examined by Melvin Mayes
  • Patent number: 8093443
    Abstract: A process and equipment that accelerates the rate at which asbestos is converted into non-asbestos minerals during the process of mineralogical conversion, the process consisting of new methods and equipment for handling the asbestos that promotes absorption of mineralizing agents, increases the heat transfer properties of the asbestos, increases the overall efficiency of the process, and shortens the period of time required for processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: ARI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Dale M. Timmons
  • Patent number: 8092778
    Abstract: A method for producing a hydrogen enriched fuel and carbon nanotubes includes the steps of providing a flow of methane gas, and providing a catalyst mixture comprising a Fe based catalyst and carbon. The method also includes the steps of pretreating the catalyst mixture using microwave irradiation and exposure to CH4, heating the catalyst mixture and the methane gas using microwave irradiation at a selected microwave power, directing the flow of methane gas over the catalyst mixture, and controlling the microwave power to produce a product gas having a selected composition and the carbon nanotubes. For producing multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) only a flow of methane gas into the reactor is required. For producing single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), a combination of hydrogen gas and methane gas into the reactor is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Eden Energy Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhonghua John Zhu, Jiuling Chen, Gaoqing Max Lu, Gregory Solomon
  • Patent number: 8092767
    Abstract: A method of decomposing nitrogen dioxide to nitrogen monoxide in an exhaust gas of a lean-burn internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine, comprises adjusting the C1 hydrocarbon:nitrogen oxides (C1 HC:NOx) ratio of the exhaust gas to from 0.1 to 2 and contacting this exhaust gas mixture with a particulate acidic refractory oxide selected from the group consisting of zeolites, tungsten-doped titania, silica-titania, zirconia-titania, gamma-alumina, amorphous silica-alumina and mixtures of any two or more thereof and passing the effluent gas to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Stephen David Pollington, Raj Rao Rajaram, Andrew Peter Walker
  • Patent number: 8092764
    Abstract: Provided is a method of easily producing easily-filterable and stable scorodite that meets the leaching standard (conformance to Japanese Environmental Agency Notice 13) with excellent reproducibility and without using complex operations, when processing arsenic that is included in non-ferrous smelting intermediates, and particularly when processing arsenic in the form of a sulfide. Scorodite is produced by a leaching step of leaching arsenic from a non-ferrous melting intermediate containing arsenic in the weakly acid region, a solution adjusting step of oxidizing trivalent arsenic to pentavalent arsenic by adding an oxidizing agent to the leaching solution, and a crystallizing step of converting the arsenic in the adjusted solution to scorodite crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Dowa Metals and Mining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuo Abumiya, Yusuke Sato, Hironobu Mikami, Masami Oouchi, Tetsuo Fujita, Masayoshi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8092589
    Abstract: The invention relates to compositions intended to be applied to surfaces of freshly poured mortar and/or concrete mixes, before the start of setting, in order to prevent the evaporation of water needed for them to set and harden, which are distinguished by the fact that, for the purpose of making them synergistic with regard to water retention, they are composed, in the form of aqueous emulsions, of: a) at least one petroleum-derived or synthetic paraffin wax containing, as a mixture, saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons of general formulae CnH2n+2 and CnH2n for which n is at least equal to 30 and the melting point of which is between 40° C. and 75° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Chryso S.A.S.
    Inventors: Martin Mosquet, Olivier Malbault, Isabelle Dubois-Brugger
  • Patent number: 8092776
    Abstract: A process and method for recovering elemental selenium, selenite or selenate from minerals and selenium salts solutions using a reducing sugar to reduce selenium before precipitating the elemental selenium, selenite and/or the selenate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Pacific Rare Specialty Metals and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert John Hisshion, Rosauro C. Manalo
  • Patent number: 8088713
    Abstract: To prepare a superconducting fault-current limiting element having a high sharing electric field at low cost, a superconducting fault-current limiting element includes an insulator substrate; a superconductive thin film formed on the insulator substrate; and an alloy layer formed on the superconducting thin film, said alloy layer having a room-temperature resistivity higher by twice or more than the room-temperature resistivity of a pure metal, in which, when the superconducting thin film goes into a normal conductive state by an overcurrent, the overcurrent flowing through the superconducting thin film is transferred only to the alloy layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Hirofumi Yamasaki, Mitsuho Furuse
  • Patent number: 8088347
    Abstract: Process for recovering copper sulphide and optionally molybdenum sulphide from a copper bearing ore by froth flotation includes crushing said ore, mixing the obtained ground powder with at least a collector and water, aerating the slurry, and removing and concentrating the mineral froth formed at the surface of the bath, wherein the collector comprises a thioglycolic acid derivate having the following formula: wherein R1 is N or O, and R2 is an alkyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: S.P.C.M. SA
    Inventors: Daniel Canady, Mark Dewald
  • Patent number: 8088705
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for incorporating sulfur in the porosity of the solid particles of a catalyst for the conversion of hydrocarbons or an adsorbent. This process is carried out off-site in the presence of hydrogen sulfide that is pure or diluted in hydrogen or nitrogen, a process in which said particles are made to rise or fall in a sulfur incorporation zone that comprises at least one vibratory helical coil that is essentially tubular in shape and that comprises at least two turns, whereby said particles are subjected to a temperature profile over the majority of their path in said coil and whereby said particles are brought into contact with at least one fluid on at least one portion of their path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: IFP Energies Nouvelles
    Inventors: Pierre Dufresne, Franck Labruyere, Maxime Meens, Loredana Romano
  • Patent number: 8088711
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process and catalyst for the oxidative desulfurization of hydrocarbonaceous oil. In one aspect, solid carbon materials are provided having stable sulfur trioxide and nitrogen dioxide oxidative species on the surface thereof. Such materials are useful in the production of low sulfur hydrocarbon feedstocks and in the removal of refractory sulfur compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: Ki-Hyouk Choi
  • Patent number: 8084386
    Abstract: Method for producing a hydrogen storage material that includes a metal hydride and a non-hydrogenated material and that is doped with a metal as a catalyst, includes; mixing a catalyst precursor, which includes the metal, with the non-hydrogenated material so as to provide a first mixture; agitating the first mixture; thermally treating the first mixture so as to form a composite of the non-hydrogenated material and the metal; mixing the composite with the metal hydride so as to provide a second mixture; and grinding the second mixture so as to provide the hydrogen storage material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
    Inventors: Maximilian Fichtner, Christoph Frommen
  • Patent number: 8084008
    Abstract: A process for saturating a material capable of binding ammonia by ad- or absorption and initially free of ammonia or partially saturated with ammonia comprises treating said material under a pressure and associated temperature located on the vapor pressure curve of ammonia with an amount of liquid ammonia sufficient to saturate said material and an additional amount of a cooling agent selected from liquid ammonia, liquid or solid CO2, hydrocarbons and hydrohalocarbons that have a higher vapor pressure than ammonia, ethyl ether, methyl formate, methyl amine and ethyl amine, such that |Qabs|?|Qevap|+Qext, wherein Qabs is the amount of heat released from said material when it absorbs ammonia from the liquid phase thereof to the point where it is saturated with ammonia, Qevap is the amount of heat absorbed by said cooling agent when it evaporates, and Qext is the amount of heat exchanged with the surroundings and is positive, if heat is removed from the process by external cooling, and negative, if heat is added
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Amminex A/S
    Inventors: Johnny Johansen, Henrik Wagner-Pedersen, Jakob Svagin, Tue Johannessen, Ulrich J. Quaade
  • Patent number: 8080340
    Abstract: An activated electrode for a non-aqueous electrochemical cell is disclosed with a precursor thereof a lithium metal oxide with the formula x{zLi2MnO3•(1-z)LiM?O2}.(1-x)LiMn2?yMyO4 for 0<x<1; 0?y?0.5; and 0<z<1, comprised of layered zLi2MnO3.(1-z)LiM?O2 and spinel LiMn2?yMyO4 components, physically mixed or blended with one another or separated from one another in a compartmentalized electrode, in which M is one or more metal ions, and in which M? is selected from one or more first-row transition metal ions, The electrode is activated by removing lithium and lithia, from the precursor. A cell and battery are also disclosed incorporating the disclosed positive electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: UChicago Argonne, LLC
    Inventors: Michael M. Thackeray, Sun-Ho Kang, Christopher S. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8080096
    Abstract: To provide an image bearing member protecting agent that includes at least a hydrophobic organic compound and an amphiphile organic compound. Preferred embodiments are that the hydrophobic organic compound is a hydrocarbon wax, and the hydrocarbon wax is at least a wax selected from normal paraffins, isoparaffins, and cycloparaffins; and that the amphiphile organic compound is an polyalcohol esterified compound including a nonionic surface active surfactant, and the nonionic surface active surfactant is an alkyl carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula, CnH2n+1COOH.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahide Yamashita, Hiroshi Nakai, Jun Yura, Masato Iio, Shinya Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8080232
    Abstract: In a process for obtaining CO2, desulfurized natural gas or gas which accompanies mineral oil is reformed autothermally with addition of oxygenous gas at a temperature of from 900 to 1200° C. and a pressure of from 40 to 100 bar (a) by partial catalytic oxidation to give a crude synthesis gas, and then converted catalytically to H2 and CO2 at a temperature of from 75 to 110 DEG C. and a pressure of from 50 to 75 bar (a) of CO, CO2 is scrubbed out of the synthesis gas obtained with methanol at a pressure of from 15 to 100 bar (a) and a temperature of from +10 to ?80° C., and the absorbed CO2 is recovered by decompression. A further possible use of the process consists in converting the recovered CO2 to the supercritical state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Lurgi GmbH
    Inventor: Ulrich Koss
  • Patent number: 8075869
    Abstract: A method for producing a hydrogen enriched fuel includes the steps of providing a flow of methane gas, and providing a catalyst. The method also includes the steps of heating the catalyst instead of the reactor walls and the methane gas using microwave irradiation at a selected microwave power, directing the flow of methane gas over the catalyst, and controlling the microwave power to produce a product gas having a selected composition. A system for producing a hydrogen enriched fuel includes a methane gas source, a reactor containing a catalyst, and a microwave power source configured to heat the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Eden Energy Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhonghua John Zhu, Jiuling Chen, Gaoqing Max Lu, Gregory Solomon
  • Patent number: 8076258
    Abstract: A method of producing a fixed-bed catalyst with nano-scale structure using a nano-powder production reactor and a filter, the method comprising: introducing a starting powder into the reactor, wherein the starting powder comprises catalyst material; the reactor nano-sizing the starting powder, thereby producing an output, wherein the output comprises a nano-powder entrained in a fluid stream, the nano-powder comprising a plurality of nano-particles, each nano-particle comprising the catalyst material; introducing the output from the reactor to the filter structure, wherein the filter structure is fluidly coupled to the reactor; the filter structure separating the nano-particles from the fluid stream, wherein the fluid stream flows through the filter structure, while the filter structure collects the nano-particles, thereby forming a structured collection of catalytic nano-particles on the filter structure; and removing the filter structure from the reactor, wherein the structured collection of catalytic nano-
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: SDCmaterials, Inc.
    Inventor: Maximilian A. Biberger
  • Patent number: 8076022
    Abstract: A battery includes a case having an interior holding an electrolyte activating one or more anodes and one or more cathodes. A cover is positioned on the case. The cover includes one or more quenching media that each has a phase transition that occurs at a temperature above a failure temperature of the battery and below a failure temperature of the battery. The failure temperature is the temperature at which a chain reaction associated with thermal runaway is initiated. The failure temperature of the battery is the temperature of the battery at which the thermal runaway causes failure of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Quallion LLC
    Inventor: Hisashi Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 8075870
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for obtaining hydrogen from natural gas which comprises (a) reacting the natural gas with a mixture of air and steam in a single reactor to obtain a gas comprising H2 and CO, (b) reacting the CO produced at a high temperature with steam to obtain a gas comprising H2 and CO2, and (c) reacting the CO which has not reacted in step (b) at a low temperature with steam to obtain a gas comprising H2 and CO2, characterized in that in step (a) the natural gas, the air and the steam are fed simultaneously and react on the same catalyst and in that the pressure used in steps (a) to (c) varies between 1 and 8 atm, as well as to a H2 production plant for carrying out the mentioned process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Universidad Del Pais Vasco Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
    Inventors: José Francisco Cambra Ibañez, Pedro Luis Arias Ergueta, María Belén Güemez Bilbao, Victoria Laura Barrio Cagigal
  • Patent number: 8076034
    Abstract: A high pressure hydrogen confinement apparatus according to one embodiment includes carbon nanotubes capped at one or both ends thereof with a hydrogen-permeable membrane to enable the high pressure confinement of hydrogen and release of the hydrogen therethrough. A hydrogen confinement apparatus according to another embodiment includes an array of multi-walled carbon nanotubes each having first and second ends, the second ends being capped with palladium (Pd) to enable the high pressure confinement of hydrogen and release of the hydrogen therethrough as a function of palladium temperature, wherein the array of carbon nanotubes is capable of storing hydrogen gas at a pressure of at least 1 GPa for greater than 24 hours. Additional apparatuses and methods are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: David H. Lassila, Brian P. Bonner