Patents Examined by Robert H. Spitzer
  • Patent number: 7029516
    Abstract: Filters for removing particulate and gaseous organic and inorganic materials from a fluid stream are disclosed. The filters may contain a polymer matrix and optional sequestering agents. Methods of making filters are also disclosed. Methods of using filters to remove one or more materials from a fluid stream, such as an air stream, are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel P. Campbell, Jim Suggs, Jeffrey L. Moore, Srinivas Somayajula, Thomas R. Mohs
  • Patent number: 7029521
    Abstract: Process in conjunction with the production of oxygen (22), wherein incoming air (10, 16, 16a, 16b,) is brought to pass through a sorbent/zeolite structure (18), which comprises at least three zeolite units (50a–f) intermittently operated in a first stage comprising adsorption of nitrogen from the air and a second stage comprising desorption (20, 20a, 20b) of thus adsorbed nitrogen. At least two of the zeolite units are operated in the adsorption stage, the incoming air being brought to pass consecutively (53a) through the at least two zeolite units to form an increasing nitrogen gradient; and/or at least two units of the zeolite units are operated in the desorption stage, a pressure being released and/or a desorbing gas (22a, 22b) being brought to pass consecutively (53b) through the at least two zeolite units to form a decreasing nitrogen gradient in the zeolite units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Ifo Ceramics Aktiebolag
    Inventor: Thomas Johansson
  • Patent number: 7029515
    Abstract: An optimized method of operating a palladium-copper alloy membrane in the generation of pure hydrogen from a fossil fuel reformate and the like in a controlled high temperature range of from about 470° C. to 600° C., achieving substantially constant hydrogen permeation flux flow rate over that range and without the development of leakage breaks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Hy9 Corporation
    Inventor: Charles W. Krueger
  • Patent number: 7029518
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing contamination of a substrate or a substrate surface, and particularly relates to prevention of contamination of raw materials, semi-finished products, base materials of products and substrate surface in a high-tech industry such as an in the production of semiconductors and liquid crystals. A gas coming into contact with a base material or substrate is purified by dust removing apparatus and adsorption and/or absorption apparatus so that the concentration of fine particles in the gas is below class 1,000 and a non-methane hydrocarbon concentration is below 0.2 ppm. Thereafter, the base material or the substrate surface is exposed to this gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Ebara Research Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Fujii, Tsukuru Suzuki, Hidetomo Suzuki, Kazuhiko Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 7029517
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for the storage of hydrogen comprising contacting a hydrogen storage composition with a gaseous mixture comprising hydrogen; and irradiating the hydrogen storage composition with radio frequency radiation or microwave radiation in an amount effective to facilitate the absorption, adsorption and/or chemisorption of hydrogen into the hydrogen storage composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Patrick Lemmon, Luke Nathaniel Brewer, Job Thomas Rijssenbeek
  • Patent number: 7029519
    Abstract: A gas recycling system which has a carbon dioxide collecting device for collecting gas containing carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide source. In the system, at least part of the gas containing sulfur hexafluoride used as an electric insulation medium in a gas-insulated electric device is replaced with the carbon dioxide obtained by the carbon dioxide collecting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Uchii, Katsumi Suzuki, Motoharu Shiiki
  • Patent number: 7025805
    Abstract: A hydrogen diffusion cell that is used to purify contaminated hydrogen gas. The hydrogen diffusion cell has at least one hydrogen diffusion structure that separates a first area from a second area. Normally, the pressure in the first area is kept higher than the pressure in the second area. This causes a pressure differential that causes hydrogen gas to permeate from the first area to the second area. However, an extreme pressure differential can occur when the second area is at its maximum pressure and the first area is inadvertently vented to ambient pressure. Under this extreme pressure differential hydrogen gas permeates from the second area back into the first area at a maximum reverse flow rate. A flow restrictor is provided that limits the flow of gas exiting the first area to a flow rate no greater than the maximum reverse flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Power & Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Bossard, Paul D. Bossard
  • Patent number: 7025804
    Abstract: A method of separating or concentrating hydrocarbon-containing gas mixtures such as hydrogen from hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide from hydrocarbons, nitrogen from hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbons from one another using a selectively permeable membrane. The method is well suited to separate hydrocarbon-containing mixtures such as those generated by petroleum refining industries, petrochemical industries, natural gas processing, and the like. The membranes exhibit extremely good resistance to plasticization by hydrocarbon components in the gas mixture under practical industrial process conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme A Directoire et Conseil De Surveillance Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: John W. Simmons, Sudhir Kulkarni, Okan M. Ekiner
  • Patent number: 7025803
    Abstract: A system and a process for recovering high concentrations of methane from crude natural gas and solid waste landfill exhaust gas uses a sequential combination of a pressure swing adsorber unit operation to remove volatile organic compounds from the crude feed gas mixture followed by a membrane separation unit operation. The membrane separation uses a membrane which is selectively gas permeable to reject transmission of methane and thus to produce a permeate depleted in methane relative to the feed mixture. The permeate is also free of volatile organic compounds and is recycled to the pressure swing adsorber unit operation to regenerate saturated adsorbers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme A Directoire et Counsel de Surveillance Pour L'Etude et L'Exploration des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Wascheck, Charles L. Anderson
  • Patent number: 7025801
    Abstract: The treatment unit comprises N adsorption units, N being greater than or equal to 1, operating on a parametrized cycle split uniformly into at most N phase times. Further more, use is made of a control unit for controlling the treatment unit, designed to modify at least one parameter of the cycle. Each time there is a predicted change in the composition of the feed gas, the control unit is sent a pre-established signal representing this change. The processing unit then processes the signal to determine the parameters of an exceptional operating cycle of the treatment unit which cycle is suited to the predicted change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme àl Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventor: Christian Monereau
  • Patent number: 7025807
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for absorbing vapors and gasses by controlling overpressure in storage tanks during filling, transport and storing of fluids in liquid form. The process includes leading of gas down to the bottom of the tank, where a major part of the gas is absorbed in the tank's own liquid in an absorption device or optionally the liquid is supplied from an external source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Advanced Production and Loading AS
    Inventor: Evert Grodal
  • Patent number: 7022158
    Abstract: An adsorbent article having a base body or matrix onto which is applied an adsorptive coating. The body or matrix can be a honeycomb matrix or structure having a plurality of cells defining a plurality of passages extending through the body. The adsorptive coating comprises an adsorptive media, such as activated carbon or ion exchange resin, that is bound by a polymeric adhesive or resin. The adsorbent article has a minimal pressure loss therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Donaldson Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin John Seguin, Steven Alan Carter, Andrew James Dallas, Lefei Ding, Brian Nghia Hoang, Jon Dennis Joriman
  • Patent number: 7022165
    Abstract: A tubular hydrogen permeable metal membrane and fabrication process comprises obtaining a metal alloy foil having two surfaces, coating the surfaces with a metal or metal alloy catalytic layer to produce a hydrogen permeable metal membrane, sizing the membrane into a sheet with two long edges, wrapping the membrane around an elongated expandable rod with the two long edges aligned and overlapping to facilitate welding of the two together, placing the foil wrapped rod into a surrounding fixture housing with the two aligned and overlapping foil edges accessible through an elongated aperture in the surrounding fixture housing, expanding the elongated expandable rod within the surrounding fixture housing to tighten the foil about the expanded rod, welding the two long overlapping foil edges to one another generating a tubular membrane, and removing the tubular membrane from within the surrounding fixture housing and the expandable rod from with the tubular membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Stephen N. Paglieri, Stephen A. Birdsell, Robert S. Barbero, Ronny C. Snow, Frank M. Smith
  • Patent number: 7022159
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus related to the reduction of the level of a component in a feed gas such as air involving passing the gas to at least three parallel thermal swing adsorption zones charged with an adsorbent and operating according to an adsorption cycle, wherein the cycle of each zone is phased with respect to that of the other zones so that at any point during the cycle, the number of zones in the adsorption step is greater than the number of zones not in the adsorption step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Ali Kalbassi, Paul Higginbotham
  • Patent number: 7022167
    Abstract: A raised ring encircling a duct at an output port of a desiccant dehumidifier housing prevents its flexible hose from blowing off the duct even when clamped, as dried air blowing pressures through the duct increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Inventor: Spencer W. Hess
  • Patent number: 7022161
    Abstract: A process for eliminating organic oxygen-containing molecules such as alcohols and organic present in an organic or gaseous effluent is characterized in that the elimination is carried out by adsorbing said organic oxygen-containing molecules onto alumina agglomerates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Axens
    Inventor: Christophe Nedez
  • Patent number: 7022162
    Abstract: It is the object of the invention to provide a material for retaining polyhalogenated compounds, the material avoiding the drawbacks of activated carbon and polyolefins. The object is accomplished by the use of a material for retaining polyhalogenated compounds, having a filler, which is suitable for adsorbing polyhalogenated compounds, and a polyolefin matrix, into which the material is completely incorporated and enclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
    Inventors: Siegfried Kreisz, Hans Hunsinger
  • Patent number: 7022157
    Abstract: Devices and methods for performing an array assay are provided. The subject array assay devices include a degassing zone that includes a gas permeable membrane. Embodiments include degassing microarray-backing elements that are used with an array assembly to provide an enclosed assay array chamber about at least one array of the array assembly. The degassing backing elements include: (1) a substrate having a surface comprising at least one gasket, and (2) a gas permeable membrane. Embodiments also include array assemblies that include a degassing zone, for example positioned on an array substrate. Embodiments of the subject methods include contacting an array with a sample under conditions sufficient to perform an array assay, wherein the contacting step further includes degassing the sample. Also provided are systems and kits for use in practicing the subject methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George Paul Tsai
  • Patent number: 7018446
    Abstract: A high temperature hydrogen gas separation membrane employing a physically interlocking barrier layer to form a spinel or intermetallic architecture bonding the metal barrier layer onto the surface of a fibrous metal medial structural support substrate. A tantalum/niobium interface layer is deposited on the barrier layer. The final layer is a precious metal such as palladium, which is deposited on the tantalum/niobium interface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventors: Mary Anne Alvin, Jason Ryan Babcock
  • Patent number: 7018445
    Abstract: The present invention provides a selectively gas permeable membrane that has a superior combination of permeability and selectivity. The membrane composition includes a Type 1 copolyimide uniformly blended with a Type 2 copolyimide, which polymers are defined by chemical structure more specifically in this disclosure. The invention also provides a method of using the membrane of the copolyimide blend to separate components of gas mixtures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: John W. Simmons, Okan Max Ekiner