Patents Examined by Robert J. Hill, Jr.
  • Solid acid assisted deep desulfurization of diesel boiling range feeds
    Patent number: 7731838
    Abstract: The instant invention relates to a process to produce low sulfur diesel products through the hydrodesulfurization of low nitrogen diesel boiling range feedstreams in the presence of solid acidic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Jonathan M. McConnachie, Catalina L. Coker, Madhav Acharya
  • Process for the desulfurization of gasolines comprising a desulfurization by adsorption of the light fraction and a hydrodesulfurization of the heavy fraction
    Patent number: 7731836
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the desulfurization of gasolines comprising a stage for fractionation of said gasoline into a light fraction that comprises thiophenic compounds such as thiophene or methylthiophenes, and a heavy fraction that concentrates the heaviest aromatic sulfur-containing compounds. The heavy fraction is treated by hydrodesulfurization, while the light fraction is brought into contact with a solid adsorbent that makes it possible to eliminate at least partially said light thiophenic compounds, whereby said adsorbent solid is regenerated by a flow internal to the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Alexandre Nicolaos, Florent Picard
  • Oxidatively regenerable adsorbents for sulfur removal
    Patent number: 7731837
    Abstract: Compositions and processes are disclosed for removing sulfur and sulfur compounds from hydrocarbon fuel feedstocks. The feedstock is contacted with a regenerable sorbent such as a compound of the formula TixCeyO2 where 0<x/y?1 and where 0<x?1 and 0<y?1 capable of selectively adsorbing sulfur compounds present in the hydrocarbon feedstock at about 0° C. to about 100° C. such as at about 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: The Penn State Research Foundation
    Inventors: Chunshan Song, Xiaoliang Ma, Shingo Watanabe, Fuxia Sun
  • Non-evaporable getter alloys for hydrogen sorption
    Patent number: 7727308
    Abstract: Non-evaporable getter alloys are provided which can be activated at relatively low temperatures and are capable of efficiently sorbing hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Saes Getters S.p.A.
    Inventors: Alberto Coda, Alessandro Gallitognotta, Debora Caccia, Paola Baronio, Luca Toia, Mario Porro
  • Process for heating regeneration gas
    Patent number: 7727380
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for combusting dry gas to heat the air supplied to an FCC regenerator to increase its temperature and minimize production of undesirable combustion products. Preferably, the dry gas is a selected FCC product gas. Alternatively or additionally, dry gas from an FCC product stream is separated and delivered to an expander to recover power before combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Keith A. Couch, Xin X. Zhu, James P. Glavin
  • System and method for removing volatile vapors from containers
    Patent number: 7727310
    Abstract: A system is configured to remove volatile organic compounds from a container. The system includes a vapor capture medium that is provided in a containment, and a particulatizer. The particulatizer is positioned to (i) receive volatile organic compounds that are removed from the container in a vapor flow, and (ii) introduce the volatile organic compounds into the vapor capture medium as micro-sized particles. The vapor capture medium is in liquid form and has a composition that is inherently attracted to bond with at least some of the volatile organic compounds that are removed from the container in the vapor flow, so that the vapor capture medium captures at least some of the micro-sized particles of volatile organic compounds that are introduced through the particulatizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Nanovapor Fuels Group, Inc
    Inventor: Elliott Moorhead
  • Hydrocracking catalyst and method of hydrocracking heavy oil
    Patent number: 7727381
    Abstract: In a process of hydrocracking heavy oil with a catalyst in petroleum refining, asphaltene contained in heavy oil, and impurities including heavy metals such as nickel and vanadium, are efficiently removed with activated carbon, whereby the reduction in catalyst activity or formation of coke by the impurities can be prevented. The invention provides a hydrocracking catalyst comprising activated carbon extrudate as a carrier activated with steam and having a high distribution of pores having pore sizes in the range of 20 to 200 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Hidetsugu Fukuyama, Satoshi Terai, Masayuki Uchida
  • Enhanced bitumen flotation
    Patent number: 7727385
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering bitumen as froth from a feed stream having solids, water and bitumen is provided using a separating vessel having mounted thereon a downpipe assembly, the downpipe assembly having at least one downpipe and a nozzle in fluid communication with each downpipe, for aerating a stream of middlings withdrawn from the separating vessel and reintroducing the aerated middlings back to the separating vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Syncrude Canada Ltd.
    Inventors: Robert Siy, Jonathan Spence, Owen Neiman
  • Process to prepare a Fischer-Tropsch product
    Patent number: 7727378
    Abstract: A process to prepare a waxy raffinate product by performing the following steps: (a) subjecting a Fischer-Tropsch derived product having a weight ratio of compounds boiling above 540° C. and compounds boiling between 370 and 540° C. of greater than 2 to a hydroconversion step and (b) fractionating the effluent of step (a) to obtain products boiling in the fuels range and a waxy raffinate product boiling between 350 and 600° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Jan Lodewijk Maria Dierickx, Arend Hoek, Lip Piang Kueh
  • System and method for spectrophotometric measurement of total alkalinity using a liquid core waveguide
    Patent number: 7727770
    Abstract: A system and method for spectrophotometrically measuring the total alkalinity of a liquid sample. In a particular aspect, the method involves equilibration of a CO2 gas with a sample solution across the permeable walls of a Teflon AF 2400 liquid core waveguide. The waveguide acts as both an equilibration membrane and an optical cell in which spectrophotometric pH measurements are obtained via measurements of absorbance ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Robert H. Byrne, Eric Kaltenbacher, Xuewu Liu
  • Reaction vessel, reaction vessel liquid introducing device, liquid introducing and reaction measuring device, and liquid introducing device
    Patent number: 7727480
    Abstract: The invention relates to a reaction vessel, a reaction vessel liquid introducing device, a liquid introducing and reaction measuring device, and a liquid introducing device, and is directed to being able to perform temperature control of a liquid stored within the reaction vessel with a high accuracy and faithful responsiveness. The reaction vessel comprises: a storage chamber in which a liquid is storable, that has an opening part; a reaction chamber that is formed thinner or narrower than the storage chamber; and at least one flow passage that communicates between the storage chamber or the exterior and the reaction chamber. The reaction vessel is formed such that it is connectable to a liquid introducing section provided externally, and the liquid can be introduced into the reaction chamber by connecting to the liquid introducing section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Universal Bio Research Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideji Tajima
  • Reduced fiber disk/shroud filter for removing contaminants from an enclosure
    Patent number: 7727297
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for filtering contaminants, such as particulates and vapor phase contaminants, from a confined environment such as electronic or optical devices susceptible to contamination (e.g. computer disk drives) by providing an improved reduced fiber filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin Dauber, Yutaka Sasaki
  • Process for separating colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants from a hydrocarbon mixture
    Patent number: 7722758
    Abstract: Process for separating colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants from a hydrocarbon mixture using a membrane having a feed side and a permeate side, by contacting the hydrocarbon mixture with the feed side of the membrane, and by removing at the permeate side a hydrocarbon permeate having a reduced content of colour bodies and/or asphalthenic contaminants, wherein the membrane is arranged in a spirally wound membrane module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Johannes Leendert Willem Cornelis Den Boestert, Jeroen Van Westrenen
  • Method and device for sample preparation
    Patent number: 7722820
    Abstract: The invention provides extraction columns for the purification of an analyte (e.g., a biological macromolecule, such as a peptide, protein or nucleic acid) from a sample solution, as well as methods for making and using such columns. The columns typically include a bed of extraction media positioned in the column, often between two frits. In some embodiments, the extraction columns employ modified pipette tips as column bodies. In some embodiments, the invention provides methods characterized by the use of hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic membranes as frits, and/or by the inclusion of a wad of fibrous material to act as a wicking agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: PhyNexus, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas T. Gjerde, Allen Burge, Ronald Jones, Mark Abel
  • Hydrocarbons having reduced levels of mercaptans and method and composition useful for preparing same
    Patent number: 7718586
    Abstract: Disclosed is composition useful for reducing the concentration of mercaptans in hydrocarbons comprising: (A) a first diazo component and (B) a second component comprising a nucleophilic acceptor. The composition can be added to hydrocarbons such as fuel oil to reduce mercaptans without increasing turbidity or color. Triethylene diamine and 1,2-epoxyhexadecane are disclosed to be exemplary diazo and nucleophilic acceptor components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: John A. Schield, Weldon John Cappel
  • Selective hydrogenation process employing a catalyst having a controlled porosity
    Patent number: 7718053
    Abstract: A process for jointly carrying out selective hydrogenation of polyunsaturated compounds into monounsaturated compounds contained in gasolines, and for transforming light sulphur-containing compounds into heavier compounds by reaction with unsaturated compounds employing a supported catalyst, comprising at least one metal from group VIB and at least one non-noble metal from group VIII used in the sulphurized form deposited on a support and having a controlled porosity, and comprising bringing the feed into contact with the catalyst at a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 220° C. at a liquid hourly space velocity in the range of 1 h?1 to 10 h?1 and at a pressure in the range of 0.5 to 5 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Christophe Bouchy, Florent Picard, Nathalie Marchal
  • Conversion of crop seed oils to jet fuel and associated methods
    Patent number: 7718051
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention include methods to produce jet fuel from biological oil sources. The method may be comprised of two steps: hydrocracking and reforming. The process may be self-sufficient in heat and hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel M. Ginosar, Lucia M. Petkovic, David N. Thompson
  • Filter change indicator
    Patent number: 7713339
    Abstract: An air filter monitoring system for indicating when to clean or replace a flexible air filter includes an air filter having a peripheral frame and an interior filtering region, a fixed support structure for receiving the air filter and maintaining the perimeter of the filter frame in a generally fixed position while allowing the interior filtering region to flex in response to air flow through the filter, and a filter change indicator having a predetermined bias force. The filter change indicator is arranged to contact the interior filtering region of the filter, wherein when the predetermined bias force is reached, the filter change indicator is activated to notify a user to clean or replace the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Ronald C. Johansson
  • Mineral oils with improved conductivity and cold flowability
    Patent number: 7713315
    Abstract: The invention provides mineral oil distillates having a water content of less than 150 ppm and a conductivity of at least 50 pS/m, which comprise from 0.1 to 200 ppm of at least one alkylphenol-aldehyde resin and from 0.1 to 200 ppm of at least one nitrogen-containing polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Krull, Werner Reimann
  • Process for removing epoxides
    Patent number: 7713334
    Abstract: A process for removing epoxides from a process stream over a wide range of temperature and relative humidity, comprising the step of contacting the process stream with a filtration media comprising an acid form of a mesoporous zeolite produced from pentasil zeolite treated with a caustic agent, for a sufficient time to remove the epoxides therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Gregory W. Peterson, Christopher J. Karwacki, Joseph A. Rossin, William B. Feaver