Patents Examined by Timothy Vanoy
  • Patent number: 9675933
    Abstract: An apparatus for removing contaminants from emissions is provided with a housing shaped as a reverse venturi. The housing includes an entry portion for receiving emissions, an exit portion for expelling emissions, and an enlarged portion disposed therebetween for trapping the contaminants in the emissions. A mass of reactive material is disposed within the enlarged portion and has a reactive outer surface disposed in contact with the emissions. The mass of reactive material contains an amalgam forming metal at the reactive outer surface that chemically binds with the emissions that are passing through the enlarged portion of the housing. Emissions control methods for removing contaminants from gaseous and non-gaseous emissions are also provided. One of the emissions control methods includes passing the gaseous emissions through the reverse venturi apparatus described herein. Another one of the emissions control methods includes treating non-gaseous emissions in a treatment tank containing a sorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Chemical and Metal Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hal Stuhler, Lori Stuhler, Van T. Walworth
  • Patent number: 9677018
    Abstract: A process for the production of synthesis gas from coke is described herein. The process comprises the steps of: (a) subjecting hard coal to dry pyrolysis, resulting in the production of a gas mixture containing hydrogen, methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide as major constituents and carbon sulphides as minor constituents; (b) subjecting the gas mixture to hydrogenation at a temperature in the range of 200 to 280° C. over a sulphidic cobalt molybdenum catalyst provided on an aluminium oxide carrier material; and (c) separating the hydrogen sulphide obtained from hydrogenation from the gas mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG
    Inventors: Michael Rieger, Jan Schöneberger, Holger Thielert
  • Patent number: 9676624
    Abstract: This invention pertains to processes for selectively oxidizing hydrogen cyanide contained in syngas using permanganate anion as an oxidant contained in an aqueous solution that is contacted with the syngas under certain conditions of temperature, pressure and duration of contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Synata Bio, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard E Tobey
  • Patent number: 9669356
    Abstract: Provided is an air pollution control system including: a boiler, a denitration apparatus; an air heater; a precipitator; a desulfurization apparatus; a dehydrator; a concentration apparatus that is configured to remove some of water of dehydrated filtrate from the dehydrator; a spray drying apparatus provided with a spray unit that is configured to spray concentrated/dehydrated filtrate concentrated by the concentration apparatus; and a flue gas introduction line through which branch gas branched from the flue gas is introduced to the spray drying apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Fukuda, Seiji Kagawa, Yoshito Tanaka, Takuro Soeda
  • Patent number: 9669353
    Abstract: An alkalinity control agent is sprayed upstream of a compressor in a first impurity separator to discharge impurities containing at least sulfur oxides in exhaust gas together with drain from an aftercooler in the first impurity separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Naito
  • Patent number: 9669358
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for cross flow process reactors are disclosed. A disclosed example includes a process chamber having an inlet and an outlet to allow a flow of fluid to flow therethrough and a plurality of trays disposed within the process chamber, and containing bulk material to treat the fluid. The example apparatus also includes a flow director to divide the flow into a plurality of partial flow streams, where each partial flow stream is to be directed towards at least one tray of the plurality of trays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Dürr Systems AG
    Inventors: Antoine Bose, Erhard Rieder
  • Patent number: 9656206
    Abstract: A combined desulfuration, denitration, and demercuration apparatus and method using a semi-dry process in a circulating fluidized bed. The apparatus comprises a flue (2) and a circulating fluidized bed reaction column (8) connected in sequence, the flue (2) being connected to a bottom inlet of the circulating fluidized bed reaction column (8). The flue (2) is further connected to an ozone generation apparatus (1). The ozone distributor (1) feeds ozone in the flue (2) and sends oxidized flue gas into the circulating fluidized bed reaction column (8), so that the SO2, high-valence NOx, and Hg2+ contained in the flue gas are removed through reactions with a Ca-based absorbent under the effect of atomized water in the reaction column (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: INSTITUTE OF PROCESS ENGINEERING, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, BEIJING ZSTC ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tingyu Zhu, Wenqing Xu, Meng Ye, Ruizhuang Zhao
  • Patent number: 9657248
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, reacting reactants comprising a ferric/ferrous chelate and a sour gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: BioSystems Consulting, Inc.
    Inventor: Henry Wilmore Cox, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9656924
    Abstract: The present application refers to zinc recovery process from steelworks powder, and to obtain a zinc sulfate solution with 12% Zn by weight with the expected degree for fertilizer. Such an approach can aim to add value to a steelmaking waste, by partially converting environmental liability in commercial product taking advantage of the steelworks' powder as a raw material for the production of a liquid fertilizer and ready for use, containing zinc and sulfur with low liquid effluent production. Such an approach can be advantageous as to simplicity, use of mild temperatures, use of a single reactant, overall conversion of the reactants into a product solution of commercial quality, ready for use as a foliar fertilizer with low generation of wastewater and without generation of additional waste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Inventors: Haroldo De Araújo Ponte, Ana Carolina Tedeschi Gomes Abrantes
  • Patent number: 9657942
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to the use of elemental or speciated iodine and bromine to control total mercury emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: ADA-ES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael D. Durham, Sharon Sjostrom, Kenneth E. Baldrey
  • Patent number: 9656876
    Abstract: Disclosed are various methods for reducing levels of elemental sulfur within gypsum products such as wall board. Gypsum sometimes includes increased levels of elemental sulfur. Such sulfur can be corrosive and otherwise harmful at elevated levels. The disclosure contemplates reacting the elemental sulfur with copper to copper sulfide. This reaction has the benefit of reducing the levels of elemental sulfur present within the final gypsum product. The copper can be added at any of a variety of locations in the manufacturing process. This is a very efficient method for reducing elemental sulfur in the production of gypsum products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: CertainTeed Gypsum, Inc.
    Inventors: John W. College, Sang-Ho Lee, Chris Hilton, Yu-Zhi Kiang, Choung-Houng Lai, George Glavin
  • Patent number: 9649594
    Abstract: A furnace/boiler incorporates a dual injection grid arrangement as per present disclosure. The furnace includes an enclosure having burners projecting through walls of the lower half of the enclosure. The burners inject and ignite a supply of fuel and primary air. The combustion reaction takes place in a combustion chamber. The enclosure walls carry steam generating tubes which absorb radiative heat from the combustion flame to produce steam. The heat is also utilized by radiative/convective super-heater and reheater elements where steam flowing through the radiative/convective super-heater and reheater elements is superheated by the hot gas products of the combustion process. The hot gas combustion products are referred to as the exhaust or flue gas. The combustion products exit the combustion chamber at boiler nose and enter in the boiler/furnace area. The present grid arrangement inject chemicals to control the creating reactants particularly NOx and SO3 emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Mitchell B. Cohen, Todd D. Hellewell
  • Patent number: 9649596
    Abstract: An ammonia slip control catalyst having a layer containing perovskite and a separate layer containing an SCR catalyst is described. The ammonia slip catalyst can have two stacked layers, with the top overlayer containing an SCR catalyst, and the bottom layer containing a perovskite. The ammonia slip catalyst can alternatively be arranged in sequential layers, with the SCR catalyst being upstream in the flow of exhaust gas relative to the perovskite. A system comprising the ammonia slip catalyst upstream of a PGM-containing ammonia oxidation catalyst and methods of using the system are described. The system allows for high ammonia oxidation with good nitrogen selectivity. Methods of making and using the ammonia slip catalyst to reduce ammonia slip and selectively convert ammonia to N2 are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Hsiao-Lan Chang, Hai-Ying Chen
  • Patent number: 9643117
    Abstract: An air quality control system (AQCS) 14 useful for treating flue gas FG, such as flue gas FG produced by a fossil fuel fired boiler 12 is described. The AQCS 14 is equipped with a dust separator 37. The dust separator 37 is useful under relatively high dust load conditions downstream from a dry scrubber reactor 36 with limited equipment wear and limited space requirements. As such, the dust separator captures particulate matter with a dust trap that intercepts the flow of particulate matter for collection of the particulate matter in a hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Råhlin, Ali Mustapha Tabikh
  • Patent number: 9631533
    Abstract: A method for removal of SOx and NOx from an exhaust gas that contains SOx, NOx, soot and water vapor, the exhaust gas originating from a combustion of a fuel where the combustion takes place in an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas is passed through at least one catalytic reactor having an oxidation catalyst, in which catalytic reactor at least SO2 is converted to SO3 and NO is converted to NO2. Thereafter the exhaust gas is passed through a condenser and cooled to a temperature which is below the dew point temperature of the water in the condenser such that SO3, NO2 and water is condensed and SO3 and NO2 is dissolved into the condensed water and removed from the exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Alfa Laval Aalborg A/S
    Inventors: Mohan Menon, Dag Ovrebo
  • Patent number: 9623396
    Abstract: Systems and methods for synthesizing high-quality nanocrystals via segmented, continuous flow microwave-assisted reactor were developed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: STATE OF OREGON ACTING BY AND THROUGH THE STATE BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON BEHALF OF OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Ki-Joong Kim, Eric Bradley Hostetler, Gregory Scott Herman, Daniel Alan Peterson, Chih-hung Chang, Brendan Thomas Flynn, Brian Kevin Paul, Richard Paul Oleksak
  • Patent number: 9617154
    Abstract: A process is provided for liquid sulfur degasification in an underground container, comprising: collecting liquid sulfur which contains polysulfides and hydrogen sulfide in a first compartment of the underground container; agitating and creating turbulence in the liquid sulfur in the first compartment of the underground container; transferring the liquid sulfur into a second compartment of the underground container; injecting gas into the liquid sulfur into the second compartment of the underground container via gas spargers, and also injecting morpholine catalyst into the liquid sulfur in the second compartment of the underground container to produce a degassed liquid sulfur; and transferring the degassed liquid sulfur into a third compartment of the underground container for storage and subsequent removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Inventors: Mahin Rameshni, Stephen L. Santo
  • Patent number: 9616412
    Abstract: A process for the preparation of nano-oxide coated catalysts useful for the treatment of toxic gases by coating of composite materials containing LDHs over ceramic monolithic substrates. The process combines reacting oxides and salts of metals so as to prepare LDHs or mixed metal layered hydroxides possessing positive layer charge, from which a stable gel is prepared by adding swellable clay having a negative charge in different LDH:clay ratio in an aqueous medium and homogenizing the same in a high intensity ultrasonic processor. The gel is then dip-coated over cordierite/mulite honey-comb monolithic supports at various dipping and withdrawal rates. The dip-coated monoliths are then dried and calcined at different temperatures to develop the alumino-silicate supported nano-oxide coats over honey-comb ceramic substrates for carrying out decomposition of N20 gas in a He flow in various flow rates at 400 to 600° C. temperature in a cylindrical quartz tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC & INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH
    Inventors: Rajib Lochan Goswamee, Mridusmita Mishra, Anil Kumar Sarma Baruah
  • Patent number: 9616385
    Abstract: An exhaust gas treatment system for an internal combustion engine includes an exhaust gas pathway configured to receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, an ammonia source, and a first ammonia injector in fluid communication with the ammonia source. The first ammonia injector is configured to inject ammonia into the exhaust gas pathway at a first rate. The exhaust gas treatment system also includes a first treatment element positioned downstream of the first ammonia injector and a second ammonia injector in fluid communication with the ammonia source and positioned downstream of the first treatment element. The second ammonia injector is configured to inject ammonia into the exhaust gas pathway at a second rate different from the first rate. The exhaust gas treatment system further includes a second treatment element positioned downstream of the second ammonia injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Shyan-Cherng Huang, Taner Tuken, Thomas M. Harris
  • Patent number: 9616384
    Abstract: Described are base metal catalysts that comprise a base metal material in an amount effective to generate an exotherm over a temperature range of 300° C. to 650° C. and to oxidize soot collected by a downstream particulate filter. The base metal catalysts are substantially free of platinum group metals. Emission treatment systems and methods of remediating nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter, and gaseous hydrocarbons using base metal catalyst are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Martin Kalwei, Edgar V. Huennekes