Patents by Inventor Alan I. Foster

Alan I. Foster has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4297150
    Abstract: This case relates to a process for forming protective metal oxide films on metal or alloy substrate surfaces susceptible to coking, corrosion or catalytic activity. The process comprises first preoxidizing the substrate surface and then depositing on the pre-oxidized surface a metal oxide of Ca, Mg, Al, Ga, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, Nb or Cr by vapor phase decomposition of a volatile compound of the metal which has at least one metal-oxygen bond. Nitrogen, helium, argon, carbon dioxide, air or steam may be used as carrier gases for the metal compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1981
    Assignee: The British Petroleum Company Limited
    Inventors: Alan I. Foster, Malcolm L. Sims, Dennis Young
  • Patent number: 4250057
    Abstract: Catalyst for the synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen comprises (1) as support on graphite containing carbon having (a) a basal plane surface area of at least 100 m 2/G (b) a ratio of BET surface area to basal plane surface area of not more than 5:1 and (c) a ratio of basal plane surface area to edge surface area of at least 5:1 and (ii) as active component (a) 0.1 to 50% by weight of a transition metal and (b) 0.1 to 4 times by weight of (a) of a modifying metal or ion selected from the alkali or alkaline earth metals or ions. The modifying metal or ion is actively associated with the transition metal rather than the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: February 10, 1981
    Assignee: The British Petroleum Company Limited
    Inventors: Alan I. Foster, Peter G. James, John J. McCarroll, Stephen R. Tennison
  • Patent number: 4224192
    Abstract: A modified alumina catalyst support is prepared by mixing a Solution A containing alkali, a Solution B containing a salt of a modifying metal of Group 111A, other than aluminium, or V111 other than a platinum group metal, of the Periodic Table, and a Solution C containing a aluminium salt, to form a precipitate, ageing the precipitate, separating the precipitate from the supernatant liquor and calcining the precipitate. A platinum group metal may be added to the support and the resulting catalyst is suitable for catalyzing hydrocarbon conversation processes, particularly catalytic reforming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1980
    Assignee: The British Petroleum Company Limited
    Inventors: Alan I. Foster, John J. McCarroll, Stephen R. Tennison
  • Patent number: 4163775
    Abstract: Catalyst for the synthesis of ammonia from hydrogen comprises (1) as support on graphite containing carbon having (a) a basal plane surface area of at least 100 m 2/G (b) a ratio of BET surface area to basal plane surface area of not more than 5:1 and (c) a ratio of basal plane surface area to edge surface area of at least 5:1 and (ii) as active component (a) 0.1 to 50% by weight of a transition metal and (b) 0.1 to 4 times by weight of (a) of a modifying metal or ion selected from the alkali or alkaline earth metals or ions. The modifying metal or ion is actively associated with the transition metal rather than the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1979
    Assignee: The British Petroleum Company Limited
    Inventors: Alan I. Foster, Peter G. James, John J. McCarroll, Stephen R. Tennison