Patents by Inventor Austen K. Flatt
Austen K. Flatt 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).
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Patent number: 10006128Abstract: Disclosed herein are corrosion inhibiting compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as corrosion inhibitors, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2012Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: Ecolab USA Inc.Inventors: Peter A. Webber, Peter G. Conrad, Austen K. Flatt, Victor V. Keasler
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Patent number: 9505707Abstract: Disclosed and claimed is a composition and method of inhibiting the formation of hydrate agglomerates in a fluid comprising water, gas, and optionally liquid hydrocarbon. The composition comprises the following formula and the method comprises adding to the fluid an effective anti-agglomerant amount of any of the following formula and optionally salts thereof. R1, R2, and R3 are each independently CnH2n+1 or benzyl. R4 is C4-C20 alkyl or alkenyl. n is an integer from 0 to 10. X? is a counterion.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2011Date of Patent: November 29, 2016Assignee: NALCO CompanyInventors: Peter A. Webber, Peter G. Conrad, Austen K. Flatt
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Publication number: 20140091262Abstract: Disclosed herein are corrosion inhibiting compounds and compositions useful in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas. Also disclosed herein are methods of using the compounds and compositions as corrosion inhibitors, particularly in applications relating to the production, transportation, storage, and separation of crude oil and natural gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2012Publication date: April 3, 2014Inventors: Peter A. Webber, Peter G. Conrad, Austen K. Flatt, Victor V. Keasler
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Patent number: 8394872Abstract: A method for reducing the viscosity of a hydrocarbon fluid encountered in petroleum operations is disclosed. The method includes contacting the hydrocarbon fluid with an effective amount of a composition comprising at least one polymer having at least 25 mole percent cationic monomers.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2009Date of Patent: March 12, 2013Assignee: Nalco CompanyInventors: Marcus D. Faust, Jr., Austen K Flatt, Thomas M. Weathers, Jr., Duy T. Nguyen
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Publication number: 20120161070Abstract: Disclosed and claimed is a composition and method of inhibiting the formation of hydrate agglomerates in a fluid comprising water, gas, and optionally liquid hydrocarbon. The composition comprises the following formula and the method comprises adding to the fluid an effective anti-agglomerant amount of any of the following formula and optionally salts thereof. R1, R2, and R3 are each independently CnH2n+1 or benzyl. R4 is C4-C20 alkyl or alkenyl. n is an integer from 0 to 10. X? is a counterion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2011Publication date: June 28, 2012Inventors: Peter A. Webber, Peter G. Conrad, Austen K. Flatt
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Patent number: 8158203Abstract: The present invention is directed toward methods of attaching or grafting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to silicon surfaces. In some embodiments, such attaching or grafting occurs via functional groups on either or both of the CNTs and silicon surface. In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention include: (1) reacting a silicon surface with a functionalizing agent (such as oligo(phenylene ethynylene)) to form a functionalized silicon surface; (2) dispersing a quantity of CNTs in a solvent to form dispersed CNTs; and (3) reacting the functionalized silicon surface with the dispersed CNTs. The present invention is also directed to the novel compositions produced by such methods.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2005Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: James M. Tour, Bo Chen, Austen K. Flatt, Michael P. Stewart, Christopher A. Dyke, Francisco Maya
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Patent number: 7981979Abstract: A composition comprising one or more siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers wherein said siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers are prepared by reacting one or more alkylphenol-formaldehyde resin alkoxylates, one or more polyalkylene glycols, or a mixture thereof, with up to about 1.0 molar equivalents of one or more silicon-based cross-linkers of formula R1R2R3R4Si wherein R1, R2, R3, R5, R6 and R7 are independently selected from H, Cl, C1-C4 alkyl and C1-C4 alkoxy; R4. is selected from H, Cl, C1-C4 alkyl, C1-C4 alkoxy and a group of formula L1SiR5R6R7; L1 is absent or is selected from —O—, arylene and C1-C12 alkylene, optionally interrupted by one or more —O— or —N(R8)—; and R8 is H or C1-C4 alkyl and a method of using the demulsifier composition to resolve water-in-oil emulsions.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2007Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Nalco CompanyInventor: Austen K. Flatt
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Patent number: 7939047Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods of separating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by their electronic type (e.g., metallic, semi-metallic, and semiconducting). Perhaps most generally, in some embodiments, the present invention is directed to methods of separating CNTs by bandgap, wherein such separation is effected by interacting the CNTs with a surface such that the surface interacts differentially with the CNTs on the basis of their bandgap, or lack thereof. In some embodiments, such methods can allow for such separations to be carried out in bulk quantities.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2005Date of Patent: May 10, 2011Assignee: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: James M. Tour, Christopher A. Dyke, Austen K. Flatt
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Publication number: 20110009556Abstract: A method for reducing the viscosity of a hydrocarbon fluid encountered in petroleum operations is disclosed. The method includes contacting the hydrocarbon fluid with an effective amount of a composition comprising at least one polymer having at least 25 mole percent cationic monomers.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2009Publication date: January 13, 2011Inventors: Marcus D. Faust, JR., Austen K. Flatt, Thomas M. Weathers, JR., Duy T. Nguyen
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Patent number: 7704323Abstract: Work from several laboratories has shown that metal nanofilaments cause problems in some molecular electronics testbeds. A new testbed for exploring the electrical properties of single molecules has been developed to eliminate the possibility of metal nanofilament formation and to ensure that molecular effects are measured. This metal-free system uses single-crystal silicon and single-walled carbon nanotubes as electrodes for the molecular monolayer. A direct Si-arylcarbon grafting method is used. Use of this structure with ?-conjugated organic molecules results in a hysteresis loop with current-voltage measurements that are useful for an electronic memory device. The memory is non-volatile for more than 3 days, non-destructive for more than 1,000 reading operations and capable of more than 1,000 write-erase cycles before device breakdown.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2006Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Assignee: William Marsh Rice UniversityInventors: James M. Tour, Jianli He, Bo Chen, Austen K. Flatt, Jason J. Stephenson, Condell D. Doyle
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Publication number: 20090042136Abstract: The present invention is directed toward methods of attaching or grafting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to silicon or other surfaces, wherein such attaching or grafting occurs via functional groups on either or both of the CNTs and silicon surface. The present invention is also directed to the novel compositions produced by such methods. Previous work by Applicants has demonstrated covalent attachment of arenes via aryldiazonium salts to Si (hydride passivated single crystal or poly Si; <111> or <100>, p-doped, n-doped or intrinsic), GaAs, and Pd surfaces. In the case of Si, this provides a direct arene-Si bond with no intervening oxide. Applicants have also reported on the use of aryldiazonium salts for the direct covalent linkage of arenes to single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) where the nanotubes can exist either as bundles or individual structures (when surfactant-wrapped).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2005Publication date: February 12, 2009Inventors: James M. Tour, Bo Chen, Austen K. Flatt, Michael Stewart, Christopher A. Dyke, Francisco Maya
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Publication number: 20080260616Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods of separating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by their electronic type (e.g., metallic, semi-metallic, and semiconducting). Perhaps most generally, in some embodiments, the present invention is directed to methods of separating CNTs by bandgap, wherein such separation is effected by interacting the CNTs with a surface such that the surface interacts differentially with the CNTs on the basis of their bandgap, or lack thereof. In some embodiments, such methods can allow for such separations to be carried out in bulk quantities.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2005Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITYInventors: James M. Tour, Christopher A. Dyke, Austen K. Flatt
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Publication number: 20080076839Abstract: A composition comprising one or more siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers wherein said siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers are prepared by reacting one or more alkylphenol-formaldehyde resin alkoxylates, one or more polyalkylene glycols, or a mixture thereof, with up to about 1.0 molar equivalents of one or more silicon-based cross-linkers of formula R1R2R3R4Si wherein R1, R2, R3, R5, R6 and R7 are independently selected from H, Cl, C1-C4 alkyl and C1-C4 alkoxy; R4. is selected from H, Cl, C1-C4 alkyl, C1-C4 alkoxy and a group of formula L1SiR5R6R7; L1 is absent or is selected from —O—, arylene and C1-C12 alkylene, optionally interrupted by one or more —O— or —N(R8)—; and R8 is H or C1-C4 alkyl and a method of using the demulsifier composition to resolve water-in-oil emulsions.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2007Publication date: March 27, 2008Inventor: Austen K. Flatt
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Publication number: 20080076840Abstract: A composition comprising one or more siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers wherein said siloxane cross-linked demulsifiers are prepared by reacting one or more alkylphenol-formaldehyde resin alkoxylates, one or more polyalkylene glycols, or a mixture thereof, with up to about 1.0 molar equivalents of one or more cross-linkers of formula R1R2R3R4Si wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently selected from H, Cl, C1-C4 alkyl and C1-C4 alkoxy and a method of using the demulsifier composition to resolve water-in-oil emulsions.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2006Publication date: March 27, 2008Inventor: Austen K. Flatt