Patents by Inventor Ben Heichelbech

Ben Heichelbech 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).

  • Publication number: 20230191316
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems for Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC). An example process involves using a stream of exhaust air flowing from an air cooled heat exchanger to drive a DACC unit. Another example process involves conveying waste heat recovered from an industrial source to the DACC unit. The waste heat may be used to remove captured CO2 from a capture device of the DACC unit and/or for regeneration of the capture device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Vikrum Subra
  • Publication number: 20230191313
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for carbon capture optimization in industrial facilities are disclosed herein. An example carbon capture process involves cooling a flue gas stream using at least one gas-to-air heat exchanger disposed upstream of a carbon dioxide (CO2) absorber. Another example carbon capture process involves heating a heat medium for solvent regeneration and CO2 stripping using a fired heater and/or using at least one waste heat recovery unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Ben Heichelbech, Ivan Van der Walt, Connor Rivard, Alex Thompson
  • Publication number: 20230158447
    Abstract: Devices, systems, facilities, and methods for bio fermentation-based facilities, such as corn milling, ethanol, breweries, and biogas, are disclosed herein. The CO2 rich streams from the fermentation unit and the process heaters/boilers are sent to a sequestration site or pipeline via a capture unit and sequestration compressor, thereby reducing the overall emissions from the facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Vikrum Subra, Ivan Van Der Walt, Connor Rivard, Ben Heichelbech
  • Patent number: 11612855
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems for Direct Air Carbon Capture utilizing waste heat from gas turbines and exhaust air from air cooled heat exchangers, such as in industrial facilities with sources of heat and using fans. The exhaust air from the air cooled heat exchangers may be used to drive one or more fans in one or more Direct Air Carbon Capture units. The waste heat—thus no electricity needed—may be used to regenerate the catalyst(s) in the Direct Air Carbon Capture units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Vikrum Subra
  • Patent number: 11560984
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems in natural gas pipelines to significantly reduce pigging and blowdown emissions. In an example, a process involves filtering and/or separating pigging or blowdown emissions. The filtered and/or separated pigging/blowdown products can then be stored in a storage, sent back into the natural gas pipeline at a downstream location, or sent to an adjacent pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Connor Rivard, Vikrum Subra
  • Publication number: 20230015138
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems in natural gas pipelines to significantly reduce pigging and blowdown emissions. In an example, a process involves filtering and/or separating pigging or blowdown emissions. The filtered and/or separated pigging/blowdown products can then be stored in a storage, sent back into the natural gas pipeline at a downstream location, or sent to an adjacent pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Connor Rivard, Vikrum Subra
  • Publication number: 20220362709
    Abstract: A flue gas can be cooled for carbon capture purposes with the use of a gas-to-gas exchanger, using air as the cooling media, downstream of a heat recovery process, and optionally upstream of a quenching process; the use of an amine chilling process to reduce the required flue gas cooling duties upstream of the CO2 absorber; the use of a gas-to-gas exchanger, using the absorber overhead as the cooling media, downstream of a heat recovery process, and optionally upstream of the quenching process; and/or the use of a quenching process in which heated water and condensate is cooled by an external cooling loop utilizing treated flue gas condensate in an evaporative cooling process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Connor Rivard, Victor Fernandes
  • Patent number: 11484825
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for carbon capture optimization in industrial facilities are disclosed herein. An example carbon capture process involves cooling a flue gas stream using at least one gas-to-air heat exchanger disposed upstream of a carbon dioxide (CO2) absorber. Another example carbon capture process involves heating a heat medium for solvent regeneration and CO2 stripping using a fired heater and/or using at least one waste heat recovery unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ben Heichelbech, Ivan Van der Walt, Connor Rivard, Alex Thompson
  • Patent number: 11484827
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems that can be used in natural gas pipelines to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of the natural gas pipelines, by capturing combusted flue gas which is normally wasted and putting it back to the pipelines, which can also be monetized (e.g., carbon credits). One example process may include producing a captured CO2 stream from a combustion gas of a gas turbine in a natural gas pipeline, compressing the captured CO2 stream, and combining the compressed CO2 stream with natural gas transported in the natural gas pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Vikrum Subra, Connor Rivard
  • Patent number: 11484829
    Abstract: A flue gas can be cooled for carbon capture purposes with the use of a gas-to-gas exchanger, using air as the cooling media, downstream of a heat recovery process, and optionally upstream of a quenching process; the use of an amine chilling process to reduce the required flue gas cooling duties upstream of the CO2 absorber; the use of a gas-to-gas exchanger, using the absorber overhead as the cooling media, downstream of a heat recovery process, and optionally upstream of the quenching process; and/or the use of a quenching process in which heated water and condensate is cooled by an external cooling loop utilizing treated flue gas condensate in an evaporative cooling process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Connor Rivard, Victor Fernandes
  • Publication number: 20220305433
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems that can be used in natural gas pipelines to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of the natural gas pipelines, by capturing combusted flue gas which is normally wasted and putting it back to the pipelines, which can also be monetized (e.g., carbon credits). One example process may include producing a captured CO2 stream from a combustion gas of a gas turbine in a natural gas pipeline, compressing the captured CO2 stream, and combining the compressed CO2 stream with natural gas transported in the natural gas pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Vikrum Subra, Connor Rivard
  • Publication number: 20220305434
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems for Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC). An example process involves using a stream of exhaust air flowing from an air cooled heat exchanger to drive a DACC unit. Another example process involves conveying waste heat recovered from an industrial source to the DACC unit. The waste heat may be used to remove captured CO2 from a capture device of the DACC unit and/or for regeneration of the capture device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Vikrum Subra
  • Publication number: 20220307655
    Abstract: Disclosed are processes, apparatuses, and systems in natural gas pipelines to significantly reduce pigging and blowdown emissions. In an example, a process involves filtering and/or separating pigging or blowdown emissions. The filtered and/or separated pigging/blowdown products can then be stored in a storage, sent back into the natural gas pipeline at a downstream location, or sent to an adjacent pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Connor Rivard, Vikrum Subra
  • Patent number: 11446587
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit and a gas turbine. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. The LNG production facility further includes at least one post-combustion capture unit that captures a carbon dioxide (CO2)-rich stream from a flue gas stream of the gas turbine. The LNG production facility also includes a sequestration compression unit that compresses at least one CO2-rich stream from the at least one post-combustion capture unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg
  • Publication number: 20220249974
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit and a gas turbine. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. The LNG production facility further includes at least one post-combustion capture unit that captures a carbon dioxide (CO2)-rich stream from a flue gas stream of the gas turbine. The LNG production facility also includes a sequestration compression unit that compresses at least one CO2-rich stream from the at least one post-combustion capture unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van Der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg
  • Patent number: 11293691
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit and a gas turbine. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. Fuel to the gas turbine contains at least about 90% hydrogen by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: NEXT CARBON SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg
  • Publication number: 20220065529
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit and a gas turbine. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. Fuel to the gas turbine contains at least about 90% hydrogen by volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg
  • Publication number: 20220065160
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit, a gas turbine, and a hydrogen generation unit. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. The hydrogen generation unit generates hydrogen. At least a portion of the hydrogen formed in the hydrogen generation unit is combusted, along with hydrocarbons, as fuel in the gas turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandez, Michael Abegg
  • Publication number: 20220065161
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit, a gas turbine, and a hydrogen generation unit. The liquefaction unit condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas. The hydrogen generation unit generates hydrogen. At least a portion of the hydrogen formed in the hydrogen generation unit is combusted, along with hydrocarbons, as fuel in the gas turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg
  • Publication number: 20220065526
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for liquefied natural gas production facilities are disclosed herein. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility includes a liquefaction unit that condenses natural gas vapor into liquefied natural gas; an electric-driven compression system for the refrigerant(s) in power to the liquefaction unit; and a sequestration compression unit configured to compress and convey at least one CO2-rich stream towards a sequestration site, thereby reducing the overall emissions from the LNG facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Ivan Van der Walt, Ben Heichelbech, Alex Thompson, Vikrum Subra, Victor Fernandes, Michael Abegg