Patents by Inventor BENJAMIN SPARROW
BENJAMIN SPARROW 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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Publication number: 20240091668Abstract: A system and method for cleaning of a forced-circulation evaporative crystallizer. The crystallizer is used to produce salt solids and includes a circulation pump, a heat exchanger, a separator, and a vapor processor. Solids deposits accumulate during salt solids production within at least one of the circulation pump, heat exchanger, and separator. A solids deposits metric representative of an amount of the accumulated solids deposits is measured. The solids deposits metric is determined to deviate from a baseline by at least a cleaning threshold. Certain determinations are made based on the solids deposits metric: determining a cleaning mode and at least one of a type of cleaning solution and a duration for which at least one of the circulation pump, heat exchanger, and separator is to be cleaned. At least one of the circulation pump, heat exchanger, and separator is then cleaned in accordance with those determinations.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 18, 2021Publication date: March 21, 2024Inventors: Justin Donghoon LEE, Benjamin SPARROW
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Publication number: 20230065608Abstract: Zero liquid discharge systems, processes, and techniques for treating a saltwater without evaporative crystallization. The saltwater is treated by a fluidic circuit comprising a high-pressure reverse osmosis (“HPRO”) unit configured to operate at a hydraulic pressure of at least 1,500 psi, a cooling crystallizer, and a solids-liquid separator. The saltwater is first concentrated by the HPRO unit to produce an HPRO brine, which is subsequently cooled to a designated crystallization temperature by the cooling crystallizer. The cooling crystallizer crystallizes salt crystals from the cooled HPRO brine and produces a salt-diminished brine. The solids-liquid separator separates the salt-diminished brine from the salt crystals. The salt-diminished brine from the solids-liquid separator is returned to the HPRO unit for further treatment, which allows additional salts to be crystallized from the returned salt-diminished brine.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2021Publication date: March 2, 2023Inventors: Benjamin SPARROW, Megan LOW
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Patent number: 11505484Abstract: A method and system for treating and purifying saltwater contaminated by volatile compounds. The saltwater is evaporated resulting in a gas composed of water vapor and gaseous volatile compounds. The gas is condensed into a condensate containing the contaminated volatile compounds which is biologically treated to remove the volatile compounds thereby producing purified water. The latent heat released by condensing is used to evaporate the purified water into the atmosphere in an energy efficient manner.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2020Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: SALTWORKS TECHNOLOGIES INC.Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Henry Tsin
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Publication number: 20220242749Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for desalinating a saltwater using a humidifier unit. The humidifier unit has a housing, which has a carrier gas inlet and a saltwater inlet. The humidifier unit also includes a packing, within the housing, having a surface with a critical surface tension of less than 25 mN/m according to the Zisman method. The packing is arranged to facilitate a saltwater that enters the housing through the saltwater inlet and a carrier gas that enters the housing through the carrier gas inlet to contact each other. The contact facilitates evaporation of the saltwater, which produces salt solids on at least a surface of the packing, a humidified gas and a concentrated brine.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2020Publication date: August 4, 2022Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Henry Tsin, Justin Donghoon Lee, Ross Coleman
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Publication number: 20220119279Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for desalinating a saltwater using a humidifier unit. The humidifier unit has a housing, which has a carrier gas inlet and a saltwater inlet. The humidifier unit also includes a packing, within the housing, having a surface with a critical surface tension of less than 25 mN/m according to the Zisman method. The packing is arranged to facilitate a saltwater that enters the housing through the saltwater inlet and a carrier gas that enters the housing through the carrier gas inlet to contact each other. The contact facilitates evaporation of the saltwater, which produces salt solids on at least a surface of the packing, a humidified gas and a concentrated brine.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2021Publication date: April 21, 2022Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Henry Tsin, Justin Donghoodn Lee, Ross Coleman
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Publication number: 20210309545Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for desalinating monovalent anion species from wastewater. A system includes an electrodialysis stack that performs the desalination. The stack has a cathode, an anode, and at least one electrodialysis cell. The at least one electrodialysis cell includes a product chamber, a metal cation concentrating chamber adjacent to a cathodic side of the product chamber, and a transfer solution chamber adjacent to an anodic side of the product chamber. The product chamber and the metal cation concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share a cation exchange membrane, the product chamber and the transfer solution chamber are each bounded by and share a monovalent anion exchange membrane, and the transfer solution chamber is bounded on an anodic side by one of an anion exchange membrane and a monovalent anion exchange membrane. The wastewater may be generated by a flue gas desulfurization process.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2019Publication date: October 7, 2021Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20210309550Abstract: Systems, processes, and techniques for treating a saltwater contaminated with volatile compounds. The saltwater is evaporated, resulting in a gas composed of water vapor and gaseous volatile compounds. This gas is then condensed into a condensate contaminated with the volatile compounds. The contaminated condensate is biologically treated to remove those volatile compounds, producing a purified water. Latent heat released by the condensing is used to evaporate the purified water into the atmosphere in an energy efficient manner. The contaminated saltwater is accordingly evaporatively disposed of without creating an issue regarding how to manage substantial liquid water byproduct, and without emitting substantial amounts of the volatile compounds into the atmosphere.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2020Publication date: October 7, 2021Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Henry Tsin
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Publication number: 20210230024Abstract: Processes, systems, and techniques for treating produced water drawn from a subterranean formation. The produced water is provided and contains dissolved solids and magnesium, calcium, and sodium ions. The produced water is desalinated using an electrically-driven membrane separation apparatus that includes alternating anion exchange membranes and cation exchange membranes defining opposing sides of alternating product and concentrate chambers. The desalinating involves flowing the produced water through the product chamber, flowing a second water through the concentrate chamber, and applying an electric potential across the cation and anion exchange membranes as the produced and second waters flow through the product and concentrate chambers, respectively. The product water is consequently produced and has a total dissolved solids content of between 300 mg/L and 8,000 mg/L, a total concentration of calcium ions and magnesium ions less than 100 mg/L, and a sodium adsorption ratio of 20 to 90.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2017Publication date: July 29, 2021Applicant: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Benjamin Sparrow, Malcolm Man
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Patent number: 10266430Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for removing ammonium from ammonia-containing water involve using a stack that has alternating product chambers and concentrate chambers for receiving ammonia-containing water and an acidic solution, respectively, with the chambers being bounded by alternating cation exchange membranes and proton permselective cation exchange membranes. Ammonium moves from the product chambers to the concentrate chambers across the CEMs and protons move from the concentrate chambers to the product chambers across the pCEMs when the stack is in use. An electrolyzer may also be used to convert the ammonium in the concentrate chambers into nitrogen.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2016Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Benjamin Sparrow
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Patent number: 10017400Abstract: Processes, systems, and techniques for multivalent ion desalination of a feed water use an apparatus that has a cathode, an anode, and an electrodialysis cell located between the cathode and anode. The cell has a product chamber through which the feed water flows, a multivalent cation concentrating chamber on a cathodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent cation solution flows, and a multivalent anion concentrating chamber on an anodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent anion solution flows. The product chamber and the multivalent cation concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share a cation exchange membrane, and the product chamber and the multivalent anion concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share an anion exchange membrane. A monovalent ion species is added to at least one of the concentrated multivalent cation solution and the concentrated multivalent anion solution.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2016Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Malcolm Man, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20180170775Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for removing ammonium from ammonia-containing water involve using a stack that has alternating product chambers and concentrate chambers for receiving ammonia-containing water and an acidic solution, respectively, with the chambers being bounded by alternating cation exchange membranes and proton permselective cation exchange membranes. Ammonium moves from the product chambers to the concentrate chambers across the CEMs and protons move from the concentrate chambers to the product chambers across the pCEMs when the stack is in use. An electrolyzer may also be used to convert the ammonium in the concentrate chambers into nitrogen.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2016Publication date: June 21, 2018Applicant: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Xiangchun YIN, Benjamin SPARROW
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Publication number: 20170210644Abstract: Processes, systems, and techniques for multivalent ion desalination of a feed water use an apparatus that has a cathode, an anode, and an electrodialysis cell located between the cathode and anode. The cell has a product chamber through which the feed water flows, a multivalent cation concentrating chamber on a cathodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent cation solution flows, and a multivalent anion concentrating chamber on an anodic side of the product chamber through which the concentrated multivalent anion solution flows. The product chamber and the multivalent cation concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share a cation exchange membrane, and the product chamber and the multivalent anion concentrating chamber are each bounded by and share an anion exchange membrane. A monovalent ion species is added to at least one of the concentrated multivalent cation solution and the concentrated multivalent anion solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2016Publication date: July 27, 2017Applicant: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Malcolm Man, Benjamin Sparrow
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Patent number: 9662647Abstract: A process for preparing an acrylamide-based crosslinking monomer including reacting in the presence of a catalyst an isocyanate compound containing at least two isocyanate groups with one of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2016Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: SALTWORKS TECHNOLOGIES INC.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Zhongyuan Zhou, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20160318013Abstract: A process for preparing an acrylamide-based crosslinking monomer including reacting in the presence of a catalyst an isocyanate compound containing at least two isocyanate groups with one of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 7, 2016Publication date: November 3, 2016Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Zhongyuan Zhou, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20160271562Abstract: A process and system for removing ammonia from an aqueous ammonia solution. A first aqueous solution and the ammonia solution are flowed respectively through a first and a second separation chamber of a bipolar membrane electrodialysis (“BPMED”) stack. The first separation chamber is bounded on an anodic side by a cation exchange membrane and the second separation chamber is bounded on a cathodic side by the cation exchange membrane and on an anodic side by a bipolar membrane. The bipolar membrane has an anion-permeable layer and a cation-permeable layer respectively oriented to face the stack's anode and cathode. While the solutions are flowing through the stack a voltage is applied across the stack that causes the bipolar membrane to dissociate water into protons and hydroxide ions. The protons migrate into the second separation chamber and react there with ammonia to form ammonium ions that migrate to the first separation chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 6, 2014Publication date: September 22, 2016Applicant: Saltworks Technologies Inc.Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Xiangchun Yin
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Patent number: 9416239Abstract: A process for preparing an acrylamide-based crosslinking monomer comprising reacting in the presence of a catalyst an isocyanate compound containing at least two isocyanate groups with one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. These acrylamide-based crosslinking monomers are used in the preparation of coating compositions, adhesive compositions curable by applying thermal or radiation energy, and in the preparation of cation or anion exchange membranes.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2013Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignee: SALTWORKS TECHNOLOGIES INC.Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Zhongyuan Zhou, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20150232627Abstract: A process for preparing an acrylamide-based crosslinking monomer comprising reacting in the presence of a catalyst an isocyanate compound containing at least two isocyanate groups with one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. These acrylamide-based crosslinking monomers are used in the preparation of coating compositions, adhesive compositions curable by applying thermal or radiation energy, and in the preparation of cation or anion exchange membranes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2013Publication date: August 20, 2015Inventors: Xiangchun Yin, Zhongyuan Zhou, Benjamin Sparrow
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Publication number: 20150096891Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at an apparatus, method and plant for desalinating saltwater and contaminated saltwater. The apparatus includes a stack and a manifolding assembly. The stack includes a product chamber, a first and second concentrate chamber, an anion exchange membrane forming a boundary between the first concentrate chamber and the product chamber and a cation exchange membrane forming a boundary between the second concentrate chamber and the product chamber. The manifolding assembly includes product and concentrate manifolding fluidly coupled to the product and concentrate chambers respectively, to convey a saltwater being desalinated to and away from the product chamber, and a concentrate to and away from the concentrate chambers. The stack may include a diluent chamber and adjacent anion or cation exchange membranes between the product chamber, diluent chamber and concentrate chamber to respectively convey anions or cations across multiple chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2014Publication date: April 9, 2015Inventors: Benjamin Sparrow, Henry Tsin, Joshua Zoshi, Malcolm Man
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Publication number: 20140197029Abstract: An apparatus, method and plant for desalinating saltwater and contaminated saltwater. The apparatus includes a stack and a manifolding assembly. The stack includes a product chamber, a first and second concentrate chamber, an anion exchange membrane forming a boundary between the first concentrate chamber and the product chamber and a cation exchange membrane forming a boundary between the second concentrate chamber and the product chamber. The manifolding assembly includes product and concentrate manifolding fluidly coupled to the product and concentrate chambers respectively, to convey a saltwater being desalinated to and away from the product chamber, and a concentrate to and away from the concentrate chambers. The stack may include a diluent chamber and adjacent anion or cation exchange membranes between the product chamber, diluent chamber and concentrate chamber to respectively convey anions or cations across multiple chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2014Publication date: July 17, 2014Applicant: SALTWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: BENJAMIN SPARROW, HENRY TSIN, JOSHUA ZOSHI, MALCOLM MAN