Patents by Inventor Berthold Berend Breman

Berthold Berend Breman 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: 9487710
    Abstract: A process for producing at least one product from at least one gaseous reactant includes feeding the gaseous reactant, as a gaseous feed or as part of a gaseous feed which is at an inlet superficial gas velocity of at least 0.5 m/s, into a vessel holding an expanded slurry bed of solid catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid so that the gaseous reactant can bubble upwardly through the slurry bed. The slurry bed has a catalyst loading of at least 20% by volume of degassed slurry. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react catalytically at a pressure above atmospheric pressure as the gaseous reactant bubbles upwardly through the slurry bed to produce at least one product. The product and any unreacted gaseous reactant are withdrawn from the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: SASOL TECHNOLOGY (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED
    Inventor: Berthold Berend Breman
  • Patent number: 9080108
    Abstract: A process for producing at least one product from at least one gaseous reactant includes feeding the gaseous reactant, as a gaseous feed or as part of a gaseous feed which is at an inlet superficial gas velocity of at least 0.5 m/s, into a vessel holding an expanded slurry bed of solid catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid so that the gaseous reactant can bubble upwardly through the slurry bed. The slurry bed has a catalyst loading of less than 14% by volume of degassed slurry. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react catalytically at a pressure above atmospheric pressure as the gaseous reactant bubbles upwardly through the slurry bed to produce at least one product. The product and any unreacted gaseous reactant are withdrawn from the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: SASOL TECHNOLOGY (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED
    Inventor: Berthold Berend Breman
  • Publication number: 20140128483
    Abstract: A process for producing at least one product from at least one gaseous reactant includes feeding the gaseous reactant, as a gaseous feed or as part of a gaseous feed which is at an inlet superficial gas velocity of at least 0.5 m/s, into a vessel holding an expanded slurry bed of solid catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid so that the gaseous reactant can bubble upwardly through the slurry bed. The slurry bed has a catalyst loading of at least 20% by volume of degassed slurry. The gaseous reactant s allowed to react catalytically at a pressure above atmospheric pressure as the gaseous reactant bubbles upwardly through the slurry bed to produce at least one product. The product and any unreacted gaseous reactant are withdrawn from the vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: SASOL TECHNOLOGY (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED
    Inventor: Berthold Berend Breman
  • Publication number: 20140107232
    Abstract: A process for producing at least one product from at least one gaseous reactant includes feeding the gaseous reactant, as a gaseous feed or as part of a gaseous feed which is ax an inlet superficial gas velocity of at least 0.5 m/s, into a vessel holding an expanded slurry bed of solid catalyst particles suspended in a suspension liquid so that the gaseous reactant can bubble upwardly through die slurry bed. The slurry bed has a catalyst loading of less than 14% by volume of degassed slurry. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react catalytically at a pressure above atmospheric pressure as the gaseous reactant bubbles upwardly through the slurry bed to produce at least one product. The product and any unreacted gaseous reactant are withdrawn from the vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: SASOL TECHNOLOGY (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED
    Inventor: Berthold Berend Breman
  • Publication number: 20130071293
    Abstract: Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Patent number: 8283386
    Abstract: Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Sasol Technology (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Publication number: 20110311402
    Abstract: A method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in a plurality of vertically extending horizontally spaced slurry channels inside a common reactor shell, the slurry channels being defined between vertically extending horizontally spaced divider walls or plates and each slurry channel having a height, width and breadth such that the height and breadth are much larger than the width. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in the slurry channels, thereby to form non-gaseous and/or gaseous product. Gaseous product and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: André Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Publication number: 20110301253
    Abstract: Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Inventors: André Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Patent number: 8008359
    Abstract: Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Sasol Technology (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Publication number: 20080299022
    Abstract: An installation for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants. The installation has a reactor vessel having a vertically extending slurry bed zone; a first gas inlet in the vessel at a low level within the slurry bed zone for introducing gaseous reactants; a second gas inlet in the vessel at a level within the slurry bed zone which is above the first gas inlet for introducing recycled gas, the second gas inlet in the vessel being above the lower 20% of the vertical height of the slurry bed zone; a gas outlet in the vessel above the slurry bed zone, for withdrawing gas from a head space above the slurry bed zone and a liquid outlet in the vessel within the slurry bed zone, for withdrawing liquid product from the vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: SASOL Technology (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman
  • Patent number: 7439274
    Abstract: A process (10) for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants includes feeding at a low level gaseous reactants (14) and, optionally, a portion of a recycle gas stream into a vertically extending slurry bed (70) of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid inside a vessel (12), and feeding, as an additional gas feed (58), at least a portion of the recycle gas stream into the slurry bed (70) above the level at which the gaseous reactants (814) are fed into the slurry bed (70) and above the lower 20% of the vertical height of the slurry bed (70).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: SASOL Technology (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: André Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman
  • Publication number: 20080146683
    Abstract: Method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in at least two vertically extending shafts housed within a common reactor shell, each shaft being divided into a plurality of vertically extending channels at least some of which are in slurry flow communication and the slurry body being present in at least some of the channels. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in at least some of the channels of the shafts, thereby to form a non-gaseous and/or a gaseous product. Gaseous product, if present, and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederik Brilman
  • Publication number: 20080114083
    Abstract: A method of operating a three-phase slurry reactor includes feeding at a low level at least one gaseous reactant into a vertically extending slurry body of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid, the slurry body being contained in a plurality of vertically extending horizontally spaced slurry channels inside a common reactor shell, the slurry channels being defined between vertically extending horizontally spaced divider walls or plates and each slurry channel having a height, width and breadth such that the height and breadth are much larger than the width. The gaseous reactant is allowed to react as it passes upwardly through the slurry body present in the slurry channels, thereby to form non-gaseous and/or gaseous product. Gaseous product and/or unreacted gaseous reactant is allowed to disengage from the slurry body in a head space above the slurry body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Inventors: Andre Peter Steynberg, Berthold Berend Breman, Derk Willem Frederick Brilman
  • Patent number: 6413429
    Abstract: Claimed are a process and an apparatus for extracting a component dissolved in a liquid by means of liquid-liquid extraction using an extraction liquid which is immiscible or only partially miscible with the liquid, in which process the extraction liquid is dispersed in the liquid in a dispersion apparatus and then coalesced in a coalescer, after which the ex traction liquid, the specific weight of which differs by at least 5% from the specific weight of the liquid to be extracted in which the component to be extracted is to be found, is separated from the liquid by gravity in a phase separator in which process in order to obtain an efficiency per extraction stage of at least 0.9 at an average residence time of at most 15 seconds in the dispersion apparatus and of at most 300 seconds in the phase separator, at a linear velocity in the coalescer related to its cross-section of at least 30 m/hour: a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Akzo Nobel NV
    Inventors: Berthold Berend Breman, Jan Visser
  • Publication number: 20020030013
    Abstract: Claimed are a process and an apparatus for extracting a component dissolved in a liquid by means of liquid-liquid extraction using an extraction liquid which is immiscible or only partially miscible with the liquid, in which process the extraction liquid is dispersed in the liquid in a dispersion apparatus and then coalesced in a coalescer, after which the extraction liquid, the specific weight of which differs by at least 5% from the specific weight of the liquid to be extracted in which the component to be extracted is to be found, is separated from the liquid by gravity in a phase separator, in which process in order to obtain an efficiency per extraction stage of at least 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Inventors: Berthold Berend Breman, Jan Visser