Patents by Inventor Brendan Dermot Murray

Brendan Dermot Murray 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: 7462752
    Abstract: This invention provides for a process to convert branched or linear alkanes to branched or linear alpha olefins (AO) of the same carbon number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Howard Lam-Ho Fong, Lizbeth Olivia Cisneros Trevino, Brendan Dermot Murray, Manuel Luis Cano
  • Publication number: 20080249336
    Abstract: There is provided a new branched primary alcohol composition and the sulfates thereof exhibiting good cold water detergency and biodegradability. The branched primary alcohol composition has an average number of branches per chain of at least 0.7, having at least 8 carbon atoms and contianing both methyl and ethyl branches. The primary alcohol composition may also contain less than 0.5 atom % of quaternary carbon atoms, and a significant number ethyl branches, terminal isopropyl branches, and branching at the C3 position relative to the hydroxyl carbon. The process for its manufacture is by skeletally isomerizing an olefin feed having at least 7 carbon atoms followed by conversion to an alcohol, as by way of hydroformylation, and ultimately, sulfation to obtain a detergent surfactant Useful catalysts include the zeolites having at least one channel with a crystallographic free diameter along the x and/or y planes of the [001] view ranging from greater than 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: David M. Singleton, Louis Kravetz, Brendan Dermot Murray
  • Patent number: 7426959
    Abstract: A system including a mechanism for recovering oil and/or gas from an underground formation, the oil and/or gas comprising one or more sulfur compounds; a mechanism for converting at least a portion of the sulfur compounds from the recovered oil and/or gas into a carbon disulfide formulation; and a mechanism for releasing at least a portion of the carbon disulfide formulation into a formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Dean Chien Wang, Alexander Michiel Mollinger, Douglas Charlton McCammon, Raul Valdez, Johan Jacobus Van Dorp, Eric Johannes Puik, Michael Zvi Golombok, Willem Van Vark, Michiel Jan Groeneveld, Brendan Dermot Murray, Thomas Mikus
  • Patent number: 7358411
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydrocracking process involving the steps of reacting a diphenyl alkane having a formulation of R1R2C(Ph)-(C)n(H)m-C(Ph)R3R4 with hydrogen using a catalyst containing a metal selected from the group consisting of Group IB and Group VIII metal compounds, preferably on an acidic support, to produce alkylbenzene(s) having a structure of R1R2C(Ph)R5 and R6(Ph)CR3R4; wherein the total number of carbon atoms for R5 and R6 is equal to n; wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 each is a H or a hydrocarbon group having 1-10 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Brendan Dermot Murray, Garo Garbis Vaporciyan
  • Patent number: 7348462
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Patent number: 7348465
    Abstract: A method for increasing selectivity of alkylation to monoalkylation comprising: providing a feedstream consisting essentially of alkylating agent and a stoichiometric excess of benzene, the alkylating agent consisting essentially of a molar blend of propylene and one or more linear butene(s); and, contacting the feedstream with a catalytically effective amount of zeolite beta under alkylation reaction conditions which increase selectivity of the alkylation to monoalkylation compared to predicted selectivity to monoalkylation based on the concentration of the alkylating agent and on the molar blend of propylene and one or more linear butene(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Brendan Dermot Murray, Narayana Mysore, James William Yaeger
  • Patent number: 7335802
    Abstract: Systems and methods to produced branched aliphatic alcohols are described. Systems may include a dehydrogenation-isomerization unit, an olefin dimerization unit, an olefin isomerization unit, a hydroformylation unit, a dehydrogenation unit, a hydrogenation unit and/or combinations thereof. Methods for producing branched aliphatic alcohols may include isomerization of olefins in a process stream. The isomerized olefins may be hydroformylated to produce aliphatic alcohols. After hydroformylation of the aliphatic alcohols, unreacted components from the hydroformylation process may be separated from the aliphatic alcohols products. The unreacted components from the hydroformylation process may be recycled back into the main process stream or sent to other processing units. Addition of multiple streams to the units may be performed to control reaction conditions in the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Paul Marie Ayoub, Hendrik Dirkzwager, Brendan Dermot Murray, Steve Clois Sumrow
  • Patent number: 7235684
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Patent number: 7193093
    Abstract: A process for preparing an alkylene oxide, which process comprises: (i) oxidizing an alkylbenzene to obtain a stream comprising alkylbenzene hydroperoxide, (ii) contacting at least part of the alkylbenzene hydroperoxide obtained in step (i) with an olefin to obtain a product stream comprising an alkylene oxide (iii) separating alkylene oxide compound from the product stream of step (ii) to obtain (a) a residual product stream comprising alkylphenyl alcohol, and (b) alkylene oxide, (iv) feeding at least a part of the residual product stream comprising alkylphenyl alcohol to a reactor having a catalytic distillation zone, and concurrently in the reactor, (a) contacting the residual product stream comprising alkylphenyl alcohol with hydrogen in the catalytic distillation zone to convert the alkylphenyl alcohol in the residual product stream to alkylbenzene and form a reaction mixture, and (b) separating alkylbenzene from the reaction mixture by fractional distillation, (v) withdrawing a stream comprising a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Brendan Dermot Murray, Garo Garbis Vaporciyan
  • Patent number: 7189886
    Abstract: A process for producing an alkylbenzene from an alkylphenyl alcohol involving the steps of: (a) feeding a feed stream containing alkylphenyl a reactor having a catalytic distillation zone; and, (b) concurrently in the reactor (i) contacting the feed stream containing alkylphenyl alcohol with hydrogen in the catalytic distillation zone to convert alkylphenyl alcohol to alkylbenzene over a catalyst containing Group VIII or a Group IB metal; and, (ii) separating alkylbenzene from the reaction mixture by fractional distillation to produce an overhead stream containing alkylbenzene having a reduced concentration of alkylphenyl alcohol than the feed stream from the distillation column reactor. Examples of the alkylphenyl alcohol include cumyl alcohol, phenyl ethyl alcohol, or di(2-hydroxyl 2-propyl)benzene, and that for the alkylbenzene include cumene and di-ethyl benzene, or di(2-hydroxyl-2-propyl)benzene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Brendan Dermot Murray, Garo Garbis Vaporciyan
  • Patent number: 7091387
    Abstract: This invention provides a process to convert alkanes to primary alcohols of the same carbon number. Carbon numbers of particular interest are C8 to C18.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Howard Lam-Ho Fong, Lizbeth Olivia Cisneros Trevino, Brendan Dermot Murray, Manuel Luis Cano
  • Patent number: 7087777
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched olefins comprising 0.5% or less quaternary aliphatic carbon atoms, which process comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.7 and the branching comprising methyl and optionally ethyl branches, and which isoparaffinic composition may be obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax; a method of using olefins for making an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant, in particular a surfactant sulfate or sulfonate, comprising converting the branched olefins into the surfactant; and an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant which is obtainable by the method of use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Patent number: 7078579
    Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of a vinylidene olefin, comprising contacting a feed comprising the vinylidene olefin with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm; and a process for treating an olefin mixture which comprises a linear ?-olefin and a vinylidene olefin which is isomeric to the linear ?-olefin and which is of the general formula CH2?C(R1)R2, wherein R1 represents an ethyl group and R2 represents a linear 1-alkyl group, which process comprises isomerizing the vinylidene olefin to form a double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin by contacting a feed comprising the olefin mixture with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm, and separating the linear ?-olefin from the double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Doll, Brendan Dermot Murray
  • Patent number: 7053257
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Patent number: 7041865
    Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of an olefin, which process comprises contacting a feed comprising the olefin with an isomerization catalyst, wherein prior to contacting the feed with the isomerization catalyst one or more components of the feed are pretreated by contacting with a pretreating material which comprises a zeolite which has a pore size of at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Doll, Brendan Dermot Murray
  • Publication number: 20040167369
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Publication number: 20040167368
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Publication number: 20040167347
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting branched olefins with an aromatic hydrocarbon under alkylating conditions, which branched olefins have been obtained by a process which comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition has been obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax and which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Patent number: 6765106
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched olefins comprising 0.5% or less quaternary aliphatic carbon atoms, which process comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.7 and the branching comprising methyl and optionally ethyl branches, and which isoparaffinic composition may be obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax; a method of using olefins for making an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant, in particular a surfactant sulfate or sulfonate, comprising converting the branched olefins into the surfactant; and an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant which is obtainable by the method of use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub
  • Publication number: 20040133037
    Abstract: A process for preparing branched olefins comprising 0.5% or less quaternary aliphatic carbon atoms, which process comprises dehydrogenating an isoparaffinic composition over a suitable catalyst which isoparaffinic composition comprises paraffins having a carbon number in the range of from 7 to 35, of which paraffins at least a portion of the molecules is branched, the average number of branches per paraffin molecule being at least 0.7 and the branching comprising methyl and optionally ethyl branches, and which isoparaffinic composition may be obtained by hydrocracking and hydroisomerization of a paraffinic wax; a method of using olefins for making an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant, in particular a surfactant sulfate or sulfonate, comprising converting the branched olefins into the surfactant; and an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant or a cationic surfactant which is obtainable by the method of use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventors: Laurent Alain Michel Fenouil, Brendan Dermot Murray, Paul Marie Ayoub