Patents by Inventor Carlos A. Cabrera

Carlos A. Cabrera 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: 8318013
    Abstract: The present invention involves the use of a multi-stage membrane system for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. In this multi-stage membrane system, high selectivity and high permeance or at least high selectivity polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes are applied for a pre-membrane or both the pre-membrane and the secondary membrane. A primary membrane can be from conventional glassy polymers. This multi-stage membrane system can reduce inter-stage compression cost, increase product recovery and product purity for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. It can also save the cost compared to the system using all the high cost polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Lubo Zhou, Chunqing Liu, Carlos A. Cabrera, Peter K. Coughlin
  • Patent number: 8231785
    Abstract: The present invention involves the use of a multi-stage membrane system for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. In this multi-stage membrane system, high selectivity and high permeance or at least high selectivity polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes are applied for a pre-membrane or both the pre-membrane and the secondary membrane. A primary membrane can be from conventional glassy polymers. This multi-stage membrane system can reduce inter-stage compression cost, increase product recovery and product purity for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. It can also save the cost compared to the system using all the high cost polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Lubo Zhou, Chunqing Liu, Carlos A. Cabrera, Peter K. Coughlin
  • Publication number: 20120085238
    Abstract: The present invention involves the use of a multi-stage membrane system for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. In this multi-stage membrane system, high selectivity and high permeance or at least high selectivity polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes are applied for a pre-membrane or both the pre-membrane and the secondary membrane. A primary membrane can be from conventional glassy polymers. This multi-stage membrane system can reduce inter-stage compression cost, increase product recovery and product purity for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. It can also save the cost compared to the system using all the high cost polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicant: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Lubo Zhou, Chunqing Liu, Carlos A. Cabrera, Peter K. Coughlin
  • Publication number: 20100288701
    Abstract: The present invention involves the use of a multi-stage membrane system for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. In this multi-stage membrane system, high selectivity and high permeance or at least high selectivity polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes are applied for a pre-membrane or both the pre-membrane and the secondary membrane. A primary membrane can be from conventional glassy polymers. This multi-stage membrane system can reduce inter-stage compression cost, increase product recovery and product purity for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. It can also save the cost compared to the system using all the high cost polybenzoxazole membranes or cross-linked polybenzoxazole membranes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Lubo Zhou, Chunqing Liu, Carlos A. Cabrera, Peter K. Coughlin
  • Patent number: 6248297
    Abstract: An FCC apparatus places a quench chamber above a reactor vessel and a hot stripper below a reactor vessel to provide a progressively decreasing temperature profile up the structure of the FCC arrangement and equipment for sequential reaction control. A riser contains the primary catalytic reactions of the hydrocarbon vapor and delivers the reacted vapors to the reactor structure. Starting from the bottom of the structure the hot stripper has the highest temperature and desorbs or displaces hydrocarbons from the catalyst to terminate long residence time catalytic reactions. Above the hot stripper bulk separation equipment divides the main vapor and catalyst stream to limit residence time of major catalytic reactions. At a yet higher elevation and lower internal temperature quench equipment arrests thermal reactions of the vapor stream. This structure arrangement permits reliable control of reaction time to obtain desired products and enhances mechanical reliability of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Laurence O. Stine, Charles L. Hemler, Carlos A. Cabrera, David A. Lomas
  • Patent number: 6171478
    Abstract: A process for the desulfurization of hydrocarbonaceous oil wherein the hydrocarbonaceous oil is contacted with a hydrodesulfurization catalyst in a hydrodesulfurization reaction zone to reduce the sulfur level to a relatively low level and then contacting the resulting hydrocarbonaceous stream from the hydrodesulfurization zone with an oxidizing agent to convert the residual, low level of sulfur compounds into sulfur-oxidated compounds. The resulting hydrocarbonaceous oil stream containing the sulfur-oxidated compounds is separated after decomposing any residual oxidizing agent to produce a stream containing the sulfur-oxidated compounds and a hydrocarbonaceous oil stream having a reduced concentration of sulfur-oxidated compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Carlos A. Cabrera, Tamotsu Imai
  • Patent number: 5234578
    Abstract: The simultaneous use of lift gas in a riser zone that, operates above 975.degree. F. (525.degree. C.) and directly transfers catalyst and hydrocarbons to a series of cyclone separators, the stripping of spent catalyst in a heated stripper zone for the recovery of additional hydrocarbon vapors, and the immediate quenching of a converted hydrocarbon feed upon leaving a cyclone separator raises the octane and product yield in an FCC process. The process uses the specific steps of passing regenerated catalyst particles into the lower section of a substantially vertical riser conversion zone at a temperature greater than 975.degree. F. and accelerating the particles up the riser by contact with a lift gas comprising C.sub.3 and lighter hydrocarbons to a velocity of at least 1.2 meters per second. A series of injection nozzles introduce the feed into the moving catalyst in an upper portion of the riser in an amount that will maintain an average temperature of at least 520.degree. C. in the riser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventors: Laurence O. Stine, Charles L. Hemler, Carlos A. Cabrera, David A. Lomas
  • Patent number: 5064622
    Abstract: Modern processes and arrangements for FCC processes can be obtained using a stacked FCC reactor-regenerator arrangement. These processes and arrangements use a stacked FCC unit having a bottom regeneration vessel, a superadjacent reactor vessel, and a stripping vessel laterally offset from and in open communication with the reactor vessel to make a two-stage regenerator having a lower first stage regeneration, an upper second stage of regeneration, and a catalyst cooler for removing feed from the catalyst. The process and arrangement makes complete use of the three existing vessels in the stacked reactor-regenerator arrangement by changing the function of the upper reactor vessel and the stripping vessel and adding a reactor vessel to the side of the stacked FCC arrangement. Therefore, apart from the addition of the new reactor only relatively minor modifications are necessary to more fully utilize stacked FCC reactor-regenerator arrangements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1991
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventor: Carlos A. Cabrera
  • Patent number: 4971767
    Abstract: Method of retrofitting catalyst coolers onto FCC regenerators and a cooler configuration specially suited for FCC regenerators uses a large manway or accessway commonly provided on the FCC regenerator to overcome the problems usually associated with finding a suitable space and clearance for the incorporation of a catalyst cooler. The catalyst cooler is added to the regenerator by removing the end cover from an existing manway on an FCC regenerator, extending the nozzle to provide a horizontal nozzle extension, attaching a vertical tube section of a catalyst cooler from the lower side of the nozzle extension and providing a new end closure at an opposite end of the nozzle extension. This method and the cooler apparatus minimizes the amount of welding and design work that must be done on the vessel and its associated piping when adding a catalyst cooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventors: Orville I. Ludwigsen, Carlos A. Cabrera
  • Patent number: 4859424
    Abstract: A method of converting a stacked FCC reactor-regenerator arrangement into a two-stage regenerator. In this method, a stacked FCC unit having a bottom regeneration vessel, a superadjacent reactor vessel, and a stripping vessel laterally offset from and in open communication with the reactor vessel are used to make a two-stage regenerator having a lower first stage of regeneration, an upper second stage regeneration vessel, and a catalyst cooler for moving heat from the catalyst. This method makes complete use of the three existing vessels in the stacked reactor regenerator arrangement by converting the upper reactor vessel into the second stage regeneration vessel and the stripping vessel into the catalyst cooler. Therefore, apart from the addition of a new reactor only relatively minor modifications are nesessary to convert the stacked reactor-regenerator arrangement into a two-stage regenerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1989
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventor: Carlos A. Cabrera
  • Patent number: 4849091
    Abstract: FCC catalyst is regenerated in a process providing increased coke-burning capacity without additional heat evolution or air consumption. The process uses a two-stage regeneration arrangement providing initial coke combustion in a low catalyst density-high efficiency contact zone followed by substantial separation of catalyst and regeneration gas and complete regeneration of catalyst particles in a dense bed regeneration zone. Catalyst and gas flow cocurrent prior to this separation but flow countercurrent after the separation. An effective control scheme for regulating oxygen addition to the final zone is also disclosed. This process is applicable to FCC operations for conventional and residual feedstocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: UOP
    Inventors: Carlos A. Cabrera, Daniel N. Myers, Harold U. Hammershaimb