Patents by Inventor Donald Eelch

Donald Eelch 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: 6100436
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for contacting reactants with a particulate catalyst while indirectly heating the reactants with a heat exchange medium improves temperature control by using an intermediate heat exchange fluid and system to prevent overheating of reactants and maintain parallel heating characteristics through multiple reaction-heat exchange zones. The internal flow path minimizes the circulation of the reaction zone heat exchange fluid by incorporating interstage reheating of the reaction zone heat exchange fluid as it passes in series flow. A particularly useful application of the process and apparatus is in the dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene to produce styrene. The process and apparatus can also be used with simultaneous exchange of catalyst particles by an operation that restricts reactant flow while moving catalyst through reaction stacks in which the reactant flow has been restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: William Wiede, Jr., Kevin J. Brandner, Bruce Allen Briggs, Donald Eelch, Constante P. Tagamolila