Patents by Inventor Douglas John Eames

Douglas John Eames 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).

  • Electrochemical cell having a current distributor comprising a conductive polymer composite material
    Patent number: 6042702
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrochemical cell which has an electrode, a membrane disposed in contact with one side of the electrode and a current bus disposed on the other side of the electrode. A current distributor which is disposed between the electrode and the current bus distributes current to the electrode by electronic conduction. The current distributor is made of a non-porous layer of a conductive polymer composite material. The current distributor thus provides a barrier between the current bus and the reactant and the product of the cell. This is especially important in aggressive environments, such as hydrogen chloride. Thus, the cell of the present invention is particularly useful in converting anhydrous hydrogen halide directly to essentially dry halogen gas, such as anhydrous hydrogen chloride to chlorine gas, or in converting aqueous hydrogen chloride to wet chlorine gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Kolouch, David Lee Reichert, Robert Lloyd Freed, Andrew Kelsey Birchenall, Clarence Garlan Law, Jr., James Arthur Trainham, III, John Scott Newman, Douglas John Eames
  • Membrane hydration in electrochemical conversion of anhydrous hydrogen halide to halogen gas
    Patent number: 5976346
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrochemical cell, system and process for converting essentially anhydrous hydrogen halide to essentially dry halogen gas. The process of the present invention is useful for converting anhydrous hydrogen halide, in particular, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide and hydrogen iodide, to a halogen gas, such as chlorine, fluorine, bromine, or iodine. In particular, in the present invention, water is provided to the cation-transporting membrane at the cathode in various ways. The present invention allows for recovery of a released fluid at the cathode-side of the membrane and recycling of the released fluid back to the cathode side of the membrane. In this way, the recovered, released fluid may be recycled to continuously supply water to the membrane, thereby allowing the limiting current density of the cell to be increased and/or controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Francisco Jose Freire, Edward Joseph Fahy, Dennie Turin Mah, Kenneth Bernard Keating, Douglas John Eames, William H. Zimmerman, James Arthur Trainham, Clarence Garlan Law, Jr., John Scott Newman
  • Electrochemical conversion of anhydrous hydrogen halide to halogens gas using a membrane-electrode assembly or gas diffusion electrodes
    Patent number: 5798036
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrochemical cell and a process for converting anhydrous hydrogen halide to halogen gas using a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) or a separate membrane and electrode arrangement, such as gas diffusion electrodes with a membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: William H. Zimmerman, Thomas Frank Saturno, John Stanley Artysiewicz, James Arthur Trainham, Clarence Garlan Law, Jr., John Scott Newman, Douglas John Eames