Patents by Inventor Gregory Joseph Panuccio

Gregory Joseph Panuccio 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: 9680350
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for separating air and generating electrical power. A compressed air stream produced in a main air compressor is introduced into an air separation unit that cryogenically rectifies the air into component products. During turndown conditions of the air separation unit, a combustion air stream formed from all or part of the compressed air stream is introduced into a combustor in which a fuel is combusted to produce a heated and pressurized combustion stream. Such stream is introduced to a turbine connected to an electrical generator to generate electrical power. The combustion air stream can be saturated with moisture to increase power output. Further, the combustion air stream can also be preheated with an exhaust of a gas turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: PRAXAIR TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Gregory Joseph Panuccio, Raymond Francis Drnevich, Minish Mahendra Shah
  • Publication number: 20140091577
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for separating air and generating electrical power. A compressed air stream produced in a main air compressor is introduced into an air separation unit that cryogenically rectifies the air into component products. During turndown conditions of the air separation unit, a combustion air stream formed from all or part of the compressed air stream is introduced into a combustor in which a fuel is combusted to produce a heated and pressurized combustion stream. Such stream is introduced to a turbine connected to an electrical generator to generate electrical power. The combustion air stream can be saturated with moisture to increase power output. Further, the combustion air stream can also be preheated with an exhaust of a gas turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Inventors: Gregory Joseph Panuccio, Raymond Francis Drnevich, Minish Mahendra Shah
  • Publication number: 20120041242
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a substitute natural gas stream to be added to a natural gas stream in which at least part of a refinery gas stream is reacted in a catalytic reactor to hydrogenate olefins into saturated hydrocarbons. The extent to which hydrogen and olefins are reacted in the catalytic reactor is controlled to reduce the concentration of olefins in the resulting substitute natural gas stream and to increase the interchangeability of the substitute natural gas stream with the natural gas. This control can be effectuated by by-passing part of the refinery off gas to an intermediate product stream produced by the catalytic reactor and thereby forming the substitute natural gas stream from the by-passed refinery gas stream and the intermediate product stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Gregory Joseph Panuccio, Vasilis Papavassiliou, Raymond Francis Drnevich
  • Publication number: 20110085967
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a hydrogen containing product in which hydrocarbon containing feed gas streams are reacted in a steam methane reformer of an existing hydrogen plant and a catalytic reactor that reacts hydrocarbons, oxygen and steam. The catalytic reactor is a retrofit to the existing hydrogen plant to increase hydrogen production. The resulting synthesis gas streams are combined, cooled, subjected to water-gas shift and then introduced into a production apparatus that can be a pressure swing adsorption unit. The amount of synthesis gas contained in a shifted stream made available to the production apparatus is increased by virtue of the combination of the synthesis gas streams to increase production of the hydrogen containing product. The catalytic reactor is operated such that the synthesis gas stream produced by such reactor is similar to that produced by the steam methane reformer and at a temperature that will reduce oxygen consumption within the catalytic reactor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Inventors: Troy Michael Raybold, Gregory Joseph Panuccio, Jerome Thomas Jankowiak, Vasilis Papavassiliou, Raymond Francis Drnevich