Patents by Inventor Hilary Ann Mercer

Hilary Ann Mercer 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).

  • Cooling a fluid stream
    Patent number: 5832745
    Abstract: Method of cooling a fluid stream which passes through a hot side (Id, Ib, Ic) of a main heat exchanger (I) comprising removing refrigerant from the main heat exchanger (I); compressing refrigerant in a two-stage compressor unit (7) to obtain refrigerant at high pressure; partly condensing (12) the refrigerant to obtain a first two-phase fluid, and separating (13) the first two-phase fluid into a first condensed fraction (15) and a first gaseous fraction (16); cooling the first condensed fraction (15) in an auxiliary heat exchanger (2) to obtain a cooled first condensed fraction (18), cooling the first gaseous fraction (16) in the auxiliary heat exchanger (2) to obtain a second two-phase fluid (26), wherein cooling is provided by liquid evaporating at intermediate pressure in the cold side (2a); separating (28) the second two-phase fluid into a second condensed fraction (33) and a second gaseous fraction (32); allowing part of the second condensed fraction (49) to evaporate in the cold side (2a) of the auxilia
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Robert Klein Nagelvoort, Kornelis Jan Vink, Hilary Ann Mercer