Patents by Inventor Hisashi Kobayashi

Hisashi Kobayashi 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).

  • Publication number: 20030113257
    Abstract: A method for producing hydrogen in an energy efficient manner wherein steam and methane are reacted to produce synthesis gas from which hydrogen is recovered, and heat employed in the process is recovered using a defined regenerative bed system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Thomas Gilbert Halvorson
  • Publication number: 20030110694
    Abstract: Abstract of the Invention This invention is directed to a process for producing syngas by increasing the flow of a mixture of steam and methane into a steam methane reformer reaction. This process comprises adding an oxygen-enriched gas to the steam to produce an enriched-oxygen/steam mixture prior to mixing the steam with the methane in the reformer reaction. Oxygen-enriched gas may be added directly to the steam-methane mixture, or to the combustion air. Oxygen-enriched gas may also be added to the air-methane mixture of a gas turbine for operation with the steam methane reforming process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Raymond Francis Drnevich, Gary Wayne Fenner, Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool
  • Publication number: 20030108833
    Abstract: Fuel such as coal is combusted in a staged combustion device in a method comprising feeding into a first combustion stage of said furnace said fuel and gaseous oxidant containing more than 21 vol. % oxygen, and preferably 21.8 to 29 vol. % oxygen, at a stoichiometric ratio below that which, if the stage were operated with air as the only oxidant, would produce the same amount of NOx, and combusting said fuel with said gaseous oxidant in said combustion stage to produce combustion products and unburned fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Applicant: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool
  • Publication number: 20030104328
    Abstract: NOx formation in the combustion of solid hydrocarbonaceous fuel such as coal is reduced by obtaining, from the incoming feed stream of fuel solids and air, a stream having a ratio of fuel solids to air that is higher than that of the feed steam, and injecting the thus obtained stream and a small amount of oxygen to a burner where the fuel solids are combusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool, William J. Snyder
  • Patent number: 6572676
    Abstract: A process for melting an aluminum charge into molten aluminum and simultaneously refining the molten aluminum to produce a refined molten aluminum having a low hydrogen content in a direct fired furnace (10) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Arthur Francis Wellington, Xueping Li, Jay Jonathan Feinstein
  • Publication number: 20030099913
    Abstract: A furnace that combusts fuel, such as coal, of a given minimum energy content to obtain a stated minimum amount of energy per unit of time is enabled to combust fuel having a lower energy content, while still obtaining at least the stated minimum energy generation rate, by replacing a small amount of the combustion air fed to the furnace by oxygen. The replacement of oxygen for combustion air also provides reduction in the generation of NOx.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool, Kuang Tsai Wu
  • Publication number: 20030099912
    Abstract: NOx emissions from combustion are reduced, NOx reduction efficiency by SNCR is improved, and other efficiencies are realized, by injecting oxygen into a fuel-rich combustion zone under controlled conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Kuang Tsai Wu, Lawrence E. Bool
  • Publication number: 20030091948
    Abstract: Improved operational characteristics such as improved fuel efficiency, reduction of NOx formation, reduction of the amount of unburned carbon in the ash, and lessened tendency to corrosion at the tube wall, in a multi-burner furnace are obtained by reducing the flow rate of combustion air to the burners and selectively individually feeding oxidant to only some of the burners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Lawrence E. Bool, Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6562104
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for combusting a fuel having application to a heat consuming device such as a boiler or furnace or a reactor. An oxygen-containing stream is introduced into one or more oxygen transport membranes subjected to a reactive purge or a sweep gas. The oxygen transport membrane(s) can advantageously be subjected to a reactive purge or a sweep gas passing in a cross-flow direction with respect to the membranes to facilitate separation of the oxygen. In case of a reactive purge, temperature control of the oxygen transport membrane(s) is effectuated by the use of a suitable heat sink. Further, the oxygen transport membranes can be arranged in a row and be connected in series such that retentate streams of ever lower oxygen concentrations are passed to successive oxygen transport membranes in the row. The fuel or sweep gas can be introduced in a direction counter-current to the bulk flow of the retentate streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence E. Bool, III, Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6539719
    Abstract: An oxygen selective ion transport membrane is integrated with a boiler furnace to generate steam and, optionally, high purity oxygen and nitrogen. The heat required to drive the system is obtained by the combustion of an oxygen transported through the oxygen selective ion transport membrane with a high BTU fuel such as methane or natural gas. NOx compound formation is minimized either by utilizing a combustion products diluted air/fuel mixture for combustion in the boiler furnace or by limiting combustion to a mixture of oxygen and a fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravi Prasad, Hisashi Kobayashi, Pauline Jane Cook
  • Patent number: 6532771
    Abstract: Glass is produced in a glassmelting furnace by combusting fuel and oxidant having an oxygen content greater than 80 vol. % oxygen in a melting zone to form molten glass, wherein the surface of the molten glass is exposed to the gaseous atmosphere in the melting zone and the water vapor content of the atmosphere at the surface of the molten glass is greater than 35 vol. %, and oxidant having an oxygen content greater than 80 vol. % is injected into the refining zone of the furnace under conditions to minimize mixing of said oxidant with gases above said oxidant and sweep water vapor at the surface of the molten glass into the melting zone to lower the water vapor content of the atmosphere at the surface of the molten glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, William Joseph Snyder, Kuang Tsai Wu
  • Publication number: 20030037571
    Abstract: Glass is produced in a glassmelting furnace by combusting fuel and oxidant having an oxygen content greater than 80 vol. % oxygen in a melting zone to form molten glass, wherein the surface of the molten glass is exposed to the gaseous atmosphere in the melting zone and the water vapor content of the atmosphere at the surface of the molten glass is greater than 35 vol. %, and oxidant having an oxygen content greater than 80 vol. % is injected into the refining zone of the furnace under conditions to minimize mixing of said oxidant with gases above said oxidant and sweep water vapor at the surface of the molten glass into the melting zone to lower the water vapor content of the atmosphere at the surface of the molten glass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, William Joseph Snyder, Kuang Tsai Wu
  • Publication number: 20030009932
    Abstract: Fuel such as coal is combusted in a staged combustion device in a method comprising feeding into a first combustion stage of said furnace said fuel and gaseous oxidant containing more than 21 vol. % oxygen, and preferably 21.8 to 29 vol. % oxygen, at a stoichiometric ratio below that which, if the stage were operated with air as the only oxidant, would produce the same amount of NOx, and combusting said fuel with said gaseous oxidant in said combustion stage to produce combustion products and unburned fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Applicant: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool
  • Publication number: 20030003414
    Abstract: This invention is directed to a method for carrying out combustion in a furnace having porous walls with a large surface area comprising providing a combustion zone containing an atmosphere of furnace gases. A low velocity oxidant stream is injected through at least one oxidant injection side of the porous walls into the combustion zone and mixing furnace gases with the oxidant stream in a mixing zone within the combustion zone to produce an oxidant mixture. A fuel stream is injected through at least one fuel injection side adjacent to the oxidant injection side in the combustion zone. The oxidant mixture is mixed with the fuel stream to create a fuel-oxidant mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Inventor: Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6470066
    Abstract: An X-ray computerized tomography (CT) apparatus including a cyclic movement detector to detect a cyclic movement of at least a part of a living body to be examined, and producing an output signal representing the cyclic movement, a rotational member support an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, and rotating around the living body, a driving mechanism to drive a rotation of the rotational member, and a control unit to control a rotational speed of the rotational member in accordance with the output signal indicative of the cyclic movement from the cyclic movement detector, so that the X-ray detector collects total scan data for reconstructing a single slice starting at a predetermined phase of a signal cycle of the cyclic movement of the part of the living body, and not ending until immediately before a corresponding phase of a next cycle of the cyclic movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takagi, Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20020150037
    Abstract: In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems, iterative maximum likelihood channel estimation and signal detection is preformed. The channel estimation gives the maximum likelihood estimates of time domain channel parameters. A cost function is defined. An iterative process estimates a joint channel impulse response and a transmitted signal that minimize the cost function, and thus solves the channel estimation and signal detection problem jointly without having specific knowledge of the channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Bao, Pei Chen, Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20020134529
    Abstract: The wall thickness of at least a portion, which is plastically deformed, of a protruding portion used for calking is reduced to less than that of the other portions. Due to the foregoing, the bending rigidity of the protruding portion is decreased. Therefore, it is possible to bend (plastically deform) the protruding portion by a relatively low-intensity force. Accordingly, it is possible to easily execute the calking work (calking process) without the need to extend the length of the protruding portion (length from a forward end of the protruding portion to a bent portion). As a result, even if the pressure-withstanding property of an inter-cooler is enhanced by increasing the wall thickness of core plates, it is possible to prevent the calking workability from deteriorating and without increasing the size of the inter-cooler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventors: Takahiro Nozaki, Yasutoshi Yamanaka, Hisashi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20020127505
    Abstract: Fuel such as coal is combusted in a staged combustion device in a method comprising feeding into a first combustion stage of said furnace said fuel and gaseous oxidant containing more than 21 vol. % oxygen, and preferably 21.8 to 29 vol. % oxygen, at a stoichiometric ratio below that which, if the stage were operated with air as the only oxidant, would produce the same amount of NOx, and combusting said fuel with said gaseous oxidant in said combustion stage to produce combustion products and unburned fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Hisashi Kobayashi, Lawrence E. Bool
  • Publication number: 20020078906
    Abstract: An oxygen selective ion transport membrane is integrated with a boiler furnace to generate steam and, optionally, high purity oxygen and nitrogen. The heat required to drive the system is obtained by the combustion of an oxygen transported through the oxygen selective ion transport membrane with a high BTU fuel such as methane or natural gas. NOx compound formation is minimized either by utilizing a combustion products diluted air/fuel mixture for combustion in the boiler furnace or by limiting combustion to a mixture of oxygen and a fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventors: Ravi Prasad, Hisashi Kobayashi, Pauline Jane Cook
  • Publication number: 20020073938
    Abstract: An oxygen separation and combustion apparatus such as a boiler or a nitrogen generator in which a plurality of fluid passages and oxygen transport membranes are located within a combustion chamber. The oxygen transport membranes separate oxygen from an oxygen containing gas, thereby to provide the oxygen within the combustion chamber to support combustion of a fuel and thereby to generate heat. The fluid passages are positioned to allow a portion of the heat to be transferred from the combustion to the oxygen transport membranes to heat said oxygen transport membranes to an operational temperature and a further portion of the heat to be transferred from the combustion to the fluid, thereby to heat the fluid and also, to help stabilize the operational temperature of said oxygen transport membranes. Fuel is introduced into the combustion chamber by injection or as a mixture with circulated flue gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Lawrence E. Bool, Hisashi Kobayashi