Patents by Inventor Hugo Walravens

Hugo Walravens 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: 20180169567
    Abstract: Process wherein a low CO2 content process gas generated by an ammonia-soda process unit or a refined sodium bicarbonate unit is enriched by using a Temperature Swing Adsorption CO2 concentration module into a CO2 enriched gas whose CO2 content is increased by at least +10% by volume on dry gas basis relative to the process gas, and which is subsequently recycled to the ammonia-soda process unit or optionally to the refined sodium bicarbonate unit, in order: to produce sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate, or to carbonate at least part of effluent from the unit for producing sodium carbonate or bicarbonate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Eric VANDERVORST, David Jean Lucien SAVARY, Gérard DUPONT, Hugo WALRAVENS, Eric Pierre DUBOIS, Jean-Paul COQUEREL, Perrine DAVOINE, Karine CAVALIER, Ines HURTADO DOMINGEZ, Salvador ASENSIO
  • Publication number: 20180050916
    Abstract: Process for producing sodium carbonate with ammonia and/or for producing refined sodium bicarbonate, wherein: a low CO2 content gas generated by a unit for producing sodium carbonate with ammonia and/or generated by a unit for producing refined sodium bicarbonate is enriched into a CO2-enriched gas by using a CO2 concentration module, such as an amine-type or ammonia or PSA or TSA or cryogenic distillation or membrane-type CO2 concentration module, and said CO2-enriched gas has an increased CO2 content of: +10% (at least) to +90% (at most), by volume on a dry gas basis relative to the CO2 concentration of the low content gas, and the CO2-enriched gas is subsequently recycled to the unit for producing sodium carbonate with ammonia and/or to the unit for producing refined sodium bicarbonate, to produce sodium carbonate, or sodium bicarbonate, or to carbonate at least one part of effluent from the unit for producing sodium carbonate and/or from the unit for producing sodium bicarbonate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: Eric VANDERVORST, David Jean Lucien SAVARY, Gérard DUPONT, Hugo WALRAVENS, Eric DUBOIS, Jean-Paul COQUEREL, Perrine DAVOINE, Karine CAVALIER, Ines HURTADO DOMINGEZ, Salvador ASENSIO
  • Patent number: 9051627
    Abstract: A process for producing sodium bicarbonate from a sodium carbonate bearing stream (A) comprising at least 2% sodium chloride and/or sodium sulfate by weight, a part of such stream (A) being generated by a sodium carbonate crystallizer, comprising: a) mixing the stream (A) with part of a stream (B) to produce a stream (C); b) bicarbonating the stream (C) with a gas (D) comprising CO2 to produce an aqueous suspension (E) containing crystals (F) comprising sodium bicarbonate crystals; c) separating the aqueous suspension (E) to obtain crystals (F) comprising sodium bicarbonate crystals and an aqueous mother liquor (G); d) partly debicarbonating such liquor (G) and removing part of the water to obtain the stream (B) and an optional gas (H); e) recycling at least part of the stream (B) to step a); and f) removing the remainder of the stream (B) or part of the aqueous mother liquor (G) to be further processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: SOLVAY SA
    Inventors: Hugo Walravens, Kurt Allen, Thoi-Dai Chau, Alain Vandendoren
  • Patent number: 8865095
    Abstract: A process for producing sodium bicarbonate from a sodium carbonate bearing stream (A) comprising sodium carbonate and an alkaline metal salt impurity at a concentration Ci(A), comprising: a) mixing the stream (A) with part of a stream (B), b) bicarbonating the resulting mixed stream with a gas comprising CO2 to produce an aqueous suspension comprising sodium bicarbonate crystals (F), c) separating the sodium bicarbonate crystals (F) from the aqueous liquor (G), d) partly debicarbonating at least part of (G) and removing part of the water of (G) to obtain the stream (B) with the salt impurity at a concentration Cf(B), e) recycling part of the stream (B) to step a) so that the ratio of the concentrations Cf(B)/Ci(A) of the impurity is at least: 1.4, and f) removing the remainder (I) of the stream (B) or the remainder (J) of the liquor (G) to be further processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Solvay SA
    Inventors: Hugo Walravens, Kurt Allen, Thoi-Dai Chau, Alain Vandendoren