Patents by Inventor Irvine W. Wei

Irvine W. Wei 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: 5500306
    Abstract: A system and method for converting organic material to electricity includes the steps of collecting a quantity of organic material, generating biogas from the material, and passing the biogas through an energy converter. Biogas is generated from the organic material by an anaerobic filter, and electricity is converted from the biogas by an energy converter, such as a high efficiency solid oxide fuel cell. To further increase the efficiency of the system, an anaerobic digester is used for treating a solid or sludge component of the organic material to generate additional biogas. In one embodiment of the invention, solar energy is used to maintain the anaerobic digester at an elevated temperature. Further efficiency enhancing measures include the recirculation of both the sludge and liquid components of the organic material to obtain additional biogas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1996
    Assignee: Ztek Corporation
    Inventors: Michael S. Hsu, Irvine W. Wei