Patents by Inventor Kay A. Johnson

Kay A. Johnson 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: 20160026440
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the visualization of complex information using a set of navigable landmasses. A method for generating a visualization of a programming code base using a set of navigable landmasses in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: representing each of a plurality of different code components using a respective landmass; adjusting a size of each landmass based on a number of lines of code in the code component corresponding to the landmass; and displaying the landmasses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Donna E. Dillenberger, Sandra Kay Johnson, Joan Mitchell, David Ward
  • Publication number: 20100221686
    Abstract: An educational board game includes a board depicting a track with a plurality of spaces sized to accept player position tokens and a card set for each player containing questions or tasks designed to test the player's knowledge, with each player's card set differing based on the quantity of cards, the difficulty level, and/or the subject matter. Movement of the position tokens is determined by a random number generator. Some of the spaces on the track are designated draw spaces, directing the player to draw a card from the card set and attempt to give the correct response. A player may win the game by correctly responding to all cards in the card set. The variation between each player's card set allows players of differing skill levels to play at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Inventor: Lanita Kay Johnson
  • Patent number: 7004985
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated gasification and hydroprocessing process. A hydrocarbonaceous fuel is first gasified to produce syngas, and then a portion of the hydrogen is removed from the syngas. The hydrogen is compressed and used as an excess reactant in a hydroprocessing unit. Hydrogen gas is recovered from the hydroprocessing unit product, purified, compressed and recycled to the hydroprocessing unit. The hydrogen-poor syngas is expanded in an expander that drives the compressor that compresses the recycled hydrogen gas. The expanded syngas is then combined with light hydrocarbons removed from the recycle hydrogen gas stream, combusted in a gas turbine and used for power generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Texaco, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Janice L. Kasbaum, Alma I. Rodarte
  • Patent number: 6606862
    Abstract: The primary object of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus to recover heat from a combustion engine turbine exhaust that involves exchanging heat between the combustion engine turbine exhaust and both a heat transfer medium and water. The exhaust is cooled in a series of heat exchange steps that ultimately produces a heated heat transfer medium fluid and superheated steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Janice L. Kasbaum
  • Patent number: 6588212
    Abstract: Syngas for use, as fuel in the combustion turbine of an IGCC process is heated to a maximum temperature of about 350° F. (177° C.) prior to entering the combustor. Non-combustible diluent gas and additional fuel with a high heating value is also added to the syngas to increase the total heating value of the feed to the combustor of the gas turbine. The cooler temperature allows for more mass flow to the combustion turbine, allowing for greater sensible heat in the syngas to offset the latent heat loss due to the cooler temperature. Because the syngas/diluent feed steam is not heated to the high temperatures disclosed in the prior art, the steam that would otherwise heat the feed stream is available for power generation in the steam turbine, increasing its individual power output and the overall power output of the IGCC process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6550252
    Abstract: A hydrotreated liquid contains volatile hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide. An inert gas, preferably nitrogen, is used to strip volatiles from the hydrotreated liquid. This stripper gas is then added to fuel gas fed to a combustion turbine, where combustibles in the fuel gas and stripper gas are combusted. The stripping is at a pressure sufficient to allow the stripper gas, now containing hydrocarbons and hydrogen, to be added to the combustion turbine fuel without additional compression. This process allows for efficient use of the stripped combustibles, and the nitrogen added to the fuel, gas provides increased power generation from the combustion turbine and reduces NOx emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Alma I. Rodarte
  • Patent number: 6533925
    Abstract: This invention involves heat integration of a solvent deasphalting process with a gasification process and an improved process for separating a resin phase from a solvent solution comprising a solvent, deasphalted oil (DAO) and resin. This improved process comprises heating the solvent solution so as to precipitate the resin from the solvent solution, and then separating the resin and some solvent from the solvent solution. This will produce a resin product and a mixture comprising the DAO and the remaining solvent. The DAO/solvent mixture is then boiled so as to vaporize a fraction of the solvent, with waste heat from a gasification unit providing the heat source for the boiling. The vaporized solvent is removed from the DAO/solvent mixture leaving a resin-free DAO product that contains any unvaporized solvent. The vaporized solvent is used for heating the aforementioned solvent solution and preheating the resin-free DAO/solvent mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Texaco Development Corporation
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Clint F. Penrose, Jacqueline G. Niccum
  • Publication number: 20030041518
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated gasification and hydroprocessing process. A hydrocarbonaceous fuel is first gasified to produce syngas, and then a portion of the hydrogen is removed from the syngas. The hydrogen is compressed and used as an excess reactant in a hydroprocessing unit. Hydrogen gas is recovered from the hydroprocessing unit product, purified, compressed and recycled to the hydroprocessing unit. The hydrogen-poor syngas is expanded in an expander that drives the compressor that compresses the recycled hydrogen gas. The expanded syngas is then combined with light hydrocarbons removed from the recycle hydrogen gas stream, combusted in a gas turbine and used for power generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Janice L. Kasbaum, Alma I. Rodarte
  • Publication number: 20020121093
    Abstract: The high pressure syngas product of a gasifier is routed first to a high pressure absorber unit that removes most of the H2S and some of the CO2 from the syngas. The syngas is then released through an expander to reduce the pressure of the syngas and simultaneously generate electricity. Steam is then injected into the syngas as a reactant in the subsequent COS hydrolysis step, converting the COS to H2S. After hydrolysis, the syngas is routed to a reabsorber where the remainder of the H2S and CO2 are removed. Sweet syngas can then be sent to a combustion turbine for use as a fuel source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2002
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6416568
    Abstract: The present invention is a process to recover a high purity, high pressure hydrogen gas stream from synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is contacted with a membrane that separates the synthesis gas into a hydrogen-enriched permeate and a hydrogen-depleted non-permeate. The permeate is conveyed to a carbon dioxide absorber. The carbon dioxide absorber removes carbon dioxide using a solvent. The carbon dioxide-rich solvent from the absorber is heated and sent to a gas-liquid contactor, where the solvent is regenerated by nitrogen stripping. A small recycle stream of a regenerating gas, i.e., hydrogen, is subsequently contacted with the solvent, stripping entrained and dissolved nitrogen from the solvent. This stripping gas, the regenerating gas, or preferably both, are then mixed with the non-permeate for combustion in a combustion turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Texaco, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Janice L. Kasbaum, Kay A. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20020068768
    Abstract: A hydrotreated liquid contains volatile hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide. An inert gas, preferably nitrogen, is used to strip volatiles from the hydrotreated liquid. This stripper gas is then added to fuel gas fed to a combustion turbine, where combustibles in the fuel gas and stripper gas are combusted. The stripping is at a pressure sufficient to allow the stripper gas, now containing hydrocarbons and hydrogen, to be added to the combustion turbine fuel without additional compression. This process allows for efficient use of the stripped combustibles, and the nitrogen added to the fuel gas provides increased power generation from the combustion turbine and reduces NOx emissions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Alma I. Rodarte
  • Publication number: 20020004533
    Abstract: In this invention, a hydrogen recycle stream from a hydrotreater is heated before returning to the hydrotreater using the energy from a first shift reaction, thereby eliminating the need for a fired heater to heat the hydrogen recycle stream. This heat integration significantly reduces the overall capital and operating costs as well as emissions for the refinery because no fired heater is needed for the hydrotreater and no boiler is needed to cool the effluent from the first stage of shift.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2001
    Publication date: January 10, 2002
    Applicant: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Cynthia Caputo
  • Patent number: 6241874
    Abstract: The invention is the integration of a process of gasifying asphaltenes in a gasification zone by partial oxidation and the process of asphaltene extraction with a solvent. The integration allows low level heat from the gasification reaction to be utilized in the recovery of solvent that was used to extract asphaltenes from an asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon material. Asphaltenes are extracted from an asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon material by mixing a solvent in quantities sufficient to precipitate at least a fraction of the asphaltenes. The precipitated asphaltenes are then gasified in a gasification zone to synthesis gas. The gasification process is very exothermic. The low level heat in the synthesis gas, either directly, or via an intermediate step of low pressure steam, is used to remove and recover the solvent from the deasphalted hydrocarbon material and from the asphaltenes prior to gasification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Pradeep S. Thacker, Janice L. Kasbaum, R. Walter Barkley, Jacquelyn Gayle Niccum
  • Patent number: 6174507
    Abstract: The invention is a process for separating acid gases from synthesis gas and treating the resulting solids. A mixture comprising synthesis gas and acid gas is contacted with a fluid that reacts with said acid gas to form a particulate solid dispersed in a fluid. The slurry comprising fluid and particulate solid is filtered to separate the particulate solid from the fluid by means of a regenerable filter. The particulate solids are removed from the regenerable filter by back-washing with a back-washing fluid to form a pumpable slurry comprising a mixture of particulate solids and back-washing fluid. The slurry is gasified to form synthesis gas and vitrified solids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Delome D. Fair
  • Patent number: 6162266
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process for cooling a feed injector of a gasification reactor that produces synthesis gas is described. Cooling fluid is injected into a channel in the feed injector adapted for circulating the fluid. The injection pressure is maintained near or above the gasification reactor pressure. The fluid is withdrawn from the channel through an outlet at an outlet pressure between about 515 KPa above to about 1030 KPa below the gasification reactor pressure. The fluid is cooled, degassed, and injected back into the channel in the feed injector. The pressure on the cooling system is variable and tracks the gasification reactor pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, DeLome D. Fair, Fred C. Jahnke
  • Patent number: 6093372
    Abstract: The system for controlling oxygen flow in a gasification process of the instant invention comprises a suction control valve located between the oxygen source and the oxygen compressor. The suction control valve is adapted in order to open to deliver oxygen from the source to the compressor through the first pipe and to move to a reduced flow position to prevent excess delivery of oxygen from the source to the compressor. The system also comprises a second pipe which operably connects the oxygen compressor to a port of a gasifier. The system comprises a normally closed vent valve located between the oxygen compressor and the port of a gasifier. The system comprises a means located in the gasifier or in the gasifier effluent for detecting when it is necessary to change the oxygen flow to the gasifier and to actuate the suction control valve sufficient to change the oxygen flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Delome D. Fair
  • Patent number: 6037913
    Abstract: A mounting for a satellite dish antenna may be used in multi-unit or other dwellings in which mounting to exterior surfaces is forbidden. The mount includes a base mountable to a wall or to a balcony railing, an extension arm that pivots about the base and telescopes in length, and an aiming system attached to the end of the extension arm for mounting the antenna. In use, the mounting is attached to a wall or railing, the arm is rotated and telescoped outward, and the aiming system is used to aim the antenna at a satellite. The aiming system and the rotation and extension of the extension arm may be done remotely for convenience and to permit operation by disabled persons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Inventor: Pamela Kay Johnson
  • Patent number: 6036748
    Abstract: The invention is a process of degassing and cooling a hot black water slurry. The hot black water slurry is obtained from syngas scrubbers. The black water slurry is cooled and degassed by exposing the black water slurry to a vacuum under conditions sufficient to separate dissolved gases from the black water slurry. These gases are then removed from the black water slurry. These gases can advantageously be recycled in the gasification process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Kay A. Johnson, Delome D. Fair
  • Patent number: 5729430
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a portable monitor riser shaped in a modified triangle configuration to use in a corner workstation location, with a turntable thereon. The monitor riser provides convenient component storage capabilities, convenient access to electronic peripheral devices, and a professional appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Gateway 2000, Inc.
    Inventor: Joni Kay Johnson