Patents by Inventor Max P. McDaniel

Max P. McDaniel 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: 20260152582
    Abstract: Sulfated bentonite compositions are characterized by a total pore volume from 0.4 to 1 mL/g, a total BET surface area from 200 to 400 m2/g, and an average pore diameter from 55 to 100 Angstroms. The sulfated bentonite compositions also can be characterized by a d50 average particle size in a range from 15 to 50 ?m and a ratio of d90/d10 from 3 to 15. The sulfated bentonite compositions can contain a sulfated bentonite and from 10 to 90 wt. % of colloidal particles, or the sulfated bentonite compositions can contain a sulfated bentonite and from 0.2 to 10 mmol/g of zinc and/or phosphorus. These compositions can be utilized in metallocene catalyst systems to produce ethylene based polymers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2026
    Publication date: June 4, 2026
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Qing Yang, Ryan N. Rose, Kathy S. Clear, Graham R. Lief, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Anand Ramanathan, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Connor D. Boxell
  • Publication number: 20260151760
    Abstract: A method comprising a) contacting a solvent, a carboxylic acid, and a peroxide-containing compound to form an acidic mixture wherein a weight ratio of solvent to carboxylic acid in the acidic mixture is from about 1:1 to about 100:1; b) contacting a titanium-containing compound and the acidic mixture to form a solubilized titanium mixture wherein an equivalent molar ratio of titanium-containing compound to carboxylic acid in the solubilized titanium mixture is from about 1:1 to about 1:4 and an equivalent molar ratio of titanium-containing compound to peroxide-containing compound in the solubilized titanium mixture is from about 1:1 to about 1:20; and c) contacting a chromium-silica support comprising from about 0.1 wt. % to about 20 wt. % water and the solubilized titanium mixture to form an addition product and drying the addition product by heating to a temperature in a range of from about 50° C. to about 150° C. and maintaining the temperature in the range of from about 50° C. to about 150° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2026
    Publication date: June 4, 2026
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Mitchell D. Refvik, Mark L. Hlavinka
  • Publication number: 20260146109
    Abstract: Methods for modifying a catalyst system component include the steps of contacting the catalyst system component with a fluid to form either a paste or agglomerated particles, depending upon the relative amount of fluid used based on the void volume of the catalyst system component, followed by drying and comminuting to form a modified catalyst system component. The amount of the modified catalyst system component having a particle size of less than or equal to 10 ?m is less than that of the catalyst system component. Specific catalyst component compositions and ethylene polymer compositions characterized by their respective particle size distributions also are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2025
    Publication date: May 28, 2026
    Inventors: Micheal P. Stevens, Kathy S. Clear, Max P. McDaniel
  • Publication number: 20260139078
    Abstract: Methods for making titanated silica supports, titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts, and activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts are disclosed in which hydrogen peroxide and an alkali metal precursor are used during catalyst preparation. Resulting titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts often contain silica, 0.1 to 5 wt. % chromium, 0.1 to 10 wt. % titanium, and less than or equal to 4 wt. % carbon, and further contain an alkali metal or zinc at a molar ratio of alkali metal:titanium or zinc:titanium from 0.02:1 to 3:1 and/or at an amount in a range from 0.01 to 2 mmol of alkali metal or zinc per gram of the silica. High melt index potential activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene based homopolymers and copolymers having HLMI values of greater than 30 g/10 min.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2026
    Publication date: May 21, 2026
    Inventors: Anand Ramanathan, Max P. McDaniel, Jared Barr, Andrew T. Blagg, Christopher E. Wittner, Alan L. Solenberger, Zachary T. Kilpatrick, Micheal P. Stevens
  • Publication number: 20260084137
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon compound and carbon monoxide are reacted in the presence of either a supported chromium (VI) catalyst or a supported chromium (II) catalyst, optionally with UV-visible light irradiation and/or exposure to an oxidizing atmosphere, followed by removing a reaction product containing an alcohol compound and/or a carbonyl compound from the respective chromium catalyst. Often, the reaction product contains one or more ketone and/or aldehyde compounds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2025
    Publication date: March 26, 2026
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Mitchell D. Refvik, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Kathy S. Clear, Jared Barr, Carlos A. Cruz, Masud M. Monwar
  • Patent number: 12570770
    Abstract: Methods for making titanated silica supports, titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts, and activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts are disclosed in which hydrogen peroxide and an alkali metal precursor are used during catalyst preparation. Resulting titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts often contain silica, 0.1 to 5 wt. % chromium, 0.1 to 10 wt. % titanium, and less than or equal to 4 wt. % carbon, and further contain an alkali metal or zinc at a molar ratio of alkali metal:titanium or zinc:titanium from 0.02:1 to 3:1 and/or at an amount in a range from 0.01 to 2 mmol of alkali metal or zinc per gram of the silica. High melt index potential activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene based homopolymers and copolymers having HLMI values of greater than 30 g/10 min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2025
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Anand Ramanathan, Max P. McDaniel, Jared Barr, Andrew Blagg, Christopher E. Wittner, Alan L. Solenberger, Zachary T. Kilpatrick, Micheal P. Stevens
  • Patent number: 12569833
    Abstract: Methods for making a supported chromium catalyst are disclosed, and can comprise contacting a silica-coated alumina containing at least 30 wt. % silica with a chromium-containing compound in a liquid, drying, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere at a peak temperature of at least 650° C. to form the supported chromium catalyst. The supported chromium catalyst can contain from 0.01 to 20 wt. % chromium, and typically can have a pore volume from 0.5 to 2 mL/g and a BET surface area from 275 to 550 m2/g. The supported chromium catalyst subsequently can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene-based homopolymers and copolymers having high molecular weights and broad molecular weight distributions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2025
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear
  • Patent number: 12565545
    Abstract: Supported chromium (VI) catalysts containing a solid oxide, 0.05 to 5 wt. % chromium, and 0.2 to 20 wt. % carbon, in which the solid oxide or the catalyst has a particle size span from 0.5 to 1.4, less than 3 wt. % has a particle size greater than 100 ?m, and less than 10 wt. % has a particle size less than 10 ?m, can be contacted with an olefin monomer in a fluidized bed reactor or other suitable polymerization reactor to produce an olefin polymer. Representative ethylene-based polymers produced using the chromium catalysts have a HLMI of 4 to 70 g/10 min, a density from 0.93 to 0.96 g/cm3, from 150 to 680 ppm solid oxide (such as silica), from 0.5 to 3 ppm chromium, and a film gel count of less than 15 catalyst particle gels per ft2 of 25 micron thick film and/or a gel count of less than or equal to 50 catalyst particles of greater than 100 ?m (in diameter) per five grams of the ethylene polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Jeffrey S. Lowell, Scott E. Kufeld
  • Patent number: 12565543
    Abstract: Sulfated bentonite compositions are characterized by a total pore volume from 0.4 to 1 mL/g, a total BET surface area from 200 to 400 m2/g, and an average pore diameter from 55 to 100 Angstroms. The sulfated bentonite compositions also can be characterized by a d50 average particle size in a range from 15 to 50 ?m and a ratio of d90/d10 from 3 to 15. The sulfated bentonite compositions can contain a sulfated bentonite and from 10 to 90 wt. % of colloidal particles, or the sulfated bentonite compositions can contain a sulfated bentonite and from 0.2 to 10 mmol/g of zinc and/or phosphorus. These compositions can be utilized in metallocene catalyst systems to produce ethylene based polymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2025
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Qing Yang, Ryan N. Rose, Kathy S. Clear, Graham R. Lief, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Anand Ramanathan, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Connor D. Boxell
  • Patent number: 12544745
    Abstract: A method comprising a) contacting a solvent, a carboxylic acid, and a peroxide-containing compound to form an acidic mixture wherein a weight ratio of solvent to carboxylic acid in the acidic mixture is from about 1:1 to about 100:1; b) contacting a titanium-containing compound and the acidic mixture to form a solubilized titanium mixture wherein an equivalent molar ratio of titanium-containing compound to carboxylic acid in the solubilized titanium mixture is from about 1:1 to about 1:4 and an equivalent molar ratio of titanium-containing compound to peroxide-containing compound in the solubilized titanium mixture is from about 1:1 to about 1:20; and c) contacting a chromium-silica support comprising from about 0.1 wt. % to about 20 wt. % water and the solubilized titanium mixture to form an addition product and drying the addition product by heating to a temperature in a range of from about 50° C. to about 150° C. and maintaining the temperature in the range of from about 50° C. to about 150° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Mitchell D. Refvik, Mark L. Hlavinka
  • Patent number: 12544747
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for preparing fluorided solid oxides by contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound with an inorganic base to form an aqueous mixture having a pH of at least 4, followed by contacting a solid oxide with the aqueous mixture to produce the fluorided solid oxide. Also disclosed are methods for preparing fluorided solid oxides by contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound with a solid oxide to produce a mixture, followed by contacting the mixture with a inorganic base to produce the fluorided solid oxide at a pH of at least about 4. The fluorided solid oxide can be used as an activator component in a catalyst system for the polymerization of olefins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2025
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear, Qing Yang, Tony R. Crain
  • Patent number: 12528073
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon compound and carbon monoxide are reacted in the presence of either a supported chromium (VI) catalyst or a supported chromium (II) catalyst, optionally with UV-visible light irradiation and/or exposure to an oxidizing atmosphere, followed by removing a reaction product containing an alcohol compound and/or a carbonyl compound from the respective chromium catalyst. Often, the reaction product contains one or more ketone and/or aldehyde compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Mitchell D. Refvik, Jeremy M. Praetorius, Kathy S. Clear, Jared L Barr, Carlos A. Cruz, Masud M. Monwar
  • Patent number: 12516137
    Abstract: Fluorided silica-coated alumina activator-supports have a bulk density from 0.15 to 0.37 g/mL, a total pore volume from 0.85 to 2 mL/g, a BET surface area from 200 to 500 m2/g, an average pore diameter from 10 to 25 nm, and from 80 to 99% of pore volume in pores with diameters of greater than 6 nm. Methods of making the fluorided silica-coated alumina activator-supports and using the fluorided silica-coated aluminas in catalyst compositions and olefin polymerization processes also are described. Representative ethylene-based polymers produced using the compositions and processes have a melt index of 0.1 to 10 g/10 min and a density of 0.91 to 0.96 g/cm3, and contain from 70 to 270 ppm solid oxide and from 2 to 18 ppm fluorine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2025
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Qing Yang, Carlos A. Cruz, Jinping J. Zhou, Anand Ramanathan, Kathy S. Clear, Zhihui Gu
  • Patent number: 12515202
    Abstract: A method comprising a) drying a support material comprising silica at temperature in the range of from about 150° C. to about 220° C. to form a dried support; b) contacting the dried support with methanol to form a slurried support; c) subsequent to b), cooling the slurried support to a temperature of less than about 60° C. to form a cooled slurried support; d) subsequent to c), contacting the cooled slurried support with a titanium alkoxide to form a titanated support; and e) thermally treating the titanated support by heating to a temperature of equal to or greater than about 150° C. for a time period of from about 5 hours to about 30 hours to remove the methanol and yield a dried titanated support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2026
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Jeremy M. Praetorius, Eric D. Schwerdtfeger, Max P. McDaniel, Ted H. Cymbaluk, Connor D. Boxell, Alan L. Solenberger, Kathy S. Clear
  • Patent number: 12502656
    Abstract: Processes for producing activated chromium catalysts such as titanated chromium/silica catalysts are disclosed, and these processes utilize a multistep process involving exposure to inert and oxidizing atmospheres at specific temperature conditions. The resulting activated chromium catalysts have unexpectedly high melt index potential and can produce ethylene-based polymers with lower gel counts in addition to higher melt indices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2025
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2025
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Zhihui Gu, Ted H. Cymbaluk, Anand Ramanathan, Julian Abrego, Taryn L Huber, David W. Dockter
  • Publication number: 20250346688
    Abstract: Methods for making titanated silica supports, titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts, and activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts are disclosed in which hydrogen peroxide and an alkali metal precursor are used during catalyst preparation. Resulting titanated chromium/silica pre-catalysts often contain silica, 0.1 to 5 wt. % chromium, 0.1 to 10 wt. % titanium, and less than or equal to 4 wt. % carbon, and further contain a bound alkali metal or zinc at a molar ratio of alkali metal:titanium or zinc:titanium from 0.02:1 to 3:1 and/or at an amount in a range from 0.01 to 2 mmol of alkali metal or zinc per gram of the silica. High melt index potential activated titanated chromium/silica catalysts can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene based homopolymers and copolymers having HLMI values of greater than 30 g/10 min.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2025
    Publication date: November 13, 2025
    Inventors: Anand Ramanathan, Max P. McDaniel, Jared L. Barr, Andrew T. Blagg, Christopher E. Wittner, Alan L. Solenberger, Zachary T. Kilpatrick, Micheal P. Stevens
  • Publication number: 20250325965
    Abstract: Processes for producing activated chromium catalysts such as titanated chromium/silica catalysts are disclosed, and these processes utilize a multistep process involving exposure to inert and oxidizing atmospheres at specific temperature conditions. The resulting activated chromium catalysts have unexpectedly high melt index potential and can produce ethylene-based polymers with lower gel counts in addition to higher melt indices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2025
    Publication date: October 23, 2025
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Zhihui Gu, Ted H. Cymbaluk, Anand Ramanathan, Julian Abrego, Taryn L. Huber, David W. Dockter
  • Publication number: 20250312772
    Abstract: Methods for making a supported chromium catalyst are disclosed, and can comprise contacting a silica-coated alumina containing at least 30 wt. % silica with a chromium-containing compound in a liquid, drying, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere at a peak temperature of at least 650° C. to form the supported chromium catalyst. The supported chromium catalyst can contain from 0.01 to 20 wt. % chromium, and typically can have a pore volume from 0.5 to 2 mL/g and a BET surface area from 275 to 550 m2/g. The supported chromium catalyst subsequently can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene-based homopolymers and copolymers having high molecular weights and broad molecular weight distributions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2025
    Publication date: October 9, 2025
    Inventors: Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear
  • Patent number: 12435021
    Abstract: Processes for converting a hydrocarbon reactant into an alcohol compound and/or a carbonyl compound are disclosed in which the hydrocarbon reactant and either a supported chromium (VI) catalyst or a supported chromium (II) catalyst are contacted, optionally with UV-visible light irradiation, followed by exposure to an oxidizing atmosphere and then hydrolysis to form a reaction product containing the alcohol compound and/or the carbonyl compound. The presence of oxygen significant increases the amount of alcohol/carbonyl product formed, as well as the formation of oxygenated dimers and trimers of certain hydrocarbon reactants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2024
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2025
    Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Jared L. Barr, Carlos A. Cruz, Masud M. Monwar, Max P. McDaniel, Kathy S. Clear
  • Publication number: 20250296065
    Abstract: Processes for converting methane into methanol are disclosed in which methane, water, and a supported chromium (VI) catalyst are contacted with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum in an oxidizing atmosphere in a single reactor to form a reaction product comprising methanol, followed by discharging a reactor effluent containing the reaction product from the single reactor, and then separating methanol from the reaction product. Processes to produce methanol using additional reactors also are described, as well as related methanol production systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2025
    Publication date: September 25, 2025
    Inventors: Jamie N. Sutherland, James Hillier, Gregory G. Hendrickson, Max P. McDaniel