Patents by Inventor Mengmeng Cui
Mengmeng Cui 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).
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Publication number: 20260062624Abstract: Methods for processing hydrocarbons may include passing a first portion of a catalyst to a first reaction zone and a second portion of the catalyst to a second reaction zone, contacting a hydrocarbon feed stream with the first portion of the catalyst to form a partially cracked hydrocarbon stream and a spent first portion of the catalyst, contacting the partially cracked hydrocarbon stream with the second portion of the catalyst to form a product and a spent second portion of the catalyst, removing at least a portion of hydrocarbons entrained within the spent first portion of the catalyst and the spent second portion of the catalyst in the stripper to form a stripped catalyst, regenerating at least a portion of the stripped catalyst to form a regenerated catalyst, and passing the regenerated catalyst to the first reaction zone and the second reaction zone.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 6, 2025Publication date: March 5, 2026Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyInventors: Mengmeng Cui, Pedro Castano, Khalid Ali Almajnouni, Lujain R. Alfilfil, Nikolaos Papagiannis, Isa Al Aslani, Jorge Gascon Sabate
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Patent number: 12540282Abstract: Methods for distributing catalyst in a counter-current reactor may include passing the catalyst from a catalyst hopper to a perforated plate distributor; distributing the catalyst into a reaction zone of the counter-current reactor by passing the catalyst from a catalyst discharge zone, through the perforations of the perforated plate distributor, into the reaction zone, wherein the catalyst enters the perforations of the perforated plate distributor at a superficial velocity from 0.01 m/s to 10 m/s, and the superficial velocity is in a substantially downward direction; and passing a hydrocarbon feed stream into the reaction zone, wherein the catalyst moves in a substantially downward direction through the reaction zone, the hydrocarbon feed stream moves in a substantially upward direction through the reaction zone, and wherein contacting the catalyst with the hydrocarbon feed stream cracks one or more components of the hydrocarbon feed stream and forms a hydrocarbon product stream.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2023Date of Patent: February 3, 2026Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil CompanyInventors: Khalid Ali Almajnouni, Mengmeng Cui, Pedro Castano, Jorge Gascon Sabate
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Publication number: 20250242321Abstract: Systems and processes for cracking hydrocarbons to produce light olefins include an FCC reactor utilizing counter-current flow that includes a reaction zone comprising an elongated reaction tube that has a feed inlet, a product outlet, and a catalyst inlet. In embodiments, the FCC reactor further includes a freeboard zone. The freeboard zone is configured to reduce a superficial velocity of the cracked hydrocarbon fluids in the reaction zone, causing catalyst entrained in the cracked hydrocarbon fluids to at least partially separate from the cracked hydrocarbon fluids. In embodiments, the FCC reactor includes a dense fluidized bed unit. The dense fluidized bed unit is configured to inject a fluidizing gas such that bubbles are formed within the solid particles of the dense fluidized bed of solid particles, which causes the catalyst to overflow from the dense fluidized bed of solid particles into the reaction zone.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2024Publication date: July 31, 2025Applicants: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabian Oil CompanyInventors: Mengmeng Cui, Pedro Castano, Juan Manuel Colom, Jorge Gascon Sabate, Khalid Ali Almajnouni, Lujain R. Alfilfil
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Publication number: 20250144586Abstract: An internal circulation catalytic reactor includes a body extending along a longitudinal axis Z and defining an internal chamber, a catalyst bed located within the internal chamber, the catalyst bed being configured to hold a catalyst, an inlet fluidly connected to the catalyst bed and configured to receive a feed, an outlet fluidly connected to the catalyst bed and configured to discharge a product generated by an interaction of the feed and the catalyst, and an impeller fluidly connected to the catalyst bed and configured to circulate the feed through the catalyst bed. The impeller is configured to discharge a recirculate feed at a non-zero angle relative to a horizontal radial axis R.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2023Publication date: May 8, 2025Inventors: Pedro CASTANO, Mengmeng CUI, Shekhar Rajabhau KULKARNI
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Publication number: 20250101316Abstract: Methods for distributing catalyst in a counter-current reactor may include passing the catalyst from a catalyst hopper to a perforated plate distributor; distributing the catalyst into a reaction zone of the counter-current reactor by passing the catalyst from a catalyst discharge zone, through the perforations of the perforated plate distributor, into the reaction zone, wherein the catalyst enters the perforations of the perforated plate distributor at a superficial velocity from 0.01 m/s to 10 m/s, and the superficial velocity is in a substantially downward direction; and passing a hydrocarbon feed stream into the reaction zone, wherein the catalyst moves in a substantially downward direction through the reaction zone, the hydrocarbon feed stream moves in a substantially upward direction through the reaction zone, and wherein contacting the catalyst with the hydrocarbon feed stream cracks one or more components of the hydrocarbon feed stream and forms a hydrocarbon product stream.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: March 27, 2025Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company, King Abdullah University of Science & TechnolInventors: Khalid Ali Almajnouni, Mengmeng Cui, Pedro Castano, Jorge Gascon Sabate
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Publication number: 20250061346Abstract: A method of determining interaction information, an electronic device and a storage medium are provided, which relates to a field of artificial intelligence technology, in particular to a large model, a generative model, an NLP, an intelligent search and other fields. An implementation is to determine a plurality of questioning dimensions according to query information of a subject and historical query information, where each questioning dimension includes a dimension name and a plurality of options; determine a target questioning dimension from the plurality of questioning dimensions according to evaluation values of the plurality of questioning dimensions and whether semantic information of the plurality of questioning dimensions are consistent with semantic information of a query result associated with the query information; and determine the interaction information according to the dimension name and the plurality of options in the target questioning dimension.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2024Publication date: February 20, 2025Applicant: BEIJING BAIDU NETCOM SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.Inventors: Xiao LI, Xin JIA, Simiu GU, Junfeng WANG, Haibo SHI, Yu LU, Sheng XU, Liang ZHANG, Wenjie ZHOU, Yijun LIU, Mei LU, Zichen WU, Min YANG, Huanjie WANG, Qiao TANG, Mengmeng CUI
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Patent number: 11572446Abstract: A lignin dispersion composition comprising spherical lignin particles dispersed in an aqueous medium, wherein the spherical lignin particles have a size exclusively within a range of 100 nm to 5 microns. Also described herein is a method of producing the lignin dispersion, by: (i) dissolving lignin in an organic solvent substantially devoid of water yet miscible with water to result in a solution of the lignin in the organic solvent; and (ii) producing the lignin dispersion by dialyzing the solution of the lignin with water until substantially all of the organic solvent is replaced with water with simultaneous formation of spherical lignin particles dispersed in the water. Also described herein is a method for stabilizing an emulsion by intimately mixing the emulsion with the lignin dispersion. Also described herein is a hierarchical assembly of porous microparticles produced by mixing the lignin dispersion with an emulsion and an amphiphilic block copolymer.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2020Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLCInventors: Amit K. Naskar, Mengmeng Cui
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Patent number: 11441035Abstract: A composition comprising lignin compounds possessing 8-30 (or 5-15 or 8-12) phenyl rings interconnected by ether and alkylene linkages and containing hydroxy and/or methoxy groups attached to said phenyl rings, wherein said composition possesses a glass transition temperature of 80-100° C. (or 95-98° C.) and a degree of substitution (DS) of carboxylic acid groups per phenyl ring of at least 0.5 and a DS of methoxy groups per phenyl ring of no more than 1.2, 1.1, or 1.0, wherein at least 90 wt % of said lignin compounds has a molecular weight within a range of 500-5000 g/mol, 1500-3000 g/mol, or 2000-2500 g/mol and/or wherein the molecular weight distribution of the lignin compounds is characterized by a polydispersity index of 1.0-1.5, 1.0-1.4, or 1.0-1.3, and wherein other lignin compounds not possessing the above characteristics are not present. Methods for producing the lignin extract and lignin copolymers and blends produced therefrom are also described.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2019Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLCInventors: Amit K. Naskar, Mengmeng Cui
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Publication number: 20210088428Abstract: A method for measuring micro-scale strength and residual strength of brittle rocks, including: performing micro-CT scanning on a target area; obtaining loading and unloading curves and an elastic modulus of the rock via micro indentation experiment; performing dimensionless analysis based on Buckinham's ?-theorem to obtain relation between the loading and unloading curves and elastic modulus, indentation depth, initial and residual strengths; reconstructing a grid model of micro rock matrix at the target area and indenter; performing micro indentation numerical simulation based on Mohr-Coulomb criterion to obtain loading and unloading curves under different strengths and residual strengths; fitting a formula between simulated work of the indenter and initial and residual strengths at h/R of 0.1 and 0.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2020Publication date: March 25, 2021Inventors: Rui SONG, Yao WANG, Mengmeng CUI, Jiajun PENG, Jianjun LIU
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Publication number: 20210070949Abstract: A lignin dispersion composition comprising spherical lignin particles dispersed in an aqueous medium, wherein the spherical lignin particles have a size exclusively within a range of 100 nm to 5 microns. Also described herein is a method of producing the lignin dispersion, by: (i) dissolving lignin in an organic solvent substantially devoid of water yet miscible with water to result in a solution of the lignin in the organic solvent; and (ii) producing the lignin dispersion by dialyzing the solution of the lignin with water until substantially all of the organic solvent is replaced with water with simultaneous formation of spherical lignin particles dispersed in the water. Also described herein is a method for stabilizing an emulsion by intimately mixing the emulsion with the lignin dispersion. Also described herein is a hierarchical assembly of porous microparticles produced by mixing the lignin dispersion with an emulsion and an amphiphilic block copolymer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2020Publication date: March 11, 2021Inventors: Amit K. Naskar, Mengmeng Cui
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Publication number: 20190256709Abstract: A composition comprising lignin compounds possessing 8-30 (or 5-15 or 8-12) phenyl rings interconnected by ether and alkylene linkages and containing hydroxy and/or methoxy groups attached to said phenyl rings, wherein said composition possesses a glass transition temperature of 80-100° C. (or 95-98° C.) and a degree of substitution (DS) of carboxylic acid groups per phenyl ring of at least 0.5 and a DS of methoxy groups per phenyl ring of no more than 1.2, 1.1, or 1.0, wherein at least 90 wt % of said lignin compounds has a molecular weight within a range of 500-5000 g/mol, 1500-3000 g/mol, or 2000-2500 g/mol and/or wherein the molecular weight distribution of the lignin compounds is characterized by a polydispersity index of 1.0-1.5, 1.0-1.4, or 1.0-1.3, and wherein other lignin compounds not possessing the above characteristics are not present. Methods for producing the lignin extract and lignin copolymers and blends produced therefrom are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2019Publication date: August 22, 2019Inventors: Amit K. Naskar, Mengmeng Cui
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Patent number: 9878296Abstract: A stabilized assembly including a first liquid phase of non-spherical droplets in a second liquid phase, wherein the second liquid phase is immiscible with the first phase, and nanoparticle surfactants assembled at an interface of the non-spherical droplets and the second phase is disclosed. The nanoparticle surfactants include nanoparticles and end-functionalized polymers that can interact through ligand type interactions, and the first phase is stabilized by a disordered, jammed layer of nanoparticle surfactants. A method of preparing a stabilized assembly is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2014Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTSInventors: Thomas P. Russell, Mengmeng Cui, Todd Emrick
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Publication number: 20150102265Abstract: A stabilized assembly including a first liquid phase of non-spherical droplets in a second liquid phase, wherein the second liquid phase is immiscible with the first phase, and nanoparticle surfactants assembled at an interface of the non-spherical droplets and the second phase is disclosed. The nanoparticle surfactants include nanoparticles and end-functionalized polymers that can interact through ligand type interactions, and the first phase is stabilized by a disordered, jammed layer of nanoparticle surfactants. A method of preparing a stabilized assembly is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 8, 2014Publication date: April 16, 2015Inventors: Thomas P. Russell, Mengmeng Cui, Todd Emrick