Patents by Inventor Patrick J. McGrath

Patrick J. McGrath 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: 7396892
    Abstract: Multimodal polyolefin polymers may be prepared in series-connected polymerization reactors where a prior reactor is a slurry reactor employing light solvent as the slurry medium and hydrogen to limit polymer molecular weight, the polymer product from the prior reactor being substantially freed of hydrogen prior to entry into a subsequent polymerization reactor operating at low hydrogen pressure to produce a high molecular weight olefin. The economics and operating performance of such a series slurry reactor polyethylene process can be significantly improved through the use of an intermediate slurry transfer system and hydrogen removal apparatus that employs flash drums in series in conjunction with a warm recycle solvent slurry diluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals L.P.
    Inventor: Patrick J. McGrath
  • Patent number: 6924340
    Abstract: Multimodal polyolefin polymers may be prepared in series-connected polymerization reactors where a prior reactor is a slurry reactor employing light solvent as the slurry medium and hydrogen to limit polymer molecular weight, the polymer product from the prior reactor being substantially freed of hydrogen prior to entry into a subsequent polymerization reactor operating at low hydrogen pressure to produce a high molecular weight olefin. The economics and operating performance of such a series slurry reactor polyethylene process can be significantly improved through the use of an intermediate slurry transfer system and hydrogen removal apparatus that employs flash drums in series in conjunction with a warm recycle solvent slurry diluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals L.P.
    Inventor: Patrick J. McGrath
  • Patent number: 6716936
    Abstract: The use of two or more light solvent boiling pool reactors in series allows polymerization of ethylene and comonomer(s) to cost effectively produce bimodal polyethylene copolymers having lower densities than are practically achievable with conventional stirred tank, slurry loop or gas phase reactor technologies. Introducing catalyst to only the first reactor, operating the first reactor at high hydrogen compositions, and using a plurality of series-connected flash drums to remove hydrogen from the first reactor polymer slurry product stream allows for the production of highly homogeneous high molecular weight bimodal polyethylene resins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Equistar Chemicals L.P.
    Inventors: Patrick J. McGrath, Ronald J. Morris, Roy W. Kreitz
  • Publication number: 20030191251
    Abstract: Multimodal polyolefin polymers may be prepared in series-connected polymerization reactors where a prior reactor is a slurry reactor employing light solvent as the slurry medium and hydrogen to limit polymer molecular weight, the polymer product from the prior reactor being substantially freed of hydrogen prior to entry into a subsequent polymerization reactor operating at low hydrogen pressure to produce a high molecular weight olefin. The economics and operating performance of such a series slurry reactor polyethylene process can be significantly improved through the use of an intermediate slurry transfer system and hydrogen removal apparatus that employs flash drums in series in conjunction with a warm recycle solvent slurry diluent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Applicant: Equistar Chemicals L.P.
    Inventor: Patrick J. McGrath
  • Patent number: 5360932
    Abstract: An aromatic diamino-diol (such as 4,6-diaminoresorcinol) is made by reducing an aromatic halo-dinitro-diol (such as 2-halo-4,6-dinitroresorcinol) with molecular hydrogen in an aqueous mixture containing a noble metal hydrogenation catalyst, an aqueous solvent and about 2 moles of hydrogen halide per mole of aromatic halo-dinitro-diol, plus an additional quantity sufficient to provide a 0.75 to 4 molar solution of the hydrogen halide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company
    Inventor: Patrick J. McGrath