Patents by Inventor Pradeep S. Thacker

Pradeep S. Thacker 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: 20110016788
    Abstract: A tube and shell heat exchanger for a gasification system is provided. The heat exchanger includes a first shell-side inlet positioned proximate to a heat exchanger tube-side inlet. The first shell-side inlet is configured to receive a first portion of a scrubbed syngas flow therethrough. This first scrubbed syngas portion facilitates substantially preventing fouling at the heat exchanger inlet. The heat exchanger also includes a second shell-side inlet positioned proximate to a heat exchanger tube-side outlet. The second shell-side inlet is configured to receive a second portion of a scrubbed syngas flow therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventors: Pradeep S. Thacker, Paul Steven Wallace, George Morris Gulko
  • Publication number: 20100324156
    Abstract: Method of producing syngas in an IGCC system, comprising compressing and heating carbon dioxide-rich gas to produce heated compressed carbon dioxide-rich gas, mixing the heated compressed carbon dioxide-rich gas with oxygen and feedstock to form a feedstock mixture, subjecting the feedstock mixture to gasification to produce syngas, cooling the syngas in a radiant syngas cooler, contacting syngas cooled in the radiant syngas cooler with compressed carbon dioxide-rich gas to further cool the syngas, and removing an amount of carbon dioxide-rich gas from the product mixture and compressing the removed carbon dioxide-rich gas prior to mixing with oxygen and feedstock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Inventors: John Duckett Winter, Paul Steven Wallace, George Gulko, Pradeep S. Thacker
  • Publication number: 20100319254
    Abstract: A system for use in separating carbon dioxide and acid gas from syngas includes a syngas purification circuit that includes at least one adsorption tower coupled in flow communication to a supply of lean solvent. The system further includes a carbon dioxide removal circuit coupled downstream from the syngas purification circuit. The carbon dioxide removal circuit includes at least one component that facilitates the removal of carbon dioxide from the solvent after the solvent has passed through the syngas purification circuit. The carbon dioxide removal circuit also includes at least one compressor, wherein the at least one component and the at least one compressor are operable at substantially similar pressures. In addition, the system includes an acid gas removal circuit that is coupled downstream from the carbon dioxide removal circuit. The acid gas removal circuit includes at least one adsorption tower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Inventor: Pradeep S. Thacker
  • Publication number: 20100293918
    Abstract: A method of operating an integrated gasification combined cycle power generation system is provided. The method includes compressing air in an adiabatic air compressor to produce a compressed heated air stream, heating a nitrogen stream using the compressed heated air stream to produce a heated nitrogen stream and a cooled compressed air stream, and channeling the cooled compressed air stream to an air separation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Inventors: George Morris Gulko, Pradeep S. Thacker, Paul Steven Wallace
  • Publication number: 20100251613
    Abstract: A method of recycling a tail gas includes converting sulfur present in an acid gas stream into elemental sulfur to produce a tail gas and recycling the tail gas to at least one of a gasification reactor and a gas removal subsystem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Inventors: Pradeep S. Thacker, George Morris Gulko, Paul Steven Wallace
  • Publication number: 20030083390
    Abstract: The present invention deals with the handling of the tail-gas product from an integrated gasification reactor/Fischer-Tropsch reactor unit. The Fischer-Tropsch tail-gas is either recycled back for feed to the gasification unit to be converted into syngas, is processed in a CO2 removal unit and recycled back to the feed of the Fischer-Tropsch reactor to improve the liquid product yield, or is sent to a power production unit for the generation of electric power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Lalit S. Shah, Pradeep S. Thacker, Manual E. Quintana, Rae Song
  • 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: 5345756
    Abstract: A highly efficient partial oxidation process with the production of power comprising the steps of producing fuel gas by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous fuel, cooling said fuel gas at high pressure by quenching in water to produce quenched fuel gas and by indirect heat exchange with BFW to maximize the production of IP and MP steam, cleaning said fuel gas, preheating scrubbing water comprising process condensate and make-up water by direct contact and direct heat exchange with clean fuel gas and using said preheated scrubbing water in the cleaning of said fuel gas, reducing the pressure of said cooled fuel gas stream prior to heating water for fuel gas saturation, cooling the process fuel gas stream in stages and condensing water for use as said scrubbing water, purifying the process fuel gas and saturating it with water, and burning said purified and saturated fuel gas in the combustor of a power-producing gas turbine along with saturated nitrogen to produce exhaust gas with a reduced NO.sub.x.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick C. Jahnke, Paul S. Wallace, Pradeep S. Thacker
  • Patent number: 5319924
    Abstract: Chlorine and sulfur-free fuel gas substantially comprising H.sub.2 +CO for use as fuel in a gas turbine for the production of mechanical and electrical power and environmentally-safe flue gas is produced by the partial oxidation of liquid hydrocarbonaceous or solid carbonaceous fuels having chlorine and sulfur-containing impurities, cooling and splitting the raw fuel gas into two streams A and B, separately cooling raw fuel gas stream A by indirect heat exchange with dry N.sub.2 gas while separately cooling the stream of raw fuel gas B by indirect heat exchange with the product stream of clean chlorine and sulfur-free fuel gas. HCl and particulate matter are then removed from raw fuel gas streams A and B; and, after combining raw fuel gas streams A and B together further cooling and removal of sulfur-containing gases takes place. By this process, attack on metal heat exchangers by the corrosive constituents in the raw fuel gas is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: Texaco Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Wallace, Pradeep S. Thacker