Patents by Inventor Ram A. Sharma
Ram A. Sharma 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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Patent number: 6423292Abstract: Anhydrous MgCl2 is prepared by a) dissolving magnesite in a starting melt of MgCl2—CeCl3 forming MgCl2+CeOCl+CO2↑, b) and converting the CeOCl back to CeCl3 by chlorination with Cl2 in the presence of a reducing agent such as CO2 or H2 to yield a second melt of MgCl2—CeCl3 having a higher concentration of MgCl2. Steps a) and b) are repeated with the second melt to further increase the concentration of MgCl2. The concentrated MgCl2—CeCl3 melt is then reacted with MgO and Cl2 in the absence of a reducing agent to convert the soluble CeCl3 into insoluble CeO2 precipitate which can be separated to yield pure MgCl2.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2000Date of Patent: July 23, 2002Inventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 6117208Abstract: Titanium metal is produced using titanium dioxide as the starting material. A molten metal collection pool is first prepared in a reaction vessel from zinc and calcium. A molten salt mixture is then added to the vessel comprised of a mixture of calcium chloride and calcium fluoride. The titanium oxide starting material is then added along with additional calcium and the contents are mechanically stirred while maintaining at a temperature of about 800.degree. C. The titanium reacts spontaneously with the calcium, producing titanium powder and calcium oxide. The titanium becomes embedded in the molten zinc pool and settles to the bottom of the vessel, where it is removed and the titanium separated from the zinc by vacuum distillation or a suitable electrochemical process. The same process applies for producing zirconium from zirconium dioxide.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1998Date of Patent: September 12, 2000Inventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 6066247Abstract: A method is provided for the electrolytic production of aluminum metal from aluminum trichloride starting material. A molten electrolytic solution of mixed chloride-fluoride salts is formed in a reaction vessel into which the aluminum trichloride feed material is added. The fluoride component of the electrolyte reacts spontaneously with the aluminum trichloride, producing aluminum fluoride and a chloride salt. The aluminum fluoride is advantageously stored in a non-volatile state in solution in the electrolyte. The aluminum fluoride is then electrolytically reduced to yield aluminum metal and a fluoride salt.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1998Date of Patent: May 23, 2000Inventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5853560Abstract: A method is disclosed for the production of magnesium in which a magnesium chloride (which may be partially dehydrated) and/or magnesium oxide-containing feedstock is reacted with an electrolyte consisting essentially of magnesium cations, lithium and/or calcium cations, and fluoride and chloride anions, whereby the magnesium chloride and/or magnesium oxide react with and dissolve in the electrolyte, and lithium or calcium initially is produced electrochemically and transiently at the cathode and reacts chemically with magnesium cations in the electrolyte to produce magnesium metal. Thus, the method essentially involves a first electrochemical step to produce lithium or calcium metal and a subsequent second chemical step in which lithium or calcium reacts with magnesium fluoride in the electrolyte to produce magnesium metal.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 1997Date of Patent: December 29, 1998Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5593566Abstract: A process is disclosed for the electrolytic production of magnesium utilizing magnesium oxide and/or partially dehydrated magnesium chloride as a feedstock. An electrolyte containing magnesium chloride, potassium chloride and optionally sodium chloride is employed so that magnesium is produced. The magnesium is absorbed into a molten magnesium alloy cathode layer underlying the MgCl.sub.2 -KCl electrolyte. In a bipolar embodiment, pure magnesium is electrolytically transported from the magnesium alloy through a second molten salt electrolyte to an overlying electrode where the magnesium collects as a pool on the second electrolyte.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 1995Date of Patent: January 14, 1997Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5427657Abstract: Magnesium oxide or suitable precursors of magnesium oxide may be dissolved in a molten salt bath comprising magnesium cations, rare earth element cations and fluoride anions and the resultant magnesium containing bath electrolyzed so as to produce a magnesium-rare earth element alloy. While such magnesium-rare earth element alloy has utility as is, electrolytic and chemical practices are also disclosed for reducing the rare earth element content of the magnesium alloy.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 1994Date of Patent: June 27, 1995Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5395487Abstract: An electrolytic process is provided for extracting magnesium metal from magnesium-containing aluminum alloys, in which magnesium oxide which is inherently and undesirably formed during electrolytic demagging of an aluminum alloy is destroyed in situ, and a regenerating process is performed within the same electrolytic demagging cell. The magnesium oxide is reacted with a rare earth chloride within the electrolyte to form magnesium chloride and rare earth oxychloride, which are then electrochemically decomposed to form rare earth chloride and molten magnesium which can be recovered from the demagging cell. Intermittent regeneration of the electrolyte substantially re-establishes the original electrolyte formulation. Thereafter, the demagging cell again reverts to the demagging process by which the aluminum alloy is electrolytically demagged to form molten magnesium metal.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 1994Date of Patent: March 7, 1995Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5314526Abstract: A process is disclosed for the calcium reduction of rare earth fluorides, especially neodymium and/or praseodymium fluorides, in a minimum volume stirred molten calcium chloride reaction medium that produces high yield, high quality rare earth alloy with a calcium fluoride byproduct that can be recycled to generate more rare earth fluoride starting material.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 1990Date of Patent: May 24, 1994Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5290337Abstract: In the pyrochemical reduction of uranium dioxide or other actinide metal oxides by reaction with magnesium, magnesium oxide byproduct is produced. The use of a salt flux comprising magnesium chloride and a rare earth element trichloride such as neodymium chloride is disclosed. The neodymium chloride reacts with magnesium oxide to form magnesium chloride and neodymium oxychloride. The resulting magnesium chloride-neodymium oxychloride salt mixture can readily be subjected to electrolysis to regenerate magnesium and neodymium chloride for reuse in the pyrochemical reduction process. Other uses of the magnesium chloride-neodymium chloride salt flux are also proposed.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 1992Date of Patent: March 1, 1994Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 5279716Abstract: A method is provided for the electrolytic production of magnesium metal. The method is highly economical in that the method permits the use of magnesium oxide as a feed stock for the electrolytic process. The method uses a rare earth chloride as a constituent of the electrolyte bath. The rare earth chloride spontaneously reacts with the magnesium oxide to form magnesium chloride. The magnesium chloride can then be electrolyzed using standard electrolysis methods. The avoidance of using magnesium chloride as the feed stock to the process eliminates the substantial costs involved with producing and purifying magnesium chloride from natural sources. In addition, the rare earth chloride continuously reacts with any magnesium oxide from any source which may form during the process to prevent a sludge from forming within the electrolyte, such that the process efficiently produces magnesium metal with no losses attributable to sludge formation.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 1992Date of Patent: January 18, 1994Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 4917724Abstract: Mixtures of a rare earth and an intermetallic compound comprising the rare earth and a ferromagnetic metal selected from the group consisting of iron and cobalt which are formed by the reduction-diffusion process are decalcified by washing with an aqueous ammoniacal solution comprising a reagent capable of forming a calcium salt soluble in alkaline solution and maintaining the pH of the washing solution above 9.0.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 1988Date of Patent: April 17, 1990Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 4680055Abstract: Rare earth chlorides and oxychlorides can be reduced to substantially pure rare earth metals by a novel, high yield, metallothermic process. The rare earth chloride feedstock is dispersed in a vessel containing a suitable molten chloride salt bath and a molten metal collection pool. Enough sodium, potassium and/or calcium is added to the bath to produce a stoichiometric excess of calcium metal with respect to the rare earth. The bath is stirred such that the calcium metal reduces the rare earth feedstock. Stirring is stopped and the reduced rare earth metal is collected in the metal pool in the reaction vessel.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 1986Date of Patent: July 14, 1987Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 4578242Abstract: Rare earth oxides can be reduced to rare earth metals by a novel, high yield, metallothermic process. The oxides are dispersed in a suitable, molten, calcium chloride bath along with sodium metal. The sodium reacts with the calcium chloride to produce calcium metal which reduces the rare earth oxides to rare earth metals. The metals are collected in a discrete layer in the reaction vessel.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 1984Date of Patent: March 25, 1986Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 4525212Abstract: Decontaminating an aluminum melt by chlorination wherein the melt is blanketed with a layer of molten flux containing calcium oxide to consume any Cl.sub.2 and/or AlCl.sub.3 offgasses from the melt.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1983Date of Patent: June 25, 1985Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Ram A. Sharma
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Patent number: 4089931Abstract: Boron nitride (BN) is freed of boric oxide without increasing its electroconductivity by heating the BN under vacuum to evaporate the boric oxide and chlorinating the BN at a temperature sufficient to remove any elemental boron as boron trichloride.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 1977Date of Patent: May 16, 1978Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Ram A. Sharma, Thompson G. Bradley
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Patent number: 4061841Abstract: In an electrochemical cell having a molybdenum terminal rod extending through a metallic housing, a feedthrough assembly for insulating the terminal rod from and bonding it to the housing. The assembly comprises an insulating body of aluminum nitride, yittria or mixtures thereof surrounding the rod. The terminal rod is welded to a molybdenum ring integrally bonded to the insulating body. Also integrally bonded to the insulating body is a second molybdenum ring, which is electrically insulated from the first ring and is employed to attach the insulator to the housing. In a preferred embodiment, the construction is employed in a lithium-iron sulfide cell to hermetically seal the terminal rod to the housing.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 1977Date of Patent: December 6, 1977Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Ram A. Sharma, Walter J. Wright, Richard A. Murie