Patents by Inventor Renus C. Kelfkens

Renus C. Kelfkens 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: 10995288
    Abstract: An interconnected set of two or more stages of reactors to form a bio-reforming reactor that generates syngas for a number of different liquid fuel or chemical processes is discussed. A first stage includes a circulating fluidized bed reactor that is configured to cause a chemical devolatilization of the biomass into its reaction products of constituent gases, tars, chars, and other components, which exit through a reactor output from the first stage. A second stage of the bio-reforming reactor has an input configured to receive a stream of some of the reaction products that includes the constituent gases and at least some of the tars as raw syngas, and then chemically reacts the raw syngas within a vessel of the second stage to make the raw syngas from the first stage into a chemical grade syngas by further cracking the tars, excess methane, or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Sundrop IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Wayne W. Simmons, Andrew Argo, Andrew W. Broerman
  • Patent number: 10287508
    Abstract: Multiple stages of reactors form a bio-reforming reactor that generates chemical grade bio-syngas for any of 1) a methanol synthesis reactor, 2) a Methanol-to-Gasoline reactor train, 3) a high temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train, and 4) any combination of these three that use the chemical grade bio-syngas derived from biomass fed into the bio-reforming reactor. A tubular chemical reactor of a second stage has inputs configured to receive chemical feedstock from at least two sources, i) the raw syngas from the reactor output of the first stage via a cyclone, and ii) purge gas containing renewable carbon-based gases that are recycled back via a recycle loop as a chemical feedstock from any of 1) the downstream methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) the downstream methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, or 3) purge gas from both trains. The plant produces fuel products with solely 100% biogenic carbon content as well as fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Sundrop Fuels, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Patent number: 10273422
    Abstract: A bio-reforming reactor receives biomass to generate chemical grade syngas for a coupled downstream train of any of 1) a methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) a methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, and 3) a high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train, that use this syngas derived from the biomass in the bio-reforming reactor. A renewable carbon content of the produced gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel derived from the coupled downstream trains of any of 1) the methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) the methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, or 3) the high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train are optimized for recovery of renewable carbon content to produce fuel products with 100% biogenic carbon content and/or fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Sundrop Fuels, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Patent number: 10273415
    Abstract: A bio-reforming reactor receives biomass to generate chemical grade syngas for a coupled downstream train of a low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train that uses this syngas derived from the biomass in the bio-reforming reactor. A renewable carbon content of the produced gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel derived from the coupled downstream train the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train are optimized for recovery of renewable carbon content to produce fuel products with 100% biogenic carbon content and/or fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content. The low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train produces syncrude, transportation fuels such as bio-gasoline or bio-diesel, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Sundrop Fuels, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Publication number: 20180291278
    Abstract: Multiple stages of reactors form a bio-reforming reactor that generates chemical grade bio-syngas for any of 1) a methanol synthesis reactor, 2) a Methanol-to-Gasoline reactor train, 3) a high temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train, and 4) any combination of these three that use the chemical grade bio-syngas derived from biomass fed into the bio-reforming reactor. A tubular chemical reactor of a second stage has inputs configured to receive chemical feedstock from at least two sources, i) the raw syngas from the reactor output of the first stage via a cyclone, and ii) purge gas containing renewable carbon-based gases that are recycled back via a recycle loop as a chemical feedstock from any of 1) the downstream methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) the downstream methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, or 3) purge gas from both trains. The plant produces fuel products with solely 100% biogenic carbon content as well as fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Publication number: 20180291295
    Abstract: A bio-reforming reactor receives biomass to generate chemical grade syngas for a coupled downstream train of any of 1) a methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) a methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, and 3) a high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train, that use this syngas derived from the biomass in the bio-reforming reactor. A renewable carbon content of the produced gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel derived from the coupled downstream trains of any of 1) the methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) the methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, or 3) the high-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train are optimized for recovery of renewable carbon content to produce fuel products with 100% biogenic carbon content and/or fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Publication number: 20180291279
    Abstract: A bio-reforming reactor receives biomass to generate chemical grade syngas for a coupled downstream train of a low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train that uses this syngas derived from the biomass in the bio-reforming reactor. A renewable carbon content of the produced gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel derived from the coupled downstream train the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train are optimized for recovery of renewable carbon content to produce fuel products with 100% biogenic carbon content and/or fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content. The low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train produces syncrude, transportation fuels such as bio-gasoline or bio-diesel, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Steve C. Lythgoe, Wayne W. Simmons
  • Patent number: 9771531
    Abstract: An integrated plant to generate chemical grade syngas from a steam biomass reforming in a multiple stage bio reforming reactor for use with either a high temperature or low temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process to produce fuel from biomass is discussed. The first stage has a reactor to cause a chemical devolatilization of a biomass feedstock from the biomass feedstock supply lines into its constituent gases of CO, H2, CO2, CH4, tars, chars, and other components into a raw syngas mixture. A second stage performs further reforming of the raw syngas from the first stage into the chemical grade syngas by further applying heat and pressure to chemically crack at least the tars, reform the CH4, or a combination of both, into their corresponding syngas molecules. The second stage feeds the chemical grade syngas derived from the biomass feedstock to the downstream Fischer-Tropsch train to produce the fuel from the biomass. One or more recycle loops supply tail gas or FT product back into the plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Inventors: Renus C. Kelfkens, Wayne W. Simmons, Douglas S. Jack, Jerrod Wayne Hohman, Sidney P. White
  • Publication number: 20170066983
    Abstract: An interconnected set of two or more stages of reactors to form a bio-reforming reactor that generates syngas for a number of different liquid fuel or chemical processes is discussed. A first stage includes a circulating fluidized bed reactor that is configured to cause a chemical devolatilization of the biomass into its reaction products of constituent gases, tars, chars, and other components, which exit through a reactor output from the first stage. A second stage of the bio-reforming reactor has an input configured to receive a stream of some of the reaction products that includes the constituent gases and at least some of the tars as raw syngas, and then chemically reacts the raw syngas within a vessel of the second stage to make the raw syngas from the first stage into a chemical grade syngas by further cracking the tars, excess methane, or both.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Douglas S. Jack, Renus C. Kelfkens, Wayne W. Simmons, Andrew Argo, Andrew W. Broerman
  • Publication number: 20160152905
    Abstract: An integrated plant to generate chemical grade syngas from a steam biomass reforming in a multiple stage bio reforming reactor for use with either a high temperature or low temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process to produce fuel from biomass is discussed. The first stage has a reactor to cause a chemical devolatilization of a biomass feedstock from the biomass feedstock supply lines into its constituent gases of CO, H2, CO2, CH4, tars, chars, and other components into a raw syngas mixture. A second stage performs further reforming of the raw syngas from the first stage into the chemical grade syngas by further applying heat and pressure to chemically crack at least the tars, reform the CH4, or a combination of both, into their corresponding syngas molecules. The second stage feeds the chemical grade syngas derived from the biomass feedstock to the downstream Fischer-Tropsch train to produce the fuel from the biomass. One or more recycle loops supply tail gas or FT product back into the plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: Renus C. Kelfkens, Wayne W. Simmons, Douglas S. Jack, Jerrod Wayne Hohman, Sidney P. White
  • Patent number: 5599849
    Abstract: A process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants comprises feeding gaseous reactants into a slurry bed of solid particles suspended in a liquid; allowing the reactants to react as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed, thereby to form liquid and, optionally, gaseous products; and separating liquid product from the solid particles by passing, in a filtration zone within the slurry bed, liquid product through a filtration medium in a first direction, so that a cake of the solid particles forms on the filtration medium. The passage of liquid product through the filtering medium is interrupted. The filtering medium is then backflushed by passing a flushing fluid through the filtering medium in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, for at least portions of the periods that the liquid product passage is interrupted, thereby to dislodge the cake from the filtering medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Sasol Chemical Industries (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Berend Jager, Andre P. Steynberg, Juan R. Inga, Renus C. Kelfkens, Michael A. Smith, Francois E. J. Malherbe