Patents by Inventor Richard Dale Bower
Richard Dale Bower 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: 9222038Abstract: A plasma gasification reactor vessel having a top section with a conical wall extending up from a bottom section, containing a carbonaceous bed into which plasma is injected by plasma torches, to a roof of the vessel is arranged in ways that can contribute to characteristics of gas flow and solids residence time that are favorable for thoroughness of reactions and yield of useful reactions products. In some cases, such a conical wall is combined in arrangements with other features such as one or more feed ports arranged to give more uniform distribution including examples with a feed port that has a distributive feed mechanism. The roof of the vessel, in some examples, has vertical outlet ports that include intrusions into the interior volume of the reactor proximate the conical wall of the top section. The configurations of outlet ports with intrusions and the configurations of feed ports for more uniform distribution of feed material are also applicable to reactor vessels with other geometries.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2009Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: Alter NRG Corp.Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell, Pieter van Nierop, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Richard Dale Bower
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Patent number: 8052946Abstract: A system and process for upgrading hydrocarbons such as heavy oils includes a high temperature plasma reactor apparatus, in one or more vessels, into which the oils are introduced along with water, such as steam, to produce lighter hydrocarbon fractions, along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, that flows to an additional stage where more hydrocarbons and water are introduced for further fractionating reactions facilitated by reaction of carbon monoxide and water to produce carbon dioxide and nascent, or prompt, free radicals of hydrogen. Heavy hydrocarbons upgraded can include heavy oils in the form of tar sands, oil shale, and oil residuals. The vessel or vessels can each contain a carbonaceous bed facilitating the described reactions and example embodiments include one vessel with the reactions performed in a single bed and, also, two vessels with the reactions performed in a carbonaceous bed portion in each vessel.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2009Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: Westinghouse Plasma CorporationInventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark Anthony Montemurro, Richard Dale Bower, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell
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Publication number: 20100215554Abstract: A system and process for upgrading hydrocarbons such as heavy oils includes a high temperature plasma reactor apparatus, in one or more vessels, into which the oils are introduced along with water, such as steam, to produce lighter hydrocarbon fractions, along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, that flows to an additional stage where more hydrocarbons and water are introduced for further fractionating reactions facilitated by reaction of carbon monoxide and water to produce carbon dioxide and nascent, or prompt, free radicals of hydrogen. Heavy hydrocarbons upgraded can include heavy oils in the form of tar sands, oil shale, and oil residuals. The vessel or vessels can each contain a carbonaceous bed facilitating the described reactions and example embodiments include one vessel with the reactions performed in a single bed and, also, two vessels with the reactions performed in a carbonaceous bed portion in each vessel.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2009Publication date: August 26, 2010Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark Anthony Montemurro, Richard Dale Bower, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell
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Publication number: 20100199557Abstract: A plasma gasification reactor vessel having a top section with a conical wall extending up from a bottom section, containing a carbonaceous bed into which plasma is injected by plasma torches, to a roof of the vessel is arranged in ways that can contribute to characteristics of gas flow and solids residence time that are favorable for thoroughness of reactions and yield of useful reactions products. In some cases, such a conical wall is combined in arrangements with other features such as one or more feed ports arranged to give more uniform distribution including examples with a feed port that has a distributive feed mechanism. The roof of the vessel, in some examples, has vertical outlet ports that include intrusions into the interior volume of the reactor proximate the conical wall of the top section. The configurations of outlet ports with intrusions and the configurations of feed ports for more uniform distribution of feed material are also applicable to reactor vessels with other geometries.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2009Publication date: August 12, 2010Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell, Pieter van Nierop, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Richard Dale Bower
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Publication number: 20100199556Abstract: A plasma gasification reactor vessel having a top section with a conical wall extending up from a bottom section, containing a carbonaceous bed into which plasma is injected by plasma torches, to a roof of the vessel is arranged in ways that can contribute to characteristics of gas flow and solids residence time that are favorable for thoroughness of reactions and yield of useful reactions products. In some cases, such a conical wall is combined in arrangements with other features such as one or more feed ports arranged to give more uniform distribution including examples with a feed port that has a distributive feed mechanism. The roof of the vessel, in some examples, has vertical outlet ports that include intrusions into the interior volume of the reactor proximate the conical wall of the top section. The configurations of outlet ports with intrusions and the configurations of feed ports for more uniform distribution of feed material are also applicable to reactor vessels with other geometries.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2009Publication date: August 12, 2010Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell, Pieter van Nierop, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Richard Dale Bower
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Publication number: 20100199560Abstract: A plasma gasification reactor vessel having a top section with a conical wall extending up from a bottom section, containing a carbonaceous bed into which plasma is injected by plasma torches, to a roof of the vessel is arranged in ways that can contribute to characteristics of gas flow and solids residence time that are favorable for thoroughness of reactions and yield of useful reactions products. In some cases, such a conical wall is combined in arrangements with other features such as one or more feed ports arranged to give more uniform distribution including examples with a feed port that has a distributive feed mechanism. The roof of the vessel, in some examples, has vertical outlet ports that include intrusions into the interior volume of the reactor proximate the conical wall of the top section. The configurations of outlet ports with intrusions and the configurations of feed ports for more uniform distribution of feed material are also applicable to reactor vessels with other geometries.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2009Publication date: August 12, 2010Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell, Pieter van Nierop, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Richard Dale Bower
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Patent number: 7632394Abstract: A system and process for upgrading hydrocarbons such as heavy oils includes high temperature plasma reactor apparatus, in one or more vessels, into which the oils are introduced along with water, such as steam, to produce lighter hydrocarbon fractions, along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, that flows to an additional stage where more hydrocarbons and water are introduced for further fractionating reactions facilitated by reaction of carbon monoxide and water to produce carbon dioxide and nascent, or prompt, free radicals of hydrogen. Heavy hydrocarbons upgraded can include heavy oils in the form of tar sands, oil shale, and oil residuals. The vessel or vessels can each contain a carbonaceous bed facilitating the described reactions and example embodiments include one vessel with the reactions performed in a single bed and, also, two vessels with the reactions performed in a carbonaceous bed portion in each vessel.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2007Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: Westinghouse Plasma CorporationInventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark Anthony Montemurro, Richard Dale Bower, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell
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Publication number: 20080299019Abstract: A system and process for upgrading hydrocarbons such as heavy oils includes high temperature plasma reactor apparatus, in one or more vessels, into which the oils are introduced along with water, such as steam, to produce lighter hydrocarbon fractions, along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen, that flows to an additional stage where more hydrocarbons and water are introduced for further fractionating reactions facilitated by reaction of carbon monoxide and water to produce carbon dioxide and nascent, or prompt, free radicals of hydrogen. Heavy hydrocarbons upgraded can include heavy oils in the form of tar sands, oil shale, and oil residuals. The vessel or vessels can each contain a carbonaceous bed facilitating the described reactions and example embodiments include one vessel with the reactions performed in a single bed and, also, two vessels with the reactions performed in a carbonaceous bed portion in each vessel.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2007Publication date: December 4, 2008Inventors: Shyam V. Dighe, Mark Anthony Montemurro, Richard Dale Bower, Aleksandr Gorodetsky, Mark F. Darr, Ivan A. Martorell