Patents by Inventor Richard J. Cranford

Richard J. Cranford 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: 9200208
    Abstract: Crude algae oils produced by practical extraction techniques comprise a wide range of molecular species that can be characterized by advanced analytical techniques. The algae oils comprise a complex mixture of a large number of molecules having varying sizes and therefore varying boiling points, and comprise high nitrogen, oxygen, and fatty acid content, but low sulfur, saturated hydrocarbons, and triglyceride content. Hydrogen/carbon molar ratios are typically greater than 1.6. The wide range of molecular species in the crude algae oils, while unusual compared to conventional refinery feed stocks and vegetable oils, may be upgraded into fuels by conventional refining approaches such as hydrotreating and thermal treatment. Unusual behavior of the algae oils in thermal processing and/or hydrotreatment may provide a high quality product slate, with the flexibility to adjust the product slate due to enhanced cracking behavior exhibited by these algae oils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: SAPPHIRE ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Stilianos G. Roussis, Richard J. Cranford
  • Patent number: 9145528
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for upgrading (for example, removing heteroatoms, metals, or metalloids) an oil composition derived or extracted from a biomass. The upgraded oil composition can be used to make a desired product, for example, a fuel product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: SAPPHIRE ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: Brian L. Goodall, Alex M. Aravanis, Craig A. Behnke, Richard J. Cranford, Daniel J. Sajkowski
  • Patent number: 9028696
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Sapphire Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard J. Cranford, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Patent number: 8906236
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of nutrients from non-organic phases produced during recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass. The nutrients recovered can then be utilized to grow additional biomass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Sapphire Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard J. Cranford, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Patent number: 8882861
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Sapphire Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard J. Cranford, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Publication number: 20140256999
    Abstract: Algae oil feeds comprise a wide range of molecular species forming a complex mixture of molecules having varying sizes and therefore varying boiling points, comprise high nitrogen, oxygen, and fatty acid content, but comprise low sulfur, saturated hydrocarbons, and triglycerides. The wide range of molecular species in the algae oil feeds, very unusual compared to conventional refinery feedstocks and vegetable oils, may be upgraded into fuels by conventional refining approaches such as thermal and/or catalytic-hydroprocessing. Hydrotreating at high pressure over large-pore catalyst, and optionally followed by FCC cracking, has shown a beneficial product slate including coke yield. Thermal treatment prior to hydrotreating may improve hydrotreating feedstock quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventors: Stilianos G. Roussis, Richard J. Cranford, Daniel J. Sajkowski
  • Publication number: 20140249338
    Abstract: Crude algae oils produced by practical extraction techniques comprise a wide range of molecular species that can be characterized by advanced analytical techniques. The algae oils comprise a complex mixture of a large number of molecules having varying sizes and therefore varying boiling points, and comprise high nitrogen, oxygen, and fatty acid content, but low sulfur, saturated hydrocarbons, and triglyceride content. Hydrogen/carbon molar ratios are typically greater than 1.6. The wide range of molecular species in the crude algae oils, while unusual compared to conventional refinery feed stocks and vegetable oils, may be upgraded into fuels by conventional refining approaches such as hydrotreating and thermal treatment. Unusual behavior of the algae oils in thermal processing and/or hydrotreatment may provide a high quality product slate, with the flexibility to adjust the product slate due to enhanced cracking behavior exhibited by these algae oils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Inventors: Stilianos G. Roussis, Richard J. Cranford
  • Publication number: 20140148609
    Abstract: Crude algae oils are thermally-treated at temperature(s) in the range of 300-600° C., without catalyst and/or the addition of hydrogen, to produce a higher grade, cleaner algae oil with, for example, reduced oxygen, boiling range, viscosity and/or density, and acid number, in addition, because the thermal treatment reduces metals in the oil and produces carbonaceous solids, it is expected that catalyst deactivation by algae oil feedstocks will be greatly reduced if the crude algae oil or fractions thereof are thermally-treated prior to catalytic upgrading. Oxygen, fatty acids, metals, and metalloids are reduced/removed by the thermal treatment, so that RBI) processing of the crude bio-oil may be reduced or eliminated, and requirements for further deoxygenation and hydrotreating of the thermal products are reduced or eliminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Inventors: Stilianos G. Roussis, Richard J. Cranford, Daniel J. Sajkowski
  • Publication number: 20120253056
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: SAPPHIRE ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: RICHARD J. CRANFORD, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Publication number: 20120190872
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds Obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: SAPPHIRE ENERGY, INC.
    Inventors: RICHARD J. CRANFORD, ALEX M. ARAVANIS, STILIANOS G. ROUSSIS
  • Patent number: 8192628
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Sapphire Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard J. Cranford, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Publication number: 20120116138
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for upgrading (for example, removing heteroatoms, metals, or metalloids) an oil composition derived or extracted from a biomass. The upgraded oil composition can be used to make a desired product, for example, a fuel product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: SAPPHIRE ENERGY, INC
    Inventors: Brian L. Goodall, Alex M. Aravanis, Graig A. Behnke, Richard J. Cranford, Daniel J. Sajkowski
  • Publication number: 20120073184
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of nutrients from non-organic phases produced during recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass. The nutrients recovered can then be utilized to grow additional biomass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: SAPPHIER ENERGY,INC.
    Inventors: RICHARD J. CRANFORD, Alex M. Aravanis, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Publication number: 20120022278
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and processes for the recovery of oleaginous compounds from biomass and in particular biomass comprises photosynthetic microorganisms. Also disclosure are oleaginous compounds obtained using the disclosed methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: Sapphire Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Alex M. Aravanis, Richard J. Cranford, Stilianos G. Roussis
  • Publication number: 20110256594
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to refining a product from a biomass containing chlorophyll and/or pheophytins. In particular, a method of refining a product (such as a biofuel) from a photosynthetic organism is disclosed. The photosynthetic organism can be a naturally occurring organism or a genetically modified or altered organism. The method of refining comprises removing nitrogen to obtain the desired product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Inventors: Richard J. Cranford, Craig Behnke, Yan Poon