Patents by Inventor Robert O. Dunn

Robert O. Dunn 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: 9540264
    Abstract: We have now discovered a novel process for the removal or extraction of metal species from a variety of solid, liquid or gas phase materials. Metal species may be removed by contacting the material suspected of containing one or more metals with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective far the sequestration of the metal species by the thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof. The thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species may then be separated and recovered from the treated material. Moreover, following the treatment of aqueous liquids or mixtures, or suspensions or dispersions of solids in aqueous liquids, the resultant thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising the sequestered metal species is insoluble in water and forms a separate layer from the aqueous liquid phase, which layer may be readily removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: Rex E. Murray, Grigor B. Bantchev, Kenneth M. Doll, Robert O. Dunn, Kim L. Ascherl
  • Publication number: 20150336883
    Abstract: We have now discovered a novel process for the removal or extraction of metal species from a variety of solid, liquid or gas phase materials. Metal species may be removed by contacting the material suspected of containing one or more metals with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective far the sequestration of the metal species by the thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof. The thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species may then be separated and recovered from the treated material. Moreover, following the treatment of aqueous liquids or mixtures, or suspensions or dispersions of solids in aqueous liquids, the resultant thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising the sequestered metal species is insoluble in water and forms a separate layer from the aqueous liquid phase, which layer may be readily removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Rex E. Murray, Grigor B. Bantchev, Kenneth M. Doll, Robert O. Dunn, Kim L. Ascherl
  • Patent number: 9126909
    Abstract: We have now discovered a novel process for the removal or extraction of metal species from a variety of solid, liquid or gas phase materials. Metal species may be removed by contacting the material suspected of containing one or more metals with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective for the sequestration of the metal species by the thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof. The thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species may then be separated and recovered from the treated material. Moreover, following the treatment of aqueous liquids or mixtures, or suspensions or dispersions of solids in aqueous liquids, the resultant thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising the sequestered metal species is insoluble in water and forms a separate layer from the aqueous liquid phase, which layer may be readily removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: Rex E. Murray, Grigor B. Bantchev, Kenneth M. Doll, Robert O. Dunn, Kim L. Ascherl
  • Patent number: 6232508
    Abstract: A process for the manufacture of ether from a feedstock containing isoolefins and linear olefins. The process is one which has a high conversion of isoolefins thereby permitting the separation of linear olefins without the associated difficulty in separating isomers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Gary R. Patton, Robert O. Dunn
  • Patent number: 6037502
    Abstract: This invention provides an improved etherification process that reduces the amount of acidic-ion-exchange-resin catalyst that is deactivated by nitriles. This process uses a water phase to remove nitriles from a hydrocarbon phase followed by an alcohol phase to remove the nitriles from the water phase. An hydrogenation catalyst is used to convert the nitriles to amines so that they can be more easily removed from the alcohol phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Gary R. Patton, Robert O. Dunn, Gary A. Delzer, Marvin M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5684212
    Abstract: This invention provides a process to remove nitriles. This invention also provides an improved etherification process that reduces the amount of acidic-ion-exchange-resin catalyst that is deactivated by nitriles. These processes use a water phase to remove nitriles from a hydrocarbon phase followed by a steam, or fuel gas, phase to remove the nitriles from the water phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Gary R. Patton, Robert O. Dunn
  • Patent number: 5586051
    Abstract: In a process for manufacture of a chemical product, a reactive hydrocarbon feedstream, which varies in composition of the reactive component, is combined with a compatible but unreactive hydrocarbon feedstream to form a blended hydrocarbon stream which is then combined with a reactive alcohol stream of stable concentration of its reactive component, to form a complete feedstream to the reactor. A desired ratio of relative reactant concentrations in the complete feedstream to the reactor is maintained by a control system which maintains a stable concentration in the blended hydrocarbon stream by manipulating flow rate of the unreactive hydrocarbon feedstream responsive to a concentration measurement in the blended hydrocarbon stream. Flow ratio control is then applied to maintain a desired ratio of reactants in the complete feedstream for the reactor by calculating a flow ratio of the blended hydrocarbon stream to the reactive alcohol feedstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1996
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Ronald E. Miranda, Robert O. Dunn, Martin K. Lyons, Steven D. Bridges, Francis M. Brinkmeyer, Michael L. Facker
  • Patent number: 5237115
    Abstract: A novel integrated olefin processing scheme is provided where olefins and paraffins are processed to produce high octane gasoline blending components. The integrated process involves the dehydrogenation of paraffin compounds to olefin compounds and the processing of olefins by hydroisomerization to produce hydroisomerate streams which are subsequently etherified. Those olefin compounds which are not etherified pass to an alkylation process where they are alkylated with branched chain paraffin compounds to produce an alkylate product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1993
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: Donald J. Makovec, Robert O. Dunn, Martyn E. Pfile, Gary R. Patton, Larry E. Lew
  • Patent number: 4115264
    Abstract: In the liquid phase catalytic oxidation of organically polluted water containing negligible amounts of alkali metal by contacting the polluted water with an oxygen-containing gas and a catalyst effective to promote such liquid phase oxidation, the method of increasing the catalyst life comprising increasing the alkali metal concentration in the organically polluted water prior to the catalytic oxidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1976
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1978
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventors: William C. McCarthy, Robert O. Dunn