Patents by Inventor Ronald A. Lau

Ronald A. Lau 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).

  • Publication number: 20230256405
    Abstract: A channel manifold is presented, and which includes a dimensionally stable channel plate having top, bottom and side surfaces and a channel formed in a surface thereof, wherein the channel splits into a plurality of subsidiary channels along the surface of the channel plate and has an entrance port and a plurality of exit ports such that a fluid fed into the entrance port is expelled through the plurality of exit ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Applicant: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. Lau, Karen Ringel
  • Patent number: 11642634
    Abstract: The description relates to methods and apparatus that enable the efficient introduction of gases like air, oxygen and ozone into aqueous liquids. Gases are introduced into liquids for making that gas chemically or biologically available at a minimum energy expenditure. Impinging jets of liquid are directed into a pressurized saturation vessel having a gas-filled headspace and a saturation zone below the surface of the liquid at a velocity sufficient to create a turbulent impact and plunge zone. The resulting turbulence and mixing of gas and liquid in that zone under pressure, causes the gas to be driven into the liquid in the vessel and breaks up the gas and the liquid into a churning flow and creates a large number of bubbles. The resulting gas-enriched liquid is discharged from the vessel at an outlet to ensure a minimum of bubbles in the gas-enriched liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. Lau, Karen L. Ringel
  • Patent number: 11339056
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and compact apparatus for controlled, on-demand ammonia generation from urea. The process gasifies an aqueous urea solution in a chamber utilizing hot gas while controlling the flows of aqueous urea solution and hot gas to achieve complete gasification of the aqueous urea solution and form a gas mixture comprising ammonia, isocyanic acid, carbon dioxide and water vapor, which is passed through a catalyst bed containing particulate transition metal oxide to convert substantially all of the isocyanic acid to ammonia. A catalyst support and the catalyst bed are aligned with the gasification chamber at the lower end of said chamber to provide a degree of back pressure on the gases in the gasification chamber to isolate the gasification chamber from turbulent exit effects caused by equipment downstream of the thermal reactor. A sample of the product stream is treated to remove water and ammonia, and analyze for carbon dioxide content to control the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Sun, Ronald A. Lau, John M. Boyle, Scott M. Mayhew, David M. Kieffer
  • Publication number: 20210283557
    Abstract: The description relates to methods and apparatus that enable the efficient introduction of gases like air, oxygen and ozone into aqueous liquids. Gases are introduced into liquids for making that gas chemically or biologically available at a minimum energy expenditure. Impinging jets of liquid are directed into a pressurized saturation vessel having a gas-filled headspace and a saturation zone below the surface of the liquid at a velocity sufficient to create a turbulent impact and plunge zone. The resulting turbulence and mixing of gas and liquid in that zone under pressure, causes the gas to be driven into the liquid in the vessel and breaks up the gas and the liquid into a churning flow and creates a large number of bubbles. The resulting gas-enriched liquid is discharged from the vessel at an outlet to ensure a minimum of bubbles in the gas-enriched liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. Lau, Karen L. Ringel
  • Publication number: 20180194639
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and compact apparatus for controlled, on-demand ammonia generation from urea. The process gasifies an aqueous urea solution in a chamber utilizing hot gas while controlling the flows of aqueous urea solution and hot gas to achieve complete gasification of the aqueous urea solution and form a gas mixture comprising ammonia, isocyanic acid, carbon dioxide and water vapor, which is passed through a catalyst bed containing particulate transition metal oxide to convert substantially all of the isocyanic acid to ammonia. A catalyst support and the catalyst bed are aligned with the gasification chamber at the lower end of said chamber to provide a degree of back pressure on the gases in the gasification chamber to isolate the gasification chamber from turbulent exit effects caused by equipment downstream of the thermal reactor. A sample of the product stream is treated to remove water and ammonia, and analyze for carbon dioxide content to control the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Applicant: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Sun, Ronald A. Lau, John M. Boyle, Scott M. Mayhew, David M. Kieffer
  • Patent number: 9656207
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for gasifying urea from aqueous solution, comprising: a vertically-oriented gasification chamber. A gas inlet opening permits entry of hot gases from the top and a gas outlet opening for permitting the removal of gases including gasified urea from the bottom. Sidewalls define a gasification chamber communicating with the gas inlet and gas outlet. The sidewalls include, an injector support section having a generally cylindrical side wall, at least one injector for introducing fine droplets of aqueous urea parallel to the central vertical axis, and a gas swirling device including a frame and a plurality of vanes for downwardly spiraling gases passing through it from top to bottom. Also, defined by the sidewalls are a conical midsection is provided with an outwardly expanding diameter from top to bottom, and a conical collection section with inwardly decreasing diameter from top to bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: FUEL TECH, INC.
    Inventor: Ronald A. Lau
  • Publication number: 20160129396
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for gasifying urea from aqueous solution, comprising: a vertically-oriented gasification chamber. A gas inlet opening permits entry of hot gases from the top and a gas outlet opening for permitting the removal of gases including gasified urea from the bottom. Sidewalls define a gasification chamber communicating with the gas inlet and gas outlet. The sidewalls include, an injector support section having a generally cylindrical side wall, at least one injector for introducing fine droplets of aqueous urea parallel to the central vertical axis, and a gas swirling device including a frame and a plurality of vanes for downwardly spiraling gases passing through it from top to bottom. Also, defined by the sidewalls are a conical midsection is provided with an outwardly expanding diameter from top to bottom, and a conical collection section with inwardly decreasing diameter from top to bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Applicant: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald A. Lau
  • Patent number: 8852542
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus enabling the efficient utilization of urea for purposes such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx, which enable feeding urea to a chamber designed to efficiently and completely gasify the urea to enable ammonia feed. Preferably, aqueous urea is fed to a gasification chamber, which is also fed with heated gases. An injector means, capable of distributing the aqueous urea as fine droplets, is positioned centrally of a gas distribution plate in the chamber. An arrangement of spaced holes in the gas distribution plate provides higher gas velocity in the vicinity of the injector means than near the walls of the chamber. Uniform gas distribution without equipment fouling is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Fuel Tech, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Sun, John M. Boyle, Ronald A. Lau
  • Publication number: 20090297417
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus enabling the efficient utilization of urea for purposes such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx, which enable feeding urea to a chamber designed to efficiently and completely gasify the urea to enable ammonia feed. Preferably, aqueous urea is fed to a gasification chamber, which is also fed with heated gases. An injector means, capable of distributing the aqueous urea as fine droplets, is positioned centrally of a gas distribution plate in the chamber. An arrangement of spaced holes in the gas distribution plate provides higher gas velocity in the vicinity of the injector means than near the walls of the chamber. Uniform gas distribution without equipment fouling is achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: FUEL TECH, INC.
    Inventors: William H. Sun, John M. Boyle, Ronald A. Lau