Patents by Inventor Ronald C. Hodrien

Ronald C. Hodrien 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: 5255504
    Abstract: A method for combined cycle electrical power generation comprises utilizing a coal hydrogenator 2 and a reactor 1 for producing from a methane-rich gas a hot crude hydrogen-containing gas which is fed directly (apart from an optional quenching stage) to the coal hydrogenator. The coal hydrogenator produces gaseous and liquid products which are combusted to drive a gas turbine 5 which drives an electrical generator 6. The hydrogenator also produces char which is combusted in a boiler 10 to form steam to drive a steam turbine 11 which, in turn, drives another electrical generator 12. Such direct use of the hot crude gas avoids having to preheat hydrogen-containing feed to the hydrogenator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1993
    Assignee: British Gas PLC
    Inventors: Ronald C. Hodrien, Philip A. Borrill, Deborah J. Brown
  • Patent number: 5253469
    Abstract: A method for combined cycle electrical power generation comprises utilizing a coal hydrogenator 1 to produce gaseous, liquid and char products. The gaseous product, an optionally the liquid product, is combusted to drive a gas turbine 4, which in turn drives a first electrical generator 5, whilst the char is fed to a boiler 9 and combusted therein to produce steam to drive a steam turbine 10 which in turn drives a second electrical generator 11. The method enables electrical power to be generated from gaseous, lqiuid and char products produced by the coal hydrogenator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: British Gas PLC
    Inventors: Ronald C. Hodrien, Keith R. Wild
  • Patent number: 4446003
    Abstract: A process for the recovery of heat from the gas leaving a unit for the thermal hydrogenation of an oil feedstock, which process comprises quenching the gas with a quench liquid in a quenching zone in which all the internal surfaces thereof are irrigated by the quench liquid and passing the cooled gas and quench liquid to a heat recovery unit in which all the surfaces thereof in contact with gas are irrigated by the quench liquid.The process is particularly suitable for the recovery of heat from the gas leaving a fluidized bed hydrogenator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1984
    Assignee: British Gas Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen R. Burton, Gary Horley, Ronald C. Hodrien