Patents by Inventor Shaojun James Zhou

Shaojun James Zhou 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: 20250033964
    Abstract: Synthesis gas containing nitrogen as the majority component is processed to increase the hydrogen to carbon dioxide ratio. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants are subsequently removed by a purification unit to produce a purified hydrogen gas stream. A recycle stream within the purification unit helps achieve a hydrogen purity greater than 99.9 percent, and hydrogen recovery greater than 99 percent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2023
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Raghubir P. Gupta, John Reeves Carpenter, III, Brian S. Turk
  • Patent number: 12172125
    Abstract: An aqueous solvent composition useful for CO2 capture is described, that includes one or more CO2-sorbing amines, e.g., an amino acid salt and a tertiary or a sterically hindered amine. The solvent composition may include one or more promoters that are effective to enhance solvent characteristics such as (i) CO2 sorption capacity, (ii) CO2 sorption rate, (iii) CO2 desorption capacity, (iv) CO2 desorption rate, and (v) regeneration temperature, in relation to a corresponding solvent lacking the promoters. In relation to existing CO2 capture solvent compositions, the disclosed aqueous solvent composition provides high solvent CO2 capacity, high rate of CO2 absorption and desorption, high thermal and oxidative stability, low solvent regeneration energy, low solvent emissions, and low solvent toxicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: SUSTEON INC.
    Inventors: Aravind V. Rayer Rabindran, Shaojun James Zhou, Sujay Someshwar, Raghubir Prasad Gupta
  • Publication number: 20240416282
    Abstract: A gas conditioning system removes contaminants including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from flue gas of a marine vessel, and includes an oxidizer unit and a direct contact cooler. The oxidizer unit receives an exhaust flue gas from a marine engine through a fluid inlet, such as at a temperature between 150 degrees Celsius and 550 degrees Celsius, and converts at least a portion of the nitrogen oxides in the flue gas into nitrogen gas, nitrogen dioxide, or both. The direct contact cooler is fluidly connected to the oxidizer unit, and includes a housing defining a cooling chamber. The direct contact cooler directs the flue gas into contact with seawater residing in the cooling chamber and cools the flue gas to a temperature less than or equal to 60 degrees Celsius. The seawater removes some or all nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide from the flue gas in the cooling chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2024
    Publication date: December 19, 2024
    Inventors: Jorge Mario Plaza Cuellar, Chase Dwyer, Shaojun James Zhou, Aravind Villava Rayer Rabindran
  • Publication number: 20240416279
    Abstract: A gas conditioning system removes contaminants including carbon dioxide from flue gas, such as flue gas of a marine vessel, and includes a rotating backed bed assembly. The rotating packed bed assembly fluidly connects to an exhaust port of an engine, and receive a flue gas from the exhaust port. The rotating packed bed assembly includes a first rotating packed bed having an absorption agent to absorb a portion of the carbon dioxide from the flue gas, and a second rotating packed bed to receive the absorption agent from the first rotating packed bed and desorb at least some of the portion of the carbon dioxide from the absorption agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2024
    Publication date: December 19, 2024
    Inventors: Jorge Mario Plaza Cuellar, Chase Dwyer, Shaojun James Zhou, Aravind Villava Rayer Rabindran
  • Publication number: 20240416281
    Abstract: A gas conditioning system removes contaminants including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from flue gas of a marine vessel, and includes an oxidizer unit and a direct contact cooler. The oxidizer unit receives an exhaust flue gas from a marine engine through a fluid inlet at a temperature between 150 degrees Celsius and 550 degrees Celsius, and converts at least a portion of the nitrogen oxides in the flue gas into nitrogen gas, nitrogen dioxide, or both. The direct contact cooler is fluidly connected to the oxidizer unit, and includes a housing defining a cooling chamber. The direct contact cooler directs the flue gas into contact with seawater residing in the cooling chamber and cools the flue gas to a temperature less than or equal to 60 degrees Celsius. The seawater removes some or all nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide from the flue gas in the cooling chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2024
    Publication date: December 19, 2024
    Inventors: Jorge Mario Plaza Cuellar, Chase Dwyer, Shaojun James Zhou, Aravind Villava Rayer Rabindran
  • Publication number: 20240286107
    Abstract: A dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor and method in which plasma is used to activate difficult-to-activate molecules and the catalyst so that chemical conversion of the activated molecules can occur at reduced temperature and pressure conditions to carry out chemical reactions that ordinarily occur at high temperature and high pressure conditions or otherwise do not occur at all.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Raghubir Prasad Gupta
  • Publication number: 20240139705
    Abstract: A structured material assembly for removing CO2 from a gas, comprises a substrate, a sorbent for adsorbing CO2 from the gas, and a desorption material integrated into the structured material assembly, which is responsive to inputted energy to generate heat to desorb CO2 from the sorbent. The CO2-containing gas may comprise ambient air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Raghubir Prasad GUPTA, Cory Elliott SANDERSON, Shaojun James ZHOU, Shantanu AGARWAL, Tyson Lee LANIGAN-ATKINS, Arnold Chris TOPPO, Jian Ping SHEN
  • Publication number: 20240009613
    Abstract: A sorbent useful for CO2 capture is described, including a solid support with CO2-sorbing amine and ionic liquid thereon. The ionic liquid is catalytically effective to enhance sorbent characteristics such as (i) CO2 sorption capacity, (ii) CO2 sorption rate, (iii) CO2 desorption capacity, (iv) CO2 desorption rate, and (v) regeneration temperature, in relation to a corresponding sorbent lacking the ionic liquid. In specific implementations, the sorbent is regenerable at temperatures significantly below 100° C., thereby avoiding the need for steam heat desorption and enabling utilization of waste heat or other low energy thermal regeneration sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Raghubir Prasad Gupta
  • Patent number: 11795554
    Abstract: A carbon dioxide reduction reaction electrocatalyst comprises a pyrolyzed copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) that produces isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. A process for producing isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide comprises applying a potential in an electrochemical cell in the range of about ?2V to about ?3V versus a silver chloride electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Aravind Villava Rayer Rabindran, Elliot Reid, Ignacio Luz Minguez, Mustapha Soukri, Marty Lail, Shaojun James Zhou
  • Patent number: 11724938
    Abstract: Synthesis gas containing nitrogen as the majority component is processed to increase the hydrogen to carbon dioxide ratio. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants are subsequently removed by a purification unit to produce a purified hydrogen gas stream. A recycle stream within the purification unit helps achieve a hydrogen purity greater than 99.9 percent, and hydrogen recovery greater than 99 percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Raghubir P. Gupta, John Reeves Carpenter, Brian S. Turk
  • Patent number: 11691105
    Abstract: A gas-liquid contacting apparatus and method are described, in which at least one rotor assembly including packing is arranged in a contacting chamber containing at least one stator assembly including at least one heat exchanger arranged to thermally modulate the gas-liquid contacting so that each stator assembly is operatively arranged with each stator assembly to provide gas-liquid contacting at temperatures effective for mass exchange between the gas and liquid. The rotor and stator assemblies may be of annular shape, or may be of disk shape in a stacked array of rotor assemblies alternating with stator assemblies. Such apparatus and method are usefully employed for CO2 capture from CO2-containing flue gases such as combustion effluents from power generation plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Paul David Mobley, Shaojun James Zhou
  • Publication number: 20230067004
    Abstract: A method for reducing the concentration of amines in a wash liquid stream exiting a wash section in an acid gas scrubbing process includes introducing the wash liquid stream exiting the wash section of the acid gas scrubbing process to an adsorbent material, wherein the wash liquid stream has a first concentration of amines. The wash liquid stream having the first concentration of amines is flowed through the adsorbent material, and the adsorbent material retains at least a portion of the amines thereby providing a wash liquid stream having a second, reduced concentration of amines. The wash stream with reduced concentration of amines is recycled back to the wash section to remove amines more effectively from the acid gas being scrubbed. The adsorbent material can be regenerated for reuse. Amine recovered from the regenerated adsorbent material can be recycled to the process for reuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Paul MOBLEY, Shaojun James ZHOU, Samuel John THOMPSON, Jak TANTHANA, Aravind Villava Rayer RABINDRAN, Marty LAIL
  • Publication number: 20230001348
    Abstract: A non-aqueous solvent system configured to remove acidic gas from a gas stream comprises a solution formed of a chemical absorption component and a physical absorption component. The chemical absorption component includes a nitrogenous base, wherein the nitrogenous base has a structure such that it reacts with a portion of the acidic gas. The physical absorption component includes an organic diluent that is non-reactive with the acidic gas and that has a structure such that it absorbs a portion of the acidic gas at a pressure above atmospheric pressure. The solvent system has a solubility with water of less than about 10 g of solvent per 100 mL of water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Jak TANTHANA, Shaojun James ZHOU, Paul MOBLEY, Vijay GUPTA, Marty LAIL, Aravind Villava Rayer RABINDRAN, Thomas GOHNDRONE
  • Publication number: 20220402764
    Abstract: A process for production of silicon carbide and hydrogen is described, involving reacting hydrocarbon gas in the presence of silicon particles to form particulate silicon carbide and hydrogen, wherein the silicon particles, in addition to being reactants, also act as a catalyst for the reaction. Apparatus for carrying out such process is also described. The disclosed process and apparatus enable production of particulate silicon carbide at high purity, e.g., 5N (99.999%) and higher purity, as well as high purity hydrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Shaojun James ZHOU, Raghubir Prasad Gupta, Cory Elliott Sanderson, Rouzbeh Jafari
  • Publication number: 20200261846
    Abstract: A gas-liquid contacting apparatus and method are described, in which at least one rotor assembly including packing is arranged in a contacting chamber containing at least one stator assembly including at least one heat exchanger arranged to thermally modulate the gas-liquid contacting so that each stator assembly is operatively arranged with each stator assembly to provide gas-liquid contacting at temperatures effective for mass exchange between the gas and liquid. The rotor and stator assemblies may be of annular shape, or may be of disk shape in a stacked array of rotor assemblies alternating with stator assemblies. Such apparatus and method are usefully employed for CO2 capture from CO2-containing flue gases such as combustion effluents from power generation plants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Paul David Mobley, Shaojun James Zhou
  • Publication number: 20200255961
    Abstract: A carbon dioxide reduction reaction electrocatalyst comprises a pyrolyzed copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) that produces isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. A process for producing isopropanol from electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide comprises applying a potential in an electrochemical cell in the range of about ?2V to about ?3V versus a silver chloride electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Aravind Villava Rayer Rabindran, Elliot Reid, Ignacio Luz Minguez, Mustapha Soukri, Marty Lail, Shaojun James Zhou
  • Publication number: 20200231435
    Abstract: Synthesis gas containing nitrogen as the majority component is processed to increase the hydrogen to carbon dioxide ratio. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants are subsequently removed by a purification unit to produce a purified hydrogen gas stream. A recycle stream within the purification unit helps achieve a hydrogen purity greater than 99.9 percent, and hydrogen recovery greater than 99 percent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Raghubir P. Gupta, John Reeves Carpenter, Brian S. Turk
  • Patent number: 8075671
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for separation of H2 gas from a gaseous mixture utilizing an H2 gas permeable metallic membrane supported directly on a porous substrate made up of at least one porous polymeric hollow fiber. In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the porous substrate is made up of a plurality of porous polymeric hollow fibers, forming a porous hollow fiber membrane. In accordance with one embodiment, a cooling fluid is disposed in contact with the hollow fiber, thereby enabling advantageous operation of the H2 gas separation process at elevated temperatures in the range of about 200° F. to about 800° F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Gas Technology Institute
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Howard S. Meyer
  • Publication number: 20100307333
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for separation of H2 gas from a gaseous mixture utilizing an H2 gas permeable metallic membrane supported directly on a porous substrate made up of at least one porous polymeric hollow fiber. In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the porous substrate is made up of a plurality of porous polymeric hollow fibers, forming a porous hollow fiber membrane. In accordance with one embodiment, a cooling fluid is disposed in contact with the hollow fiber, thereby enabling advantageous operation of the H2 gas separation process at elevated temperatures in the range of about 200° F. to about 800° F.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: Gas Technology Institute
    Inventors: Shaojun James Zhou, Howard S. Meyer
  • Patent number: 6585810
    Abstract: A gas adsorbent system includes a molded gas adsorbent within a housing. The molded gas adsorbent is disposed in the housing so that shifting is prevented without adhering the gas adsorbent to the housing, for example, by completely filling the housing. The gas adsorbent may include activated zeolite 13X. The gas adsorbent may be formed from a polymer solution such as polysulfone, and contain an organic binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Romulus Gaita, Stephen Frederic Yates, Shaojun James Zhou, Chin-Hsiung Chang