Patents by Inventor Stephan Rudiger Blum
Stephan Rudiger Blum 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).
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Patent number: 12042750Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2022Date of Patent: July 23, 2024Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rüdiger Blum
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Publication number: 20240033652Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2023Publication date: February 1, 2024Applicant: Whitefox Technologies LimitedInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming ZHOU, Stephan Rudiger BLUM
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Patent number: 11779858Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2020Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rudiger Blum
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Publication number: 20220410028Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Applicant: Whitefox Technologies LimitedInventors: Virginia ANDRADE, Jin Ming ZHOU, Stephan Rüdiger BLUM
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Patent number: 11426675Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2020Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rüdiger Blum
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Patent number: 11007452Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2019Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Virginia Andrade
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Publication number: 20210113937Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2020Publication date: April 22, 2021Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia ANDRADE, Jin Ming ZHOU, Stephan Rudiger BLUM
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Patent number: 10874956Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2019Date of Patent: December 29, 2020Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rudiger Blum
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Publication number: 20200360833Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2020Publication date: November 19, 2020Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rüdiger Blum
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Patent number: 10729987Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for heat integration in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a distillation unit bottom stream, a vaporous overhead stream, and a fusel oil stream. Molecular sieve units are regenerated by vacuum or a combination of vacuum and optionally a portion of the product stream to form one or more regenerate streams. A feed tank is configured to receive at least one selected from a condensed portion of the regenerate streams and a portion of a vaporous depressure stream, to form a feed stream. The energy contained in the depressure vapor is recovered by the depressure vapor contacting the feed tank and heating up at least one stream forwarded into the feed tank.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2017Date of Patent: August 4, 2020Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Virginia Andrade, Jin Ming Zhou, Stephan Rüdiger Blum
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Publication number: 20200086227Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2019Publication date: March 19, 2020Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Virginia Andrade
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Publication number: 20200071465Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2019Publication date: March 5, 2020Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger BLUM, Katharina KLEINE, Wolfgang BREMSER
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Patent number: 10486079Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2017Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Virginia Andrade
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Patent number: 10472468Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2018Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Katharina Kleine, Wolfgang Bremser
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Publication number: 20190336882Abstract: The present disclosure provides processes and systems for ethanol production. In one embodiment, a first beer column receives a first portion of a feed mixture including ethanol and water to form a first beer column bottom stream and a first beer column vaporous overhead stream. A beer column receives a second portion of the feed mixture. A first portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a first beer column reboiler. A second portion of the first beer column bottom stream is forwarded to a plurality of evaporators. A condensed portion of the first beer column vaporous overhead stream is forwarded to a stripper column. The stripper column forms a feed stream, which is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. The permeate is forwarded directly to at least one selected from the first beer column and the stripper column.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2019Publication date: November 7, 2019Inventors: Virginia Andrade, James Zhou, Stephan Rudiger Blum
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Publication number: 20180155499Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2018Publication date: June 7, 2018Applicant: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger BLUM, Katharina KLEINE, Wolfgang BREMSER
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Patent number: 9873768Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2015Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Katharina Kleine, Wolfgang Bremser
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Patent number: 9511328Abstract: A method for sealing a membrane module by introducing a seal or a sealing mass between a head plate holding a tube bundle and a mounting ring holding the head plate. Alternatively, a sealing mass containing quartz sand is proposed for sealing cracks in the head plate.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2009Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventor: Stephan Rüdiger Blum
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Publication number: 20160108177Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2015Publication date: April 21, 2016Inventors: Stephan Rüdiger BLUM, Katharina KLEIN, Wolfgang BREMSER
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Patent number: 9221951Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for modifying and cross-linking polybenzimidazoles, PBI. In one embodiment, the polybenzimidazole reacts with a compound, which has a halogen and a double bond functionality and which comprises a halogen and an organic group to form modified polymers by means of a nucleophilic substitution of the amine proton of the benzimidazole functionality in a solution, and a functional group is connected via each resulting free double bond and/or the polymers that are thus modified are cross-linked.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2011Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: WHITEFOX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Stephan Rüdiger Blum, Katharina Klein, Wolfgang Bremser