Patents by Inventor Thomas Earl Woodruff

Thomas Earl Woodruff 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: 8153840
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Grupo Petrotemex, S.A. de C.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Earl Woodruff, Alan George Wonders
  • Patent number: 7884232
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Young Lightfoot, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Charles Helton Hitchcock, David Lee Denton, Carl Norman McCurry
  • Patent number: 7829037
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Thomas Earl Woodruff, Alan George Wonders
  • Patent number: 7816556
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized system for more efficiently and economically producing terephthalic acid. The system includes a multi-stage oxidative digestion system for processing an improved initial slurry from primary oxidation. The multi-stage digestion system is capable of adequately purifying the improved initial slurry without requiring significant liquor exchange between primary oxidation and oxidative digestion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Martin De Boer, Raymond Elbert Fogle
  • Publication number: 20100200804
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: EASTMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Earl Woodruff, Alan George Wonders
  • Patent number: 7772424
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized system for more efficiently and economically producing terephthalic acid. The system employs an evaporative removal step downstream of oxidative digestion. The evaporative removal step removes a portion of the liquid phase and promotes precipitation of certain aromatic impurities. By promoting precipitation of certain aromatic impurities, the amount of the precipitated impurities in the recycled solvent is advantageously reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Martin De Boer, Raymond Elbert Fogle, Philip Edward Gibson, Kenny Randolph Parker
  • Patent number: 7683210
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Young Lightfoot, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Charles Helton Hitchcock, David Lee Denton, Carl Norman McCurry
  • Patent number: 7586000
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Young Lightfoot, Charles Edwan Sumner, Jr., Thomas Earl Woodruff, Ernest William Arnold, III, Eric Jackson Fugate, Charles Helton Hitchcock, Brent Alan Tennant, John David Aycock
  • Patent number: 7491369
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Wayne Scott Strasser
  • Patent number: 7358392
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process to produce a purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process comprises removing impurities from a crystallized product in a solid liquid displacement zone to form the purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process produces purified carboxylic acid slurry having good color and low impurity levels without the use of purification steps like hydrogenation or an impurity removal process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Robert Lin, Ruairi Seosamh O'Meadhra
  • Patent number: 7358389
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Wayne Scott Strasser
  • Patent number: 7355068
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Wayne Scott Strasser
  • Patent number: 7342128
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for oxidizing a slurry composition in a post oxidation zone in the presence of added steam. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for oxidizing a crude terephthalic acid composition in a post oxidation zone in the presence of added steam in a process for the production of a crystallized post oxidation composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Robert Lin, Marcel de Vreede, Johannes Wilhelmus Sluijmers, Martin De Boer, Thomas Earl Woodruff
  • Publication number: 20070244340
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optimized system for more efficiently and economically producing terephthalic acid. The system employs an evaporative removal step downstream of oxidative digestion. The evaporative removal step removes a portion of the liquid phase and promotes precipitation of certain aromatic impurities. By promoting precipitation of certain aromatic impurities, the amount of the precipitated impurities in the recycled solvent is advantageously reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Inventors: Alan George Wonders, Ronald Buford Sheppard, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Martin De Boer, Raymond Elbert Fogle, Philip Edward Gibson, Kenny Randolph Parker
  • Patent number: 7161027
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process to produce a purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process comprises removing impurities from a crystallized product in a solid liquid displacement zone to form the purified carboxylic acid slurry. The purified carboxylic acid slurry is further cooled in a cooling zone and subsequently filtered and dried in a filtration and drying zone. The process produces purified carboxylic acid product having good color and low impurity levels without the use of purification steps like hydrogenation or filtrate purge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Robert Lin
  • Patent number: 7074954
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process to produce a purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process comprises removing impurities from a crystallized product in a solid liquid displacement zone to form the purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process produces purified carboxylic acid slurry having good color and low impurity levels without the use of purification steps like hydrogenation or an impurity removal process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Robert Lin
  • Publication number: 20040215036
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for heating a secondary oxidizer with steam. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for heating a secondary oxidizer with steam in a process for the production of a crystallized product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventors: Robert Lin, Marcel de Vreede, John Sluijmers, Martin de Boer, Thomas Earl Woodruff
  • Publication number: 20040110981
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process to produce a purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process comprises removing impurities from a crystallized product in a solid liquid displacement zone to form the purified carboxylic acid slurry. The purified carboxylic acid slurry is further cooled in a cooling zone and subsequently filtered and dried in a filtration and drying zone. The process produces purified carboxylic acid product having good color and low impurity levels without the use of purification steps like hydrogenation or filtrate purge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Robert Lin
  • Publication number: 20040110980
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process to produce a purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process comprises removing impurities from a crystallized product in a solid liquid displacement zone to form the purified carboxylic acid slurry. The process produces purified carboxylic acid slurry having good color and low impurity levels without the use of purification steps like hydrogenation or an impurity removal process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Inventors: Ronald Buford Sheppard, Brent Alan Tennant, Thomas Earl Woodruff, Robert Lin