Patents by Inventor Thomas King Chow

Thomas King Chow 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: 9884291
    Abstract: A system for reducing SO2 emissions comprises a hydrogenation reactor, a tail gas cooler, a contact condenser, a hydrolysis reactor, and an absorber. The hydrogenation reactor is configured to receive a Claus tail gas and convert at least a portion of SO2 in the Claus tail gas to H2S to produce a hydrogenated Claus tail gas stream. The hydrolysis reactor is configured to convert at least a portion of COS to H2S. The absorber comprises an amine-based solvent and is configured to absorb at least a portion of the H2S and recycle the H2S to the Claus plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Curt Graham
  • Publication number: 20170036163
    Abstract: A system for reducing SO2 emissions comprises a hydrogenation reactor, a tail gas cooler, a contact condenser, a hydrolysis reactor, and an absorber. The hydrogenation reactor is configured to receive a Claus tail gas and convert at least a portion of SO2 in the Claus tail gas to H2S to produce a hydrogenated Claus tail gas stream. The hydrolysis reactor is configured to convert at least a portion of COS to H2S. The absorber comprises an amine-based solvent and is configured to absorb at least a portion of the H2S and recycle the H2S to the Claus plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Curt Graham
  • Patent number: 8709366
    Abstract: Sulfur oxides are removed from an oxygen-containing acid gas in configurations and methods in which oxygen is catalytically removed using hydrogen sulfide, and in which the sulfur oxides react with the hydrogen sulfide to form elemental sulfur. A first portion of the remaining sulfurous compounds is reduced to form the hydrogen sulfide for oxygen removal, while a second portion of the sulfurous compounds is further converted to elemental sulfur using a Claus reaction or catalytic direct reduction reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong, John Gebur, Theresa Flood
  • Patent number: 8557206
    Abstract: Methods and configurations are drawn to a plant in which an effluent gas (102) comprising oxygen and sulfur dioxide is catalytically reacted with hydrogen sulfiden (148) and hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide (114) to form a treated gas that is substantially oxygen free and in which sulfur dioxide is converted to hydrogen sulfide. In most preferred aspects, the hydrogen sulfide is provided to the process via a recycle loop (134B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong
  • Patent number: 8178070
    Abstract: A Claus plant with multiple parallel thermal stages that provide a combined effluent to downstream catalytic stages includes a controller that allows independent and individual control for each of the thermal stages as a function of measured chemical composition of the thermal stage effluents and catalytic stage effluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent Wai Wong, Thomas King Chow, John Gebur
  • Patent number: 7910077
    Abstract: Sulfur oxides are removed from an oxygen-containing acid gas in configurations and methods in which oxygen is removed from the acid gas using reducing gases at relatively high temperature. The so treated acid gas is then fed to a direct reduction reactor in which the sulfur species are converted to elemental sulfur. Contemplated configurations are particularly effective and economically attractive as they are generally not limited by reaction equilibrium as present in a Claus reaction and do not require solvent and solvent-associated equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong, John Gebur
  • Publication number: 20100198407
    Abstract: A Claus plant with multiple parallel thermal stages that provide a combined effluent to downstream catalytic stages includes a controller that allows independent and individual control for each of the thermal stages as a function of measured chemical composition of the thermal stage effluents and catalytic stage effluent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: FLUOR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vincent Wai Wong, Thomas King Chow, John Gebur
  • Patent number: 7648692
    Abstract: Carbonyl sulfide (COS) from a COS-containing stream (106) is convened in a Claus plant (100) to elemental sulfur (152, 162) by oxidation of a first portion of the COS-containing stream to SO2 and by hydrolysis of a second portion of the COS-containing stream to H2S. In preferred aspects of the inventive subject matter, hydrolysis and/or oxidation of the COS is performed in the reactor furnace (10), while hydrolysis of the COS is performed in the reactor furnace (10), a hydrolysis reactor, and/or a catalytic converter (120, 130, 150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, John Gebur, Satish Reddy, Vincent Wai Wong
  • Patent number: 7635408
    Abstract: Hydrogen sulfide is selectively enriched from an acid gas (1) that comprises relatively large quantities of carbon dioxide using a configuration in which a portion of an isolated hydrogen sulfide stream is introduced into an absorber (51) operating as a carbon dioxide rejecter. The resulting concentrated hydrogen sulfide enriched solvent (4) is then further used (directly or indirectly) to absorb hydrogen sulfide from an acid feed gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2009
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: John Mak, Richard B. Nielsen, Thomas King Chow, Oliver Morgan, Vincent Wai Wong
  • Publication number: 20090004070
    Abstract: Methods and configurations are drawn to a plant in which an effluent gas (102) comprising oxygen and sulfur dioxide is catalytically reacted with hydrogen sulfiden (148) and hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide (114) to form a treated gas that is substantially oxygen free and in which sulfur dioxide is converted to hydrogen sulfide. In most preferred aspects, the hydrogen sulfide is provided to the process via a recycle loop (134B).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: FLUOR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong
  • Publication number: 20090004096
    Abstract: Carbonyl sulfide (COS) from a COS-containing stream (106) is convened in a Claus plant (100) to elemental sulfur (152, 162) by oxidation of a first portion of the COS-containing stream to SO2 and by hydrolysis of a second portion of the COS-containing stream to H2S. In preferred aspects of the inventive subject matter, hydrolysis and/or oxidation of the COS is performed in the reactor furnace (10), while hydrolysis of the COS is performed in the reactor furnace (10), a hydrolysis reactor, and/or a catalytic converter (120, 130, 150).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: FLUOR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, John Gebur, Satish Reddy, Vincent Wai Wong
  • Publication number: 20090004080
    Abstract: Sulfur oxides are removed from an oxygen-containing acid gas in configurations and methods in which oxygen is removed from the acid gas using reducing gases at relatively high temperature. The so treated acid gas is then fed to a direct reduction reactor in which the sulfur species are converted to elemental sulfur. Contemplated configurations are particularly effective and economically attractive as they are generally not limited by reaction equilibrium as present in a Claus reaction and do not require solvent and solvent-associated equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: FLUOR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong, John Gebur
  • Publication number: 20080279758
    Abstract: Sulfur oxides are removed from an oxygen-containing acid gas in configurations and methods in which oxygen is catalytically removed using hydrogen sulfide, and in which the sulfur oxides react with the hydrogen sulfide to form elemental sulfur. A first portion of the remaining sulfurous compounds is reduced to form the hydrogen sulfide for oxygen removal, while a second portion of the sulfurous compounds is further converted to elemental sulfur using a Claus reaction or catalytic direct reduction reaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas King Chow, Vincent Wai Wong, John Gebur
  • Publication number: 20080019899
    Abstract: Hydrogen sulfide is selectively enriched from an acid gas (1) that comprises relatively large quantities of carbon dioxide using a configuration in which a portion of an isolated hydrogen sulfide stream is introduced into an absorber (51) operating as a carbon dioxide rejecter. The resulting concentrated hydrogen sulfide enriched solvent (4) is then further used (directly or indirectly) to absorb hydrogen sulfide from an acid feed gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Inventors: John Mak, Richard B. Nielsen, Thomas King Chow, Oliver Margan, Vincent Wai Wong