Patents by Inventor Thomas T. Hirst

Thomas T. Hirst 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: 20240059980
    Abstract: Processes and systems for pyrolysing a hydrocarbon. In some examples, the process can include mixing a cooled hydrocarbon effluent and a cooled de-coking effluent to produce a combined effluent. The combined effluent can be introduced into an inlet conduit of a separator under conditions that provide >80 wt. % of the plurality of coke particles with a Stokes number of >10. From a first exit conduit of the separator >55 wt. % of the plurality of coke particles in the combined effluent can be removed, and from a second exit conduit of the separator a coke-lean hydrocarbon effluent that includes <45 wt. % of the plurality of coke particles in the combined effluent can be removed. The first exit conduit and the second exit conduit can be coupled to the inlet conduit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas T. Hirst, George Stephens, David Spicer
  • Publication number: 20230094752
    Abstract: Conduits for cooling a hydrocarbon stream and processes for using same. The conduit can include a first inner wall defining a first bore, a second inner wall defining a second bore, and an outer wall disposed about the first and second inner walls. The conduit can also include an annular support wall connected to an inner surface of the outer wall. An end of the second inner wall and an end of the annular support wall can define a perimeter opening that can be in fluid communication with the second bore. An annular flexible ring can be bonded to the annular support wall and can flexibly contact the first inner wall. A substantially annular cavity can be disposed between the second inner and the outer walls and in fluid communication with the perimeter opening. A quench fluid introduction port can be configured to introduce a quench fluid into the cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: David Spicer, James C. Slonaker, Thomas T. Hirst
  • Publication number: 20230013408
    Abstract: A hybrid steam cracking process including, in addition to combusting a fuel in a steam cracker furnace to provide thermal energy to the radiant and convection sections, heating a segment of an external furnace piping using an electrical heating device. The external furnace piping can include, e.g., the hydrocarbon-containing feed inlet piping, the cross-over piping, the radiant section inlet piping, and the radiant section outlet piping. Capacity and selectivity of the steam cracker furnace can be enhanced compared to conventional steam cracking process without electrical heating. The technology can be conveniently deployed in existing conventional steam cracking facilities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas T. Hirst, Mark A. Rooney
  • Patent number: 11512257
    Abstract: An H2-rich fuel gas production plant comprising a syngas production unit can be advantageously integrated with an olefins production plant comprising a steam cracker in at least one of the following: (i) fuel gas supply and consumption; (ii) feed supply and consumption; and (iii) steam supply and consumption, to achieve considerable savings in capital and operational costs, enhanced energy efficiency, and reduced CO2 emissions, compared to operating the plants separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: David Spicer, Thomas T. Hirst, James L. Kendall, You Fang, Steven M. Slack
  • Patent number: 11498834
    Abstract: An H2-rich fuel gas stream can be advantageously produced by reforming a hydrocarbon/steam mixture in to produce a reformed stream, followed by cooling the reformed stream in a waste-heat recovery unit to produce a high-pressure steam stream, shifting the cooled reformed stream a first shifted stream, cooling the first shifted stream, shifting the cooled first shifted stream to produce a second shifted stream, cooling the second shifted stream, abating water from the cooled second shifted stream to obtain a crude gas mixture stream comprising H2 and CO2, and recovering a CO2 stream from the crude gas mixture stream. The H2-rich stream can be advantageously combusted to provide thermal energy needed for residential, office, and/or industrial applications including in the H2-rich fuel gas production process. The H2-rich fuel gas production process can be advantageously integrated with an olefins production plant comprising a steam cracker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: David Spicer, Thomas T. Hirst, James L. Kendall, You Fang
  • Publication number: 20220340822
    Abstract: Processes, systems, and apparatus are provided for using a common working fluid for one or more turbines for processing a process gas and for the furnace for the pyrolysis process used to produce the process gas. The turbine(s) are operated based on a modified Allam cycle to produce power for operating one or more compressors and/or refrigerators involved in processing of the process gas while producing a reduced or minimized amount of CO2 that is released as a low-pressure gas phase product. Integrating the pyrolysis furnace with the working fluid loop can provide further benefits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Mark A. Rooney, Thomas T. Hirst
  • Publication number: 20220259504
    Abstract: Furnace systems and methods for steam cracking hydrocarbons to produce ethylene and other light olefins are provided herein. A furnace system for cracking hydrocarbons includes a radiant firebox containing a plurality of burners and an injection nozzle, a primary transfer line exchanger fluidly coupled to and downstream of the radiant firebox, and a flow restrictor fluidly coupled to and downstream of the primary transfer line exchanger. The furnace system also includes a decoke vessel containing an effluent inlet, a fluid outlet, and a coke outlet, where the effluent inlet is fluidly coupled to and downstream of the flow restrictor and the fluid outlet is fluidly coupled to and upstream of the injection nozzle of the radiant firebox, and a coke collection bin is coupled to the coke outlet of the decoke vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: William A. Aslaner, Thomas T. Hirst, David Spicer, George Stephens