Patents by Inventor Tom Bruno

Tom Bruno 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).

  • Method for refinery foulant deposit characterization
    Patent number: 7708864
    Abstract: The present invention is a method to identify a refinery solid foulant of unknown composition including the following steps: obtaining a solid foulant sample, removing trapped feed from the sample with a solvent to obtain an insoluble sample, scanning the insoluble sample with a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-rays, performing a thermal gravimetric analysis including an ash test on the insoluble sample to determine the presence of polymer, coke and inorganic elements, performing an elemental analysis on the insoluble sample for the elements carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen, halogens, and metals, performing an optical microscopy on the insoluble sample to determine the presence of wax, asphaltenes, anisotropic coke and isotropic coke, and identifying the solid foulant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
    Inventors: Glen Brons, Leo D. Brown, Himanshu Joshi, Raymond J. Kennedy, Tom Bruno, Thomas M. Rudy
  • Method for refinery foulant deposit characterization
    Publication number: 20060014296
    Abstract: The present invention is a method to identify a refinery solid foulant of unknown composition including the following steps: obtaining a solid foulant sample, removing trapped feed from the sample with a solvent to obtain an insoluble sample, scanning the insoluble sample with a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-rays, performing a thermal gravimetric analysis including an ash test on the insoluble sample to determine the presence of polymer, coke and inorganic elements, performing an elemental analysis on the insoluble sample for the elements carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen, halogens, and metals, performing an optical microscopy on the insoluble sample to determine the presence of wax, asphaltenes, anisotropic coke and isotropic coke, and identifying the solid foulant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Publication date: January 19, 2006
    Inventors: Glen Brons, Leo Brown, Himanshu Joshi, Raymond Kennedy, Tom Bruno, Thomas Rudy