Patents by Inventor Valerie Marie Renee Houel

Valerie Marie Renee Houel 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: 8661784
    Abstract: A method to improve NOx reduction in diesel engine exhausts by selective catalytic reduction using reductants comprising hydrocarbons, comprising passing the exhaust gases through a series of zones, said zones comprising a first zone in which a first catalyst is located that promotes HC SCR, to yield a first product gas; a second zone through which the first product gas is passed and in which a second catalyst is located that promotes the H2-promoted HC SCR reaction to produce a second product gas and a third zone through which the second product gas is passed and in which a third catalyst is located that promotes CO/H2 SCR to yield a final, NOx-depleted, exhaust gas, and admixing a reformate gas comprising CO and H2 with one or more of the exhaust gases, the first product gas and the second product gas. The use of the series of catalysts offers a sound alternative to urea-based SCR, without requiring a source and storage of urea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Toseef Aslam, Valérie Marie Renée Houel, Raj Rao Rajaram
  • Patent number: 8387367
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reducing coking over a Ag/Al2O3 hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction catalyst in an exhaust stream of a lean burn internal combustion engine, the exhaust stream including hydrocarbon and NOx. The method includes controlling the hydrocarbon to molar NOx ratio of the exhaust stream so as to be within certain limits at certain temperatures. An exhaust system for a lean burn engine suited to the above method, and a lean burn internal combustion engine, or a vehicle or stationary power source including such an exhaust system are also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Valerie Marie Renee Houel, Raj Rao Rajaram, Athanasios Tsolakis
  • Publication number: 20120117948
    Abstract: A method to improve NOx reduction in diesel engine exhausts by selective catalytic reduction using reductants comprising hydrocarbons, comprising passing the exhaust gases through a series of zones, said zones comprising a first zone in which a first catalyst is located that promotes HC SCR, to yield a first product gas; a second zone through which the first product gas is passed and in which a second catalyst is located that promotes the H2-promoted HC SCR reaction to produce a second product gas and a third zone through which the second product gas is passed and in which a third catalyst is located that promotes CO/H2 SCR to yield a final, NOx-depleted, exhaust gas, and admixing a reformate gas comprising CO and H2 with one or more of the exhaust gases, the first product gas and the second product gas. The use of the series of catalysts offers a sound alternative to urea-based SCR, without requiring a source and storage of urea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Inventors: Toseef Aslam, Valerie Marie Renee Houel, Raj Rao Rajaram
  • Publication number: 20100205935
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reducing coking over a AgZAl2O3 hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction catalyst in an exhaust stream of a lean burn internal combustion engine, the exhaust stream comprising hydrocarbon and NOx. The method comprises controlling the hydrocarbon to molar NOx ratio of the exhaust stream so as to be within certain limits at certain temperatures. An exhaust system for a lean burn engine suited to the above method, and a lean burn internal combustion engine, or a vehicle or stationary power source comprising such an exhaust system are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: JOHNSON MATTHEY PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Inventors: Valerie Marie Renée Houel, Raj Rao Rajaram, Athanasios Tsolakis
  • Patent number: 7485271
    Abstract: A catalyst structure for treating exhaust gas from a lean burn internal combustion engine comprises a substrate monolith comprising a lean NOX catalyst (LNC) composition associated with at least one partial oxidation catalyst (POC), wherein the LNC composition is selected from the group consisting of: (a) silver or a silver compound supported on alumina; and (b) at least one metal selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co) and cerium (Ce) supported on at least one zeolite, and wherein the at least one POC is selected from the group consisting of: (i) a bulk oxide, a bulk composite oxide or a bulk mixed oxide comprising at least one metal selected from the group consisting of manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cerium (Ce) and praseodymium (Pr); and (ii) at least one of rhodium (Rh) and palladium (Pd) disposed on at least one inorganic oxide support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Stanislaw Edmund Golunski, Valerie Marie Renee Houel, Andrea Hawkings, David William James, Stephen David Pollington, Stephen Poulston, Raj Rao Rajaram