Patents by Inventor Xavier Vigor

Xavier Vigor 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: 9874469
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device including: at least one fluid-using apparatus; at least one movable tank capable of and intended for providing at least the fluid and connected, via pipes, to the fluid using apparatus, the movable tank containing, at the outset, a given initial amount of the gas; and a means for assessing amounts of the fluid that are used by the fluid using apparatus from the movable tank, the assessment means being rigidly connected to the fluid-using apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Patrick Bacot, Franck-Stephane Durtschi, Xavier Vigor
  • Publication number: 20120226451
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device including: at least one fluid-using apparatus; at least one movable tank capable of and intended for providing at least the fluid and connected, via pipes, to the fluid using apparatus, the movable tank containing, at the outset, a given initial amount of the gas; and a means for assessing amounts of the fluid that are used by the fluid using apparatus from the movable tank, the assessment means being rigidly connected to the fluid-using apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Exploitation s des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Patrick Bacot, Franck-Stephane Durtschi, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 7641719
    Abstract: The gas separation apparatus comprises a flexible wall which is maintained in a placed position on an upper end of an adsorbant material; the volume between the wall and an upper dome communicates with one of inner and outer chambers on both sides of the adsorbant (4). The invention can be used to separate air components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide - Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Jérôme Bres, Xavier Vigor, Sylvain Fourage, Anne Barbier
  • Publication number: 20070056442
    Abstract: The gas separation apparatus comprises a flexible wall which is maintained in a placed position on an upper end of an adsorbant material; the volume between the wall and an upper dome communicates with one of inner and outer chambers on both sides of the adsorbant (4). The invention can be used to separate air components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Jerome Bres, Xavier Vigor, Sylvain Fourage, Anne Barbier
  • Publication number: 20030185690
    Abstract: Provided is a system for transferring and delivering a liquid chemical from a source to an end use station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Publication date: October 2, 2003
    Inventors: Mindi Xu, Shei-Kai Chang, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 6520176
    Abstract: An oxygen concentrator portable by a patient, permitting producing a flow of gas containing 50% to 95% of oxygen from air, comprising air compression device, elements for gas separation by adsorption with pressure variations, and electrical energy storage unit keeping its charge for at least 30 minutes, the concentrator having a total weight less than 10 kg. Preferably, the gas separation elements are a PSA system using a zeolite X exchanged with lithium, as the adsorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Anne Dubois, Pierre Bodelin, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 6411909
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for measuring the fluid consumption of a user over a given measurement time, including a volumetric meter (26) connected to a central information processing unit (28). This unit is designed to take a series of readings at successive intervals in said measurement time, so as to compare each reading with a reference value that corresponds to a predetermined nominal consumption threshold and thus from this deduce the quantity consumed over said measurement time corresponding to consumption with a flow rate higher than the nominal consumption threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Christophe Charrier, Véronique Dulphy Vigor, Antoine Willemot, Patrick Dilly, Xavier Vigor, Dominique Jouvaud
  • Publication number: 20020028168
    Abstract: An inert gas production system which primarily employs the exhaust gas of an engine as an inert gas source and uses a catalytic purifier to remove oxygen from the engine exhaust to produce the inert gas. The engine is preferably an internal combustion engine which operates on methane. The catalytic purification of the exhaust gas to remove oxygen is preferably performed by a packed bed catalytic purifying system including two catalyst vessels operated in series. The inert gas production system using engine exhaust can operate at a lower cost than the known membrane purification systems which produce an inert gas from air. In addition, the engine can be connected to a generator to provide an electrical energy advantage and the entire system can produce an inert gas stream containing less than 1,000 ppm of oxygen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventors: Frederick W. Giacobbe, Michael G. Pizzo, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 6273936
    Abstract: In this process, the apparatus for separating the feed gas is connected to the delivery side of at least one variable-rotation-speed compressor, whose speed is controlled on the basis of the measurement of a parameter representative of the flow of gas product. The process is useful in the production of nitrogen from atmospheric air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Lionel Barry, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 6168048
    Abstract: Briefly, this invention uses one or more pressure vessels having installed therein on its inside a balloon of flexible and non-expandable wall to smoothly and continuously deliver a chemical to any end user without contamination and gas dissolution. Since the balloon installed inside the pressure vessel isolates a high pressure gas from the chemicals, gas dissolution in the chemical and the resulted gas bubble problems are effectively eliminated. Further, contaminants in the high pressure gas which fills the balloon will not be transferred into the chemical and the extremely toxic chemical will not be transferred into the gas to be exhausted as a serious environmental issue. Unlike the vacuum/pressure system, the contamination by the ambient air leaking into the system is avoided because the disclosed delivery system is always with the pressure higher or equal to the ambient pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: American Air Liquide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mindi Xu, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 6155079
    Abstract: The plant comprises, on site, a compressed-air provision and distribution system (L.sub.A) with at least one dedicated air compressor (CO2, CO3), an air-gas production and provision system (L.sub.G) comprising an air treatment unit (S), with a reservoir R of the said air gas and normally fed by a compressor (CO1). In temporary operating mode, with one air compressor (CO2) off-line, the compressed air from the compressor (CO1) of the air gas provision system (S) is at least in part diverted (C), typically with pressure reduction (D), to sustain the production of the compressed air system (L.sub.A), the air gas then being at least in part provided by the reservoir (R).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Xavier Vigor, Patrice Ollivier, Antoine Willemot, Lionel Barry
  • Patent number: 6126717
    Abstract: A method wherein air is separated in an air separation unit (9), the oxygen thus generated is consumed during at least one step (2, 12, 13) of the steel-making process, the resulting gas is at least partially decarbonated, and the at least partially decarbonated gas is used (at 13) in a reduction reaction of the steel-making process. The partial decarbonation step cyclically includes a CO.sub.2 fixation step using a fixation agent, and a regeneration step in which the agent is regenerated in a reactor. Nitrogen generated by the air separation unit (9) is fed into the reactor during the fixation agent regeneration step. The method is useful in combined coal gassification/direct iron ore reduction processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Pierre Gauthier, Jerome Jutard, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 5912422
    Abstract: Process for the separation of the hydrogen contained in a gas mixture contaminated by carbon monoxide and containing at least one other impurity chosen from the group consisting of carbon dioxide and saturated or unsaturated, linear, branched or cyclic C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 hydrocarbons, comprising bringing the gas mixture to be purified into contact, in an adsorption region, with at least:one first adsorbent selective at least for carbon dioxide and for C.sub.1 -C. hydrocarbons andone second adsorbent which is a zeolite of faujasite type exchanged to at least 80% with lithium, the Si/Al ratio of which is less than 1.5, in order to remove at least carbon monoxide (CO).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claudes
    Inventors: Olivier Bomard, Jerome Jutard, Serge Moreau, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 5658370
    Abstract: PSA process for the separation of nitrogen from a gaseous mixture containing nitrogen by selective adsorption of nitrogen from the gaseous mixture in an adsorbent mass with cyclic pressure variations. At least one nitrogen adsorption phase is carried out at high pressure and at least one nitrogen desorption phase is carried out at low pressure. The adsorbent mass is arranged in a rotating adsorber and at least 50% of the adsorbent mass is constituted by a zeolite exchanged with lithium by more than 50%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Xavier Vigor, Pierre Petit, Serge Moreau, Bernard Sardan
  • Patent number: 5549733
    Abstract: In a "vacuum" type cycle, the depressurization of a first adsorber at the high pressure of the cycle is effected by placing it in communication with the outlet of a second adsorber at the low pressure of the cycle. This communication takes place simultaneously with countercurrent pumping in a first stage for the second adsorber and in a second stage for the first adsorber, the recompression to the high pressure of the cycle being effected by production gas. Used for the production of oxygen from air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1996
    Assignee: L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Christine Marot, Pierre Petit, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 5529611
    Abstract: A process for treating a gaseous mixture, particularly air, by pressure swing adsorption (PSA), of the type in which three adsorbers (1 to 3) are used in each of which is carried out, for a given nominal production, a cycle comprising the following successive stages, the cycle being offset from one adsorber to the other by a third of the nominal duration (T) of the cycle:(a) a substantially isobaric adsorption phase at a high pressure (PM) of the cycle, by circulation of the mixture through the adsorber in a so-called co-current direction;(b) a desorption phase comprising a stage (b2) of pumping to a low pressure (P.sub.m) of the cycle less than atmospheric pressure, via a vacuum pump (7) of constant speed and continuous operation whose output is in the vicinity of atmospheric pressure; and(c) a repressurization phase of the adsorber to the high pressure of the cycle. During a reduction of the production flow rate, the mean intake pressure of the vacuum pump is raised for the duration of the cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Christian Monereau, Wilfrid Petrie, Christian Barbe, Michel Eclancher, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 5441559
    Abstract: A rotary device including a plurality of vertical prismatic sectors mounted on a first annular plate comprising two arrays of gas passages which communicate with the outer and inner collectors of respective sectors, and interacting with a second plane annular plate on a housing defining a set of inner chambers. The second plate comprises two concentric arrays of apertures which communicate with corresponding chambers in the set of chambers, and are spread out along the path of the two gas passage arrays of the first plate. The device is particularly useful for producing oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: l'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Pierre Petit, Michel Poteau, Jean-Marc Scudier, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: 5176721
    Abstract: An adsorber having an upright longitudinal extent includes two perforated parallel panels extending within the vessel formed therein and spaced apart defining an adsorbent mass chamber. The adsorbent mass is in two longitudinal parts having a first part of fine particles and a second part of larger particles. The gas to be treated is circulated horizontally between the two perforated panels. This device allows the treatment cycle to be less than 60 seconds with the same or better performance. This adsorber and process are preferably used for the separation of oxygen from air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Leon Hay, Xavier Vigor
  • Patent number: RE38218
    Abstract: The plant comprises, on site, a compressed-air provision and distribution system (LA) with at least one dedicated air compressor (CO2, CO3), an air-gas production and provision system (LG) comprising an air treatment unit (S), with a reservoir R of the said air gas and normally fed by a compressor (CO1). In temporary operating mode, with one air compressor (CO2) off-line, the compressed air from the compressor (CO1) of the air gas provision system (S) is at least in part diverted (C), typically with pressure reduction (D), to sustain the production of the compressed air system (LA), the air gas then being at least in part provided by the reservoir (R).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Georges Claude
    Inventors: Xavier Vigor, Patrice Ollivier, Antoine Willemot, Lionel Barry
  • Patent number: RE35913
    Abstract: An adsorber having an upright longitudinal extent includes two perforated parallel panels extending within the vessel formed therein and spaced apart defining an adsorbent mass chamber. The adsorbent mass is in two longitudinal parts having a first part of fine particles and a second part of larger particles. The gas to be treated is circulated horizontally between the two perforated panels. This device allows the treatment cycle to be less than 60 seconds with the same or better performance. This adsorber and process are preferably used for the separation of oxygen from air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Leon Hay, Xavier Vigor