Patents by Inventor Yutaka Mitou

Yutaka Mitou 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: 20150135584
    Abstract: Modified solid fuel manufacturing method and modified solid fuels manufactured using the manufacturing method. When solid fuels are manufactured by crushing low grade coal, mixing the crushed low grade coal with solvent oil to prepare a slurry, heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water to evaporate moisture included in the slurry, separating the solvent oil from the slurry to produce charcoal dust and compression compacting said charcoal dust, by heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water, the non-volatile components included in the low grade coal are extracted with the solvent oil, the outer surface of the low grade coal and the internal surfaces of the pores are coated with the extracted non-volatile components, and the content of heavy oil added from the outside will be less than 0.5 mass %, relative to the solid fuel after drying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Seiichi YAMAMOTO, Takuo Shigehisa, Yutaka Mitou, Satoru Sugita, Shigeru Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 9005317
    Abstract: Modified solid fuel manufacturing method and modified solid fuels manufactured using the manufacturing method. When solid fuels are manufactured by crushing low grade coal, mixing the crushed low grade coal with solvent oil to prepare a slurry, heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water to evaporate moisture included in the slurry, separating the solvent oil from the slurry to produce charcoal dust and compression compacting said charcoal dust, by heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water, the non-volatile components included in the low grade coal are extracted with the solvent oil, the outer surface of the low grade coal and the internal surfaces of the pores are coated with the extracted non-volatile components, and the content of heavy oil added from the outside will be less than 0.5 mass % relative to the solid fuel after drying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd
    Inventors: Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Yutaka Mitou, Shigeru Kinoshita, Yuko Sugita
  • Patent number: 8758602
    Abstract: A method of upgrading coal which comprises: pulverizing low-grade coal; mixing the pulverized low-grade coal with an oil to form a slurry; heating the slurry to or above the boiling point of water to vaporize the water contained in the low-grade coal and dehydrate the coal; compressing a vapor mixture of the steam resulting from the slurry heating and that part of the oil which has vaporized simultaneously and thereby elevating the temperature and pressure of the vapor mixture; and supplying the vapor mixture increased in temperature and pressure by the compression and utilizing this vapor mixture as a high-temperature heat source to heat the slurry. In the method, the vapor mixture before being compressed is brought into contact with an oil in a liquid state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Yutaka Mitou, Shigeru Kinoshita, Yuko Sugita
  • Patent number: 8523961
    Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method for a briquetted solid fuel that can reduce the briquetting cost while maintaining the strength of the briquetted product. A mixed oil that includes a heavy oil and a solvent oil, and a porous coal are mixed to obtain a slurry. The slurry is dewatered by heating to obtain a dewatered slurry. Solvent oil is separated from the dewatered slurry to obtain a cake, the cake is heated, and solvent oil is further separated from the cake to obtain a modified coal. Moisture is added to the modified coal to obtain a moist modified coal with a moisture content of 3 wt % to 10 wt %, and then the moist modified coal is briquetted under pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Mitou, Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Shigeru Kinoshita, Takahiro Shimizu, Yuko Sugita
  • Publication number: 20120291342
    Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method for a briquetted solid fuel that can reduce the briquetting cost while maintaining the strength of the briquetted product. A mixed oil that includes a heavy oil and a solvent oil, and a porous coal are mixed to obtain a slurry. The slurry is dewatered by heating to obtain a dewatered slurry. Solvent oil is separated from the dewatered slurry to obtain a cake, the cake is heated, and solvent oil is further separated from the cake to obtain a modified coal. Moisture is added to the modified coal to obtain a moist modified coal with a moisture content of 3 wt % to 10 wt %, and then the moist modified coal is briquetted under pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd)
    Inventors: Satoru Sugita, Yuko Sugita, Yutaka Mitou, Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Shigeru Kinoshita, Takahiro Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20120011766
    Abstract: Provided are a modified solid fuel manufacturing method that reduces manufacturing costs and environmental impact while also realizing higher strength such as for transport, and modified solid fuels manufactured using the manufacturing method. When solid fuels are manufactured by crushing low grade coal, mixing the crushed low grade coal with solvent oil to prepare a slurry, heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water to evaporate moisture included in the slurry, separating the solvent oil from the slurry to produce charcoal dust and compression compacting said charcoal dust, by heating the slurry to at least the boiling point of water, the non-volatile components included in the low grade coal are extracted with the solvent oil, the outer surface of the low grade coal and the internal surfaces of the pores are coated with the extracted non-volatile components, and the content of heavy oil added from the outside will be less than 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Yutaka Mitou, Satoru Sugita, Yuko Sugita, Shigeru Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20110284671
    Abstract: A method of upgrading coal which comprises: pulverizing low-grade coal; mixing the pulverized low-grade coal with an oil to form a slurry; heating the slurry to or above the boiling point of water to vaporize the water contained in the low-grade coal and dehydrate the coal; compressing a vapor mixture of the steam resulting from the slurry heating and that part of the oil which has vaporized simultaneously and thereby elevating the temperature and pressure of the vapor mixture; and supplying the vapor mixture increased in temperature and pressure by the compression and utilizing this vapor mixture as a high-temperature heat source to heat the slurry. In the method, the vapor mixture before being compressed is brought into contact with an oil in a liquid state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2009
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Seiichi Yamamoto, Takuo Shigehisa, Satoru Sugita, Yuko Sugita, Yutaka Mitou, Shigeru Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 7320715
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an economical method for efficiently drying the plant-derived biomass for which there has been no established method for disposal and reuse. This drying method does not impair the value of plant-derived biomass as a fuel. Disclosed also herein is a method for producing a biomass fuel from the plant-derived biomass which has been dried by the aforesaid method. The drying method consists of dehydrating (drying) plant-derived biomass in oil with heating and modifying it simultaneously. Drying in this way partly decomposes the plant-derived biomass, thereby yielding a good constituent for biomass fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Takuo Shigehisa, Masaaki Tamura, Yutaka Mitou, Tetsuya Deguchi, Satoru Sugita
  • Publication number: 20040123519
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an economical method for efficiently drying the plant-derived biomass for which there has been no established method for disposal and reuse. This drying method does not impair the value of plant-derived biomass as a fuel. Disclosed also herein is a method for producing a biomass fuel from the plant-derived biomass which has been dried by the aforesaid method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Takuo Shigehisa, Masaaki Tamura, Yutaka Mitou, Tetsuya Deguchi, Satoru Sugita