Abstract: Apparatus for producing liquid or solid xenon comprises a duct 12 having an inlet 14 for receiving gaseous xenon and an outlet 16 for outputting gaseous xenon at a reduced temperature to a nozzle located in a vacuum chamber 60. A housing 18 extends about the duct and contains a halocarbon coolant in thermal contact with the duct, and a second duct 24 in thermal contact with the halocarbon coolant for conveying a flow of liquid nitrogen through the housing 18 to control the temperature of the halocarbon. In view of the difference in the pressure of the xenon gas output from the duct and the pressure in the chamber, the thus-cooled gas is caused to liquefy or solidify in the vicinity of the nozzle.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 24, 2003
Date of Patent:
November 21, 2006
Assignee:
The BOC Group plc
Inventors:
Darren Mennie, Ron Clark Lee, Colin Michael Harrison, Makoto Kaneko, Joanne Rachel Greenwood
Abstract: A process for manufacturing ammonia from syngas with excess air for reforming and nitrogen removal with low pressure losses is disclosed. Auto-refrigeration for cooling the syngas for cryogenic hydrogen enrichment is provided by expansion of a hydrogen-lean waste fluid stream from a distillation column.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 17, 2003
Date of Patent:
August 15, 2006
Assignee:
Kellogg Brown & Root LLC
Inventors:
Avinash Malhotra, Tufail Ahmad, Bradley Richard Welter
Abstract: A method is provided for the intrinsically safe handling of 3-chloropropyne in the presence of a diluent with a boiling point ranging from ?50° C. (223 K) to 200° C. (473 K) under atmospheric pressure, wherein the concentration of 3-chloropropyne in the liquid phase and in the gas phase is kept below the concentrations capable of deflagration by means of the type and amount of the diluent, the temperature and the total system pressure, together with the use of a 3-chloropropyne prepared, stored or transported in this way in the synthesis of dyestuffs, pharmaceutical and agricultural active ingredients, electroplating auxiliaries, disinfectants, steroids and growth hormones.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 17, 2002
Date of Patent:
July 18, 2006
Assignee:
BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Inventors:
Armin Stamm, Heinz-Josef Kneuper, Stefan Rittinger, Peter Dransfeld, Hans-Peter Schildberg, Manfred Heilig, Theodor Weber
Abstract: A system and process for liquefying or storing gases at low temperatures using a cold recovery system. The system and process includes a cold recovery system having at least one cold recovery vessel configured to receive a gas stream and cool the gas stream by passing the gas stream through a cold recovery vessel. The cold recovery vessels includes a cold recovery material configured to cool the cooled gas stream, wherein the gas stream is fed through the cold recovery vessel through a pipe immersed in the cold recovery material to produce a liquefied or low temperature gas. The liquefied or low temperature gas is stored in a liquid or low temperature state in a storage tank. When the liquefied or low temperature gas is released from the storage tank, the gas vaporizes or expands through the pipe and cools the cold recovery material.
Abstract: The invention relates to a separation process of fractionating a solution comprising betaine and sucrose by subjecting said solution to chromatographic fractionation and nanofiltration and recovering a fraction enriched in betaine and optionally a fraction enriched in sucrose. The solution to be fractionated in accordance with the present invention is typically a sugar beet-derived solution, for instance a molasses solution.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 25, 2003
Date of Patent:
March 7, 2006
Assignee:
Finnfeeds Finland Oy
Inventors:
Hannu Paananen, Heikki Heikkila, Outi Puuppo, Hannu Koivikko, Kaj-Erik Monten, Mika Manttäri, Marianne Nyström
Abstract: A method of liquefying a gas is disclosed and which includes the steps of pressurizing a liquid; mixing a reactant composition with the pressurized liquid to generate a high pressure gas; supplying the high pressure gas to an expansion engine which produces a gas having a reduced pressure and temperature, and which further generates a power and/or work output; coupling the expansion engine in fluid flowing relation relative to a refrigeration assembly, and wherein the gas having the reduced temperature is provided to the refrigeration assembly; and energizing and/or actuating the refrigeration assembly, at least in part, by supplying the power and/or work output generated by the expansion engine to the refrigeration assembly, the refrigeration assembly further reducing the temperature of the gas to liquefy same.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 6, 2004
Date of Patent:
February 14, 2006
Assignee:
Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC
Inventors:
William T. Zollinger, Dennis N. Bingham, Michael G. McKellar, Bruce M. Wilding, Kerry M. Klingler
Abstract: A carbon dioxide recovery apparatus and process for supercritical extraction includes providing a process stream from a supercritical extraction procedure in which the process stream includes pressurized carbon dioxide, extraction process waste and optionally at least one co-solvent; reducing the pressure of the process stream below critical pressure; venting low pressure carbon dioxide vapor to exhaust; cooling the process stream to form a two phase mixture; separating the two phase mixture into a process liquid, containing co-solvent if present, and a process vapor phase stream; collecting the process liquid; filtering the process vapor phase stream to remove particulates and optionally residual co-solvent; passing the filtered process vapor stream through an adsorber to remove trace impurities to form a purified carbon dioxide vapor stream; and, drying the purified carbon dioxide vapor stream to remove residual water vapor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 25, 2003
Date of Patent:
November 1, 2005
Assignee:
The BOC Group, Inc.
Inventors:
Kelly Leitch, Gavin Hartigan, Robert D'Orazio
Abstract: Gases are vented from a waste site such as a landfill, and the gases are separated into at least three streams comprising a hydrocarbon stream, a carbon dioxide stream, and residue stream. At least a portion of the carbon dioxide stream and hydrocarbon stream are liquefied or converted to a supercritical liquid. At least some of the carbon dioxide gas stream (as a liquid or supercritical fluid) is used in a cleaning step, preferably a polymer cleaning step, and more preferably a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling process, and most preferably in a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling system where the cleaning is performed on-site at the waste site.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 22, 2003
Date of Patent:
September 6, 2005
Assignee:
Cool Clean Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Jon P. Wikstrom, Dan Schiller, Jon R. Turner
Abstract: A method and system for liquefaction monitoring of a gas in a gas piping system in which pressure and temperature information about the gas is gathered and the liquefaction status of the gas is determined and reported.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 6, 2001
Date of Patent:
July 12, 2005
Assignee:
The BOC Group, Inc.
Inventors:
Gavin D. Hartigan, David L. Ruppert, Henry S. Hui
Abstract: Multicomponent refrigerant fluids for generating refrigeration, especially over a wide temperature range including cryogenic temperatures, which are advantageous over conventional refrigerant fluids especially for certain applications, and which are non-toxic, non-flammable and low or non-ozone-depleting and preferably are maintained in variable load form through compression, cooling, expansion and warming steps in a refrigeration cycle.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 24, 2002
Date of Patent:
April 19, 2005
Assignee:
Praxair Technology, Inc.
Inventors:
Bayram Arman, Neil Mark Prosser, M. Abdul-Aziz Rashad, Henry Edward Howard
Abstract: A process of liquefying a gaseous, methane-rich feed to a liquefied product is provided that includes adjusting the composition and the amount of refrigerant and controlling the liquefaction process using an advanced process controller based on model predictive control to determine simultaneous control actions for a set of manipulated variables.
Type:
Application
Filed:
January 28, 2004
Publication date:
December 23, 2004
Inventors:
Willem Hupkes, Arina Petronella Jacoba Hupkes-Van Der Toorn, Pei Jung Lin, Roland Pierre Silve, Kornelis Jan Vink
Abstract: Gases are vented from a waste site such as a landfill, and the gases are separated into at least three streams comprising a hydrocarbon stream, a carbon dioxide stream, and residue stream. At least a portion of the carbon dioxide stream and hydrocarbon stream are liquefied or converted to a supercritical liquid. At least some of the carbon dioxide gas stream (as a liquid or supercritical fluid) is used in a cleaning step, preferably a polymer cleaning step, and more preferably a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling process, and most preferably in a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling system where the cleaning is performed on-site at the waste site.
Type:
Application
Filed:
May 22, 2003
Publication date:
November 25, 2004
Applicant:
Cool Clean Technologies
Inventors:
Jon P. Wikstrom, Dan Schiller, Jon R. Turner
Abstract: A method of treating gaseous waste from an optical fiber preform fabrication unit containing halogenated compounds includes a step of forming a liquid effluent from the gaseous waste by condensing the gaseous waste. The gaseous waste is preferably condensed by cooling it. Plant for implementing the method includes a condenser and a container for collecting condensate. The condenser is preferably a refrigerating device. The plant can further include a soot box.
Abstract: A gas liquefaction method which uses the pressure energy of a natural gas processing system to generate refrigeration for high temperature cooling of a gas, and uses a mixed gas refrigerant fluid to generate refrigeration for low temperature cooling of the gas to produce liquefied product.
Type:
Application
Filed:
November 7, 2003
Publication date:
August 5, 2004
Inventors:
M. Abdul-Aziz Rashad, Richard C. Fitzgerald, Dante Patrick Bonaquist, John B. Saunders, Minish Mahendra Shah
Abstract: A system and process for utilization and disposition of a supercritical fluid composition, in which a supercritical fluid (SCF) composition is used in an SCF-using process facility such as a semiconductor manufacturing plant. The supercritical fluid composition is withdrawn from the process facility containing at least one component that is extraneous with respect to the further disposition of the supercritical fluid composition. The withdrawn supercritical fluid composition is converted to a pressurized liquid, which is treated to at least partially remove the extraneous component(s) therefrom. The extraneous component(s)-depleted pressurized liquid in its further disposition can be reconverted to a supercritical state for recycle to the SCF-using process facility, or it can be gasified and discharged to the atmosphere in the case of supercritical fluids such as CO2.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 11, 2003
Date of Patent:
May 18, 2004
Assignee:
Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
Inventors:
Glenn M. Tom, Michael B. Korzenski, Eliodor G. Ghenciu, Chongying Xu, Thomas H. Baum
Abstract: A process plant (1) for handling combustibles fluids, for example an oil production plant in which gaseous hydrocarbons are separated from oil and in which surplus gases or residual gases from uncontrolled build-ups of gas pressure in the process escape through process or safety valves in the plant and are conducted to a collection line (9). The surplus or residual gases are conducted via the collection line (9) to one or more low-pressure stores (2) and a connection line or return line (11, 3) is arranged from the store(s) (2) to the process or another treatment unit for processing the returned or collected fluid. The low-pressure store(s) can expediently comprise the crude oil or raw product store (2) of the process plant upstream of the process plant.
Abstract: A method of treating gaseous waste from an optical fiber preform fabrication unit containing halogenated compounds includes a step of forming a liquid effluent from the gaseous waste by condensing the gaseous waste. The gaseous waste is preferably condensed by cooling it. Plant for implementing the method includes a condenser and a container for collecting condensate. The condenser is preferably a refrigerating device. The plant can further include a soot box.
Abstract: A method for generating refrigeration, especially over a wide temperature range including cryogenic temperatures, wherein a non-toxic, non-flammable and low or non-ozone-depleting mixture is formed from defined components and maintained in variable load form through compression, cooling, expansion and warming steps in a refrigeration cycle.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 7, 2000
Date of Patent:
July 30, 2002
Assignee:
Praxair Technology, Inc.
Inventors:
Arun Acharya, Bayram Arman, Walter Joseph Olszewski, Dante Patrick Bonaquist, Joseph Alfred Weber
Abstract: A high pressure nitrogen pipeline, oxygen or plant air is diverted around a pressure letdown station to liquefy the gas or a portion of the gas for storage or air separation assist, with the remaining unused gaseous portion being returned to the pipeline downstream the letdown station. One or more heat exchangers and one or more expanders are used to cool down the gas and liquefy it. A generator or compressor may be coupled to the expanders employing companders for generating power or for further compression of the pipeline gas. In a further embodiment, natural gas is cooled to assist in liquefying the nitrogen by drying the natural gas and forming two streams wherein carbon dioxide is removed from a smaller stream which is applied to cascaded heat exchangers and the larger stream is expanded to further cool it. The two streams are applied to the heat exchangers for cooling and liquefying nitrogen gas or other merchant gas applied to the heat exchangers from a pipeline or other source.
Abstract: For gas liquefaction processes, thermodynamic expansion is optimized by use of a hydraulic turbine expander for liquefied gases which can be adjusted to different flow rates and differential pressures by varying the rotational speed and/or guide vane position. The turbine expander is disposed in-line between an upstream system for gas liquefaction and a downstream system for liquefied gas handling including a terminal vessel for storage or phase separation. The invention further includes a device to measure the terminal pressure at an inlet pipe of and/or inside the terminal vessel, and a device to control the turbine expander in response to pressure measurements. The turbine controller sets the rotational speed and/or the guide vane position of the expander depending on changes in the terminal pressure such that the pressure inside the terminal vessel remains constant at a certain target value for different thermodynamic, hydraulic or chemical conditions of the gas liquefaction process.
Abstract: A conventional air separator unit separates nitrogen, oxygen or argon merchant gas to be liquefied. Input pressurized natural gas is processed through a pressure letdown liquefaction system including gas separators for removing moisture and for drying the gas. The dried gas is then separated into large and small gas stream portions wherein CO.sub.2 in the smaller portion is removed. The two portions are passed through a first heat exchanger from which the larger portion is expanded which cools it and then passed through two heat exchangers including the first exchanger, used to regenerate the CO.sub.2 separator and drier and then returned to the input stream.
Abstract: A method for generating refrigeration, especially over a wide temperature range including cryogenic temperatures, wherein a non-toxic, non-flammable and low or non-ozone-depleting mixture is formed from defined components and maintained in variable load form through compression, cooling, expansion and warming steps in a refrigeration cycle.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 30, 1998
Date of Patent:
June 20, 2000
Assignee:
Praxair Technology, Inc.
Inventors:
Arun Acharya, Bayram Arman, Walter Joseph Olszewski, Dante Patrick Bonaquist, Joseph Alfred Weber
Abstract: A reservoir is filled under pressure with a gas, by introducing a quantity of a gas into an intermediate receptacle (3), liquefying this quantity of gas, upon its introduction into the intermediate receptacle, by heat exchange with a refrigerant fluid, reheating and vaporizing this quantity of gas in the intermediate receptacle by thermal contact with a heat source (15), and placing in fluid communication the intermediate receptacle and the reservoir (2) when the pressure in the intermediate receptacle becomes greater than the pressure in the reservoir.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 1998
Date of Patent:
February 29, 2000
Assignee:
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Abstract: Methods and systems of delivering ultra-high purity gas to a point of use are claimed and described. The methods include providing a source of ultra-high purity liquid (the source preferably at a pressure and temperature sufficient to maintain the liquid in substantially the liquid phase); transporting (preferably via pressure in the source alone) the ultra-high purity liquid from the source to one or more means to effect a phase change of the ultra-high purity liquid to an ultra-high purity gas; effecting a phase change (preferably at or near equilibrium vaporization conditions) of the ultra-high purity liquid to form an ultra-high purity gas in the one or more means to effect the phase change; and routing the ultra-high purity gas from the means to effect the phase change to a point of use (preferably with no intermediate, potentially impurity-generating media between the means to effect the phase change and the point of use other than ultra-clean conduit).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 16, 1997
Date of Patent:
April 20, 1999
Assignee:
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et, l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for recycling a halocarbon composition which generally removes a halocarbon composition from a first source to purify the halocarbon composition and injects the halocarbon composition to a second source. The present invention is particularly useful for recovering and recharging of a commonly used halocarbon composition, Halon 1301. The invention comprises a first line having a first and second end where the first end of the first line is connected to the first source. The first source has the halocarbon composition contained therein. A vapor recovery unit connects to the second end of the first line for permitting the halocarbon composition to be transported from the first source to the vapor recovery unit for compression. A second line connects the vapor recovery unit to a recovery bottle. The recovery bottle is cooled by a cooling system integrally connected thereto for separating the nitrogen from the halocarbon composition.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 15, 1993
Date of Patent:
December 10, 1996
Assignee:
American Airlines, Inc.
Inventors:
Richard Lyon, George O'Brien, Bob Hampton