| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090308073 | OXYGEN ENHANCED COMBUSTION IN INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES - The present invention relates to a system for carrying out oxygen-enhanced combustion in an industrial process wherein the industrial process, an oxygen supply system or a source of oxygen, a heat recovery network, and an alternative Rankine cycle system based on a working fluid other than steam are integrated to achieve improved throughput and efficiency, and a method for oxygen-enhanced combustion in an industrial process using said system. Examples of industrial processes include cement production, steel reheat applications, glass production, aluminum and copper melting, as well as any industrial process that uses process heater, furnaces where combustion is carried out using an oxidant stream with oxygen content higher’ than that in ambient air and up to 100%. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20100122552 | SEPARATION METHOD AND APPARATUS - A separation method and apparatus that separates a component from a feed stream by use of a membrane in which separation is driven, at least in part, by a sweep stream. The sweep stream may be pumped to a supercritical pressure and then heated to at least near supercritical temperature, at least in part, through heat exchange with a component laden sweep stream being discharged from the membrane. A multi-component mixture can also be used that will produce the sweep stream as a vapor as a result of the heat exchange. The component laden sweep stream, due to cooling through the indirect heat exchange, will form a two-phase fluid that can be phase separated into a vapor phase enriched in the component that can be taken as a product and a residual liquid that can be recirculated in the formation of the sweep stream in the liquid state. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100122627 | MEMBRANE-BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HYDROGEN SEPARATION - According to some embodiments, a method and a system are provided to receive hydrogen at a first pressure at a first side of a membrane, receive hydrogen at a second pressure from a second side of the membrane, combine the hydrogen received from the second side of the membrane with a purge stream to produce a permeate stream at the second pressure, and separate hydrogen from the permeate stream at a third pressure. The purge stream is associated with a phase transition temperature range. | 05-20-2010 |
| 20100212457 | PRODUCING METAL AND CARBON DIOXIDE WITH HYDROGEN RECYCLE - Offgas containing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that is produced in the reduction of ores and other metal oxides in a reactor is treated to reduce its carbon dioxide content and is then contacted with metal oxide to reduce the oxidation state of the metal and oxidize carbon monoxide therein to carbon dioxide, following which the reduced metal is oxidized with steam to produce hydrogen that can be fed to the reactor. | 08-26-2010 |
| 20110132032 | LIQUID AIR METHOD AND APPARATUS - A method and apparatus in which air is liquefied and stored for later energy recovery during which the liquid air is pumped to high pressure, heated and then expanded to recover the energy. During the recovery of energy, the pumped liquid air is heated within a regenerator that stores the refrigeration within the liquid air. During the liquefaction of the air, part of the refrigeration required is obtained from the refrigeration stored in the regenerator. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110218254 | USING FOSSIL FUELS TO INCREASE BIOMASS-BASED FUEL BENEFITS - In the production of fuel such as ethanol from carbonaceous feed material such as biomass, a stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide is added to the raw gas stream derived from the feed material, and the resulting combined stream is converted into fuel and a gaseous byproduct such as by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction. The gaseous byproduct may be utilized in the formation of the aforementioned stream comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110253551 | ELECTROCHEMICAL CARBON MONOXIDE PRODUCTION - A method and apparatus for producing a carbon monoxide containing product in which cathode and anode sides of an electrically driven oxygen separation device are contacted with carbon dioxide and a reducing agent, respectively. The carbon dioxide is reduced to carbon monoxide through ionization of oxygen and the reducing agent lowers the partial pressure of oxygen at the anode side to partially drive oxygen ion transport within the device through the consumption of the oxygen and to supply heat. The lowering of oxygen partial pressure reduces voltage and therefore, electrical power required to be applied to the device and the heat is supplied to heat the device to an operational temperature and to the reduction of the carbon dioxide occurring at the cathode side. The device can be used as part of an integrated apparatus in which the carbon dioxide is supplied from a waste stream of a process plant. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20120006158 | PRODUCING METAL AND CARBON DIOXIDE WITH HYDROGEN RECYCLE - Offgas containing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that is produced in the reduction of ores and other metal oxides in a reactor is treated to reduce its carbon dioxide content and is then contacted with metal oxide to reduce the oxidation state of the metal and oxidize carbon monoxide therein to carbon dioxide, following which the reduced metal is oxidized with steam to produce hydrogen that can be fed to the reactor. | 01-12-2012 |