Praxair Technology, Inc.

Other

Union Carbide Corporation

Union Carbide Industrial Gases Technology Corporation

Advanced Silicon Materials LLC

The Standard Oil Company

Ravi Prasad

Christian Friedrich Gottzmann

Nitin Ramesh Keskar

Joseph Michael Schwartz

Oscar W Haas

Frank Notaro

Bart Antonie Van Hassel

Raymond Francis Drnevich

Terry Joseph Mazanec

Victor Emmanuel Bergsten

James Eric White

Chieh-Cheng Chen

Pauline Jane Cook

Chieh Cheng Chen

Dante Patrick Bonaquist

Hisashi Kobayashi

James Smolarek

Jack C Chen

Thomas L Cable

Homer Fay

Richard A Van Slooten

Christian Friedrich Gottzman

John C Fagley

Anil Vasudeo Virkar

Harry Cheung

John Fredric Billingham

Neil Andrew Stephenson

Jonathan Andrew Lane

Charles James Besecker

David R Thompson

James J Maloney

James B Wulf

Joseph Timothy Mullhaupt

Prasad Shrikrisnna Apte

Carl Joseph Heim

Hancun Chen

Michael J Campbell

Earl T Robinson

Eric Hunter Shreiber

Glenn Whichard

Jack Chieh-Cheng Chen

Valerie M Stawisuck

Helium is recovered from gas streams containing high concentrations of hydrogen gas and low concentrations of helium gas, such as from the recycle stream from the production of ammonia. The inventive process provides for an integrated process for the recovery of both an enriched helium gas stream product and a high purity hydrogen gas stream product.

Helium recovery process

A method of separating oxygen from an oxygen containing stream in which compressed and heated oxygen is introduced into cathode side of an oxygen transport membrane reactor. Oxygen is permeated from the cathode side to the anode side. Motive fluid that is introduced into an ejector draws an oxygen permeate containing stream from the anode side at a subatmospheric pressure to form an oxygen containing product stream. The motive fluid, which can be steam raised by combustion used in heating the reactor, can be separated from the oxygen containing product stream to form an oxygen product stream. The use of an ejector lowers the partial pressure of the oxygen at the anode side of the membrane reactor and therefore the degree to which the oxygen containing stream need be compressed.

Oxygen separation method utilizing an oxygen transport membrane reactor

An isolation device for one or more ion transport membranes and that has a housing and one or more check valves in communication with one or more passageways extending through the housing to prevent gas flow within the housing and the ion transport membrane(s) upon breakage thereof. Where a lance tube is used with the oxygen transport membrane a second check valve can be used. The check valves, preferably contain spring loaded poppet valves which, though normally open, are capable of resetting themselves into a closed position upon breakage or other failure of the oxygen transport membrane tubes.

Ion transport membrane isolation device

A method of producing a crude syngas product stream or a syngas product stream by further processing of the crude syngas product stream. Both the crude and syngas product stream comprise carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The crude syngas product stream additionally comprises carbon dioxide and moisture. In accordance with the method, methane in a feed stream is converted into the hydrogen and carbon monoxide in at least two stages, thereby to form a crude syngas stream. An initial stage has an oxygen transport membrane reactor having a catalyst to promote carbon dioxide or steam methane reforming. Since, the conversion is shared between two stages, the oxygen transport membrane reactor can be operated at a sufficiently low temperature to avoid ceramic membrane deterioration due to creep effect. The subsequent stage can be operated at a higher temperature with more favorable equilibrium conditions to complete the conversion of the methane.

Syngas production method utilizing an oxygen transport membrane

Oxygen and hydrogen transport membranes fabricated by plasma spray deposition of a micro-crack-free coating on a substrate. Also disclosed is a multi-layer composite comprising a dense or porous substrate coated with a coating provided by supersonic plasma spray deposition. Also disclosed is subsonic plasma spray deposition of single phase or dual phase nanocrystalline particles to form a crack-free oxygen transport membrane on a substrate.

Plasma sprayed oxygen transport membrane coatings

A process for exapanding tobacco employs gaseous impregnant at elevated pressure. Tobacco is passed through a gaseous impregnant atmosphere using mechanical devices (e.g., pressure locks, pocket feeders). Tobacco gets impregnated with pressurized gaseous impregnant during the &ldquo;pass-through&rdquo;. Uniformity of impregnation is obtained by passing small batches of tobacco having uniform bulk density, and uniform gas properties at or near the tobacco exit point of the &ldquo;Pass-through&rdquo;. Natural buoyancy of the impregnant gas assures that gas temperature uniformity is achieved quickly and without any elaborate control system, and in a simplified, self controlling and self regulating process. Significant equipment cost and size reduction results. An apparatus that uses the improved process is also provided. For carbon dioxide impregnated tobacco, expansion occurs when the impregnated tobacco is subjected to conditions that cause rapid release of the impregnated gas. Rapid heating of propane impregnated tobacco is not required for the expansion of tobacco.

Method and apparatus for expanding tobacco material

An ion-transport membrane assembly including a tubular, ion-transport membrane that is fabricated from one or more ion-transport, ceramic materials capable of ionic transport at an operational temperature of greater than 400&deg; C. The membrane may be an oxygen transport membrane or a hydrogen transport membrane. A plurality of structural supporting members, fabricated from an open porous material and having an outer cylindrical surface, are inserted within the membrane, without being bonded to the membrane, to inhibit inward collapse of the membrane under application of a pressure applied to an exterior surface of the membrane. The structural supporting members are configured to permit relative movement between the outer surface of the structural supporting member and the interior surface of the tubular membrane during heating to or cooling from the operational temperature thereof.

Ion-transport membrane assembly incorporating internal support

A process for making microporous membranes that incorporate selected gas selective species as surface sites in a controlled spacing and orientation manner and such membranes so formed being suitable for separating and purifying the selected gas from selected gas containing gas mixtures. An example is the use of oxygen selective transition element complexes (TECs) as surface sites for separating and purifying oxygen from oxygen-containing gas mixtures.

Process for making microporous membranes having selected gas-selective sites and the membranes so made

An oxygen selective ion transport membrane is integrated with a boiler furnace to generate steam and, optionally, high purity oxygen and nitrogen. The heat required to drive the system is obtained by the combustion of an oxygen transported through the oxygen selective ion transport membrane with a high BTU fuel such as methane or natural gas. NO compound formation is minimized either by utilizing a combustion products diluted air/fuel mixture for combustion in the boiler furnace or by limiting combustion to a mixture of oxygen and a fuel.

Integration of ceramic oxygen transport membrane combustor with boiler furnace

Methane is formed into synthesis gas through a combination of a partial oxidation reaction and a steam reforming reaction. Oxygen for the partial oxidation reaction is obtained by contacting air with an oxygen transport membrane and recovering the oxygen transported through the membrane. To increase the oxygen flux through the membrane, steam is utilized as a sweep gas on the anode side of the membrane. The steam reduces the oxygen partial pressure on the anode side increasing the flux. The efficiency and cost benefit of the process is enhanced by utilizing in-line combustors to heat gases being delivered to the oxygen transport membrane. Membrane integrity is enhanced by conducting the reactions in a reactor that is remote from the oxygen transport membrane.

Low pressure steam purged chemical reactor including an oxygen transport membrane

In a method for the production of carbon dioxide, an oxygen-containing first process gas is flowed along a cathode side of a first oxygen selective ion transport membrane. The membrane is at operating conditions effective to transport a first permeate oxygen portion from the cathode side to an opposite anode side. A carbon-containing second process gas is flowed along the anode side at a flow rate effective to provide a stoichiometric surplus of oxygen on combination with the first permeate oxygen portion. A first mixture of a second process gas and the first permeate oxygen portion is combusted such that substantially all of the second process gas is converted into a second mixture of water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is separated from such second mixture.

Method and apparatus for producing carbon dioxide

A cold isopressing method in which two or more layers of material are formed within an isopressing mold. One of the layers consists of a tape-cast film. The layers are isopressed within the isopressing mold, thereby to laminate the layers and to compact the tape-cast film. The isopressing mold can be of cylindrical configuration with the layers being coaxial cylindrical layers. The materials used in forming the layers can contain green ceramic materials and the resultant structure can be fired and sintered as necessary and in accordance with known methods to produce a finished composite, ceramic structure. Further, such green ceramic materials can be of the type that are capable of conducting hydrogen or oxygen ions at high temperature with the object of utilizing the finished composite ceramic structure as a ceramic membrane element.

Cold isopressing method

A process (and corresponding system) for separating a high purity gas (e.g. oxygen) from a feed gas stream (e.g. air) that includes heating the feed gas stream before passing the heated feed gas stream through a ceramic membrane to separate a gas component from the other components of the gas stream.

Gas separation process using ceramic membrane and regenerators

An exothermic reaction and an endothermic reaction are thermally combined in a reactor having at least one oxygen selective ion transport membrane that provides the exothermic reaction with oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas such as air. The thermal requirements of the endothermic reaction are satisfied by the exothermic reaction. Dependent on the reactor design employed, the exothermic and endothermic reactions may be gaseously combined.

Process for producing a syngas

A method of removing an organic binder from a green ceramic form in which a green ceramic form is subjected to a flowing carbon dioxide containing atmosphere having a sufficiently low oxygen content to allow about 60% or more of the organic binder to be oxidized by carbon dioxide. The green ceramic form is heated to the oxidation temperature at a rate greater than about 0.1&deg; C. and is maintained under oxidizing temperature conditions until at least about 90% of the organic binder oxidizes.

Method of removing an organic binder from a green ceramic form

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East Amherst, NY, United States of America

Ravi Prasad