Unitel Technologies, Inc.

Xytel Technologies Partnership

University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Syngest, Inc.

Acid Technologies, LLC

Jc Enviro Enterprises Corp.

Cement-lock L.l.c.

Cement-lock Group, L.l.c.

Richard L Kao

Sarabjit Singh Randhava

Surjit Singh Randhava

Todd Harvey

Amirali G Rehmat

Anthony L Lee

Michael C Mensinger

Kenneth J Schmitt

W S Winston Ho

Gregory J Dicosola

Ajaib Singh Randhava

Elias H Camara

Jin Soo Chung

Edward H Stribling, Iii

Shaw-Yaw Kang

Modular, portable processes and apparatus for the production of tight gas (including shale gas) and tight oil (including shale oil) and for the conversion of tight oil into a plurality of marketable fuels are described which enable easy deployment and start-up and are specifically useful in remote areas. Furthermore, these modular processes and apparatus are configured to use co-produced tight gas as a source of processing energy. Another feature of the modular processes is to substantially reduce the use of fracking water and process water. In some embodiments modular processes include (A) Purified Salt Production; (B) Modular Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) Production; (C) Hydrogen Production by Autothermal Reformer; (D) Optimized Hydraulic Fracturing; (E) Desalting with Bi-Electric Configuration with an Interchanger; (F) Desalter Water Recovery and Recyclling; (G) Precut Column with a Gas-Fired Heater; (H) Crude Distillation with a Gas-Fired Heater; (I) Hydrodesulfurization using Reactive Distillation; and (J) Vacuum Distillation.

Modular processes for the production of tight gas and tight oil and for tight oil refining

This invention relates to a new process for making fatty acids directly from a feedstock consisting of phytoplankton in water without the need to a) thermally separate, dewater and dry the phytoplankton, and b) extract the immobilized lipids. Our method is much less expensive than the current practice of making fatty acids from phytoplankton, because we bypass the costly and energy intensive operations associated with a) dewatering and drying the biomass, and b) extracting the immobilized lipids. As such, this invention greatly enhances the economic viability of making biofuels and bioproducts from phytoplankton.

Fatty acids from phytoplankton

This invention discloses a method for making a dimethylether (DME) product from a synthesis gas (syngas) in the presence of a catalyst in a fluid pluralized bed reactor operating in the gas phase. The reactions generate a significant amount of heat and the heat management is balanced between supplying quench recycle syngas to the pluralized sections along the reactor and also by controlling the preheat temperature of the reactant streams. Gas phase fluidization of the catalyst is controlled so that the pluralized reactive zones are maintained in a backmix configuration.

Synthesis of DME using a fluid pluralized bed reactor

This invention provides a process for making ammonia from biomass. The biomass may be first reacted with oxygen and steam to generate a biosyngas comprising hydrogen (H) and carbon monoxide (CO) as the active components. The gasification step may be regulated to reduce the amount of methane in the biosyngas that may leave the gasifier.

Process for producing ammonia from biomass

Disclosed herein is a process for the production of fuel grade DME from carbonaceous fuels, including a pressurized multi-stage progressively expanding fluidized bed gasifier and an oxyblown autothermal reformer to produce a synthesis gas (syngas) with desirable hydrogen to carbon monoxide molar ratio, which then undergoes gas-phase DME one-step direct synthesis in a fluid pluralized bed reactor over an attrition resistant bifunctional catalyst. The crude DME thus obtained is purified in a two column distillation unit to produce a fuel grade DME having a purity greater than 99.98 mole %.

Process and method for the producton of dimethylether (DME)

The present application discloses an apparatus for gasification of solid, liquid and gaseous organic feed materials having a fuel value into synthesis gas. The apparatus comprises: a gasification reactor vessel having a tapered interior with a minimum of four zones for introducing reaction gas mixtures, a central perforated diffuser pipe, a solid and liquid material inlet at the upper end of the uppermost zone, a solid and gas discharge outlet at the lower end of the bottom zone, wherein the reactor vessel defining a sequence of reaction zones from the material inlet to the material outlet including drying, pyrolysis, combustion and gasification zones, and confining downwardly moving the column of the feed materials within the zones, gas feed inlet pipes for introducing reaction gas into the zones, a synthesis gas discharge pipe below the zones, and a heat exchanger below the zones.

Method and apparatus for generating combustible synthesis gas

This invention relates to a sulfur tolerant, dynamic, compact, lightweight fuel process and system that is capable of converting sulfur bearing carbonaceous fuels to hydrogen rich gases suitable for fuel cells or chemical processing applications. The process and system is based on the AHR and WGS reactions, followed by cleanup of byproduct sulfur-containing gases and carbon oxides that would otherwise poison the fuel cell electrocatalyst. Advantageously, this is accomplished via an ASMS and a methanator or an AWMR. The process and system preferably uses a special sulfur tolerant catalysts and hardware designs that enable the conversion in an energy efficient manner while maintaining desirable performance characteristics such as rapid start-stop and fast response to load change capabilities.

Dynamic sulfur tolerant process and system with inline acid gas-selective removal for generating hydrogen for fuel cells

This invention relates to thermo-chemical remediation and decontamination of sediments and soils contaminated with organic contaminants as well as inorganic materials with subsequent beneficial reuse. Novel environmentally stable products of commercial value are produced when certain additives such as calcium and metal oxides are mixed with the contaminated materials. In the process, the mixture is heated to 1150.degree. C..about.1500.degree. C. to produce a molten reaction product with at least part of an excess amount of oxygen mixture or air is continuously bubbled through the melt in order to provide mixing and achieve high thermal destruction and removal efficiencies of the organic contaminants. The melt is then quickly quenched in moist air, steam, or water to avoid the transformation of the amorphous material into crystals. The inorganic contaminants such as chromium, nickel, zinc, etc. are incorporated and completely immobilized within the amorphous silicate network. Atmospheric emissions resulting from this process are nontoxic and capable of meeting currently specified health and environmental requirements.

Process for preparing environmentally stable products by the remediation

This invention relates to thermo-chemical remediation and decontamination of sediments and soils contaminated with organic contaminants as well as inorganic materials with subsequent beneficial reuse. Novel environmentally stable products of commercial value are produced when certain additives such as calcium and metal oxides are mixed with the contaminated materials. In the process, the mixture is heated to 1150.degree. C..about.1500.degree. C. to produce a molten reaction product with at least part of an excess amount of oxygen mixture or air is continuously bubbled through the melt in order to provide mixing and achieve high thermal destruction and removal efficiencies of the organic contaminants. The melt is then quickly quenched in moist air, steam, or water to avoid the transformation of the amorphous material into crystals. The inorganic contaminants such as chromium, nickel, zinc, etc. are incorporated and completely immobilized within the amorphous silicate network. The amorphous material can be pulverized to yield a powder which evinces cementitious properties either by reaction with alkali solution or by blending it with other materials to produce blended cements. The compressive strengths of the concretes made from the powder of the subject invention and blends thereof are comparable to, or greater than the ASTM requirements for general purpose concrete applications. The powder of the subject invention, blended cements, and concrete/mortar derived therefrom also easily pass the EPA TCLP leach test to achieve environmental acceptability.

Process for preparing enviromentally stable products by the remediation

An improved double tube reactor having a plurality of inner and outer tube assemblies each of the assemblies having a reaction annular volume between the inner tube and outer tube and a closed center plug within the inner tube forming an annular thermal exchange volume between the center plug and the inner tube to obtain desired temperature control of exothermic and endothermic catalytic chemical reactions. In one embodiment of the invention, the improved double tube reactor is used in a process for production of high purity methanol from process gas produced by steam reforming hydrocarbon feedstocks in a tube type reformer followed by removing substantially all CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O from the process gas, adjusting the H.sub.2 /CO molar ratio to about 2 when necessary, and feeding the adjusted process gas to a methanol synthesis reactor contacting a methanol forming catalyst not requiring CO.sub.2 activation at about 200.degree. to about 300.degree. C. to produce product gas comprising methanol, and recovering liquid methanol having purity greater than about 99.85% pure by cooling the product gas to a temperature below the boiling point of methanol and separating the liquid methanol from gaseous components of the product gas. In a preferred embodiment, process gas of H.sub.2 /CO molar ratio of about 2.0 to about 2.5 is passed through an annular thermal exchange volume between a center plug and an inner tube followed by passing the gas in contact with a catalyst in a catalyst bed between the inner tube and an outer tube of a double tube reactor assembly promoting the direct reaction of H.sub.2 and CO to product methanol.

Catalytic reactor

A process for production of methanol from process gas produced by steam reforming hydrocarbon feedstocks in a tube type reformer followed by removing substantially all CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O from the process gas, adjusting the H.sub.2 /CO molar ratio to about 2 when necessary, and feeding the adjusted process gas to a methanol synthesis reactor contacting a methanol forming catalyst not requiring CO.sub.2 activation at about 200.degree. to about 300.degree. C. to produce product gas comprising methanol, and recovering liquid methanol having purity greater than about 99.85% pure by cooling the product gas to a temperature below the boiling point of methanol and separating the liquid methanol from gaseous components of the product gas. In a preferred embodiment, process gas of H.sub.2 /CO molar ratio of about 2.0 to about 2.5 is passed through an annular thermal exchange volume between a center plug and an inner tube followed by passing the gas in contact with a catalyst in a catalyst bed between the inner tube and an outer tube of a double tube reactor assembly promoting the direct reaction of H.sub.2 and CO to product methanol. An improved double tube reactor having a plurality of inner and outer tube assemblies each of the assemblies having a reaction annular volume between the inner tube and outer tube and a closed center plug within the inner tube forming an annular thermal exchange volume between the center plug and the inner tube.

Growing community of inventors

Northbrook, IL, United States of America

Richard L Kao