Kla Tencor Corporation

Symyx Technologies, Inc.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Symyx Solutions, Inc.

Freeslate, Inc.

Thomas Harding McWaid

Amin Samsavar

Gary Michael Diamond

Keith Hall

William R Wheeler

Peter G Panagas

Steven G Eaton

Howard W Turner

Eric L Dias

James A W Shoemaker

Miroslav Petro

Vince J Murphy

Mikhail Spitkovsky

Li Song

Michael Myslovaty

Robbie Singh Sidhu

Daniel Paul Leta

Ralph B Nielsen

Adam Luke Safir

Lynn Van Erden

Kirk C Nadler

William P Kuhn

Brian Erik Henry

Stephen M Cundy

Robert E Parks

Edward W Corcoran

Michael Weber

Trevor G Frank

Richard Tiede

Sergey Yudin

James D Dearth

Yan Ying Chan

This invention relates to a process for producing a product stream with improved reduction of Conradson Carbon Residue ('CCR') and a reduced average boiling point from a heavy hydrocarbon feedstream utilizing a high-pressure, low-energy separation process. The invention may be utilized to reduce the CCR content and reduce the average boiling point in heavy hydrocarbon feedstreams, such as whole crudes, topped crudes, synthetic crude blends, shale oils, bitumen, oil from tar sands, atmospheric resids, vacuum resids, or other heavy hydrocarbon streams. This invention also results in a process with an improved CCR separation efficiency while maintaining permeate flux rates.

Reduction of conradson carbon residue and average boiling points utilizing high pressure ultrafiltration

Described is a parallel batch reactor for effecting chemical reactions. The parallel batch reactor includes a plurality of reactor vessels for receiving components of a reaction, an inlet port for receiving pressurized fluid, and a plurality of valves configured to transfer fluid from the inlet port to the reactor vessels and fluidically isolate one or more of the reactor vessels from at least one of the other reactor vessels. The reactor further includes a pressure monitoring system comprising an array of pressure sensors configured to sense pressure in the reactor vessels. Each of the pressure sensors is aligned with one of the plurality of reactor vessels and located external to the reactor vessels and fluid passageways in fluid communication with the reactor vessels.

Parallel batch reactor with pressure monitoring

In one embodiment, a parallel batch reactor generally includes a plurality of reactor vessels and a plurality of valves configured to allow flow into the reactor vessels when a gas is supplied to the reactor at a pressure higher than a pressure within the reactor vessels and restrict flow from the reactor vessels. A method includes inserting chemical components into the reactor vessels, supplying a first gas to the reactor vessels to pressurize the reactor vessels, stopping supply of the first gas, and supplying a second gas to the reactor at a lower pressure than a pressure within the reactor vessels. The second gas passes through the valves and into the reactor vessels when the pressure within the reactor vessels drops below the pressure of the second gas.

Methods for chemical reactions in a parallel batch reactor

The invention relates to liquid chromatography techniques for rapidly characterizing samples, such as polymer solutions, emulsions and dispersions, and to devices for implementing such techniques. The system includes a design that provides the ability to perform chromatographic separations by using mobile phase composition gradients and temperature gradients during separations. The invention accomplishes this by providing mixing zones for a plurality of fluids as well as heated and chilled feeds feeding the fluids to the mixing zones. Additionally, the system provides the ability to analyze separated components with a detector and/or collect separated fractions into vessels of a fraction collector for further separation and/or analysis.

System and method for rapid chromatography with fluid temperature and mobile phase composition control

A profiler or scanning probe microscope may be scanned across a sample surface with a distance between them controlled to allow the sensing tip to contact the surface intermittently in order to find and measure features of interest. The distance is controlled so that when the sensing tip is raised or lowered to touch the sample surface, there is no lateral relative motion between the tip and the sample. This prevents tip damage. Prior knowledge of the height distribution of the sample surface may be provided or measured and used for positioning the sensing tip initially or in controlling the separation to avoid lateral contact between the tip and the sample. The process may also be performed in two parts: a fast find mode to find the features and a subsequent measurement mode to measure the features. A quick step mode may also be performed by choosing steps of lateral relative motion to be smaller than 100 nanometers to reduce probability of tip damage. In this mode, after each vertical step to increase the separation between the tip and the sample, it is detected as to whether the tip and the sample are in contact. If they are still in contact after the vertical step, one or more vertical steps are taken to increase the separation, and no vertical step to reduce the separation is taken and no lateral relative motion is caused until it is determined that the tip and the sample are no longer in contact.

System for sensing a sample

Parallel semi-continuous or continuous reactors are disclosed. The parallel reactors preferably comprise four or more reaction vessels. The reaction vessels are preferably small volume reaction vessels, preferably pressure reaction vessels, and/or preferably integral with a common reactor block. The reaction vessels can comprise shaft-driven stirrers. At least two, preferably at least three or at least four liquid feed lines can provide selective fluid communication between each of the reaction vessels and one or more liquid reagent sources. Additional features, suitable in connection with parallel reactors or with single reaction vessels are also disclosed.

Parallel semicontinuous or continuous reactors

An optical profilometer and a stylus probe measuring device used in the same instrument have the advantage that these two sensors can be quickly switched between each other. This can be an advantage when used to measure samples, since the optical profilometer can be used until a sample is found to be outside of the desired tolerances. Afterwards, the stylus probe measuring device can be used to accurately determine the profile data. This is an advantage because an optical profilometer is relatively quick, and the stylus probe measuring device is relatively accurate. Additionally, since the optical profilometer and stylus probe device are in the same instrument, the X and Y positions of these devices can be interrelated accurately. This allows images to be produced where the positions on the images can be easily correlated. For example, measurement cursors in sensor data displays can correlated by the positional offset information.

Optical profilometer combined with stylus probe measurement device

An acoustic sensor used with a first sensor (such as a profilometer, scanning probe microscope or the like) allows for the positioning of the first sensor with respect to the sample. The acoustic sensor has a greater range than a profilometer or a scanning probe microscope, and a relatively quick response time, which allows it to be an effective proximity detector. Additionally, the acoustic sensor is not affected by the material of the sample's surface layer.

Acoustic sensor as proximity detector

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Thomas Harding McWaid