The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 30, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 14, 1997
Robert Frederick Heinemann, Plano, TX (US);
David Da-Teh Huang, Plano, TX (US);
Jinping Long, Plano, TX (US);
Roland Bernard Saeger, Runnemede, NJ (US);
Mobil Oil Corporation, Fairfax, VA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for producing gas hydrates includes a reactor vessel having a fluidized or expanded bed reaction zone. The reactor vessel has an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein a cross-sectional area of the upper portion is larger than a cross-sectional area of the lower portion. Water is introduced into the reactor vessel, and hydrate-forming gas is introduced, under an elevated pressure, into the lower portion of the reactor vessel. Preferably, the water and gas flow in a countercurrent manner through the reactor and into the fluidized or expanded bed reaction zone. The apparatus can include a mechanism for withdrawing unreacted hydrate-forming gas from the upper portion of the reactor vessel and recycling it back into the fluidized or expanded reaction bed. A defrosting device can be included with the reactor so that at least a portion of at least one wall of the reactor vessel can be defrosted. The invention further relates to methods for using a fluidized or expanded bed reactor to produce gas hydrates.