DONALD F OTHMER
Engineers in Brooklyn, NY

3975617, Aug 17, 1976

Aug 30, 1973

5/393043

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

H05B 300, F16L 5300

219300

When an insulated conductor wire is adjacent to and coextensive with the outside of a steel pipe transporting a fluid and it carries alternating current as one leg of a circuit, with the pipe itself carrying the AC for the return leg, induction and magnetic effects develop which cause the AC flow to concentrate on a band of the surface or "skin" of the pipe close to the wire, thus greatly increasing the resistance of the pipe wall and the heat produced therein. No current is carried in the inner wall of the pipe nor in that part of the outer wall removed from the wire; and there is no current loss to the ground or other surroundings. The insulated conductor wire may be uncovered throughout those portions of its outer surface not directly confronting the pipe by any electrically conductive material which would shield the electromagnetic field generated around the wire in a direction away from the pipe, or it may be covered by a shaped cover of electrical insulation material. However, electrically conductive shielding members may be provided between the wire and the pipe on each side of the wire to trim the effective width of the heating band on the pipe. The conductor wire may comprise a pair of elongated conductors arranged in spaced parallel relation and electrically connected throughout their respective lengths by electrically conductive material having a positive temperature coefficient whereby the current flow and thus the heat generated is automatically regulated in accordance with temperature.

4017421, Apr 12, 1977

Dec 16, 1975

5/641335

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

B01D 1506, B01D 114

252416

Aqueous solutions and suspensions of solid particles, even those containing less than one percent of organic materials, may be combusted with air, oxygen, or their mixtures in a process which provides for preheating in countercurrent batches of the raw original liquid by either open (direct contact) or closed (heat transfer surface) condensation of steam generated by multiple flash evaporations which cool earlier batches of hot liquid after the wet combustion. Excess heat may often be withdrawn from the process for power generation or other use as high pressure steam, with or without combustion gases and other non-condensibles. No pumps are necessary, liquid batches are pressurized by steam generated in the flash evaporations for which only one pressure vessel is required instead of the many in the continuous processes. Waste liquids as sewage sludges and black liquors from wood pulping may have their organic constituents, as measured by BOD or COD, so reduced that the final, spent liquid may be discharged directly to a receiving body of water.

3974398, Aug 10, 1976

Oct 11, 1973

5/405705

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

H01B 730, H01B 1102

307147

A steel tube such as a standard iron or steel pipe having about one-eighth inch or thicker walls and an insulated wire therein may be the two conductor legs of an AC distribution line forming a "tube-wire-cable". The skin effect in the steel limits AC flow to the inner surface of the tube to give the tube more or less the same effective electrical conductivity or resistance as that of the wire, while the outer part of the tube wall of steel acts as an almost perfect insulator, also as the grounding wire, also as a very heavy duty protector of the circuit. Two wires inside the tube may have the maximum voltage drop between them corresponding to a three wire single phase AC distribution cable; and the tube, by its skin effect conduction, may be the neutral or grounded conductor with half the maximum voltage drop between it and each of the wires. Similarly, two wires inside and the skin effect conductor of the tube may be used for three-phase AC distribution.

4116712, Sep 26, 1978

Sep 6, 1977

5/830578

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C13D 114

127 46R

There are numerous impurities in beet and cane sugar in the two phases in which it appears in the food industry and in commerce: -- as a solid phase in crystalline raw sugar, and as a liquid phase in concentrated syrups or molasses. These impurities, varying greatly with the source of the sugar, are extracted therefrom by solvents which are completely miscible with water, have molecular weights below 62 and contain a hydroxyl group: preferred solvents ethanol and acetic acid, also methanol. The crystalline nature of the solid raw sugar and the high solids content (40 to 80%) of such liquid solutions minimizes mutual solubility with the solvent which is enhanced by the use of a co-solvent -- acetone, also completely miscible with water, also with a molecular weight below 62, and allows counter current washing of the raw sugar or the liquid-liquid extraction of the sugar syrups. Impurities preferentially going to the solvent layer, and their extractability or the relative extractability of different impurities may be controlled by variation of (a) the solvent itself; (b) its water content; (c) its temperature; (d) its pH; (e) its ratio of admixture with acetone as the co-solvent, which reduces further the mutual solubility of the sugar and the miscibility with water; and particularly (f) the solids content of the syrup or molasses to be extracted. Highly refined sugar either as the syrup or as crystal sugar is made from the raffinate of the liquid washing or extraction; and the impurities may be separated to recover values conventionally lost.

3938988, Feb 17, 1976

Aug 7, 1973

5/386411

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C22B 400

75 10R

Aluminum metal in the gaseous state may be produced by breaking down of its salts at temperatures of at least 2500. degree. to 5500. degree. C. These very high temperatures may be reached in various ways, e. g. , by producing a thermal plasma by means of a plasma arc or a plasma torch. There results a mixture of the two elemental gases; and the separation of the mixture is accomplished by instananeously chilling the hot gas stream from such a heater to a temperature of 136. degree. to 1500. degree. C in a "flash" cooler by contacting it directly with a liquid coolant, separately cooled. The liquid coolant may comprise the same aluminum salt as is fed to the plasma system; or it may be a solution of that compound with one or more other liquids, which solution may have a melting or boiling point in a desired temperature range; or it may be a quite different compound or compounds. The aluminum produced may be withdrawn as a liquid; or if the flash condenser operates below the melting point of aluminum, it may be obtained as a slurry of fine granules in the liquid coolant. The other elemental gas may pass through the liquid of the flash condenser uncondensed.

3989510, Nov 2, 1976

Apr 12, 1974

5/460383

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C22B 100, C22B 510, C22B 516

75 1T

A reactor operating at a maximum temperature above 1535. degree. C and up to about 1950. degree. C is charged with a mixture of: (a) iron bearing titaniferous ore or its concentrate, or a residue from other operations containing iron and titanium, at least some of which is present as oxides, also (b) silica -- combined or separately added, also (c) one or more chlorides of a third metal of the alkaline or alkaline earth group, such as common salt and/or calcium chloride, also (d) a solid reductant as coke. Some impurities of the original material are removed as volatile chlorides or oxy-chlorides; the titanium also goes off as TiCl. sub. 4 in the gas stream, the iron is withdrawn as molten metallic iron, and the third metal added as the chloride: e. g. , the sodium of the common salt or the calcium of its chloride unites with the silica to give a silicate, such as sodium silicate (water glass) and/or calcium silicate which acts as a flux to remove the gangue from the iron. Most of the chlorine is supplied by the chlorine in this third-metal chloride through the separation by the chloride interaction with the iron and titanium: including that leaving in the titanium tetra-chloride, and in other volatile chlorides or oxy-chlorides, or remaining in the gangue as non-volatile chlorides.

4251227, Feb 17, 1981

Aug 2, 1978

5/930327

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C10J 300, C10K 300

48197R

Peat, lignite, coal, many forms of biomass (land or marine) and solid wastes may have from 1/2 to 30 times as much water associated with the dry solids. Some of this water may be chemically bound or otherwise may be practically inseparable by mechanical means. The solids may be partially oxidized by oxygen or air in the first chemical reactions of a Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) taking place in the presence of the large amount of water at temperatures of 175. degree. C. to 325. degree. C. and pressures of 10 to 100 atmospheres--preferably 240. degree. to 300. degree. C. and 70 to 100 atmospheres. All sulfur in high sulfur coal is oxidized selectively to the sulfate radical; and heat to bring the combustible up to the necessary temperature is supplied by burning part of the combustible itself. The sulfur free coal may be used as conventionally. Residual solids (now 70 to 95% of the original fuel) have a higher heating value on a dry basis, and are mechanically separated from all but 1/2 to 2 pounds of water.

4329156, May 11, 1982

Oct 1, 1980

6/192731

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C10L 906, C10L 908

44 1SR

Peat, lignite, coal, many forms of biomass (land or marine) and solid wastes may have from 1/2 to 30 times as much water associated with the dry solids. Some of this water may be chemically bound or otherwise may be practically inseparable by mechanical means. The solids may be partially oxidized by oxygen or air in the first chemical reactions of a Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) taking place in the presence of the large amount of water at temperatures of 175. degree. C. to 325. degree. C. and pressures of 10 to 100 atmospheres-preferably 240. degree. to 300. degree. C. and 70 to 100 atmospheres. All sulfur in high sulfur coal is oxidized selectively to the sulfate radical; and heat to bring the combustible up to the necessary temperature is supplied by burning part of the combustible itself. The sulfur free coal may be used as conventionally. Residual solids (now 70 to 95% of the original fuel) have a higher heating value on a dry basis, and are mechanically separated from all but 1/2 to 2 pounds of water.

3977866, Aug 31, 1976

Dec 10, 1973

5/423261

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

C22B 5300

75 845

Titanium tetrachloride is reduced at atmospheric pressure and 1245. degree. C to 1750. degree. C by molten manganese to give substantially pure molten titanium metal and gaseous manganese chloride. A counter-current stream of gaseous titanium tetrachloride contacts molten manganese to make the chlorine interchange. Titanium alloys with other metals which will not reduce titanium tetrachloride are made by adding such metals to the reactor with the molten manganese; and they end up as part of the melt with titanium. The manganese chloride formed is oxidized to the oxide while giving chlorine gas, to be used in forming the titanium tetrachloride; and the manganese oxide is carbo-thermally reduced by conventional methods to manganese metal for recycle.

4405343, Sep 20, 1983

Sep 1, 1982

6/413744

Donald F. Othmer - Brooklyn NY

B01D 5304

55 28

Methanol is converted from syngas at high temperatures and pressures. The gas stream leaving the converter, at 300. degree. to 500. degree. C. , above atmospheric pressure--usually between 750 to 7000 pounds per square inch, has besides the unreacted permanent gases of the syngas and others, methanol and water as well as other liquid impurities. Based on the weight of methanol, water may be present in from 0. 5 to 20%, also small amounts of higher alcohols, dimethyl ether, etc. Condensation gives an aqueous liquid, from which the water must be separated if the methanol is to be used as a motor fuel. When this amount of water is low e. g. 0. 5 to 12% this may be separated by adsorption most economically from the gas before condensation of the methanol. The energy in this gas stream at a high temperature and pressure above the ambient may be used to dehydrate completely the methanol, by the use of a conventional desiccant.