Lester Hanson
Engineers in Salt Lake City, UT

4065361, Dec 27, 1977

Sep 10, 1976

5/721946

Lester Hanson - Salt Lake City UT

C10G 102

196 98

Apparatus for treating oil shale by microwave energy for recovering heated volatile fractions thereof. The microwave oven includes a sloping feeder made of glass, pyrex, or ceramic material, which feeder is reciprocated back and forth along a declining plane so as to advance slowly but progressively oil shale deposited on the top end thereof to the discharge end of the vibrator. Means are provided to evacuate volatile fractions and to feed such gases through preheater tubes to a condenser unit. The preheater tubes are disposed in line with and through the flow of incoming materials so as to tend to regulate material descent as well as preheat the shale. An additional solids heat exchanger is employed underneath the discharge end of the vibratory feeder means so as to slow the descent of the spent shale onto its ultimate conveyor as well as taking heat therefrom and from the magnetron tubes of the oven to conduct such heat upwardly to further increase the preheating effect upon incoming shale. Condenser units are employed and a prime mover-generator unit are used to utilize a portion of the recovery for ultimately powering such magnetron tubes to produce the electro-magnetic wave energy necessary to heat the shale and vaporize its bituminous constituents.

4180718, Dec 25, 1979

Oct 31, 1977

5/847058

Lester Hanson - Salt Lake City UT

H05B 906

219 1055A

Apparatus for treating oil shale by microwave energy for recovering heated volatile fractions thereof. The microwave oven includes a sloping feeder made of glass, pyrex, or ceramic material, which feeder is reciprocated back and forth along a declining plane so as to advance slowly but progressively oil shale deposited on the top end thereof to the discharge end of the vibrator. Means are provided to evacuate volatile fractions and to feed such gases through preheater tubes to a condenser unit. The preheater tubes are disposed in line with and through the flow of incoming materials so as to tend to regulate material descent as well as preheat the shale. An additional solids heat exchanger is employed underneath the discharge end of the vibratory feeder means so as to slow the descent of the spent shale onto its ultimate conveyor as well as taking heat therefrom and from magnetron tubes of the oven to conduct such heat upwardly to further increase the preheating effect upon incoming shale. Condenser units are employed and a prime mover-generator unit are used to utilize a portion of the recovery for ultimately powering such magnetron tubes to produce the electro-magnetic wave energy necessary to heat the shale and vaporize its bituminous constituents.

4216999, Aug 12, 1980

Oct 16, 1978

5/951591

Lester Hanson - Salt Lake City UT

E21C 2724, E21C 3520

299 57

The present invention relates to mining machinery and presents a new an improved machine, and components therefor, suitable for mining tar sands and other soft materials such as soft coal, oil shale and so forth. The machine can be used both above ground and below ground, and is particularly suitable for underground mining, to take advantages, for example, of the absence to exposure to inclement weather, excessive moisture, and for other reasons. Underground mining use of the machine is particularly suitable since the tar sands will not freeze up when the mining function is accomplished below-grade. The machine itself has a cutting face comprising a series of cutting heads that may be rotated in the same direction, revolve at the same speed, and inter-mesh so as to provide for an effective solid cutting surface. The machine is provided with air compressor means for blow cuttings rearwardly of the machine through a provided trough carried by such machine. The deck or primary plate of the machine can be adjusted for incline or decline so that a variety of mining functions can be accomplished as will hereinafter be explained.

4398076, Aug 9, 1983

Mar 6, 1981

6/241229

Lester Hanson - Salt Lake City UT

H05B 678, C10G 102

219 1055A

A process and system for producing and utilizing to advantage vapors and gases from a hydrocarbon feedstock such as crushed oil shale, a coal and shale mixture, or straight coal. A prime mover driven by steam generated in the system produces electrical energy for supplying electrical power to the microwave oven employed. The prime mover is steam driven, such steam being supplied by a boiler. The boiler is, in turn, provided with a series of heat sources taking the form of the hot, spent shale, and/or coke from the coal, passing through such oven as well as perhaps portions of condensate or residue and portions or all of the gases generated in the system. The system thus reduces and in some cases may even eliminate power requirements otherwise imposed on an external electrical power source. Principally, however, the system generates sufficient energy as to be a major supplement to the energy requirement of an external power source. While magnetron tubes may preferably be employed in connection with the microwave oven used, other types of tubes or other electro-magnetic microwave generating means can be employed, this of a power requirement and wave length sufficient to heat the incoming feedstock.