WILLIAM L WOFFORD
Electrician at Rnch Rd 620, Austin, TX

5888389, Mar 30, 1999

Apr 24, 1997

8/847523

James Walton Griffith - Austin TX
William Tracy Wofford - Austin TX
James Randolph Griffith - Port Lavaca TX

HydroProcessing, L.L.C. - Austin TX

C02F 102

210175

A hydrothermal process (10) is integrated into a wastewater treatment facility (12) to fully oxidize an undigested wastewater sludge produced by the treatment facility. A thickened and conditioned feed mixture comprising sludge from the treatment facility is first pressurized to a critical pressure and then heated to a reaction initiating temperature below the critical temperature. An oxidant is injected into the feed mixture at the reaction initiating temperature to initiate an oxidation reaction in low light-off temperature constituents of the feed mixture to produce a partially reacted mixture and raise the temperature of the partially reacted mixture to at least the critical temperature for water in a supercritical water oxidation reactor (52). Heat from the supercritical water oxidation reaction is used to heat the feed mixture and also, to condition the sludge from the wastewater treatment plant preferably by thickening and heating the sludge. The effluent from the supercritical water oxidation reactor (52) may also be used to produce a standard, high quality steam which may be used to drive a steam turbine (72).

6051145, Apr 18, 2000

Jan 25, 1999

9/237013

James Walton Griffith - Austin TX
William Tracy Wofford - Austin TX
James Randolph Griffith - Port Lavaca TX

HydroProcessing, LLC - Austin TX

C02F 172

210761

A hydrothermal process (10) is integrated into a wastewater treatment facility (12) to fully oxidize an undigested wastewater sludge produced by the treatment facility. A thickened and conditioned feed mixture comprising sludge from the treatment facility is first pressurized to a critical pressure and then heated to a reaction initiating temperature below the critical temperature. An oxidant is injected into the feed mixture at the reaction initiating temperature to initiate an oxidation reaction in low light-off temperature constituents of the feed mixture to produce a partially reacted mixture and raise the temperature of the partially reacted mixture to at least the critical temperature for water in a supercritical water oxidation reactor (52). Heat from the supercritical water oxidation reaction is used to heat the feed mixture and also, to condition the sludge from the wastewater treatment plant preferably by thickening and heating the sludge. The effluent from the supercritical water oxidation reactor (52) may also be used to produce a standard, high quality steam which may be used to drive a steam turbine (72).

2003005, Mar 27, 2003

Oct 29, 2002

10/282854

William Wofford - Austin TX, US
James Griffith - Austin TX, US
Richard Humphries - Cedar Park TX, US
Justin Lawrence - Round Rock TX, US

C02F001/72

210/758000

In addition to the contactor and reactor arrangement (), a hydrothermal treatment system () includes an effluent stream splitting arrangement () for receiving hydrothermal reaction effluent and splitting this effluent to produce two separate effluent streams. These separated effluent streams are used to heat at least a water stream and first reactant material stream before these streams are injected into the contactor and reactor arrangement (). A first split effluent heat exchange arrangement () places one split effluent stream in a heat exchange relationship with the water input to the contactor and reactor arrangement (). A second split effluent heat exchange arrangement () places the other split effluent stream in a heat exchange relationship with both the first reactant material and the water input to the contactor and reactor arrangement ().