Granted Patent B2

US 12,623,907 · App. 18/041,666 · Granted May 12, 2026

Inventors: Brett Parkinson (Goleta, CA); Andrew Caldwell (Goleta, CA); Samuel Shaner (Goleta, CA)

Assignee: Molten Industries Inc.

C01B32/05

Abstract

Claims (24)

1 . A method of separating a product from a molten media, the method comprising:

passing a hydrocarbon gas through a molten media in a reactor vessel to produce reaction products, wherein the reaction products comprise hydrogen and solid carbon, wherein the solid carbon is retained in the molten media;

passing the molten media with the solid carbon through a transfer line to a secondary vessel;

separating the solid carbon from the molten media in the secondary vessel to form a filter cake;

forming a first frozen plug in the transfer line;

passing the molten media from the secondary vessel back to the reactor vessel through a return line; and

forming a second frozen plug in the return line, wherein the reactor vessel is sealed from the secondary vessel by the first frozen plug in the transfer line and the second frozen plug in the return line.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the solid carbon from the molten media comprises filtering the solid carbon from the molten media in the secondary vessel.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

drying/cleaning the solid carbon after separating the solid carbon from the molten media.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid carbon has a molten media content of between 50-98 wt. % after separating the solid carbon from the molten media, and wherein the solid carbon has a molten media content of between 0-80 wt. % after drying/cleaning the solid carbon.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten media comprises one or more oxidized atoms (M) +m and corresponding reduced atoms (X) −1 , wherein M is at least one of K, Na, Mg, Ca, Mn, Zn, La, Al, or Li, and wherein X is at least one of F, Cl, Br, I, OH, SO 3 , or NO 3 .

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten media comprises nickel, bismuth, copper, platinum, indium, lead, gallium, iron, palladium, tin, cobalt, tellurium, ruthenium, antimony, gallium, sodium, oxides thereof, or any combination thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor vessel operates at a temperature in the range of between about 700° C. and about 1,400° C.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first frozen plug or the second frozen plug is disposed in a straight section of the transfer line or the return line, respectively.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first frozen plug or the second frozen plug is disposed in a bent or curved section of the transfer line or the return line, respectively.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the first frozen plug in the transfer line comprises:

passing the molten media through the transfer line;

cooling the molten media in the transfer line; and

freezing the molten media in the transfer line to form the first frozen plug.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

stirring the filter cake in the secondary vessel to remove the molten media from the filter cake.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

heating the filter cake during the stirring to remove the molten media from the filter cake.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (63)