US4391733A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Mineral treatment and composition
Assignee: BP Corp North America Inc
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Filing: 1981-08-28
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Granted: 1983-07-05
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Expires: 2001-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A method for treating a phyllosilicate mineral by grinding a slurry of particles of the mineral in an organic medium and the product formed thereby are disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard S. Lamar
- 👤 Laurence E. Ferreira
- 👤 Robert C. Cloud
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 02:13
CPC Classifications
D; D21; D21H; D21H17/00; D21H17/63; D21H17/67; D21H17/68; B; B01; B01J; B01J20/00; B01J20/02; B01J20/10; C; C01; C01B; C01B33/00; C01B33/20; C01B33/22; C01B33/26; C08; C08K; C08K3/00; C08K3/34; C09; C09C; C09C1/00; C09C1/28; C09C1/40; C09C1/42; C09C3/00; C09C3/04; C09C3/041; C01P; C01P2002/00; C01P2002/70; C01P2002/72; C01P2002/80; C01P2002/88; C01P2004/00; C01P2004/20; C01P2004/30; C01P2004/32; C01P2004/50; C01P2004/51; C01P2004/60; C01P2004/61; C01P2004/62; C01P2006/00; C01P2006/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A method for treating a phyllosilicate mineral comprising: (a) forming a slurry comprising up to about 40 weight percent of phyllosilicate mineral particles in an organic liquid having a dielectric constant less than 35 and in the absence of a liquid having a dielectric constant of at least 35; (b) grinding the slurry at a sufficiently low temperature to avoid substantial loss of the liquid through vaporization and with sufficient force to form a particulate composite of the phyllosilicate mineral particles and an organic material present in or formed from the organic liquid during grinding and to fracture the particulate composite and thereby to produce first particulate composite materials having a greater specific surface area than the phyllosilicate mineral particles from which they were formed; and (c) separating the first particulate composite materials from the organic liquid; and (d) treating the separated first particulate composite materials with a polar fluid having a dielectric constant of at least 60 to form second particulate composite materials having a greater specific surface area than the first particulate composite materials.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
176 words
A method for treating a phyllosilicate mineral comprising: (a) forming a slurry comprising up to about 40 weight percent of phyllosilicate mineral particles in an organic liquid having a dielectric constant less than 35 and in the absence of a liquid having a dielectric constant of at least 35; (b) grinding the slurry at a sufficiently low temperature to avoid substantial loss of the liquid through vaporization and with sufficient force to form a particulate composite of the phyllosilicate mineral particles and an organic material present in or formed from the organic liquid during grinding and to fracture the particulate composite and thereby to produce first particulate composite materials having a greater specific surface area than the phyllosilicate mineral particles from which they were formed; and (c) separating the first particulate composite materials from the organic liquid; and (d) treating the separated first particulate composite materials with a polar fluid having a dielectric constant of at least 60 to form second particulate composite materials having a greater specific surface area than the first particulate composite materials.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the slurry comprises from about 2 to about 20 weight percent of the phyllosilicate mineral particles in the organic liquid.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the phyllosilicate mineral is selected from the group consisting of a member of the kaolin group, a member of the mica group, a member of the group characterized by a primitive three-layer structure, a member of the group characterized by an expandable three-layer structure and a member of the group characterized by a four-layer structure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the phyllosilicate mineral is selected from the group consisting of kaolinite, muscovite, pyrophyllite, talc, vermiculite and chlorite.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the phyllosilicate mineral is talc.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 wherein, prior to being ground in step (b), the phyllosilicate mineral particles in the slurry have a median particle size of less than 1 millimeter in the largest dimension.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the organic liquid has a dielectric constant less than 30.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the organic liquid boils in the range of from about 50° C. to about 400° C. and comprises at least one aliphatic or aromatic compound having from 5 to 25 carbon atoms, a distillate fuel or at least one fraction or component thereof, or a mixture thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the phyllosilicate mineral particles are delaminated by the grinding operation of step (b).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the slurry is ground until the specific surface area or median particle size of the first particulate composite materials formed therein reaches a predetermined level therefor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
92 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the grinding in step (b) is performed until the temperature of the slurry rises above the predetermined level therefor and thereafter the slurry is cooled to a temperature below the predetermined level therefor, and the sequence of grinding the slurry until its temperature rises above the predetermined level therefor and then cooling the slurry to a temperature below the predetermined level therefor is repeated until the specific surface area or median particle size of the first particulate composite materials formed therein reaches the predetermined level therefor.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the grinding is effected by circulating the slurry through a chamber containing a multiplicity of movable grinding elements, the volume of the grinding elements being at least about 80 percent of the volume of the chamber, and agitating the grinding elements as the slurry circulates through the grinding chamber to apply fracturing forces to the mineral particles trapped between adjacent grinding elements and to thereby form the first particulate composite materials.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
93 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of withdrawing the slurry from the grinding chamber before the temperature of the slurry exceeds a predetermined level therefor, cooling the slurry to a temperature below the predetermined level therefor and recirculating the cooled slurry through the chamber and agitating the grinding elements as the cooled slurry recirculates through the chamber, and repeating the sequence of withdrawing, cooling, and recirculating and agitating until the specific surface area or median particle size of the first particulate composite materials formed therein reaches a predetermined level therefor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the polar fluid is water or an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the polar fluid is in the liquid state.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the polar fluid treatment is performed at a temperature of at least 20° C.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the polar fluid treatment is performed at a temperature of at least 50° C.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The product formed by the method of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
12 words
The particulate material of claim 18 wherein talc is the phyllosilicate mineral.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-07-04 | 1987-01-03 | 1987-07-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-07-04 | 1991-01-03 | 1991-07-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-07-04 | 1995-01-03 | 1995-07-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |