Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 409 Annual Report 2016 9 Heat Exchanger and Related Methods Due to relatively high freezing temperature, unwanted concentrations of carbon dioxide cause problems for natural gas liquefaction systems. Current processing of natural gas to liquid form requires the carbon dioxide to be removed first in order to avoid solid carbon dioxide crystal formation. This patent is for a new heat exchanger developed for small-scale natural gas liquefaction that eliminates the need for expensive precleanup of the carbon dioxide and the associated large, expensive and energy-intensive filtration equipment. The carbon dioxide is processed with the natural gas stream, then transferred to the heat exchanger where it separates clean natural gas from the carbon dioxide crystals and changes the waste carbon dioxide back into a gas. Patent No. 9,217,603 Docket No.: BA-495 - Grant Date: 2015-12-22 Inventors: Terry D Turner, Michael G McKellar Thermophilic and Thermoacidophilic Metabolism Genes and Enzymes from Alicyclobacillus Acidocaldarius and Related Organisms, Methods Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius is a microorganism that produces enzymes that are very active in acidic conditions (pH 1) and at high temperatures (90ºC, 194ºF). Enzymes with these properties are needed to economically produce fuels and chemicals from plant material such as corn stover and wheat straw. This organism produces a number of enzymes necessary for conversion of biomass to biofuels. This patent describes the genes and the associated proteins related to the metabolism of the bacterium. Patent No. 9,222,094 Docket No.: BA-293D1 - Grant Date: 2015-12-29 Inventors: Vicki S Thompson, William A Apel, David W Reed, Brady D Lee, David N. Thompson, Francisco F Roberto, Jeffrey A Lacey Thermophilic and Thermoacidophilic Glycosylation Genes and Enzymes from Alicyclobacillus Acidocaldarius and Related Organisms, Methods It is recognized that bacteria glycosylate (attach a carbohydrate) their proteins. Glycosylation of a protein has been shown to assist in the protein’s stability and activity, modulate physical properties such as solubility, and protect against its destruction. The glycosylated enzymes from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius have enhanced activities under industrially relevant conditions such as with acid and at very high temperatures. This patent describes some of the genes responsible for the glycosylation of enzymes in the thermoacidiphilic microorganism Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius. Patent No. 9,234,228 Docket No.: BA-312 - Grant Date: 2016-01-12 Inventors: David N. Thompson, William A Apel, Vicki S Thompson, David W Reed, Jeffrey A Lacey