Patents Assigned to THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
  • Patent number: 11478728
    Abstract: A tank system may be conventional and fixed, or mobile, such as a fracking fluid or other tank trailer. A drain port thereof is fitted with an adapter connecting a snorkel system to drain liquids from near the top of the liquid level in the tank. A snorkel head at the extreme distal end of a tube near the longitudinal center of the tank is suspended by a system of buoys. A flow field controller plate resists formation of vortices near the snorkel head, so it can operate as near the surface as possible, withdrawing the highest grade oil efficiently. At its exit, the proximal end of the tube drains oil through an inner conduit of an adapter at a penetration in the wall of the tank. The adapter forms an annulus around the inner conduit draining tank bottoms directly from the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: David A. Bell, C. Michael Miller, Kristen Tucker, John Michael Higley
  • Patent number: 10995020
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method isolate anodic ion generation from precipitation and flocculation with target metal ions. Hyper-turbulent flow conditions in an ion generator confine reaction and flocculation to a precipitator downstream. Shear forces in a laminar boundary layer at a cylindrical anode separate anodic (sacrificial) ions from target ions effectively eliminating agglomeration in the bulk flow traveling in a hyper-turbulent flow regime through the generator. A precipitator downstream provides a dwell time for reaction between ions and initial agglomeration of reaction products therefrom. A controller, limiting electrical current through the generator (of anodic ions), optimizes operation without overdriving current, while virtually eliminating fouling of the anode. The system resists co-habitation of ion generation and precipitation and their distinct, respective flow regimes of hyper-turbulent and laminar flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: C. Michael Miller, David A. Bell
  • Patent number: 10994224
    Abstract: A tank system may be conventional and fixed, or mobile, such as a fracking fluid or other tank trailer. A drain port thereof is fitted with an adapter connecting a snorkel system to drain liquids from near the top of the liquid level in the tank. A snorkel head at the extreme distal end of a tube near the longitudinal center of the tank is suspended by a system of buoys. A flow field controller plate resists formation of vortices near the snorkel head, so it can operate as near the surface as possible, withdrawing the highest grade oil efficiently. At its exit, the proximal end of the tube drains oil through an inner conduit of an adapter at a penetration in the wall of the tank. The adapter forms an annulus around the inner conduit draining tank bottoms directly from the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: David A. Bell, C. Michael Miller, Kristen Tucker, John Michael Higley
  • Patent number: 10974171
    Abstract: A tank system may be conventional and fixed, or mobile, such as a fracking fluid or other tank trailer. A drain port thereof is fitted with an adapter connecting a snorkel system to drain liquids from near the top of the liquid level in the tank. A snorkel head at the extreme distal end of a tube near the longitudinal center of the tank is suspended by a system of buoys. A flow field controller resists formation of vortices near the snorkel head, so it can operate as near the surface as possible, withdrawing the highest grade oil efficiently without entrainment of overlying gases and vapors, nor the second liquid layered therebelow. All are configured to fit into the tank without requiring any personnel to enter the tank. Oil, water, and sludge may drain through the system to exit the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventor: David A. Bell
  • Patent number: 10583374
    Abstract: A system operating as a centrifugal, liquid-liquid separator may be controlled, and even optimized, by automatic control of back pressure to establish an optimum position of the dispersion band therein. Optimizing to minimize impurities (from each other) in each of two separated phases is possible, even simultaneously, by reliance on a processor setting the settling lengths of both heavy and light phases at the same value. Settling length, defined in accordance with the invention, reflects a settling velocity multiplied by a residence time. Equating these lengths, for droplets of each in the other liquid, provides superior results over conventional settling theory maximizing settling area. Equalization of residence times did not provide an improvement over conventional settling theory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: C. Michael Miller, D. Andrew Bell, Ngai Keung Tam
  • Patent number: 10407321
    Abstract: A centrifugal, liquid-liquid separator relies on a sweep flow in excess of the flow rate naturally occurring in the heavy constituent or species being separated out from a lighter species, in order to prevent access by the long-chain polymers of the lighter species to solids that may separate out and make a durable composition of polymers and particles that adheres and compacts against the shell wall of the centrifuge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: C. Michael Miller, David A. Bell
  • Patent number: 10159914
    Abstract: A tank system may be conventional and fixed, or mobile, such as a fracking fluid or other tank trailer. A drain port thereof is fitted with an adapter connecting a snorkel system to drain liquids from near the top of the liquid level in the tank. A snorkel head at the extreme distal end of a tube near the longitudinal center of the tank is suspended by a system of buoys. A flow field controller plate resists formation of vortices near the snorkel head, so it can operate as near the surface as possible, withdrawing the highest grade oil efficiently. At its exit, the proximal end of the tube drains oil through an inner conduit of an adapter at a penetration in the wall of the tank. The adapter forms an annulus around the inner conduit draining tank bottoms directly from the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: David A. Bell, C. Michael Miller, Kristen Tucker, John Michael Higley
  • Patent number: 10011505
    Abstract: An apparatus and method isolating ion generation from target metal precipitation and flocculation rely on an ion generator and a precipitation reactor distinct, separated, optimized, and otherwise independent from each other as to flow regime and contained fluid at all times. No co-habitation of ion generation and precipitation nor their flow regimes is permitted in a single unit. Plug flow at hyper turbulence in the ion generator contrasts with quiescent to laminar flows in the precipitation reactor. Coating sacrificial anodes is avoided by avoiding over driving currents for ionization at the anode. A precipitation reactor is optimized by a dwell time effective to precipitate and flocculate heavy target metal precipitants and sacrificial ions relying on weak forces not tolerated by inertial forces in the ion generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: C. Michael Miller, David A. Bell, Mark William Hubbard, Richard Rosier
  • Patent number: 9908065
    Abstract: A hybrid scavenger operates downstream of a separator such as a gunbarrel separator for petroleum production. The separator may be overdriven to maximize use of a permitted reinjection rate. The hybrid scavenger then extracts water from the oil and oil from the water without having to treat the entire stream of incoming production fluids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: THOUGHT PRESERVE, LLC
    Inventors: C. Michael Miller, David A. Bell