Patents by Inventor Curtis W. Murray, Sr.

Curtis W. Murray, Sr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180178151
    Abstract: A sand separator for a fossil fuel processing facility is provided. The sand separator includes an inlet carrying a fluid mixture of liquid water, gaseous fossil fuel, and sand. The inlet is positioned in such a way that the fluid mixture enters the internal containing volume of the sand separator in a tangential direction relative to the inner surface. The tangentially moving fluid mixture spirals downwardly to enable the gaseous fossil fuel to separate from the sand and liquid water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited
  • Patent number: 10005976
    Abstract: The fossil fuel processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes two pressure vessels, or two separators, above a single vessel footprint area in a vertically stacked configuration. The stacked configuration permits the processing of gas to occur in a space having less length and less width than that of two separators arranged tip-to-end or side-by-side, respectively. The first and second separators are configured to separate fuel from non-fuel in a footprint area of a single gas separator as the fuel moves from upstream to downstream through a gas processing system. Further, the gas processing apparatus of the present disclosure permits the two separators to fit in a housing compartment that is more easily transportable via tractor-trailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: PRIDE OF THE HILLS MANUFACTURING, INC.
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, Sr., Curtis W. Murray, Jr., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160245592
    Abstract: The fossil fuel processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes two pressure vessels, or two separators, above a single vessel footprint area in a vertically stacked configuration. The stacked configuration permits the processing of gas to occur in a space having less length and less width than that of two separators arranged tip-to-end or side-by-side, respectively. The first and second separators are configured to separate fuel from non-fuel in a footprint area of a single gas separator as the fuel moves from upstream to downstream through a gas processing system. Further, the gas processing apparatus of the present disclosure permits the two separators to fit in a housing compartment that is more easily transportable via tractor-trailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, Sr., Curtis W. Murray, Jr., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160237363
    Abstract: The gas processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes two pressure vessels, or two separators, above a single vessel footprint area in a vertically stacked configuration. The stacked configuration permits the processing of gas to occur in a space having less length and less width than that of two separators arranged tip-to-end or side-by-side, respectively. The first and second separators are configured to separate fuel from non-fuel in a footprint area of a single gas separator as the fuel moves from upstream to downstream through a gas processing system. Further, the gas processing apparatus of the present disclosure permits the two separators to fit in a housing compartment that is more easily transportable via tractor-trailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160097363
    Abstract: A mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) pressure reducing choke and heater unit are mounted to a trailer. The trailer is towable to a location that does not have a sales pipeline of CNG. The CNG has already been processed and is stored in a compressed storage station facility. The CNG then flows through an inlet and through a series of valves and then through the choke. The choke on the trailer chokes down the pressure of CNG directly from a compressed tank, usually on a separate semi-tractor. CNG is then heated, and used on site. The CNG input to this system may come from two distinct sources such that the pressure reduction can continuously occur without any readily observable delay by the user. There are outlet ports to connect to a diesel engine converted to run on CNG.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160097010
    Abstract: The gas processing apparatus of the present invention includes two pressure vessels, or two separators, above a single vessel footprint area in a vertically stacked configuration. The stacked configuration permits the processing of gas to occur in a space having less length and less width than that of two separators arranged tip-to-end or side-by-side, respectively. The first and second separators are configured to separate fuel from non-fuel in a footprint area of a single gas separator as the fuel moves from upstream to downstream through a gas processing system. Further, the gas processing apparatus of the present invention permits the two separators to fit in a housing compartment that is more easily transportable via tractor-trailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160097011
    Abstract: The present invention provides a housing for a gas processing apparatus formed by a plurality of walls joined together to form a box-like structure defining a chamber therein. The chamber is configured to retain a pair or more of gas processing pressure vessels in a vertically stacked configuration. The housing has a width less the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration maximum width for a commercial vehicle to allow transportation of the housing without the need for an oversized load shipping permit. The floor width inside the chamber less than a width for said pair of pressure vessels if said vessels were in a side-by-side configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20160024409
    Abstract: A gas processing system and method for blending wet well head natural gas with compressed natural gas is provided. The system has two inlets in communication with a blending chamber. The blending chamber is preferably defined by a heat exchanger. One inlet receives an amount of raw wet well head natural gas therethrough. The second inlet receives an amount of processed and compressed natural gas therethrough. The two gases are mixed and sent to a downstream destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20150267136
    Abstract: A gas processing system and method for blending wet well head natural gas with compressed natural gas is provided. The system has two inlets in communication with a blending chamber. The blending chamber is preferably defined by a heat exchanger. One inlet receives an amount of raw wet well head natural gas therethrough. The second inlet receives an amount of processed and compressed natural gas therethrough. The two gases are mixed and sent to a downstream destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20150267607
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of operating a well using gas processed at a same well site is provided. The method discloses of providing a well site defined by a perimeter. In ground fossil fuel is extracted and distributed to a processing facility. The processing facility is wholly located within the perimeter of the well site. Once the fossil-fuel is processed into an engine quality combustible gas, it is moved to a downstream destination. Preferably, the downstream destination is located within the perimeter. An exemplary downstream destination is a combustion engine, wherein the processed gas is burned to create an amount of work. The work drives a device also located within the perimeter. Thus, this method provides a way to draw fossil fuel upwards, process it, and burn it, all within the perimeter of the well site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Publication number: 20150267871
    Abstract: A method of operating a gas processing system is provided. Namely, the gas processing system is mounted atop a mobile facility for processing raw fossil fuel adjacent the well site where they were extracted from the ground. The method moves a fossil fuel along a pathway through the mobile gas processing system. Fuel events, such as, pressure, temperature, or flow rate are sensed by sensors along the pathway. A signal generator generates a signal containing information of the fuel event and sends the signal wirelessly to a remote access device where the signal is interpreted. Then, an element of the processing system, such as a valve, is actuated in response to the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, SR., Curtis W. Murray, JR., Leroy P. Whited, Dustin Baker
  • Patent number: 5497561
    Abstract: A dryer for removing moisture from natural gas includes a hollow pressure vessel with a bottom separator section, an intermediate drying section and an upper drying section. A perforated plate separates the intermediate and upper sections and supports a bed of a dry desiccant material. An annular passage is formed between an inverted down tube which is located within the intermediate section and the cylindrical wall of the vessel. A liquid drain tray separates the intermediate section and the lower separator section. An inlet tube provides communication between the intermediate section and the separator section and is located within the down tube. A sparger plate is spaced above the drain tray and is formed with a plurality of spaced openings providing a total open area of between 35% and 85% of the total area of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Assignee: Pride of the Hills Mfg., Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis W. Murray, Sr., Curtis W. Murray, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5108472
    Abstract: This invention relates to an improved gas-liquid separator for separating natural gas from naturally-occurring liquid constituents emitting from natural gas wells. The separator comprises a hollow pressure vessel having a tangential inlet line for the combined mixture located in a medial region of the vessel, and upper gas outlet and lower liquid outlet lines. A packing column located in an upper region comprised of a plurality of hollow cage-like non-interlocking plastic elements such as polypropylene contained between an apertured baffle plate and a mist-separator plate to obtain superior wetting of the liquid components of the mixture for their separation from the gas. The separator is capable of maintenance-free automatic operation over substantial periods of time measured in years.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Assignee: Pride of the Hills Mfg., Inc.
    Inventor: Curtis W. Murray, Sr.