Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Marcy Hoefling
  • Patent number: 7579018
    Abstract: Microbiological control is achieved by continuously and inexpensively dosing water in contact with biofilm, or that comes into contact with biofilm, using a highly effective biocide that provides very effective microbiocidal control of planktonic microorganisms and of biofilm species, even where the biofilm infestations have been in existence for long periods of time and thus have encased themselves in a substantial quantity of slimy defensive polysaccharide layers or films. In addition, the biocide used makes possible significant reduction in copper and/or iron surfaces in contact with the water as compared to N,N?-bromochloro- 5,5-dimethyl hydantoin. Still other advantages are made possible by the described technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Albemarle Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan N. Howarth, Christopher J. Nalepa, Michael J. Sanders, David L. Shelton
  • Patent number: 6672104
    Abstract: A process is provided for converting a boil-off stream comprising methane to a liquid having a preselected bubble point temperature. The boil-off stream is pressurized, then cooled, and then expanded to further cool and at least partially liquefy the boil-off stream. The preselected bubble point temperature of the resulting pressurized liquid is obtained by performing at least one of the following steps: before, during, or after the process of liquefying the boil-off stream, removing from the boil-off stream a predetermined amount of one or more components, such as nitrogen, having a vapor pressure greater than the vapor pressure of methane, and before, during, or after the process of liquefying the boil-off stream, adding to the boil-off stream one or more additives having a molecular weight heavier than the molecular weight of methane and having a vapor pressure less than the vapor pressure of methane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: E. Lawrence Kimble, Ronald R. Bowen, James R. Rigby
  • Patent number: 6658892
    Abstract: Natural gas liquefaction systems are provided wherein dependent trains including only cryogenic heat exchanger systems are serviced by common components in the system such that individual components need not be included in each dependent train for servicing that function. Further, the common components are positioned near the LNG storage tanks which, in turn, are typically located a substantial distance from the trains. This significantly reduces capital costs and allows boil-off gas from LNG storage tanks to be used for cooling in addition to being used as a fuel gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Fanning, Keenis E. Davis, James E. Kaucher, Rudolph J. Szabados
  • Patent number: 6647744
    Abstract: Natural gas liquefaction systems are provided wherein the dedicated compression strings normally found in each liquefaction train of a multi-train LNG plant are replaced by common compression strings which, in turn, supply the respective refrigerants (e.g. propane and mixed refrigerant) to more than one of the multi-trains. This allows the refrigerants to be treated as a utility in that all of the refrigerants are supplied from a respective single source by the common compression strings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Fanning, Keenis E. Davis, James E. Kaucher
  • Patent number: 6565678
    Abstract: Weld metals suitable for joining high strength, low alloy steels are provided. These weld metals have microstructures of acicular ferrite interspersed in a hard constituent, such as lath martensite, yield strengths of at least about 690 MPa (100 ksi), and DBTTs lower than about −50° C. (−58° F.) as measured by a Charpy energy versus temperature curve. These weld metals include about 0.04 wt % to about 0.08 wt % carbon; about 1.0 wt % to about 2.0 wt % manganese; about 0.2 wt % to about 0.7 wt % silicon; about 0.30 wt % to 0.80 wt % molybdenum; about 2.3 wt % to about 3.5 wt % nickel; about 0.0175 wt % to about 0.0400 wt % oxygen, and at least one additive selected from the group consisting of (i) up to about 0.04 wt % zirconium, and (ii) up to about 0.02 wt % titanium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Douglas P. Fairchild, Jayoung Koo, Narasimha-Rao V. Bangaru, Mario Luis Macia, Danny Lee Beeson, Adnan Ozekcin
  • Patent number: 6460721
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing and storing pressurized liquefied natural gas (PLNG) are provided, wherein the systems and methods include (a) a natural gas processing plant suitable for producing PLNG; and (b) at least one container suitable for storing the PLNG, the at least one container comprising (i) a load-bearing vessel made from a composite material and (ii) a substantially non-load-bearing liner in contact with the vessel, said liner providing a substantially impermeable barrier to the PLNG. The systems and methods also preferably include (c) means for transporting the at least one container containing PLNG to an import terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Ronald R. Bowen, Moses Minta
  • Patent number: 6336583
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for forming a welded joint between abutting pieces of steel. The welded joint is produced by first forming a strength weld and then depositing additional weld metal on the toe of the strength weld to form a toughness weld. The fusion interface of the toughness weld forms a minimum angle with the direction of the maximum tensile load across the welded joint. The toughness weld toe is separated from the heat-affected zone of the strength weld to effectively prevent propagation of a crack initiated at the toughness weld toe into the heat-affected zone of the strength weld. The welded joint so produced is substantially resistant to failure by brittle fracture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Yung-Shih Wang, William A. Sorem
  • Patent number: 6329725
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for delivering excess electric power to an electric power grid from a marine transportation vessel while said marine transportation vessel is at port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Robert M. Woodall, Philip J. Grossweiler
  • Patent number: 6324867
    Abstract: A natural gas liquefaction system and process wherein excess refrigeration available in a typical natural gas liquefaction system is used to cool the inlet air to gas turbines in the system to thereby improve the overall efficiency of the system. A cooler is positioned in front of the air inlet of each gas turbine; and coolant (e.g. water) is flowed through each of the coolers to cool the ambient air as it flows into the gas turbines. The water, in turn, is cooled with propane taken from a refrigerant circuit in the system which, in turn, is used to initially cool the natural gas which is to be liquefied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Fanning, Brett L. Ryberg, Bruce K. Smith, Luan D. Phan
  • Patent number: 6264760
    Abstract: An ultra-high strength steel having excellent ultra-low temperature toughness, a tensile strength of at least about 930 MPa (135 ksi), and a microstructure comprising predominantly fine-grained lower bainite, fine-grained lath martensite, or mixtures thereof, transformed from substantially unrecrystallized austenite grains and comprising iron and specified weight percentages of the additives: carbon, silicon, manganese, copper, nickel, niobium, vanadium, molybdenum, chromium, titanium, aluminum, calcium, Rare Earth Metals, and magnesium, is prepared by heating a steel slab to a suitable temperature; reducing the slab to form plate in one or more hot rolling passes in a first temperature range in which austenite recrystallizes; further reducing said plate in one or more hot rolling passes in a second temperature range below said first temperature range and above the temperature at which austenite begins to transform to ferrite during cooling; quenching said plate to a suitable Quench Stop Temperature; and stop
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignees: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamehiro, Hitoshi Asahi, Takuya Hara, Yoshio Terada, Michael J. Luton, Jayoung Koo, Narasimha-Rao V. Bangaru, Clifford W. Petersen
  • Patent number: 6251198
    Abstract: An ultra-high strength, weldable, low alloy steel with excellent cryogenic temperature toughness in the base plate and in the heat affected zone (HAZE) when welded, having a tensile strength greater than 830 MAP (120 KS) and a micro-laminate microstructure comprising austenite film layers and fine-grained marten site/lower bainite laths, is prepared by heating a steel slab comprising iron and specified weight percentages of some or all of the additives carbon, manganese, nickel, nitrogen, copper, chromium, molybdenum, silicon, niobium, vanadium, titanium, aluminum, and boron; reducing the slab to form plate in one or more passes in a temperature range in which austenite recrystallizes; finish rolling the plate in one or more passes in a temperature range below the austenite recrystallization temperature and above the Ar3 transformation temperature; quenching the finish rolled plate to a suitable Quench Stop Temperature (QST); stopping the quenching; and either, for a period of time, holding the plate substant
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jayoung Koo, Narasimha-Rao V. Bangaru, Glen A. Vaughn