Patents Examined by Brian King
  • Method and cooling system for electric submersible pumps/motors for use in geothermal wells
    Patent number: 9874077
    Abstract: Systems and methods for cooling electrical components of an electrical submersible pump in a subterranean well are disclosed. Cooling fluid is delivered from a location proximate ground surface through a conduit to a submerged electrical pump motor in a subterranean well to cool the submerged electrical pump motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Altarock Energy Inc.
    Inventor: Susan Petty
  • System and process for natural gas liquefaction
    Patent number: 9863696
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a process for liquefaction of a natural gas. The process includes cooling the natural gas with a first refrigerant provided by a first cooling system and cooling the natural gas with a second refrigerant provided by a second cooling system. The second cooling system is a single phase cooling system. The first and second cooling systems operate independently from each other. The second refrigerant is cooled with the first refrigerant so that the cooling capacity of the second refrigerant and the second cooling system is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: KEPPEL OFFSHORE & MARINE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE PTE LTD
    Inventors: Wen Sin Chong, Xiaoxia Sheng, Ravindu Atapattu, Kok Seng Foo
  • Extended travel flexure bearing and micro check valve
    Patent number: 9863670
    Abstract: Variations of the devices and methods disclosed herein pertain to an extended travel spiral flexure bearing having spiral arms, each of the spiral arms including an attachment point at the inner end thereof and at the outer end thereof. Variations of the bearing may also include a bearing clamp to be attached to the spiral flexure bearing at the attachment points, the bearing including an outer bearing portion to be disposed on the outer periphery of the flexure bearing and an inner bearing portion to be disposed at the center of the flexure bearing. Variations also pertain to a micro check valve assembly that includes a valve base, a valve cover, and a flexure that are all bonded together. The valve being closed when the valve door rests on the valve seat and open when the valve door is lifted from the valve seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Patrick Champagne
  • Integrated methane refrigeration system for liquefying natural gas
    Patent number: 9863697
    Abstract: Described herein is a method and system for liquefying a natural gas feed stream to produce an LNG product. The natural gas feed stream is liquefied, by indirect heat exchange with a gaseous methane or natural gas refrigerant circulating in a gaseous expander cycle, to produce a first LNG stream. The first LNG stream is expanded, and the resulting vapor and liquid phases are separated to produce a first flash gas stream and a second LNG stream. The second LNG stream is then expanded, with the resulting vapor and liquid phases being separated to produce the second flash gas stream and a third LNG stream, all or a portion of which forms the LNG product. Refrigeration is recovered from the second flash gas by using said stream to sub-cool the second LNG stream or a supplementary LNG stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Julian Roberts, Yang Liu, Fei Chen
  • Method and appliance for separating a mixture containing carbon dioxide by cryogenic distillation
    Patent number: 9851142
    Abstract: In a method for separating at least one lighter impurity of a gaseous mixture containing at least 30% mol of carbon dioxide, a liquid (101) enriched with carbon dioxide is drawn off into a vat of a distillation column (25), at least part (27) of the liquid enriched with carbon dioxide is vaporized and then heated to a first temperature higher than the boiling temperature thereof in the exchanger and leaves the exchanger at the hot end thereof, and at least part of the vaporized and heated liquid is sent from the hot end of the exchanger at the first temperature, without being cooled in the exchanger and without having been compressed, to the lower part of the distillation column, where it participates in the distillation while enriching itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude
    Inventors: Arthur Darde, Mathieu Leclerc
  • Pressure control of gas liquefaction system after shutdown
    Patent number: 9851141
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a system for the liquefaction of gas of the type comprising a main heat exchange vessel, a bundle for the gas to be liquefied extending through said MCHE and a refrigerant compression circuit of which a first end leads evaporated refrigerant from the vessel towards a compressor and a second end supplies the compressed and cooled refrigerant from the compressor towards the MCHE. For avoiding problems during heat up or during start up of the heat exchanger the pressure within the liquefaction system is controlled by regulating the amount of evaporated refrigerant in the liquefaction circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BLUEWATER ENERGY SERVICES B.V.
    Inventors: Pieter Cornelis Burger, Clemens Gerardus Johannes Maria Van Der Nat, Jozefus Gerardus Petrus Vernooij
  • Refrigerator
    Patent number: 9845976
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a main body in which a first storage compartment is defined, and a heat exchange chamber defined in the main body. An evaporator received in the heat exchange chamber. A second storage compartment is provided in the first storage compartment and a quick cooling module to cool an inside of the second storage compartment is provided, where the quick cooling module heat-exchanges with a refrigerant pipe of the evaporator. The quick cooling module includes a thermal conductive unit in thermal conduction with the refrigerant pipe, and a thermoelectric device having a first surface in thermal conduction with the thermal conductive unit to heat-exchange with the thermal conductive unit when current is supplied and a second surface facing the second storage compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jaehoon Shin, Yanggyu Kim, Heayoun Sul, Yongjoo Park
  • Assembly for thermal insulation of a magnet in a magnetic resonance apparatus
    Patent number: 9845190
    Abstract: An assembly for thermal insulation of an MR magnet system during such a transport has a container for accommodating an MR magnet, the container being equipped with thermal insulation, and the container has an opening for accommodating a cooling unit. The assembly further has a protective cap, such that the opening is sealed in a reversible manner by the protective cap, and the protective cap is likewise equipped with thermal insulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Stefan Popescu
  • Process for cooling a hydrocarbon-rich fraction
    Patent number: 9841229
    Abstract: A process for cooling a hydrocarbon-rich fraction, in particular natural gas, against a refrigerant circuit. In this process, the compressed refrigerant is divided into three refrigerant substreams. Whereas the first substream is work-producingly expanded in a warm expander and the second substream is work-producingly expanded in a cold expander, the third substream is work-producingly expanded at the lowest temperature level. The result therefrom is that the operating point of the cold expander is shifted in such a manner that the refrigeration output of the two expanders is situated in a ratio between 40/60 and 60/40.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz Bauer, Claudia Gollwitzer
  • Cryogenic refrigerator
    Patent number: 9841212
    Abstract: In a cryogenic refrigerator, a displacer has an internal space in which refrigerant gas flows. A cylinder houses the displacer to enable the displacer to perform reciprocating movement and forms an expansion space of the refrigerant gas between the cylinder and a bottom surface of the displacer. The displacer supplies the refrigerant gas to the expansion space during movement inside the cylinder from a bottom dead center to a top dead center. The displacer collects the refrigerant gas from the expansion space during movement inside the cylinder from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. A flow path resistance between the displacer and the expansion space is lower when the displacer is at the bottom dead center than when the displacer is at the top dead center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Mingyao Xu, Qian Bao
  • Cryogenic refrigerator
    Patent number: 9829218
    Abstract: A cryogenic refrigerator includes a cylinder, a displacer configured to be moved back and forth in the cylinder by a drive unit, an inlet valve configured to be opened in supplying a refrigerant gas into the cylinder, an exhaust valve configured to be opened in exhausting the refrigerant gas from the cylinder, and an expansion space formed in the cylinder and configured to generate a cooling by expanding the refrigerant gas caused by back and forth movement of the displacer. A moving speed of the displacer in the vicinity of a bottom dead center is set to be faster than the moving speed of the displacer in the vicinity of a top dead center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Mingyao Xu
  • Cryogenic systems for removing acid gases from a hydrocarbon gas stream using co-current separation devices
    Patent number: 9829246
    Abstract: A system for removing acid gases from a raw gas stream is provided. The system includes a cryogenic distillation column. The cryogenic distillation column receives a dehydrated and chilled sour gas stream, and separates the sour gas stream into an overhead gas stream comprised primarily of methane, and a bottom acid gas stream comprised primarily of carbon dioxide. The system also includes a series of co-current contactors. The co-current contactors may be placed in series to receive the bottom acid gas stream and recapture any entrained methane gas. Alternatively or in addition, the co-current contactors may be placed in series to receive the overhead gas stream, and sweeten it using a reflux liquid such as methane. In this instance, the sweetened gas is optionally liquefied and delivered for commercial sale, or is used as fuel gas on-site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventor: Paul Scott Northrop
  • Heat exchanger and method of manufacturing the same
    Patent number: 9829220
    Abstract: Disclosed are a heat exchanger and a method of manufacturing a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may include a plurality of three-step tubes, each having a three-layered section and each having a liquid passage at a middle portion and module insertion spaces at opposite sides of the liquid passage, a plurality of thermoelectric modules inserted into the module insertion spaces, a plurality of cooling fins coupled to an outer surface of each of the three-step tubes, and an upper tank and a lower tank coupled to an upper side and a lower side of the three-step tubes to be fluidically communicated with the liquid passages of the three-step tubes. The three-step tubes and the cooling fins may be stacked laterally with respect to each other. The three-step tubes, the cooling fins, the upper tank, and the lower tank may be brazed by a same filler material comprising a metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp.
    Inventors: Man Ju Oh, Jae Woo Park, June Kyu Park, Jae Woong Kim, Eun Young Seo, Yong Nam Ahn
  • Configurations and methods for small scale LNG production
    Patent number: 9829244
    Abstract: A small scale natural gas liquefaction plant is integrated with an LNG loading facility in which natural gas is liquefied using a multi-stage gas expansion cycle. LNG is then loaded onto an LNG truck or other LNG transport vehicle at the loading facility using a differential pressure control system that uses compressed boil off gas as a motive force to move the LNG from the LNG storage tank to the LNG truck so as to avoid the use of an LNG pump and associated equipment as well as to avoid venting of boil off vapors into the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: John Mak
  • Natural gas liquefaction system
    Patent number: 9829245
    Abstract: Provided is a natural gas liquefaction system including a natural gas storage unit, a liquefied natural gas storage unit, body, a pumping unit, a sub-cooling unit, and a first distributing and conveying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Daejun Chang, Pal G Bergan
  • Piping module for air fractionation plant
    Patent number: 9816765
    Abstract: A piping module is described which comprises at least two fluid connections or ports for connection to at least one main heat exchanger of an air fractionation plant, whereby the main heat exchanger becomes linked to at least two fluid lines in a warm part of the air fractionation plant. The piping module comprises at least two ports on the main compressor side, couplable to at least two fluid lines in the warm part of the air fractionation plant, and at least two ports on the main heat exchanger side, couplable to at least two fluid ports of the at least one main heat exchanger, and at least two fluid lines connecting the ports on the main compressor side to the ports on the main heat exchanger side. A corresponding air fractionation plant and a method for erecting such an air fractionation plant (100) are likewise described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Augustin Rampp
  • Method and system for storage and transport of liquefied petroleum gases
    Patent number: 9810376
    Abstract: A method for storage and transport of LPG on LPG carriers, in particular two cargoes of different LPG types on same shipment, having reliquefaction units in which vaporized gases are condensed and then returned into at least one cargo tank for the respective LPG cargo type. The method is further comprising: using the reliquefaction units, at a minimum one running, as to condense vapour from the first cargo type; passing the condensed vapour through a heat exchanger; simultaneously flowing vapour from the second cargo type through the heat exchanger as to condense vapour by means of heat exchanging with the condensed vapour; and returning the condensed vapours leaving the heat exchanger back into the respective cargo types. The present invention is also disclosing a system for storage and transport of LPG on LPG carriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Wartsila Oil & Gas Systems AS
    Inventor: Carl Jørgen Rummelhoff
  • Condensate evaporator for refrigeration apparatus
    Patent number: 9803912
    Abstract: The condensate evaporator has a pan that is pivotally mounted on a fulcrum defined by two posts to depress the plunger of a switch as condensate collects in the pan. The switch and posts form a three point support for the pan on a flat surface. The switch is actuated by the pivoting of the pan to deliver power to a heater pad for heating the condensate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: COMPONENT HARDWARE GROUP, INC.
    Inventor: Thomas Graham
  • Regenerative refrigerator
    Patent number: 9803895
    Abstract: A regenerator of a regenerative refrigerator includes: a magnetic regenerator material used for cold storage; and a container that accommodates the magnetic regenerator material. A part of the container that accommodates the magnetic regenerator material includes: a first region that includes a temperature range in which a specific heat of the magnetic regenerator material reaches maximum during an operation of the regenerative refrigerator, and a second region that is in a temperature range different from that of the first region. A cross sectional area of a part of the first region that accommodates the magnetic regenerator material is smaller than a cross sectional area of a part of the second region that accommodates the magnetic regenerator material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Mingyao Xu
  • Tank filling device and method
    Patent number: 9784409
    Abstract: A device for filling a tank with a pressurized gas, in particular with pressurized hydrogen, comprising a pressurized-gas source and a circuit for transferring gas from the source to the tank, the transfer circuit including a member for expanding and cooling the gas in order to lower the pressure and temperature of the gas from the source to respective values determined with a view to filling the tank, characterized in that the gas-expansion and cooling member includes a refrigerator that expands the gas by means of a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle, the refrigerator being selectively supplied with gas from the source, and in that at least a portion of the cooled and expanded gas supplied to the tank is extracted from the refrigerator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Société Anonyme Pour L'Étude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Gerald Aigouy, James Butterworth