US 11,209,838 B2Granted

Method for odorizing natural gas

AssigneeWelker, Inc.

InventorsKyle Welker, Wade Williams, Paul Minier

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for odorizing natural gas flowing through a distribution pipeline. The system includes a bypass line adjacent to a distribution pipeline, wherein bypass gas flows through the bypass line and an odorant tank connected to the bypass line, and into the distribution pipeline; a high-flow control valve and a low-flow control valve in the bypass line, wherein bypass gas flows through the odorant tank into the distribution pipeline when the high-flow control valve or the low-flow control valve is open; and a programmable logic controller connected to the high-flow and low flow control valve; wherein the programmable logic controller opens the high-flow or low-flow control valve for a predetermined dwell time proportional to an amount of bypass gas needed to odorize gas in the distribution pipeline each time that a preselected quantity of gas flows through the distribution pipeline.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A controller for a natural gas odorant system, comprising:

an input adapted to accept an input signal from a gas flow meter;
an output adapted to control a high-flow control valve and a low-flow control valve;
a memory storing a dwell time value, a target flow count value indicative of how often the high-flow control valve or the low-flow control valve should be opened with relation to gas flow, and a target opening duration value indicative of whether to open (a) the high-flow control valve, (b) the low-flow control valve, or (c) both the high-flow control valve and the low-flow control valve;
and
an output driver for sending a signal from the output to the high-flow control valve or the low-flow control valve, for a time period equal to the stored dwell time, wherein the signal is sent from the output at times determined by the target flow count value and data received through the input, and the signal is sent to (a) the high-flow control valve, (b) the low-flow control valve, or (c) both the high-flow control valve and the low-flow control valve at times determined by the target opening duration value.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/995,924Filed 18 Aug 2020 · division
Priority: 13 Apr 2017
Published: US 2020/0377814 A13 Dec 2020
Granted: 28 Dec 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

G05D 7/0652
Using a plurality of throttling means: the plurality of throttling means being arranged in parallel
F17D 3/12
Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations: for injecting a composition into the line
G05D 7/0641
By action on throttling means: using a plurality of throttling means
G05D 11/131
Characterised by the use of electric means: by measuring the values related to the quantity of the individual components

Family

Application15/486,831Parent of this division · filed 13 Apr 2017
Application16/294,134Parent of this division · filed 6 Mar 2019
US 10,344,237 B2Parent of this division · filed 9 Jul 2019
US 2020/0377814 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Dec 2020
US 10,995,293 B2Parent of this division
US 2018/0298297 A1Published application
US 2019/0203133 A1Published application
US 11,209,838 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.