Compact, Wall-Mountable LNG Sample Vaporizing Assembly
AssigneeMustang Sampling, LLC
InventorsKenneth O. Thompson, Nicholas S. Wolfe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A compact, wall mountable cryogenic LNG sample re-vaporization system and method from a steady state storage source for sample energy content analysis in space constrained environments such as in cruise or cargo ship engine rooms for mounting on a vertical surface with a cabinet containing a controller, having a cryogenic LNG sample input and a vaporized sample output, an input sample temperature detector, a flash vaporizer, a vaporized sample accumulator, a vaporized sample by-pass stream for flow rate measurement, a heated pressure regulator for regulating and conditioning the vaporized sample pressure and an output for communication of the conditioned vaporized sample to an analyzer.
Claims12
A compact system for vaporizing samples of cryogenic Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) used for powering engines in a space limited environment, comprising:
- a) a cabinet having a back wall including an element for mounting to a vertical surface, side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall generally defining a rectangular configuration and a front access door, said cabinet side walls having a cryogenic liquid sample input, a vaporized gas sample output and a vaporized gas sample by-pass outlet;
- b) an electrically powered control unit contained within the cabinet;
- c) a Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) electrically connected to the control unit and in fluid communication with the liquid sample input for generating a signal corresponding to the temperature of the liquid sample input;
- d) an electrically powered flash vaporizer electrically connected to the control unit and in fluid communication with the liquid sample input for receiving liquid sample for flash vaporization;
- e) an accumulator with an input for receiving and accumulating vaporized sample from the flash vaporizer and an output line for outputting accumulated vaporized sample;
- and
- f) an in-line connector associated with the accumulator output line for communicating one stream of the accumulated vaporized sample to an in-line downstream heated pressure regulator with an inlet line and an outlet line to regulate the pressure of the accumulated vapor sample which then passes from an outlet line to the vaporized gas sample output in the cabinet to a downstream analyzer, said connector including a by-pass stream line to direct accumulated vapor sample though an in-line flow meter to measure the flow rate of the accumulated vapor sample and to the cabinet bypass outlet.
A method of sample vapor conditioning from a steady state cryogenic natural gas source for energy content sampling with a compact system mounted on a vertical surface including a cabinet with a back wall including a vertical-surface mounting element, side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall generally defining a rectangular configuration and a front access door, a cryogenic liquid sample input, a vaporized gas sample output and a vaporized gas sample by-pass outlet;
- the cabinet containing an electrically powered control unit connected to a Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) in fluid communication with the cryogenic liquid sample input for generating a signal corresponding to the temperature of the cryogenic liquid sample input;
- an electrically powered flash vaporizer electrically connected to the control unit and in fluid communication with the liquid sample input for receiving liquid sample for flash vaporization;
- an accumulator with an input for receiving and accumulating vaporized sample from the flash vaporizer and an output line for outputting accumulated vaporized sample;
- and an in-line connector associated with the accumulator output line for communicating one stream of the accumulated vaporized sample to an in-line downstream pressure regulator with an inlet line and an outlet line to regulate the pressure and condition of the accumulated vapor sample passed from the outlet line to the vaporized gas sample output to a downstream analyzer, where the connector includes a by-pass stream line to direct accumulated vapor sample though an in-line flow meter to measure the flow rate of the accumulated vapor sample and connected to the cabinet bypass outlet, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) extracting a cryogenic liquid sample from a steady-state liquid natural gas source;
- b) passing at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid sample through the RTD for generating a signal representative of the cryogenic liquid sample temperature;
- c) passing the cryogenic liquid sample to a flash vaporizer to generate a vaporized gas sample;
- d) passing the vaporized gas sample to the accumulator input to mix the accumulated vaporized gas in the accumulator;
- e) extracting mixed vaporized gas sample from the accumulator through the accumulator output line and passing it to the in-line connector associated with the accumulator output;
- f) passing at least a portion of the vaporized gas sample to the by-pass stream line to an in-line flow meter to measure the flow rate of the vaporized gas sample to ensure operation within proper operation parameters and then to the cabinet bypass outlet;
- and
- g) passing at least a portion of the vaporized sample the in-line downstream pressure regulator and then passing the conditioned vaporized gas sample output to communicate the conditioned vaporized gas sample from the vertical surface mounted cabinet to a downstream analyzer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.