Freeport-mcmoran Energy LLC

Cti Consulting, LLC

Cll Consulting, LLC

Roger Jacques Maduell

David Charles Landry

Roy Anthony Pickren

David Brian Singleton

A system and a method are provided for melting solid sulfur and maintaining the resulting molten sulfur in liquid state. The system and the method may be fabricated, installed and operated at low capital costs, with high throughput rates at high operating efficiencies and low maintenance costs. Specific embodiments of the invention include modular and non-modular designs, which may be installed and operated with low to high degrees of automation, allowing the user to tailor the final configuration to meet specific requirements. The system of the invention comprises a specific configuration of a prescribed solid sulfur feed unit, a prescribed high-capacity melting unit, a compartmentalized pump tank assembly, and a heat exchanger located outside the high-capacity melting unit. The method provided follows the configuration of the system.

Sulfur melting system and method

A sulfur particulates remover is provided for removing sulfur particulates from gaseous streams generated in sulfur storage tanks and other types of sulfur containers and carriers. More than 90% of the sulfur particulates are easily removed in most cases. The sulfur particulates remover comprises a conical or prismatic shell structure equipped with vibrators, a cover plate and a stack or similar venting means. A deflector may be mounted inside the shell structure. This system is typically installed on the roof of a liquid sulfur storage tank, pit or other sulfur container using conventional hardware. The lower portion of the particulates remover is preferably a substantially round pipe to which a conical upper portion is attached by welding means or by means of bolts or a support flange. No steam, cooling water or any other external-source heating or cooling is necessary in the operation of the system.

Sulfur particulates remover

An integrated energy hub facility capable of bringing together all aspects of hydrocarbon and other fluid product movement under controlled conditions applicable to the reception, storage, processing, collection and transmission downstream is provided. Input to the energy hub includes natural gas and crude from a pipeline or a carrier, LNG from a carrier, CNG from a carrier, and carrier-regassed LNG, as well as other products from a pipeline or a carrier. Storage can be above surface, in salt caverns or in subterranean formations and cavities, and include petroleum crude, natural gas, LPG, NGL, GTL and other fluids. Transmission downstream may be carried out by a vessel or other type of carrier and/or by means of a pipeline system. Cryogenic fluids are offloaded and sent to the energy hub surface holding tank, then pumped to the energy hub vaporizers and sent to underground storage and/or distribution.

Reception, processing, handling and distribution of hydrocarbons and other fluids

A method is provided for simultaneously developing caverns while depositing wastes or other materials in them. A well is first drilled into a salt formation and the development of a salt cavern by means of solution mining is initiated. When the development of the cavern has been carried out to an extent sufficient to accommodate the injection of a prescribed amount of wastes or other materials, injection of the wastes or other materials through the well is started while continuing to develop the cavern by solution mining. The injection of the wastes or other materials may be carried out continuously or intermittently. The proportion and rates of wastes or other materials and mining water injected into the well are monitored and regulated so that cavern development continues at a rate that allows the cavern to reach an intended prescribed size while the wastes or other materials are injected and deposited into the cavern.

Growing community of inventors

Mandeville, LA, United States of America

Roger Jacques Maduell