Zwick Energy Research Organization, Inc.

Other

Pacific Consolidated Industries, LLC

Zwich Energy Research Organization, Inc.

William D Brigham

Eugene B Zwick

Kenneth L Hoffman

Dung D Nguyen

Dinh D Nguyen

Robert A Zarate

Gabriel D Ferramola

Joseph M Prawdzik

Nguyen D Dung

Brian R Wildey

Nguyen D Dinh

Dinh Nguyen D

A portable cryogenic nitrogen generator consists of an air preparation unit and a cryogenic distillation unit mounted inside separate standard-sized ISO containers that can be easily shipped to a drilling site and efficiently and quickly assembled into an operative state. The containers can be connected together at anchor points on the housings of both containers, making the nitrogen generator assembly more stable. The air preparation unit includes an absorption device and optionally includes one or a plurality of air compressor units. The cryogenic distillation unit includes a distillation column and associated heat exchangers. The air preparation and cryogenic distillation units connect through apertures in their respective containers and operate while being mounted in the containers.

Nitrogen generator

A single nonfired heat source, such as a diesel engine, drives a hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump in turn is coupled in a hydraulic circuit with a back-pressure valve which loads the hydraulic pump and hence the diesel engine. The engine also circulates a heat exchanging fluid, such as engine coolant through a second circuit. Water or engine coolant is circulated through the second circuit by means of a pump driven by the diesel engine. An exhaust gas heat exchanger coupled to the exhaust gases from the engine may also be included within the water coolant, the exhaust gases or both, and is then transferred to noncirculating deicing fluid in a storage tank. Heat developed within the hydraulic circuit which loads the engine is also transferred to the noncirculating fluid in the storage tank. The heated noncirculating fluid may be gently stirred to increase heat exchange efficiency and then either pumped directly to the utilization site from the storage tank or pumped in a single pass through a heat exchanger thermally coupled through the water coolant heat exchanger, hydraulic heat exchanger, or both, and thence to the utilization site.

Flameless deicer

In direct fired fluid burner heater of the type where fuel is continuously injected and burned at one end of a cylindrical combustion chamber and combustion gases discharged at an opposite open end pass through a heat exchanger for heating a circulating medium, and where high heat capacity is achieved for a given chamber size by swirling the flame in the combustion chamber, acoustical low frequency buzzing is controlled by restricting the discharge area through which exhaust gases flow downstream of the heat exchanger.

Buzz suppression in burners of high capacity direct fired fluid heaters

A single nonfired heat source, such as a diesel engine, drives a hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump in turn is coupled in a hydraulic circuit with a back-pressure valve which loads the hydraulic pump and hence the diesel engine. The engine also circulates a heat exchanging fluid, such as engine coolant through a second circuit. Water or engine coolant is circulated through the second circuit by means of a pump driven by the diesel engine. An exhaust gas heat exchanger coupled to the exhaust gases from the engine may also be included within the water coolant, the exhaust gases or both, and is then transferred to noncirculating deicing fluid in a storage tank. Heat developed within the hydraulic circuit which loads the engine is also transferred to the noncirculating fluid in the storage tank. The heated noncirculating fluid may be gently stirred to increase heat exchange efficiency and then either pumped directly to the utilization site from the storage tank or pumped in a single pass through a heat exchanger thermally coupled through the water coolant heat exchanger, hydraulic heat exchanger, or both, and then to the utilization site.

A flexible cryogenic hose is comprised of an inner cryogenic tube surrounded by a concentric heat shield, a closed concentric chamber and an outer protective jacket. At normal ambient temperatures the chamber is completely filled with carbon dioxide gas. As cryogenic liquid is pumped through the inner cryogenic tube, heat is transferred from all structures within the hose, including in particular the carbon dioxide gas in the closed chamber, which runs the length of the cryogenic tube. As the carbon dioxide gas is cooled, it liquefies, thereby substantially evacuating the chamber. The chamber has sufficient structural rigidity to avoid collapse at normal atmospheric pressures. After the cryogenic hose is used, cryogenic flow ceases and the hose warms. In warming, carbon dioxide gas in the chamber gassifies and again refills the chamber. As a result, outgassing from flexible or plastic material from which the hose is made into the chamber, while it is evacuated, is substantially avoided even after repeated cycles of use. Materials particularly adapted for use in flexible hoses, which are normally unsuitable because of their outgassing characteristics for use in vacuum insulated hoses, now become satisfactory materials for use.

Apparatus and method for evacuating an insulated cryogenic hose

A removable pump assembly for use in a cryogenic storage tank pumps liquid cryogen directly from the primary storage container with low boiloff loss. The cryogenic storage tank has an outer vessel, an inner vessel, an evacuated insulation space therebetween and a access port connecting the inner and outer vessels and providing an open cylindrical access to the interior of the cryogenic tank. A pump mounting tube assembly is disposed into the interior of the inner vessel of the cryogenic tank through the access port and includes an inner pump mounting tube and an outer pump mounting tube which are joined at their upper and lower rims to define an insulating jacket between the two tubes. The inner and outer pump mounting tubes are affixed at their upper ends to a top and bottom plate. The top and bottom plate in turn is affixed to an insulating block. Only the insulating block, which is disposed in the access port of the cryogenic tube, is in contact with any portion of the cryogenic tank. The insulating block provides a poor thermal path and also provides a gas seal between the pump mounting tube and the access port of the cryogenic tank. The pump mounting tube thus defines a long heat path into the cryogenic tank and is insulated from the liquid cryogen by a pocket of trapped gas formed within the inner tube by heating cryogen. A pump is introduced through the inner pump mounting tube and is also insulated against contact with liquid cryogen by the trapped gas. Only the lowermost end of the pump is immersed in cryogen, thereby minimizing heat conduction into the cryogen within the tank.

Cryogenic storage tank with a retrofitted in-tank cryogenic pump

A liquid cryogen vaporizer is devised in which the cryogenic liquid is first partially vaporized in a cryogenic heat exchanger which is provided with heat from nonfired sources. The partially vaporized liquid cryogen is then completely vaporized in a second downstream cryogenic heat exchanger also provided with heat from the nonfired sources. The nonfired sources comprise an internal combustion engine and an ambient air heat exchanger. The internal combustion engine drives a hydraulic circuit which provides a constant load on the engine. A cryogenic pump used to flow the cryogenic liquid through the cryogenic heat exchanger is in turn hydraulically driven from this circuit. Heat is also transferred from the hydraulic circuit into a heat exchanging circuit. The heat exchanging fluid is driven around the heat exchanging circuit by means of a pump driven by the engine through the ambient air heat exchanger, a hydraulic heat exchanger and the first cryogenic heat exchanger. Engine coolant is provided to the second cryogenic heat exchanger. A defrost heat exchanger is also provided with engine coolant and it periodically flushed with heat exchanging fluid to provide a predetermined quantity of heated fluid to defrost said ambient air heat exchanger.

Liquid cryogenic vaporizer utilizing ambient air and a nonfired heat

A cooling system for engine exhaust gases includes a engine block mounted exhaust manifold connected to a heat exchanger by a conduit and gas distribution header, the exhaust manifold, conduit and distribution header being continuously water jacketed to shield all hot exhaust system surfaces for engine operation in flammable or explosive environments. The exhaust gas flows through parallel gas tubes in the heat exchanger having thin, corrugated walls which aid heat transfer to the surrounding water and are axially expandable to relief thermal stress.

Exhaust cooling system for internal combustion engine

The duration of a pumping operation from a fixed supply of cryogenic liquid is extended by minimizing the amount of cryogenic liquid which is recirculated between a primary cryogenic pump and a storage tank for containing the cryogenic liquid. The primary cryogenic pump is characterized by a minimum necessary net positive suction head at its intake. The net positive suction head of the cryogenic liquid is directly measured at the inlet of the primary cryogenic pump by means of a differential pressure gauge. The total pressure on the cryogenic liquid at the inlet of the primary cryogenic pump is then maintained by means of a cryogenic booster pump to always exceed the measured vapor pressure at the inlet by an amount just equal to the minimum net positive suction head required by the primary cryogenic pump. Therefore, the minimum amount of pressure necessary to allow the primary cryogenic pump to operate is supplied to its inlet and thereby the amount of cryogenic liquid which is circulated from the storage tank to the primary cryogenic pump and then recirculated to the storage tank by means of a return line is minimized. Thus, the amount of energy absorbed by the recirculated cryogenic liquid is similarly minimized and the duration of the pumping operation is extended.

Method and apparatus for extending the duration of operation of a

A high volume cryogen vaporizer includes a radiator where a working fluid draws heat from ambient air for vaporizing a cryogen in a heat exchanger. An electrical heater is provided for periodically heating the working fluid to defrost the radiator, thereby allowing sustained operation of the vaporizer. When not required for defrosting the radiator, the heater may be operated to heat a working fluid in a circuit separate from that of the radiator, and in which the heated working fluid is used for further elevating the temperature of the vaporized cryogen in a second heat exchanger, thereby making possible a gas output temperature higher than ambient air temperature.

Ambient air heated electrically assisted cryogen vaporizer

A burner having a burner body in which combustion air is injected in an air flow pattern which establishes a relatively stagnant air region positioned within the flow of combustion air. A pilot flame injector is positioned to generate a pilot flame extending into the stagnant air region. The pilot flame can, thus, be maintained during the operation of the burner because the stable air conditions within the stagnant air region minimize disruption of the pilot flame by the flow of combustion air. A method for maintaining a uniform pilot flame within a burner operating over a range of combustion air flow rates by introducing combustion air into the burner and providing the combustion air with a flow configuration that establishes a stagnant air zone within the burner that is relatively independent of the flow rate of the combustion air. The pilot flame is then positioned within the stagnant air zone. An injector for feeding finely divided fuel to a burner. The injector includes means to provide an annular passage through which air may flow at high velocity for discharge into a burner. Means are provided to feed fuel into the annular passage such that the fuel may be broken up into minute droplets by the air flow through the passage. Additionally the means to feed fuel are positioned to minimize contact between the fuel and the passage surfaces. Thus, the fuel may be broken up into minute droplets within the air flow stream with the finely divided fuel being discharged into a burner.

Burner construction

The system utilizes a heat engine which provides shaft power and heat such as a conventional diesel engine in which part of the shaft power drives a pump for fluid to be heated; for example, a cryogenic liquid. The engine heat is used to heat and/or vaporize the cryogenic liquid in a heat exchanger. The heat available from the engine for transfer to the liquid to be vaporized is proportional to the power level of the engine. The heat required to heat the fluid to a desired temperature is proportional to the flow rate of the cryogenic liquid. By providing a loading on the engine which is proportional to the fluid flow rate, a sufficient amount of heat is provided to effect complete vaporization of the liquid, the amount of heat being directly proportional to the flow rate of the liquid. An engine radiator is provided to get rid of excess heat so that the heat supplied equals the heat required. The loading of the engine can be accomplished by a power absorbing hydraulic drive connected to the engine shaft with the hydraulic medium used to drive the cryogenic liquid pump, or alternatively by providing back pressure on an engine coolant pump, or by providing back pressure directly on the cryogenic fluid being pumped.

Growing community of inventors

Huntington Beach, CA, United States of America

William D Brigham