Multi-source, flow-weighted composite sample system

• US 10,466,144 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mustang Sampling, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mustang Sampling, LLC
• Inventors: Thompson, Kenneth O., Warner, Kevin, Querrey, Timothy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kolb, Nathaniel J
• Application Number:
  US16/137,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20190101475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0629 Two walls
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/033 Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/0123 gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0302 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0311 Air heating
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0393 using a vaporiser
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0443 Flow or movement of content
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0456 Calorific or heating value
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0105 Ships
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0136 Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0173 Railways
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 3/10 for taking out the product in the line sampling in general, examining the physical or chemical properties of materials G01N
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/10 in the liquid or fluent state burettes, pipettes B01L3/02; sampling of ground water E02D1/06; metering by volume of fluids or fluent solid material G01F11/00, G01F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2247 Sampling from a flowing stream of gas
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/26 with provision for intake from several spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/002 Devices for supplying or distributing samples to an analysing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/1093 Composite sampling; Cumulative sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/025 Gas chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/12 : by evaporation

Abstract

A sampling device having at least two inputs each configured to receive samples from a corresponding feedstock input line and a sample accumulator. The device also includes a mass flow controller associated with each feedstock input line, each mass flow controller having a sample output and being configured to receive a signal representative of the flow rate at each input, where each mass flow controller adjusts the flow rate of its respective sample from its respective sample output in response to receiving representative signals. Further the device includes at least a first and second sample output line respectively connected with a sample output of each mass flow controller, each sample output line being connected to an input of the sample accumulator for introduction to the sample accumulator of samples from the output of the mass flow controllers.

Claims

1. A system for capturing a composite sample from multiple input sources during transfer processing, comprising:

at least a first and a second feedstock input line;

at least a first and a second flow rate sensor attached to the first and second feedstock input lines respectively;

a sample takeoff assembly associated with each feedstock input line for extracting samples from said feedstock input lines;

a sampling device having a mass flow controller associated with each sample takeoff assembly, each mass flow controller having a sample output and being configured to receive a signal representative of the flow rate in each of said first and second feedstock input lines, from said first and second flow rate sensors, where each mass flow controller adjusts the flow rate of its respective sample output in response to receiving said representative signals;

at least a first and second sample output line respectively connected with the sample output of each mass flow controller, each sample output line being connected to an input of a sample accumulator for introduction to the sample accumulator of samples from the output of the mass flow controllers.

2. The system of claim 1 where the sample takeoff assembly includes a feedstock sample output for direct sampling of an extracted sample for analysis of at least one of energy content or composition prior to input to the sample accumulator.

3. The system of claim 1 further including a sample vaporizer and a sample conditioner associated with each of the at least respective first and second input lines.

4. The system of claim 3 where each sample vaporizer receives and vaporizes samples received from an output of a respective sample takeoff assembly.

5. The system of claim 4 where each sample conditioner receives and conditions vaporized samples received from an output of a respective vaporizer.

6. The system of claim 5 where the sampling device receives as respective samples the conditioned samples from each sample conditioner.

7. The system of claim 1 where an output of the sample accumulator is connected to a composite sampling system.

8. The system of claim 1 where an output of the sample accumulator is connected to an analyzer for analysis of at least one of energy content or composition of the accumulated sample.

9. A sampling device, comprising:

at least two inputs each configured to receive samples from a corresponding feedstock input line;

a sample accumulator;

a mass flow controller associated with each feedstock input line, each mass flow controller having a sample output and being configured to receive a signal representative of the flow rate at each input, from a flow rate sensor on each feedstock input line, where each mass flow controller adjusts the flow rate of its respective sample from its respective sample output in response to receiving said representative signals; and

at least a first and second sample output line respectively connected with a sample output of each mass flow controller, each sample output line being connected to an input of the sample accumulator for introduction to the sample accumulator of samples from the output of the mass flow controllers.

10. The sampling device of claim 9 where the sampling device includes an analyzing device connected to each input for direct sampling of received samples for analysis of at least one of energy content or composition prior to input to respective mass flow controllers.

11. The sampling device of claim 9 where the sampling device receives samples processed by a sample vaporizer and a sample conditioner associated with each of the at least respective first and second input lines.

12. The sampling device of claim 9 where an output of the sample accumulator is connected to a composite gas sampling system.

13. The sampling device of claim 9 where an output of the sample accumulator is connected to an analyzer for analysis of at least one of energy content or composition of the accumulated sample.

14. A method for accounting for the flow rate from a plurality of sample fluid sources to a combined input for increased measurement accuracy in analysis of at least one of energy content or composition, the method comprising:

determining the flow rate of a sample fluid in each of the plurality of sample fluid sources;

extracting a sample from each of the plurality of sample fluid sources;

passing each such extracted sample to and inputting such sample into a sample accumulator at an adjusted flow rate that is proportional to the determined flow rate of its sample fluid source;

accumulating a plurality of fluid samples in the accumulator to create a composite sample; and

outputting a select amount of said composite sample from the accumulator for analysis of at least one of energy content or composition of the composite sample.

15. The method of claim 14 where the analysis of at least one of energy content or composition is performed by a gas chromatograph.

16. The method of claim 14 where each extracted sample is processed by a respective vaporizer to vaporize the sample prior to being passed into the sample accumulator.

17. The method of claim 16 where each vaporized sample is processed by a sample conditioner to condition the samples prior to being passed into the sample accumulator.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising outputting a select amount of said composite sample to a composite sampling system.