Method of odorizing liquid natural gas
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of odorizing cryogenic liquid natural gas comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a mixture of a diluent and an odorant selected from the class of odorants consisting of ethyl mercaptan and methyl mercaptan, the diluent having a freezing point at atmospheric pressure below the boiling point of liquid natural gas at that pressure; and
(b) introducing the mixture in an odorant effective amount into the liquid natural gas.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Liquid natural gas is odorized with either ethyl or methyl mercaptan by initiallly mixing the odorant with a diluent and then introducing the resultant mixture into the liquid natural gas. It is preferred that the diluent have a freezing point below the boiling point of liquid natural gas. It is theorized that with the diluent the mercaptans either do not freeze or are dispersed sufficiently in the liquid natural gas to reduce the particle size of frozen odorant. In any event, the result is effective odorization of natural gas drawn from a liquid natural gas storage tank regardless of the amount of liquid and gaseous natural gas left in the tank.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A method of odorizing cryogenic liquid natural gas comprising the steps of:
-
(a) forming a mixture of a diluent and an odorant selected from the class of odorants consisting of ethyl mercaptan and methyl mercaptan, the diluent having a freezing point at atmospheric pressure below the boiling point of liquid natural gas at that pressure; and (b) introducing the mixture in an odorant effective amount into the liquid natural gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method for providing cryogenic liquefied natural gas with sufficient soluble levels of a mercaptan odorant selected from the class consisting of ethyl mercaptan and methyl mercaptan, including
dissolving said odorant in a liquefied hydrocarbon gas carrier, said carrier being miscible with the cryogenic liquefied gas, said carrier having a boiling point which is higher than that of the cryogenic liquefied gas, said odorant being dissolved in said carrier at concentrations greater than could be dissolved in the cryogenic liquefied gas, and combining said cryogenic liquefied gas and minor volumes of said carrier with dissolved odorant so that said cryogenic liquefied gas component of said mixture contains detectable concentrations of odorants.
Specification