Patent Title: Compact, wall-mountable lng sample vaporizing assembly
Patent Number: US20260139798
Assignee: Mustang Sampling LLC
Company Website: Mustang Sampling LLC
The state of West Virginia has officially announced patent US20260139798 as the Patent of the Month for June 2026. Developed by Mustang Sampling LLC, this newly published technology introduces a highly advanced methodology for liquefied natural gas processing and cryogenic sample management, marking a major milestone for industrial energy infrastructure.
Why the Invention is So Innovative
The “Compact, wall-mountable lng sample vaporizing assembly” represents a significant leap forward in cryogenic sampling technology. Traditionally, liquefied natural gas (LNG) vaporizing systems have been bulky, floor-standing, or skid-mounted units. These conventional setups occupy substantial physical space and require intricate, costly piping networks to manage cryogenic temperatures safely. This patent introduces a revolutionary, highly compact design capable of being securely mounted directly onto a wall, optimizing laboratory and facility floor plans.
Beyond its space-saving form factor, the system addresses a critical technical challenge in LNG analysis: maintaining sample integrity. When LNG is re-vaporized for composition testing (such as gas chromatography), standard vaporizers often suffer from fractional distillation, where components with lower boiling points vaporize first, altering the chemical profile of the analytical sample. The patented assembly uses an engineered steady-state storage and heating mechanism that ensures rapid, uniform phase transformation. This preserves the exact molecular proportions of the original LNG batch, guaranteeing flawless custody transfer measurements and process control.
West Virginia Patent of the Month: June 2026
The selection of this assembly as West Virginia’s Patent of the Month for June 2026 highlights the strategic alignment between engineering innovation and regional economic needs. Headquartered in Ravenswood, West Virginia, Mustang Sampling LLC has a deep history of delivering analytically accurate solutions to the energy sector. Because West Virginia sits atop some of the most productive shale gas reserves in the nation, natural gas processing, transport, and quality control are foundational pillars of the state’s economy. By shrinking the hardware footprint required for precise LNG monitoring, this invention allows local extraction facilities, pipelines, and laboratory testing hubs to deploy advanced analytical tools without expanding their physical facilities. The resulting reduction in capital expenditure and setup time makes it an invaluable asset for the state’s energy infrastructure development.
Eligibility for the U.S. R&D Tax Credit
The practical applications and development phases of this patent are excellent candidates for the United States Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 41. To qualify, the taxpayer must fulfill a four-part test. Mustang Sampling LLC, or companies adapting this technology, engage in a permitted purpose by designing an improved, compact, and reliable cryogenic vaporizing assembly. The engineering process directly addresses technical uncertainties regarding thermodynamic control, heat transfer efficiency, and phase-change stability within a constrained, wall-mountable footprint. Resolving these uncertainties requires a rigorous process of experimentation involving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, cryogenic prototyping, and iterative thermodynamic testing. Furthermore, because the research fundamentally relies on principles of physical sciences and mechanical engineering, the expenses incurred during the wages, supplies, and contract research for this development are highly eligible for substantial tax credits, providing significant financial incentives for ongoing domestic energy innovation.
