JP7580236B2 - Emergency release mechanism for fluid handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device that is installed midway through the piping of the fluid loading device.

Conventionally, when loading and unloading various fluids such as liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas between an offshore tanker and a land-based fluid storage facility, a fluid loading device called a loading arm has been used.

Moreover, many of these fluid loading devices are equipped with an emergency release mechanism that, in the event of an emergency such as an unexpected movement of the tanker due to sea level fluctuations such as strong winds, high tides, or tsunamis, or an unforeseen incident such as a fire occurring on either the offshore or onshore side, quickly shuts off the transport of fluid using an emergency shutoff valve to close the valve and prevent the fluid from leaking out, and then separates the transport lines of the fluid loading device to the offshore and onshore sides, thereby preventing damage to the fluid loading device or the piping connections on the tanker side (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, this emergency release mechanism 30 is generally provided midway on the tip side of the outboard arm 43 of the fluid loading device 40, and comprises a pair of valve body containers 31, 32 connected vertically, each having a valve body that blocks the flow of fluid, a connection mechanism 33 that maintains the connection between the valve body containers 31, 32, and a valve body operating mechanism 34 that closes the valve bodies of both valve body containers 31, 32. In the event of an emergency, the valve body operating mechanism 34 operates to simultaneously close the valve bodies of each valve body container 31, 32, and then the connection mechanism 33 is released to release the connection between the valve body containers 31, 32 and separate them from each other, thereby dividing the transport line of the fluid loading device 40 into the sea side and the land side, thereby eliminating the load on the fluid loading device 40 and preventing damage to the fluid loading device 40 and the piping connection part 51 on the tanker 50 side. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 41 denotes the base riser, reference numeral 42 denotes the inboard arm, reference numeral 44 denotes the upper sheave, reference numeral 45 denotes the lower sheave, reference numeral 46 denotes the pantograph cable, reference numeral 47 denotes the counterweight, and reference numeral 60 denotes the storage facility connecting pipe.

JP 2013-160350 A JP 2019-43641 A

The fluid loading device 40 is set so that the center of gravity balance of the piping, including the emergency release mechanism 30, in the onshore direction is maintained such that the flange surface 48a of the tip swivel joint 48 is kept vertical, so that the connection to the piping connection part 51 of the tanker 50 can be performed smoothly.

Therefore, when the emergency release mechanism 30 is activated and the transport line (outboard arm 43) of the fluid loading device 40 is separated into the sea side and the land side, the center of gravity is unbalanced, and the upper valve body container 31 located above the emergency release mechanism 30 rises while its lower end rotates toward the sea side, resulting in an inclined state. However, since the rotation occurs faster than the upward movement, the upper valve body container 31 rotates before it has risen a sufficient distance relative to the lower valve body container 32 located below. As a result, the parts (part of the valve body operating mechanism 34 in the figure) that are provided on the upper valve body container 31 and protrude downward may come into contact with or collide with the lower valve body container 32, causing damage or breakage to the lower valve body container 32 and various mechanisms.

The present invention solves these problems by providing an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device that, when the emergency release mechanism is activated and the upper and lower valve body housings are separated, allows the connecting mechanism and valve body operating mechanism provided on the upper valve body housing after separation to be smoothly separated without coming into contact with or colliding with the lower valve body housing, etc.

The gist of the present invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

The present invention is provided with an upper valve body 1, which is provided in the middle of the piping of a fluid loading device and has a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid, and is rotatably connected to a rotary joint 8, a lower valve body 2, which has a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and is connected below the upper valve body 1, a connection mechanism 3 for maintaining or disconnecting the connection between the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2, and a valve body operating mechanism 4 for closing the valve bodies of the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2. The emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device is configured such that, after each of the valve bodies is closed by actuation of the connection mechanism 3, the connection between the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 is released by actuation of the connection mechanism 3, and the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 are separated. The emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device is configured such that, when the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 are separated, the emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device has a guide mechanism 5 for guiding the upper valve body 1 to move away from the lower valve body 2 when the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 are separated. The upper valve body accommodating body 1 includes a guided member 6 and a guide member 7 that is provided in the lower valve body accommodating body 2 and guides the guided member 6. The guide length between the guided member 6 and the guide member 7 is such that, when the upper valve body accommodating body 1 rotates around a rotation axis 8a of the rotary joint 8 as a rotation center, a downward protruding portion that is provided on the upper valve body accommodating body 1 and protrudes downward from a connecting surface of the upper valve body accommodating body 1 with the lower valve body accommodating body 2 does not come into contact with the lower valve body accommodating body 2. This emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device is characterized in that the guide mechanism 5 is set to a length that guides the upper valve body 1, or a length that guides the upper valve body 1 until an upward protrusion provided on the lower valve body 2 and protruding upward from the connecting surface of the lower valve body 2 with the upper valve body 1 does not come into contact with the upper valve body 1, and the upper valve body 1 is configured such that the rotational movement of the upper valve body 1 is restricted while it is guided by this guide mechanism 5.

The fluid loading device further comprises an upper valve body 1, which is provided in the middle of the piping of the fluid loading device, and which has a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and is rotatably connected to a rotary joint 8; a lower valve body 2, which has a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and is connected below the upper valve body 1; a connection mechanism 3 for maintaining or disconnecting the connection between the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2; and a valve body operating mechanism 4 for closing the valve bodies of the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2. The valve closing operation is performed by a valve shaft 10 protruding from the side of each of the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2, and the valve body operating mechanism 4 has a link member 4a that is bridged between the valve shafts 10 on the side of the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 with its upper end rotatably connected and its lower end detachably engaged, and closes the valve bodies simultaneously. After the valve bodies are closed, the connection mechanism 3 releases the connection between the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 to close the upper valve body 2. The emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device is configured so that the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 can be separated from each other, and has a guide mechanism 5 that guides the upper valve body 1 to move away from the lower valve body 2 when the upper valve body 1 and the lower valve body 2 are separated , and this guide mechanism 5 has a guided member 6 provided on the upper valve body 1 and a guide member 7 provided on the lower valve body 2 and guides the guided member 6, and the guided member 6 and the guide member The guide length between the upper valve body accommodating body 1 and the lower valve body 2 is set to a length that guides the upper valve body accommodating body 1 until the link member 4a, which is connected to the valve shaft 10 of the upper valve body accommodating body 1 and in a vertical state, does not come into contact with the lower valve body accommodating body 2 when the upper valve body accommodating body 1 rotates around the rotation shaft 8a of the rotary joint 8 as the center of rotation, and the upper valve body accommodating body 1 is configured such that the rotational movement is restricted while it is guided by this guide mechanism 5 .

Furthermore, in the emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading equipment described in any one of claims 1 and 2, the guided member 6 is vertically arranged so as to protrude downward from the connecting surface of the upper valve body accommodating body 1 with the lower valve body accommodating body 2, and the guide member 7 is vertically arranged so as to protrude upward from the connecting surface of the lower valve body accommodating body 2 with the upper valve body accommodating body 1.

In addition, in the emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 3 , the guided member 6 and the guide member 7 are characterized in that one is configured as a cylindrical body and the other is configured as a rod-shaped body that fits into this cylindrical body.

The present invention also relates to an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading and unloading device, as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a sliding member is provided on the inner surface of the guided member 6 or the outer surface of the guide member 7.

The present invention is configured as described above, so that when the emergency release mechanism is activated and the upper valve body housing and the lower valve body housing are separated, the connection mechanism and valve body operating mechanism provided on the upper valve body housing can be smoothly separated without coming into contact with or colliding with the lower valve body housing, etc., resulting in an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device.

As a result, in the event of an emergency release, it is possible to prevent the connection mechanism and valve actuation mechanism provided in the upper valve housing from coming into contact with or colliding with the lower valve housing, etc., which would cause damage or breakage to the equipment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state before emergency detachment in this embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state immediately after emergency detachment in this embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after emergency release (just before guiding by the guide mechanism ends) in this embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state after emergency detachment (after guiding by the guide mechanism has been completed) in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a valve body operating mechanism of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram showing a fluid loading and unloading device. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading and unloading device (before emergency release); FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional emergency detachment mechanism for a fluid loading and unloading device (immediately after emergency detachment).

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly explained below, showing the operation of the invention based on the drawings.

In this invention, when the connection between the valve body housings 1 and 2 by the connection mechanism 3 is released, the upper valve body housing 1 located on the upper side and the lower valve body housing 2 located on the lower side are separated, and the upper valve body housing 1 moves upward relative to the lower valve body housing 2.

During this upward movement, the upper valve body housing 1 is guided by the guide mechanism 5, so that it moves a predetermined distance L in the vertical direction while its rotational movement is restricted.

Here, if the predetermined distance L guided by the guide mechanism 5 of the upper valve body housing 1 is set to a distance to a sufficiently elevated position where the connecting mechanism 3 and valve body actuation mechanism 4 provided on the upper valve body housing 1 do not come into contact with or collide with the lower valve body housing 2 even when the upper valve body housing 1 rotates around the rotation axis 8a of the rotary joint 8 to which the upper valve body housing 1 is connected, then even if the guide by the guide mechanism 5 is eliminated and the upper valve body housing 1 rotates, the connecting mechanism 3 and valve body actuation mechanism 4 provided on the upper valve body housing 1 will be able to avoid contact with or collision with the lower valve body housing 2.

This provides a highly practical emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device that can prevent the connection mechanism 3 and valve body operating mechanism 4 provided on the upper valve body housing 1 from contacting or colliding with the lower valve body housing 2 during an emergency release, thereby preventing damage or breakage to the equipment.

Specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The present invention is an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device that is installed midway through the piping of the fluid loading device, and includes a pair of valve body containers 1, 2 that are connected vertically, each of which has a valve body that blocks the flow of fluid, a connection mechanism 3 that maintains the connection between the valve body containers 1, 2, and a valve body operating mechanism 4 that operates to close both valve bodies. The pair of valve body containers 1, 2 are configured to be separated from each other by releasing the connection of the connection mechanism 3, and a guide mechanism 5 is provided that guides the upper valve body container 1 located above the pair of valve body containers 1, 2 so that it moves vertically upward a predetermined distance L relative to the lower valve body container 2 located below when the pair of valve body containers 1, 2 are separated.

The components of this embodiment are described in detail below. Note that the valve body containers 1 and 2, the connecting mechanism 3, and the valve body operating mechanism 4 of this embodiment have the same configuration as the conventional emergency release mechanisms for fluid loading equipment disclosed in JP 2013-160350 A and JP 2019-43641 A, which are listed in the prior art documents, and therefore detailed descriptions are omitted.

In addition, as shown in the figure, this embodiment employs a link mechanism type as the valve body actuating mechanism 4 as disclosed in JP 2019-43641 A, but the valve body actuating mechanism 4 is not limited to this, and may employ, for example, a cam mechanism type as disclosed in JP 2013-160350 A.

The guide mechanism 5 in this embodiment is configured to include a guide body 9 consisting of a guided member 6 that is attached to the upper valve body housing 1 and hangs down so as to protrude vertically downward from the lower end surface of the upper valve body housing 1, and a guide member 7 that is attached to the lower valve body housing 2 and stands up so as to protrude vertically upward from the upper end surface of the lower valve body housing 2. In this embodiment, the guide mechanism 5 is configured to include two guide bodies 9.

Specifically, one of the guided member 6 and the guide member 7 is configured as a tubular body, and the other is configured as a rod-like body that fits into the tubular body (cylinder body). In this embodiment, the guided member 6 is configured as a tubular body, and the guide member 7 is configured as a rod-like body (cylindrical rod body).

In addition, a sliding member (not shown) is provided on either the inner circumferential surface of the guided member 6 or the outer circumferential surface of the guide member 7, or on both.

The guided member 6 moves upward while being guided by the guide member 7 over a distance L, and after moving the distance L, it leaves the guide member 7 and enters a non-guided state.

The distance L over which the guided member 6 is guided by the guide member 7 is the distance over which the guided member 6 is guided by the guide member 7, and is set to be equal to or greater than the length of the linkage 4a of the valve body operating mechanism 4, specifically, the linkage 4a that extends from the upper valve body housing 1 to the lower valve body housing 2 and opens and closes both valve bodies simultaneously, in other words, the linkage 4a that is bridged between the pivot link members 4b provided on the valve shafts 10 of each valve body to simultaneously open and close both valve bodies of the valve body housings 1 and 2, protruding downward from the horizontal plane that connects the pair of valve body housings 1 and 2, in other words, the connecting flange surface that connects the upper valve body housing 1 to the lower valve body housing 2.

More specifically, this distance L is set to a distance that allows the upper valve body housing 1 to move vertically upward to an upward position where the interlocking body 4a of the interlocking valve body operating mechanism 4 provided in the upper valve body housing 1 does not come into contact with or collide with the lower valve body housing 2 even if the upper valve body housing 1 rotates around the rotation axis 8a of the rotary joint 8 to which the upper valve body housing 1 is connected.

This distance L can be changed as appropriate depending on the protruding length of the interlocking body 4a of the valve body operating mechanism 4. Furthermore, the object for determining the distance L is not limited to the interlocking body 4a, but also includes cases where it is another part that protrudes downward from the upper valve body housing 1, or a part that protrudes upward from the lower valve body housing 2.

The effects of this embodiment configured as described above are explained below.

This embodiment is configured with a guide mechanism 5, so that when the upper valve body housing 1 and the lower valve body housing 2 are separated during an emergency release, the upper valve body housing 1 is guided by the guide mechanism 5 until it rises a distance L, and while it is guided by this guide mechanism 5, the rotational movement is restricted as the guided member 6 moves relative to the guide member 7, and it rises vertically relative to the lower valve body housing 2.

When the guiding by the guide mechanism 5 is complete, the upper valve body housing 1 rotates around the rotation axis 8a of the rotary joint 8 to which the upper valve body housing 1 is connected, but the interlocking body 4a of the interlocking valve body operating mechanism 4 provided in the upper valve body housing 1 has risen to a position where it will not come into contact with or collide with the lower valve body housing 2. Therefore, even if a rotational movement occurs, the interlocking body 4a will not come into contact with or collide with the lower valve body housing 2.

Therefore, this embodiment is an emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device that is highly practical and can prevent equipment damage or breakage caused by the connection mechanism 3 and valve body operating mechanism 4 provided on the upper valve body housing 1 coming into contact with or colliding with the lower valve body housing 2 during an emergency release, allowing for safe and smooth emergency release.

The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate.

1 Upper valve body accommodating body 2 Lower valve body accommodating body 3 Connection mechanism 4 Valve body operating mechanism 4a Link member
5 Guide mechanism 6 Guided member 7 Guide member 8 Rotary joint 8a Rotary shaft
10 Valve stem

Claims (5)

an upper valve body accommodating body provided in the middle of a piping of a fluid loading device, the upper valve body having a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and rotatably connected to a rotary joint; a lower valve body having a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and connected below the upper valve body; a connecting mechanism for maintaining or disconnecting the connection between the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body; and a valve body operating mechanism for closing the valve bodies of the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body accommodating body, the valve body operating mechanism being configured such that after the valve bodies are closed by operation of the valve body operating mechanism, the connection between the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body is released by operation of the connecting mechanism, and the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body accommodating body are separated from each other, the emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device is provided with a guide mechanism for guiding the upper valve body to move away from the lower valve body when the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body accommodating body are separated from each other, the guide mechanism being configured to 1. An emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device, comprising: a guided member provided in an upper valve body housing; and a guide member provided in the lower valve body housing and guiding the guided member, wherein a guide length between the guided member and the guide member is set to a length for guiding the upper valve body housing until a downward protrusion provided on the upper valve body housing and protruding downward from a connecting surface of the upper valve body housing with the lower valve body does not contact the lower valve body when the upper valve body rotates around a rotation axis of the pivot joint, or a length for guiding the upper valve body housing until an upward protrusion provided on the lower valve body housing and protruding upward from a connecting surface of the lower valve body housing with the upper valve body does not contact the upper valve body, The present invention is provided with an upper valve body accommodating body provided in the middle of a piping of a fluid loading device, the upper valve body accommodating body having a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and rotatably connected to a rotary joint, a lower valve body accommodating body having a valve body for blocking the flow of fluid and connected below the upper valve body accommodating body, a connection mechanism for maintaining or disconnecting the connection between the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body accommodating body, and a valve body operating mechanism for closing the valve bodies of the upper valve body accommodating body and the lower valve body accommodating body, The valve closing operation is performed by valve shafts protruding from the sides of the upper valve body and the lower valve body, and the valve body operating mechanism has a link member that is bridged between the valve shafts on the sides of the upper valve body and the lower valve body, with an upper end rotatably connected and a lower end detachably engaged, and closes the valve bodies simultaneously. After the valve bodies are closed, the connection mechanism releases the connection between the upper valve body and the lower valve body to close the upper valve body. 1. An emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading device, configured to allow a valve body housing and a lower valve body housing to be separated, the emergency release mechanism having a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the upper valve body to separate from the lower valve body when the upper valve body and the lower valve body are separated , the guide mechanism comprising a guided member provided on the upper valve body and a guide member provided on the lower valve body housing to guide the guided member, the guide length between the guided member and the guide member being set to a length that guides the upper valve body housing to a distance at which the link member connected to the valve shaft of the upper valve body housing and in a vertical state does not contact the lower valve body housing when the upper valve body housing rotates around the rotation shaft of the pivot joint, and the upper valve body housing is configured such that the rotational movement of the upper valve body housing is restricted while it is guided by the guide mechanism . An emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading equipment as described in any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the guided member is vertically arranged so as to protrude downward from the connecting surface of the upper valve body container with the lower valve body container, and the guide member is uprightly arranged so as to protrude upward from the connecting surface of the lower valve body container with the upper valve body container. In the emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 3 , the guided member and the guide member are configured as a cylindrical body, and the other is configured as a rod-shaped body that fits into the cylindrical body. 5. The emergency release mechanism for a fluid loading and unloading device according to claim 1, wherein a sliding member is provided on the inner surface of the guided member or the outer surface of the guide member.

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