Emergency Disconnection System

• US 20090293969A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FMC Technologies BV (TechnipFMC, plc)
• Original Assignee: FMC Technologies BV (TechnipFMC, plc)
• Inventors: Loyer, Anthony, Le Devehat, Renaud
• Granted Patent: US 8,336,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/614
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 27/24 of pipe-lines
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 29/002 joints with taps taps in general F16K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/373 with two taps or cocks
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/62 pneumatically or hydraulically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/1007 Couplings closed automatically when broken
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/00 Maritime or waterways transport
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87925 Separable flow path section, valve or closure in each
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87973 Coupling interlocked with valve, or closure or actuator

Abstract

The invention concerns an emergency disconnection system, in particular for a fluid loading arm, of the kind having two valves which are coupled using a collar with controlled opening, an actuator (400) provided with a single rod (401), and single axis kinematics such that a movement of the rod (401) over a first portion of its travel closes the two valves and over the remainder of its course, opens the collar, characterized in that the actuator comprises means adapted to ensure the movement of the rod (401) over said two portions of travel and independently controlled over each of said portions, said means acting coaxially or substantially coaxially.

Claims

1. An emergency disconnection system for a fluid loading arm which comprises:

two valves;

a collar which when closed secures the valves together and when opened allows the valves to disconnect from each other;

an actuator which comprises a single rod which is movable axially over a length of travel, first means for moving the rod over a first portion of its travel to close the two valves and second means for moving the rod over a remaining portion of its travel to open the collar;

wherein the first and second means are independently controllable and positioned substantially coaxially relative to each other.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first means is operable to re-open the valves prior to operation of the second means.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first means comprises a first jack which controls the movement of the rod over the first portion of its travel, the second means comprises a second jack which controls the movement of the rod over the remaining portion of its travel, and the first and second jacks are nested one inside the other.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the collar comprises:

two segments which are connected together by two tie rods, one of which permits the opening of said collar and the other of which permits the pivoting of one segment with respect to the other; and

elastic means operative between the segments and the valves to bias the collar toward its open position.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first portion of travel is at least, as long as the remaining portion of travel such that, if the second means is actuated before the first means, the valves will nevertheless be closed before the collar is opened.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein the elastic means comprises a number of spring washers which are disposed in corresponding bores in the segments of the collar perpendicularly to the median axis of the two valves.

7. A system according to claim 3, wherein the first jack is supplied by two apertures, between which a hollow piston is mounted which serves as a cylinder to a second piston that forms the second jack and from which the actuator rod extends and passes through said first and second jacks to emerge from the actuator.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said rod comprises an axial bore extending therethrough and exiting behind the second piston in the second jack in order to supply the latter.

9. A system according to claim 4, wherein the tie rod comprises:

cams at each of its ends which are linked with corresponding ends of each of the segments, one of the cams being formed as a finger bearing on the end of the corresponding segment;

wherein in the closed position of the collar said tie rod comes to bear on a stop formed at said end of said segment of the collar; and

wherein the segments is subject to stress by the elastic means with which it is equipped, such that a dead center must be passed by the finger on pivoting of the tie rod under the action of the second means to open the collar.

10. An emergency disconnection system for a fluid loading arm which comprises two valves and a collar which in the closed position secures the valves together and in the open position permits the valves to be moved apart, the emergency disconnection system comprising:

an actuator which comprises an elongated control rod, first means for extending the control rod axially from a first position to a second position to thereby close the valves, and second means for extending the control rod axially from the second position to a third position beyond the second position to thereby open the collar;

wherein the first and second means are controllable independently of each other.

11. The emergency disconnection system of claim 10, wherein the first means comprises a first piston and the second means comprises a second piston.

12. The emergency disconnection system of claim 11, wherein the second piston is positioned within the first piston and is connected to the control rod.

13. The emergency disconnection system of claim 12, wherein the actuator further comprises:

a first control aperture through which hydraulic fluid is supplied to move the first piston and thereby the control rod from the first position to the second position;

a second control aperture through which hydraulic fluid is supplied to move the first piston and thereby the control rod from the second position to the first position; and

a third control aperture through which hydraulic fluid is supplied to move the second piston and thereby the control rod from the second position to the third position.

14. The emergency disconnection system of claim 13, wherein the third control aperture communicates with a bore which extends axially through the control rod to a space between the first and second pistons.

15. The emergency disconnection system of claim 11, wherein the first piston is connected to the control rod and is positioned within the second piston.

16. The emergency disconnection system of claim 11, wherein the first and second pistons are positioned axially in tandem, the first piston is connected to a piston rod which engages the second piston, and the second piston is connected to the control rod.

17. The emergency disconnection system of claim 10, wherein the first and second means comprise respective first and second jacks which are positioned axially in tandem, and wherein the first jack is connected to the second jack and the second jack is connected to the control rod.

18. The emergency disconnection system of claim 10, wherein the first and second means comprise respective first and second jacks which are positioned concentrically, and where the first jack is connected to the control rod and the second jack is connected to the first jack.

19. The emergency disconnection system of claim 10, wherein the collar comprises:

first and second arcuate segments which each comprise first and second ends;

a first tie rod which pivotally connects the first ends of the arcuate segments together;

a second tie rod which releasably connects the second ends of the arcuate segments together; and

means positioned between at least one of the first and second segments and at least one of the valves for biasing the collar toward its open position.

20. The emergency disconnection system of claim 19, wherein the biasing means comprises a number of spring washers which are positioned in corresponding bores in the at least one of the first and second segments.