Fluid transfer installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12474019-B2
Application number	US-202218564704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2022
Priority date	May 28, 2021
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

An installation transfers fluid between a source (e.g., a cryogenic fluid reserve) and a receiving unit (e.g., a boat reservoir). It includes a beam framework tower housing a fluid transfer circuit with a pipe extending from a lower connection to an upper connection. The tower is composed of at least two separable stacked modules, enabling different height configurations (two modules stacked or a single module). The transfer circuit within the tower has two sections, one in each module, connected by demountable connectors to adapt the circuit's height to the tower's configuration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An installation for transferring fluid between a fluid source and a receiving unit, the installation comprising:
a tower with a beam framework structure, the tower comprising a fluid transfer circuit comprising at least one pipe provided with a first pipe extending between a first lower end configured to be connected to the fluid source and a second upper end intended to be connected to the receiving unit, at least part of the transfer circuit situated between the first and second ends being housed within the volume delimited by the tower, wherein the tower is composed of at least two separable stacked modules allowing two different configurations of the tower respectively having different heights: a first configuration with the two stacked modules, and a second configuration with a single module, and wherein the transfer circuit situated within the volume delimited by the tower comprises two sections situated respectively in the two modules, the two sections being connected to one another via a system of demountable connectors configured to make it possible to adapt the height of the transfer circuit to the two configurations.

2 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein, in a recumbent horizontal position, each of the modules has a width less than or equal to 2.5 m and a height less than or equal to 3.8 m.

3 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the lower module has, in the vertical position, a height less than or equal to the upper module.

4 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer circuit situated within the volume delimited by the tower comprises pipes mounted on the structure of the tower via supports.

5 . The installation according to claim 4 , wherein at least some of the supports are mounted so as to be adjustable in position relative to the structure of the tower.

6 . The installation according to claim 5 , wherein at least some of the supports of the rigid pipes mounted so as to be adjustable in a vertical position relative to the structure of the tower and/or transversely to the vertical direction of the tower.

7 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer circuit situated within the volume delimited by the tower comprises at least one flexible pipe portion.

8 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the tower comprises a gangway mounted pivotably relative to the tower between a deployed position extending transversely to the tower and a retracted position extending along the tower, the gangway being mounted in a vertically slidable manner on the tower.

9 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the second end of the transfer circuit comprises a flexible hose, the tower comprising a support bracket for supporting said flexible hose.

10 . The installation according to claim 9 , wherein the bracket is mounted in a vertically slidable manner on the tower and/or is articulated on the tower about a vertical axis.

11 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid transfer circuit comprises a second pipe extending between the first lower end intended to be connected to the fluid source, an intermediate part situated within the volume delimited by the tower and an upper end projecting at the upper end of the tower, the second pipe being able and configured to form a chimney for evacuating vent gases.

12 . The installation according to claim 11 , wherein the first pipe is connected to the second pipe ( 19 ) via circuitry provided with at least one valve.

13 . The installation according to claim 11 , wherein the second pipe comprises a plurality of connection ends which are vertically distributed and configured to allow the connection of a removable hose, thereby forming the second end of the first pipe.

Assignees

• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Duval Stephane
• Crevatin Stephane
• De Maeyer Peter

Classifications

• B67D9/02

  using articulated pipes · CPC title

• Y10T137/8807

  Articulated or swinging flow conduit · CPC title

• F17C2270/0171

  Trucks · CPC title

• F17C2223/0161

  cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG · CPC title

• F17C2221/012

  Hydrogen · CPC title