Transfer device for a fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12479715-B2
Application number	US-202418421127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2024
Priority date	Jan 26, 2023
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A transfer device for transferring flowable material between a first reservoir and a second reservoir is provided having a loading device ( 106 ) mounted on a support structure ( 101 ). The loading device ( 106 ) includes several loading arm sections ( 103 - 105 ) mechanically connected by pivot joints ( 113,116,118 ). The transfer device further has a transfer line ( 122 ) connecting the first and second reservoir. The transfer line ( 122 ) is composed of rigid and flexible transfer line sections ( 123 - 126, 133 ). The flexible transfer line sections connect the rigid transfer line sections. At an upstream end at least one rigid transfer line section branches into several flexible transfer lines, which are fluidly merged into the next rigid transfer line in flow direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A transfer device for transferring flowable material between a first reservoir and a second reservoir according to a flow direction, wherein the transfer device comprises:
a loading device, including several loading arm sections mechanically connected by at least one pivot joint; and a transfer line connecting the first and second reservoir, wherein the transfer line is composed of rigid and flexible transfer line sections, wherein each of the rigid transfer line sections extend along at least one of the loading arm sections, wherein at least one of the rigid transfer line section has an end, located in vicinity to the at least one pivot joint that branches into several of the flexible transfer sections, which are fluidly merged into an end of the next rigid transfer line in the flow direction so that the flexible transfer line sections connecting said rigid transfer line sections together in vicinity to the at least one pivot joint allow pivotal movements of the loading arm sections around the pivot joint.

2 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid transfer line sections form the loading arm sections.

3 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid and flexible transfer line sections are vacuum insulated transfer lines.

4 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible transfer line sections connect the rigid transfer line sections across the pivot joint connecting the transfer arm sections associated with the rigid transfer line sections.

5 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the rigid transfer line sections is fluidly connected with a distributor-collector-component that branches the rigid transfer line into the several flexible transfer line sections and/or merges the several flexible transfer line sections.

6 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible transfer line sections form a loop.

7 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein two adjacent rigid transfer line sections associated with two adjacent loading arm sections are angled such that an angled portion of the two adjacent transfer line sections deviates from being parallelly oriented with the associated loading arm sections.

8 . The transfer device according to claim 7 , wherein the flexible transfer line sections fluidly connecting the angled portions of the two adjacent rigid transfer line sections take an S-shaped form when the loading arm sections associated with the two rigid transfer line sections approach a 180° configuration.

9 . The transfer device according to claim 8 , wherein radii of curves of the S-shaped flexible transfer lines are bigger than a minimal allowed bending radius of the flexible transfer lines.

10 . The transfer device according to claim 7 , wherein a connection component is arranged next to the pivot joint connecting the associated loading arm sections, wherein the connection component is horizontally oriented.

11 . The transfer device according to claim 10 , wherein the axis of the pivot joint passes through the connection component.

12 . The transfer device according to claim 10 , wherein upstream and downstream flexible transfer lines are connected with the connection component.

13 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein a vertical portion of a support structure is pivotable in a base bearing.

14 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein one rigid transfer line section extends along the vertical portion of the support structure and provides a fluid input, wherein the fluid input is connected with a flexible line with the first reservoir.

15 . The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the flexible transfer line sections has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the rigid transfer line sections and the flexible transfer line sections have a fee passage area at least as big as a free passage area of the rigid transfer line sections.

Assignees

• Nexans

Inventors

• Gunzel Gerald
• Egerer Ralf

Classifications

• F16L11/00

  Hoses, i.e. flexible pipes · CPC title

• B67D2007/0403

  Fuelling robots · CPC title

• B67D7/0401

  arrangements for automatically fuelling vehicles, i.e. without human intervention · CPC title

• B63B27/34

  using pipe-lines {(anchoring arrangements for special vessels with mooring turrets B63B21/507; buoys specially adapted for mooring a vessel and for transferring fluids, e.g. liquids B63B22/021)} · CPC title

• B67D9/02 Primary

  using articulated pipes · CPC title