Liquefied hydrogen loading arm and liquefied hydrogen transport method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018202608-A1
Application number	US-201615743801-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 12, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	Jul 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquefied hydrogen transport method includes connecting first and second loading arms to the manifold while vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms are filled with hydrogen gas and air is mixed in piggyback lines; supplying an inactive gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of an inactive gas and air from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms; supplying hydrogen gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of hydrogen gas and an inactive gas from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second lading arms; and transporting liquefied hydrogen through any one of the vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms.

First claim

1 . A liquefied hydrogen loading arm configured to transport liquefied hydrogen, the loading arm comprising:
a loading arm support frame structure including a base riser erected on a ground, an inboard boom, an outboard boom, and a counterweight attached to a proximal end portion of the inboard boom; a flexible vacuum insulation double tube including a metal inner tube, a metal outer tube, and an insulation vacuum layer, disposed in a space below the support frame structure, and supported by the support frame structure; a vacuum insulation double connecting tube connected to a distal end portion of the vacuum insulation double tube and connected to a distal end portion of the outboard boom; an arm-side opening/closing valve and an emergency release system sequentially interposed in the vacuum insulation double connecting tube from a vacuum insulation double tube side; and a flexible piggyback line disposed along the vacuum insulation double tube, having a proximal end portion configured to be selectively connected to an inactive gas tubing and a hydrogen gas tubing on a land through a land-side opening/closing valve, and having a distal end portion connected to the vacuum insulation double connecting tube between the arm-side opening/closing valve and the emergency release system.

2 . A liquefied hydrogen transport method of transporting liquefied hydrogen with at least two of the first and second liquefied hydrogen loading arms according to claim 1 , the first and second liquefied hydrogen loading arms being arranged side by side and configured to be connected/cut off to/from each other through a manifold of a liquefied hydrogen transport ship while being connected to the manifold, the method comprising:
a first step of connecting the first and second loading arms to the manifold while vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms are filled with hydrogen gas and air is mixed in piggyback lines; a second step of supplying an inactive gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of an inactive gas and air from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms; a third step of supplying hydrogen gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of hydrogen gas and an inactive gas from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second lading arms; and a fourth step of transporting liquefied hydrogen through any one of the vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms.

3 . The liquefied hydrogen transport method according to claim 2 , further comprising a fifth step of, after the fourth step, taking in liquefied hydrogen and hydrogen gas through the vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms while supplying hydrogen gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms.

4 . The liquefied hydrogen transport method according to claim 3 , further comprising a sixth step of, after the fifth step, supplying an inactive gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms, taking in hydrogen gas and an inactive gas from the other of piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms, and replacing a gas in the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms with an inactive gas.

5 . The liquefied hydrogen transport method according to claim 4 , further comprising a seventh step of, after the sixth step, separating the first and second loading arms from the manifold and mixing air in the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms while the vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms are filled with hydrogen gas.

6 . A liquefied hydrogen transport method of transporting liquefied hydrogen with at least two of first and second liquefied hydrogen loading arms according to claim 1 , the first and second liquefied hydrogen loading arms being arranged side by side, and having piggyback lines configured to be connected/cut off to/from a connecting tubing provided on a land through an opening/closing valve interposed in the connecting tubing, the method comprising:
a first step of connecting the first and second loading arms to the connecting tubing while vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms are filled with hydrogen gas and air is mixed in the piggyback lines; a second step of supplying an inactive gas to one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of an inactive gas and air from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms; a third step of supplying hydrogen gas from one of the piggyback lines of the first and second loading arms and taking in a gas mixture of hydrogen gas and an inactive gas from the other of the piggyback lines of the first and second lading arms; and a fourth step of transporting liquefied hydrogen through any one of the vacuum insulation double tubes of the first and second loading arms.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Unno Shuntaro
• Takase Tomonori
• Umemura Tomoaki
• Inomata Akihiko

Classifications

• F17C1/14

  constructed of aluminium; constructed of non-magnetic steel · CPC title

• F17C2201/0109

  with exteriorly curved end-piece · CPC title

• B67D9/02

  using articulated pipes · CPC title

• F17C7/02 Primary

  Discharging liquefied gases · CPC title

• F17C9/00

  Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied or solidified gases from vessels not under pressure · CPC title