Detachable mooring and fluid transfer system
AssigneeSofec, Inc.
InventorSTEPHEN P. LINDBLADE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mooring system comprising a submerged buoy releasably connected to a vessel adjacent its keel by a structural connector. The structural connector consists of a cylindrical sleeve coaxially movable with respect to a cylindrical housing by circumferential actuators. The lower ends of the connector sleeve and connector housing capture a number of collet segments circumpositioned therebetween that radially pivot in and out as the connector sleeve is moved axially within the connector housing. The lower ends of the collet segments extend downward to a connector hub on the buoy and releasably engage a groove therein, dogging the bearing hub against the vessel. A combined bearing assembly that supports both axial and radial loading revolvably connects the buoy to a moored chain table.
Claims12
A disconnectable mooring arrangement for a vessel (157) comprising:
- a buoy (155) having an upper structure (155U) and a lower structure (155L),
- a generally vertical shaft (168) defined between said upper structure and said lower structure;
- a chain table (151) rotatively coupled to said buoy (155) by an axial/radial bearing assembly (154) mounted to said lower structure (155L) of said buoy (155),
- said chain table (151) having anchor legs (153) attached thereto capable of anchoring said chain table (151) to a sea floor, whereby said buoy (155) is free to rotate about said chain table (151) when said anchor legs (153) are anchored to said sea floor;
- a connector flange (167) having a lower part secured within said vertical shaft (168) and an upper part extending above said upper structure (155U);
- a structural connector (156) mounted on said vessel (157) and arranged and designed to releasably connect to said upper part of said connector flange (167), whereby
- connection of said structural connector (156) to said connector flange (167) moors said vessel (155) to the sea floor while allowing said vessel (155) and said buoy (155) to weathervane about said chain table (151).
A disconnectable mooring arrangement for a vessel (157) comprising,
- a buoy (155) having an upper structure (155U) and a lower structure (155L) and a connector flange (167) mounted thereon,
- a structural connector (156) mounted on said vessel (157) and arranged and designed to releaseably connect said connector flange (167) of said buoy (155) to said vessel (157),
- said upper structure (155U) of said buoy (155) designed to be substantially parallel to a bottom surface (157B) of the vessel (157),
- said connector flange (167) and said structural connector (156) arranged and dimensional to define a vertical space (200) between said upper structure (155U) and said bottom surface (157B) of the vessel (157) when the structural connector (156) is connected to said connector flange (167), and
- metal-to-metal shoes (110) connected to and facing downwardly from said bottom surface of said vessel (157) into said vertical space (200) to provide contact between said upper structure (155U) and said bottom surface (157) of the vessel (157) when the structure connector (156) is connected to said connector flange (167).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.