US 4,408,943 A · Ship-to-ship fluid transfer system

Abstract

A system for transferring fluid between two marine tankers, including a first articulated loading arm mounted on the first tanker and a second loading arm or other suitable receiver mounted on the second tanker. The first loading arm is guided into operating contact with the second arm or receiver by laser tracking and ranging equipment, and by a computer which computes the location of the end of the first loading arm relative to the second arm or receiver. After the first loading arm and the receiver are connected together, the computer calculates the position of the outboard end of the first loading arm, compares this position to a set of safe operating boundaries, and provides a warning signal whenever the end of the arm moves outside any of these safe boundaries. When the end of the first arm moves outside a critical boundary the computer provides a disconnect signal which shuts down the loading operation and disconnects the first loading arm from the second arm or receiver.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A ship-to-ship fluid transfer system having remote control means for connecting a loading arm on one ship with a storage facility on another ship, said system comprising:

an articulated loading arm;
means for mounting said loading arm on a first ship;
a receiving means;
means for connecting said receiving means to said storage facility on a second ship;
means for sensing the distance and the direction of said receiving means relative to an outboard end of said loading arm and for developing signals proportional to said distance and to said direction;
means for using said signals from said sensing means to move said outboard end of said loading arm into operating engagement with said receiving means;
means for storing a set of parameters of a safe operating boundary for said loading arm;
and
means for disconnecting said loading arm from said receiving means when said loading arm moves outside said safe boundary.

6 more elements

A ship-to-ship fluid transfer system having means for connecting a first articulated loading arm mounted on a first ship, to a second articulated loading arm mounted on a second ship, said system comprising:

means for sensing the position of an outboard end of said first loading arm relative to a predetermined location on said first ship;
means for sensing the position of an outboard end of said second loading arm relative to said predetermined location;
means for calculating the relative positions of the outboard ends of said first and said second loading arms;
means for moving one of said outboard ends of said arms into fluid-transferring contact with the other one of said outboard ends;
means for clamping the outboard ends of said first and said second loading arms into a fluid-tight connection;
means for storing a set of parameters of a safe operating boundary for each of said loading arms;
means for comparing the position of said outboard end of each of said loading arms with a corresponding one of said safe boundaries;
means for providing a warning signal when either of said loading arms reaches a limit of its safe boundary;
and
means for disconnecting said first and said second loading arms when at least one of said loading arms moves outside its corresponding safe boundary.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ship-to-ship fluid transfer system

Life of this patent

Ship-to-ship fluid transfer system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10