Method and apparatus for emergency disconnection of a fluid petroleum product transfer arm
AssigneeFMC Corporation
InventorEugene Le Devehat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for effecting emergency disconnection of a fluid transfer arm from a marine tanker manifold or other vessel to which the arm is connected, including means to purge the arm of fluid prior to disconnection in order to prevent fluid spillage.
Claims15
An emergency disconnection method for a petroleum product loading/unloading arm, said arm comprising a fixed tubular portion connected to a fixed pipeline, a mobile tubular portion connected to the fixed tubular portion and equipped with a "when-empty" balancing system, and a coupling device adapted to connect the mobile portion to a mobile pipeline subject to fluctuations in position relative to the fixed pipeline, the method comprising, for a given direction of flow of fluid in the arm, shutting off the flow in an upstream area of the arm and, from this shut-off area, purging the fluid contained in the mobile portion of the arm to a downstream area of the arm by propelling a pipe pig means through said mobile portion.
In a petroleum product loading/unloading arm comprising a fixed tubular portion adapted for connection to a fixed pipeline, a mobile tubular portion connected to the fixed portion and equipped with a "when-empty" balancing system, and a coupling device on the mobile portion adapted to connect the arm to a mobile pipeline subject to fluctuations in position relative to the fixed pipeline, the improvement comprising an arm purging device located in an upstream area of the arm relative to the direction of flow of fluid product therethrough, for shutting off the fluid flow into the arm for injecting a pipe pig means into the mobile tubular portion, a pig stop means in a downstream area of the arm adapted to allow the fluid flow to pass through it and to halt movement of the pipe pig means, and a fluid injection system for returning the pipe pig means towards the arm purging device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.