Buffering device, quick connecting device and buffering method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of marine fluid loading and unloading special equipment, in particular to a buffering device, a quick connecting device and a buffering method, and the buffering device comprises a main flange, a limiting ring, a buffering pad, an elastic buffering piece and a resistance block. Elastic connection between the buffering cushion and the limiting plate is achieved through the elastic part, during butt joint, the buffering cushion makes contact with the ship manifold flange firstly, the movement speed and impact force of the ship manifold flange can be reduced through buffering of the elastic part, and the closer the ship manifold flange is to the main flange, the more convenient the ship manifold flange is to move. When the ship manifold flange is in butt joint, the buffer of the elastic part to the ship manifold flange is stronger, so that the butt joint is more stable and reliable, the flange surface and the sealing ring are prevented from being easily damaged during butt joint and separation, and the safety and the durability are improved; when the ship manifold flange moves, the main flange can be continuously pushed to slowly move towards the ship manifold flange and is self-corrected, so that the elastic part continuously buffers the ship manifold flange in the moving process until the ship manifold flange is completely attached to the flange face of the main flange, and the operation is more stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of special equipment for marine fluid loading and unloading, and in particular to a buffer device, a quick connection device, and a buffering method. Background Technology

[0002] Marine fluid handling arms are key equipment for transporting media such as oil and liquefied natural gas between port terminals and ships. The performance of their Quick Connect / Disconnect Coupling (QCDC) directly determines the safety and efficiency of loading and unloading operations. During the docking of the QCDC with the ship's manifold flange, it is essential to ensure that the sealing surface of the manifold flange is tightly pressed against the sealing ring of the connection device to form a leak-free channel. However, existing technologies suffer from the following systemic defects:

[0003] Equipment damage caused by rigid impact

[0004] Current mainstream QCDC systems employ a rigid connection structure, lacking an effective buffering mechanism between the ship's manifold flange and the connecting device. In actual operation, due to the continuous swaying of the ship caused by wind and waves, and the operator's judgment of distances being inaccurate (especially inexperienced novices), the ship's manifold flange often impacts the flange face of the connecting device at high speed. Statistics show that over 30% of sealing ring failures in ports originate from such impacts, resulting in: scratches on the sealing surface of the ship's manifold flange, requiring shutdown for repair; and deformation of the QCDC flange surface, causing the sealing ring to rupture and posing a risk of media leakage.

[0005] Sealing failure caused by tilted connection

[0006] During ship operations, dynamic changes in the ship's attitude often cause the ship's manifold flange to be in an inclined state when in contact with the QCDC (e.g., Figure 5 (As shown). In existing technologies, because the flange face is a monolithic planar structure, inclined contact will cause localized stress concentration: excessive compression of the sealing ring on one side leads to permanent deformation and failure (lifespan reduced by more than 60%); the other side forms a leakage channel due to incomplete sealing. A liquefied natural gas terminal once had to shut down due to such a leak, resulting in a single loss of over 2 million yuan.

[0007] Distance misjudgment due to lack of operation feedback

[0008] The docking process lacks a real-time buffer feedback mechanism, forcing operators to rely solely on visual distance assessment. When the ship's manifold flange is within 10cm of the QCDC flange face, the existing system cannot provide speed control guidance, potentially leading to a collision due to speed loss in the final stage. Industry surveys indicate that 75% of operators consider "precise distance perception" to be the biggest technical challenge.

[0009] Existing improvements mainly use springs or soft gaskets, but they still have limitations: the spring buffer solution adds a spring element between the flanges, which can reduce the impact, but the spring is prone to tilting when compressed, resulting in uneven buffering and failing to solve the problem of tilted connection; the soft gasket solution uses rubber gaskets to temporarily absorb the impact, but the gaskets are prone to aging and will reduce the sealing pressure, causing new leakage points.

[0010] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a rapid connection device with a multi-level buffer mechanism, adaptive leveling function and operation feedback system to fundamentally solve the three major technical bottlenecks of rigid impact, tilting damage and distance misjudgment, and meet the high safety requirements of ship fluid loading and unloading. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The technical problem this invention aims to solve is that current rapid connection devices for buffering mechanisms, adaptive leveling functions, and operational feedback systems cannot fundamentally address the three major technical bottlenecks of rigid impact, tilting damage, and distance misjudgment, thus failing to meet the high-safety requirements for ship fluid loading and unloading.

[0012] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a buffer device applied to the rapid connection of fluid loading and unloading on ships, comprising:

[0013] The main flange, with its left end forming the flange face;

[0014] A limiting ring, made of rigid material and radially fixed to the side end face of the main flange, is shorter than the side end face of the main flange in lateral length.

[0015] A buffer pad is slidably connected to the side end face of the main flange and located to the left of the limiting ring. The left side portion of the buffer pad protrudes to the left of the flange face to preferentially contact the ship manifold flange.

[0016] An elastic buffer element is horizontally connected between the buffer pad and the limiting ring;

[0017] Among them, the protruding structure of the buffer pad and the horizontal arrangement of the elastic buffer components enable self-correction through multi-point asynchronous buffering when the ship manifold flange is tilted during docking.

[0018] The flange face of the main flange is provided with a recessed mounting port for installing a sealing ring.

[0019] It also includes a sealing ring, which is fitted into the mounting port.

[0020] The left end face of the buffer pad is a planar structure, and the right side is provided with a groove structure; the elastic buffer is a spring, one end of which is fixed in the groove structure.

[0021] At least one groove is provided on the side end face of the main flange, located between the buffer pad and the limiting ring;

[0022] It also includes: a resistance block, which is slidably embedded in the groove, and its exposed end is provided with an inclined guide surface;

[0023] The reset spring connects the bottom of the groove to the resistance block;

[0024] Among them, when the buffer pad slides toward the limiting ring, it squeezes the inclined guide surface of the resistance block, triggering a stepped buffer;

[0025] The size of the resistance blocks gradually increases from left to right.

[0026] A quick-connect device, comprising the buffer device according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising:

[0027] The fixing block is located on the side end of the main flange;

[0028] The electronic control calibration unit is located on the outer side of the fixed block. The relative position of the main flange and the ship manifold flange is monitored through the electronic control calibration unit.

[0029] The claw is a movable connection to the fixing block and is equipped with a hook, which is located on the left side of the buffer pad to compress the ship manifold flange.

[0030] A buffering method, applied to ship flange docking, includes:

[0031] Displacement steps: Press the manifold flange to push the main flange toward the manifold flange;

[0032] Buffering step: The ship manifold flange first contacts the protruding buffer pad, and the impact force is reduced by the compression of the elastic buffer element;

[0033] When the ship's manifold flange tilts, it is slowed down after contacting the buffer pad on one side, while the non-contacting side accelerates until it contacts the buffer pad on the opposite side, thus achieving self-correction.

[0034] The sliding of the buffer pad compresses the inclined guide surface of the resistance block, triggering the compression of the reset spring to form a stepped buffer.

[0035] Docking procedure: Continue to push the manifold flange until it is fully fitted with the flange face.

[0036] In the displacement step, the chuck is rotated to make the hook abut against the ship manifold flange and push the main flange.

[0037] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0038] (1) The present invention achieves elastic connection between the buffer pad and the limiting plate through the elastic part. During docking, the buffer pad contacts the ship manifold flange first, so that the buffer of the elastic part helps to reduce the moving speed and impact force of the ship manifold flange. Furthermore, the closer the ship manifold flange is to the main flange, the stronger the buffer of the elastic part on the ship manifold flange, making the docking more stable and reliable, avoiding damage to the flange surface and sealing ring during docking and disengagement, and improving safety and durability.

[0039] (2) The buffer pad contacts the manifold flange faster than the flange face. Therefore, there will be a distance between the manifold flange and the flange face. When the manifold flange is tilted to the main flange, one end of the buffer pad contacts the manifold flange first. Therefore, the part of the manifold flange that contacts the buffer pad will be resisted and move slowly, while the rest of the manifold flange can contact the buffer pad at the other end at a faster speed, so that the manifold flange gradually tends to be flush with the main flange, and finally the manifold flange and the main flange are completely fitted, thus improving the self-correction purpose.

[0040] (3) By squeezing the ship manifold flange, the main flange moves toward the ship manifold flange. During the movement of the main flange, the ship manifold flange first contacts the protruding buffer pad on the main flange. The buffer pad is subjected to force and transmits the force to the elastic part. The elastic part is compressed under the restriction of the limiting ring connected to the main flange, which buffers the force on the buffer pad, thereby buffering the impact force generated during the movement of the ship manifold flange and reducing the movement speed of the ship manifold flange.

[0041] (4) Continue to push the main flange slowly towards the ship manifold flange so that the elastic part continuously buffers the ship manifold flange during the movement until the flange face of the ship manifold flange and the main flange are completely in contact, making the operation more stable.

[0042] (5) During the movement, the buffer pad touches the resistance block on the main flange in sequence. The buffer pad presses the resistance block to the side and downward along the inclined end of the resistance block. The resistance block moves downward, causing the reset spring to compress. The buffer pad continues to move towards the limit ring. Through the obstruction of the resistance block, the buffer force gradually increases as the resistance block gradually increases, further buffering the ship manifold flange. Attached Figure Description

[0043] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in the horizontal pushing state of this invention.

[0046] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the structure under the extrusion and bonding state in this invention.

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure under inclined working conditions in this invention.

[0048] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of position A in the middle.

[0049] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the electronically controlled calibration unit in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0051] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0052] Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The quick-connect device shown includes a buffer device, a fixing block 100 located on the side of the main flange 10, a manifold flange 300, a claw 200, and a hook 210.

[0053] The buffer device includes four core components: main flange 10, limit ring 20, buffer pad 30 and elastic buffer 40. The left end of the main flange 10 forms a flange face 11, and a recessed mounting port 12 is opened in the center of the flange face 11 to fit the sealing ring 50.

[0054] The limiting ring 20 is made of high-strength alloy steel and is radially fixed to the side end face of the main flange by screws 60. Its transverse length is shorter than that of the side end face of the main flange to reserve buffer space.

[0055] The buffer pad 30 is slidably connected to the side end face of the main flange. Its left end face is flat and protrudes to the left of the flange face 11 by about 5-10mm (preferably contacting the ship manifold flange). The right side is provided with a groove structure for fixing the elastic buffer 40. The elastic buffer 40 is made of stainless steel helical spring and is horizontally connected to the buffer pad 30 and the limiting ring 20 to ensure that there is no skew deformation during compression.

[0056] Innovative linkage design: The protruding structure of the buffer pad 30 makes it contact the ship manifold flange 300 before the flange face 11, and absorbs more than 80% of the initial impact force through the horizontal compression of the elastic buffer 40.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown, self-correction under tilting conditions:

[0058] Initial contact: The inclined manifold flange 300 contacts the left end of the buffer pad 30 on one side, which is decelerated by the resistance of the elastic buffer 40.

[0059] Dynamic leveling: The side that is not in contact continues to move forward due to the lack of resistance until it collides with the buffer pad on the opposite side 30, forming a lever-type leveling torque;

[0060] Perfect fit: Under the action of bidirectional buffer force, the ship manifold flange 300 automatically corrects itself to be parallel to the flange face 11, and finally compresses the sealing ring 50.

[0061] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a stepped buffer assembly is added to the side end face of the main flange 10, including a groove, a resistance block 70, and a reset spring 80.

[0062] The groove is located between the buffer pad 30 and the limiting ring 20, and its depth is 1 / 3 of the buffer pad's travel.

[0063] Resistance block 70: It can be slidably embedded in the groove, and its exposed end is machined into a 45° inclined guide surface (optimizing the force transmission path).

[0064] Reset spring 80: A disc spring is used, with one end fixed to the bottom of the groove and the other end connected to the resistance block 70. Stepped buffer mechanism: When the buffer pad 30 moves to the right, its side presses against the inclined guide surface of the resistance block 70, forcing the resistance block 70 to move down and compress the reset spring 80, generating secondary stepped resistance. This process further reduces the impact force by 40% and provides tactile feedback of a pause to the operator.

[0065] Fixed blocks 100 are arranged in a ring array on the side of the main flange 10. An electronically controlled calibration unit 105 is located on the outer surface of the fixed blocks 100. The electronically controlled calibration unit 105 monitors the relative position of the main flange 10 and the ship manifold flange 300. The electronically controlled calibration unit 105 includes a transversely positioned optical ranging probe 1051 fixed to the side wall of the fixed blocks 100 at different locations, a drive housing 1052 mounted on the side wall of the fixed blocks 100, and an electronically controlled worm gear assembly mounted inside the drive housing 1052. The electronically controlled worm gear assembly consists of a worm gear 1053 axially mounted on the assembly shaft at the movable connection end between the chuck 200 and the fixed block 100, and an electronically controlled worm 1054 fixed inside the drive housing 1052. The calibration unit uses laser... The relative positions of the main flange 10 and the manifold flange 300 at different locations are monitored by ranging. When the relative positions of the main flange 10 and the manifold flange 300 are reduced to the set operating range, the horizontal optical ranging probe controls the operation of the electric worm gear assembly. The electric worm gear assembly drives the assembly shaft of the movable connection end between the pawl 200 and the fixed block 100 to rotate, thereby controlling the pawl 200. When the relative positions of the main flange 10 and the manifold flange 300 at different locations are inconsistent, the pawl 200 at the larger relative position is driven to rotate first. This continues until the relative positions of the main flange 10 and the manifold flange 300 at different locations are consistent, and then the pawls 200 at all positions are driven to rotate synchronously.

[0066] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A buffer device for rapid connection during ship fluid loading and unloading, characterized in that, include: The main flange (10) has its left end forming the flange face (11); A limiting ring (20) is made of rigid material and is radially fixed to the side end face of the main flange (10). The limiting ring (20) is shorter than the side end face of the main flange (10) in transverse length. A buffer pad (30) is slidably connected to the side end face of the main flange (10) and located to the left of the limiting ring (20). The left side portion of the buffer pad (30) protrudes to the left of the flange face (11) to preferentially contact the ship manifold flange (300). An elastic buffer (40) is horizontally connected between the buffer pad (30) and the limiting ring (20); Among them, the protruding structure of the buffer pad (30) and the horizontal arrangement of the elastic buffer (40) enable the ship manifold flange (300) to achieve self-correction through multi-point asynchronous buffering when it is tilted during docking.

2. The buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flange face (11) of the main flange (10) is provided with a recessed mounting port (12) for installing the sealing ring; It also includes a sealing ring (50) which is fitted into the mounting port (12).

3. The buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left end face of the buffer pad (30) is a planar structure, and the right side is provided with a groove structure; the elastic buffer (40) is a spring, one end of which is fixed in the groove structure.

4. The buffer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main flange (10) has at least one groove on its side end face, located between the buffer pad (30) and the limiting ring (20); It also includes: a resistance block (70), which is slidably embedded in the groove and has an inclined guide surface at its exposed end; and a reset spring (80), which connects the bottom of the groove to the resistance block (70); When the buffer pad (30) slides toward the limiting ring (20), it squeezes the inclined guide surface of the resistance block (70), triggering the stepped buffer. The size of the resistance block (70) gradually increases from left to right.

5. A quick-connect device, characterized in that, The buffer device comprising any one of claims 1-4 further comprises: A fixing block (100) is located on the side of the main flange (10); The electronic control calibration unit (105) is located on the outer side of the fixed block (100) and the relative position of the main flange (10) and the ship manifold flange (300) is monitored through the electronic control calibration unit (105); The device includes a claw (200), a movable connection to a fixing block (100), and a hook (210) located to the left of the buffer pad (30) to compress the ship manifold flange (300).

6. A buffering method applied to ship flange docking, characterized in that, include: Displacement steps: Press the manifold flange (300) to push the main flange (10) toward the manifold flange (300); Buffering step: The ship manifold flange (300) first contacts the protruding buffer pad (30), and the impact force is reduced by the compression of the elastic buffer (40); When the ship manifold flange (300) tilts, it is blocked and slowed down after contacting the buffer pad (30) on one side, while the side that is not in contact accelerates until it contacts the buffer pad (30) on the other side, thus achieving self-correction. The buffer pad (30) slides and squeezes the inclined guide surface of the resistance block (70), triggering the reset spring (80) to compress and form a stepped buffer; Docking steps: Continue to push the manifold flange (300) until it is fully fitted with the flange face (11).

7. The buffering method according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the displacement step, the chuck (210) is brought into contact with the ship manifold flange (300) by rotating the chuck (200) and pushing the main flange (10).

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