Emergency release device for fluid cargo handling equipment

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an emergency release device for a fluid loading device that can efficiently discharge residual fluid accumulated in a recess formed in a lower coupler during emergency release. [Solution] An emergency release device for a fluid loading device, comprising a residual fluid discharge mechanism that uses purge gas to discharge residual fluid remaining in the inter-valve space 6 formed when the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are in a closed state, the residual fluid discharge mechanism including an inlet flow path 7 that introduces purge gas into the inter-valve space 6, and a discharge flow path 8 that discharges residual fluid from the inter-valve space 6, the inlet flow path 7 being inclined downward at a predetermined angle toward the inter-valve space 6 so that the purge gas is sprayed toward a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emergency release device for a fluid loading and unloading device, which is provided with a residual fluid discharge mechanism for preventing fluid remaining between the valve bodies of each coupler from being discharged to the outside during an emergency release. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, butterfly valves or ball valves have generally been used as emergency shutoff valves in emergency release devices provided in fluid cargo handling equipment.

[0003] However, butterfly valves, which are established as emergency release devices installed in fluid loading equipment for ammonia, have a low Cv value (a coefficient that indicates the ease of flow), making them unsuitable for high-flow loading processes.Increasing the flow rate requires increasing the size of the emergency release device, which raises concerns about the resulting increase in the size of the equipment.

[0004] Furthermore, because ammonia is toxic to living organisms, emergency release devices installed on ammonia fluid loading equipment have traditionally been provided with a purge mechanism to prevent fluid remaining between the emergency shut-off valves of each coupler from being released to the outside during an emergency release.

[0005] This purge mechanism is configured so that, during an emergency disconnection operation, after the emergency shutoff valves of each coupler are closed, a purge gas such as inert gas or air is introduced into the space between the valve discs that is formed when the emergency shutoff valves of each coupler are in a closed state, and any fluid remaining in the space between the valve discs is discharged and transferred to a specified location. However, when butterfly valves are used in a high-flow ammonia loading process, the volume of the space between the valve discs is larger than with ball valves and discharge takes time, which increases the time required for emergency disconnection and poses a risk to the separation function.

[0006] Given this background, it is considered preferable to use a ball valve as the emergency shutoff valve of the emergency release device provided in the fluid loading equipment in a high flow rate ammonia loading process. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in a conventional emergency separation device that uses a ball valve as the emergency shutoff valve, when the emergency shutoff valve is closed, due to its structure as shown in FIG. 11, residual fluid that has accumulated around emergency shutoff valve 22 of lower coupler 21, specifically in recess 24 formed on the outer periphery (sealing portion) of the base of spherical surface 23 (sealing surface) of emergency shutoff valve 22, is difficult to cause to flow in the residual fluid in recess 24 with a conventional purge structure (a structure in which inlet piping 25 and outlet piping 26 shown in FIG. 11 are arranged horizontally), and so the residual fluid is difficult to discharge and tends to remain in recess 24, causing the problem that this remaining residual fluid is released to the outside when the couplers are separated.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an emergency release device for a fluid loading device that is equipped with an emergency shutoff valve consisting of a ball valve, and that can efficiently discharge residual fluid that has accumulated in a recess formed in the lower coupler during emergency release and prevent the residual fluid from being released to the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The gist of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] an upper coupler (1) provided with a first emergency shutoff valve (3) configured as a ball valve; a lower coupler (2) provided with a second emergency shutoff valve (4) configured as a ball valve and separably connected to the upper coupler (1); a connection holding means (5) for holding the connection state between the upper coupler (1) and the lower coupler (2); and a valve body operating mechanism for opening and closing the first emergency shutoff valve (3) and the second emergency shutoff valve (4), wherein, after the first emergency shutoff valve (3) and the second emergency shutoff valve (4) are closed by operation of the valve body operating mechanism, the connection holding means (5) releases the connection state between the upper coupler (1) and the lower coupler (2), and the upper coupler (1) and the lower coupler (2) become separable. and a residual fluid discharge mechanism that uses purge gas to discharge residual fluid remaining in an inter-valve space 6 between the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 when the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are in a closed state, the residual fluid discharge mechanism including an introduction flow path 7 that introduces the purge gas into the inter-valve space 6 and a discharge flow path 8 that discharges the residual fluid from the inter-valve space 6, and the introduction flow path 7 is provided in a state of being inclined downward at a predetermined angle toward the interior of the inter-valve space 6 so that the purge gas is sprayed toward a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4.

[0011] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment described in claim 1, the discharge flow path 8 is provided on the opposite side of the inlet flow path 7 across the coupler central axis O.

[0012] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling device described in claim 1, the discharge flow path 8 is provided in an upwardly inclined state at a predetermined angle from the inter-valve space portion 6 toward the outside, and the lower end opening 8a of this discharge flow path 8 is provided in a position as close as possible to a recess 9 formed on the outer periphery of the base of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4 when the second emergency shutoff valve 4 is in a closed state.

[0013] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling device described in claim 2, the discharge flow path 8 is provided in an upwardly inclined state at a predetermined angle from the inter-valve space portion 6 toward the outside, and the lower end opening 8a of this discharge flow path 8 is provided in a position as close as possible to a recess 9 formed on the outer periphery of the base of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4 when the second emergency shutoff valve 4 is in a closed state.

[0014] In addition, the invention relates to an emergency release device for a fluid loading device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 are provided in the upper coupler 1.

[0015] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid loading device described in claim 4, the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 are provided in the upper coupler 1.

[0016] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling apparatus described in claim 5, the upper coupler 1 is provided with a first connecting pipe 10 communicating with the inlet flow path 7, and the upper coupler 1 is provided with a second connecting pipe 11 communicating with the outlet flow path 8, and the inlet flow path 7 has a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the first connecting pipe 10, and the outlet flow path 8 has a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the second connecting pipe 11.

[0017] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling apparatus described in claim 6, the upper coupler 1 is provided with a first connecting pipe 10 communicating with the inlet flow path 7, and the upper coupler 1 is provided with a second connecting pipe 11 communicating with the outlet flow path 8, and the inlet flow path 7 has a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the first connecting pipe 10, and the outlet flow path 8 has a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the second connecting pipe 11.

[0018] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 8, the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 are arranged in symmetrical positions across the coupler central axis O.

[0019] The present invention also relates to an emergency release device for a fluid loading and unloading device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be transferred to a residual fluid recovery device 12 that is installed separately.

[0020] The present invention also relates to an emergency release device for a fluid loading and unloading device, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be transferred to a residual fluid recovery device 12 that is installed separately, in the emergency release device for a fluid loading and unloading device described in claim 9.

[0021] The present invention also relates to an emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be returned to the piping upstream of the first emergency shut-off valve 3 of the upper coupler 1.

[0022] Furthermore, in the emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment described in claim 9, the residual fluid is configured to be returned to the piping upstream of the first emergency shut-off valve 3 of the upper coupler 1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] Since the present invention is configured as described above, in an emergency release device for a fluid loading device provided with an emergency shutoff valve consisting of a ball valve, the device can efficiently discharge residual fluid accumulated in a recess formed in the lower coupler during emergency release, thereby preventing the residual fluid from being released to the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of use of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a reference cross-sectional view showing the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of purge gas in this embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing the respective residual fluid discharge mechanisms in an experiment that supports the effect of this embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a simulation result showing fluid velocities in the inlet and outlet channels in this embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing the results of CFD analysis in an experiment that supports the effect of this embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing the results of ppm evaluation using Python code in an experiment that supports the effects of this embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a graph showing the results of ppm evaluation using Python code in an experiment that supports the effects of this embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a graph showing the results of ppm evaluation using Python code in an experiment that supports the effects of this embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph showing the results of ppm evaluation using Python code in an experiment that supports the effects of this embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a reference cross-sectional view showing a conventional example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below, illustrating the operation of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[0026] In the present invention, the inlet flow path 7 is arranged in a state of inclination downward at a predetermined angle toward the interior of the inter-valve space 6 so that the purge gas is ejected toward a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4. Therefore, the purge gas ejected from the inlet flow path 7 collides with the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4 at a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a, and the purge gas that collides with the spherical surface 4a flows downward toward the recess 9 formed along the outer periphery of the base of the second emergency shutoff valve 4, as shown in FIG. 2. As the purge gas flows into the recess 9, the residual fluid that has accumulated in the recess 9 is stirred up and, as shown in FIG. 3, a flow is created in which the residual fluid in the recess 9 flows toward the discharge flow path 8.

[0027] In this way, the present invention can efficiently discharge residual fluid from recess 9 by using the purge gas to stir up residual fluid in recess 9 on the side of inlet flow path 7, and then sucking and discharging this stirred-up residual fluid into discharge flow path 8, and by sending the residual fluid in recess 9 to the discharge flow path 8 side, and then sucking up and discharging the residual fluid sent to discharge flow path 8 from discharge flow path 8. [Example]

[0028] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] This embodiment is an emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling system that includes an upper coupler 1 equipped with a first emergency shutoff valve 3 formed by a ball valve, a lower coupler 2 equipped with a second emergency shutoff valve 4 formed by a ball valve and connected to the upper coupler 1 so that it can be separated, connection holding means 5 that maintains the connected state of the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2, and a valve body operating mechanism that opens and closes the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4, and is configured so that after the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are closed by operation of the valve body operating mechanism, the connected state of the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2 by the connection holding means 5 is released, and the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2 become separable.

[0030] Specifically, this embodiment is equipped with a residual fluid discharge mechanism (so-called purge mechanism) that, when the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are in a closed state, uses purge gas to discharge residual fluid remaining in the inter-valve space 6 formed between the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 from the inter-valve space 6 and transfers it to a predetermined location, and in the event of an emergency, the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are closed by operation of the valve element operating mechanism to block the flow of fluid in the loading and unloading piping, and after the fluid remaining in the inter-valve space 6 (residual fluid) is discharged (purged) to the outside of the inter-valve space 6, the connection and retention between the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2 is released by the release operation of the connection and retention means 5, allowing the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2 to be separated (separated) in an emergency. Although this embodiment is configured as an emergency release device for a fluid loading device L (loading arm) installed on land as shown in FIG. 1, it may also be configured to be installed on a bunkering boom provided on a fuel supply ship (tanker) for ammonia or the like, and the design can be modified as appropriate.

[0031] Each component of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0032] 1 and 2, the upper coupler 1 is connected to the piping on the side of the fluid cargo handling device L installed on land, and the lower coupler 2 is connected to the piping on the side of the tanker (not shown), and they are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and are connected so as to be freely separable (disconnectable in an emergency) by a connection and retention means 5. Note that the connection and retention means 5 of this embodiment uses known technology (for example, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-132768), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0033] Furthermore, ball valves are used for the emergency shutoff valves (first emergency shutoff valve 3 and second emergency shutoff valve 4) of the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2, respectively, and are configured to open and close simultaneously using a valve disc operating mechanism (not shown). Note that the valve disc operating mechanism of this embodiment, like the above-mentioned connection and holding means 5, uses known technology (for example, the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-132768), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0034] Next, the residual fluid discharge mechanism (purge mechanism) of this embodiment will be described.

[0035] The residual fluid discharge mechanism of this embodiment includes a purge gas supply device 13 that supplies purge gas into the inter-valve space 6, an inlet flow path 7 for introducing the purge gas supplied from this purge gas supply device 13 into the inter-valve space 6, a discharge flow path 8 for discharging the residual fluid from the inter-valve space 6, and a residual fluid recovery device 12 that recovers the residual fluid discharged from the inter-valve space 6.As shown in Figure 1, the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply device 13 is introduced into the inter-valve space 6 via a purge gas transfer pipe 14, the residual fluid in the inter-valve space 6 is discharged (replaced) by this purge gas, and the discharged residual fluid is transferred to and recovered by the residual fluid recovery device 12 via a residual fluid transfer pipe 15.

[0036] Specifically, nitrogen gas is used as the purge gas supplied by the purge gas supply device 13. Note that the purge gas is not limited to nitrogen gas, and may be other inert gases such as helium or air.

[0037] The residual fluid recovery device 12 is a demister, and is configured to properly recover and treat the residual fluid that has been mixed with the purge gas (nitrogen).

[0038] In this embodiment, as described above, the residual fluid is recovered in the residual fluid recovery device 12, but the residual fluid may not be recovered by the residual fluid recovery device 12, but may instead be returned to the piping upstream of the first emergency shut-off valve 3 of the upper coupler 1, for example.

[0039] In addition, the introduction flow path 7 is provided in the upper coupler 1 and is inclined downward at a predetermined angle toward the space between the valve bodies 6 so that the purge gas is ejected toward a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4.

[0040] Specifically, the introduction flow path 7 is a through hole formed through the peripheral wall portion of the upper coupler 1, and is provided at an inclination angle of 40° to 50° (45° in this embodiment) with respect to the horizontal direction perpendicular to the central axis O of the upper coupler 1, and is configured to spray toward a position approximately midway between the vertex 4b and the lower end (seal portion 4c) of the spherical surface 4a in the direction of the coupler central axis O.

[0041] The inlet flow path 7 is provided so as to protrude horizontally outward from the peripheral surface of the upper coupler 1 and is in communication with a first connecting pipe 10 to which a purge gas transfer pipe 14 is connected. Furthermore, the inlet flow path 7 is set to have a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the first connecting pipe 10 (the diameter is set to be smaller than the diameter of the first connecting pipe 10). As shown in FIG. 5, the flow velocity of the purge gas in the inlet flow path 7 (symbol o in the figure) is faster than the flow velocity in the first connecting pipe 10 (symbol f in the figure), and the purge gas is ejected more forcefully into the inter-valve space 6.

[0042] The discharge flow path 8 is provided in the upper coupler 1 and is provided at an appropriate interval from the inlet flow path 7, tilting upward at a predetermined angle from the inter-valve space 6 toward the outside. The discharge flow path 8 may also be configured to be provided in the lower coupler 2.

[0043] Specifically, the discharge flow path 8 is a through hole formed through the peripheral wall portion of the upper coupler 1, and is provided on the opposite side of the inlet flow path 7 across the coupler central axis O (in this embodiment, at a position symmetrical to the inlet flow path 7 across the coupler central axis O), at an inclination angle of 40° to 50° (45° in this embodiment) with respect to the horizontal direction perpendicular to the central axis O of the upper coupler 1, and further, the lower end opening 8a is provided in a position as close as possible to a recess 9 (recessed groove portion) formed along the outer periphery of the base of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4 when the second emergency shutoff valve 4 is in a closed state.

[0044] That is, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional center of the inlet flow channel 7 and the cross-sectional center of the outlet flow channel 8 are arranged so as to be positioned on a straight line passing through the central axis O of the coupler.

[0045] Specifically, the discharge flow path 8 is arranged so that the center position of the lower end opening 8a is 25 mm to 40 mm from the lower end of the upper coupler 1 (the abutting surface with the lower coupler 2) (it is arranged at an appropriate position depending on the pipe diameter of the discharge flow path 8, i.e., the size of the lower end opening 8a of the discharge flow path 8).

[0046] In addition, the discharge flow path 8 is provided in communication with a second connecting pipe 11 that protrudes horizontally outward from the peripheral surface of the upper coupler 1 and to which a residual fluid transfer pipe 15 is connected, and is set to have a flow path cross-sectional area that is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​this second connecting pipe 11 (it is set to have a pipe diameter that is smaller than the pipe diameter of the second connecting pipe 11).

[0047] That is, in this embodiment, by making the diameter of the discharge flow path 8 small, it becomes a throttle valve for the inter-valve space portion 6, and as shown in Figure 5, the flow velocity in the discharge flow path 8 increases from the inter-valve space portion 6 side toward the second connecting pipe 11 side (the velocity increases in the order of symbols d → h → o → r in the figure), which causes an orifice effect and makes the pressure in the discharge flow path 8 lower than that in the inter-valve space portion 6, and a suction action occurs in the discharge flow path 8 from the inter-valve space portion 6 toward the discharge flow path 8.

[0048] Furthermore, the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 configured as described above can have their pipe diameters (flow path cross-sectional areas) set as shown in Table 1 below to match the pipe diameter of the first connecting pipe 10 (second connecting pipe 11) (in the case of a 12-inch specification for the pipe diameters of the upper coupler 1 and the lower coupler 2).

[0049] [Table 1]

[0050] In addition, in accordance with the settings of the above pipe diameters, the position of the lower end opening 8a of the discharge flow path 8 (distance from the opening end face of the upper coupler 1 (the joint face with the lower coupler 2)), the inter-valve distance (vertex distance) between the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4, and the volume of the inter-valve space portion 6 can be set as shown in Table 2 below.

[0051] [Table 2]

[0052] In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, one inlet flow path 7 and one outlet flow path 8 are provided in the upper coupler 1, but as shown in Figure 4(b), it is also possible to provide two inlet flow paths 7 and two outlet flow paths 8.

[0053] The effects of the present embodiment configured as above will be described below.

[0054] In this embodiment, the inlet flow path 7 that introduces the purge gas into the inter-valve space 6 is inclined downward at an inclination angle of 45° toward the inter-valve space 6, and is configured so that the purge gas is ejected toward a position below the apex 4b of the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4.Therefore, the purge gas that collides with the spherical surface 4a of the second emergency shutoff valve 4 flows downward, and causes the remaining fluid in the inter-valve space 6 to flow toward the recess 9 formed along the outer periphery of the base of the second emergency shutoff valve 4. As a result of this flow of purge gas into the recess 9, the remaining fluid in the recess 9 on the side of the inlet flow path 7 is stirred up, and a flow of the remaining fluid in the recess 9 toward the discharge flow path 8 side is caused.

[0055] In this embodiment, the discharge flow path 8 for discharging the residual fluid is provided in an upward inclination at an angle of 45° from the inter-valve space portion 6 toward the outside, and further, the lower end opening 8a of this discharge flow path 8 is provided in a position as close as possible to the recessed portion 9. Therefore, the stirred-up residual fluid is efficiently sucked into the discharge flow path 8 and discharged, and the residual fluid that has flowed toward the discharge flow path 8 is sucked up through the lower end opening 8a, and the interaction of these factors results in the residual fluid in the recessed portion 9 being efficiently discharged.

[0056] Moreover, in this embodiment, the introduction flow path 7 is set to have a smaller pipe diameter than the first connecting pipe 10 and has a small flow path cross-sectional area, so the purge gas increases its speed within the introduction flow path 7 and is ejected with force, thereby more efficiently producing the above-mentioned swirling action and the action of causing the residual fluid to flow toward the discharge flow path 8.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 are provided in the upper coupler 1, and furthermore, the outlet flow path 8 is also provided in an inclined state symmetrically to the inlet flow path 7, so it is possible to realize a structure in which the first emergency shutoff valve 3 and the second emergency shutoff valve 4 are brought as close as possible, and compared to the conventional example shown in Figure 11, the volume of the inter-valve space 6 can be greatly reduced, which reduces the amount of residual fluid and shortens the time required to discharge the residual fluid, thereby shortening the time required for emergency release and enabling safer emergency release, and furthermore, because the volume of the inter-valve space 6 can be reduced, the emergency release device itself can be made smaller and lighter, and it is possible to prevent the fluid loading and unloading device from becoming larger.

[0058] An experimental example that supports the effects of this embodiment will be described below.

[0059] In this experiment, the residual fluid discharge performance was evaluated for residual fluid discharge mechanisms with different configurations of the inlet flow path 7, outlet flow path 8, first connecting pipe 10, and second connecting pipe 11 of the upper coupler 1 and lower coupler 2, each with a pipe diameter of φ12 inches.

[0060] Specifically, the residual fluid discharge performance was evaluated using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis for four residual fluid discharge mechanisms with different configurations of the inlet flow path 7, the outlet flow path 8, the first connecting pipe 10, and the second connecting pipe 11 shown in Figures 4(a) to (d).

[0061] Here, Figure 4(a) shows a conventional configuration without an inlet flow path 7 and an outlet flow path 8 (conventional example), Figure 4(b) shows the present embodiment in which the piping has the configuration shown in Table 1-B (Example 1), Figure 4(c) shows the present embodiment in which the piping has the configuration shown in Table 1-C and in which two inlet flow paths 7 and two outlet flow paths 8 are provided (Example 2), and Figure 4(d) shows the present embodiment in which the piping has the configuration shown in Table 1-A (Example 3).

[0062] The CFD parameters were set as shown in Tables 3 (Numerical Parameters) and 4 (Physical Parameters) below.

[0063] [Table 3]

[0064] [Table 4]

[0065] The results of the CFD analysis in this experiment are shown in Table 5 below and Figures 6 to 10. Note that Figure 6 is a graph of the numerical data in Table 5. Also, Figures 7 to 10 are graphs of ppm evaluation (changes in the concentration of ammonia residual fluid near the ERS) using Python code under each condition (Figure 7: conventional example, Figure 8: Example 1, Figure 9: Example 2, Figure 10: Example 3), and in this experiment, the graphs particularly show the changes just before the completion of purging.

[0066] [Table 5]

[0067] As shown in Table 5 and Figures 6 to 10, the conventional example was unable to reduce the residual fluid in the inter-valve space 6 to zero within a purge time of 7 seconds, whereas the present examples (Examples 1 to 3) were able to reduce the residual fluid in the inter-valve space 6 to zero within a purge time of 6 seconds or less.

[0068] In particular, in Example 3, i.e., in the case where φ2 inch (50.8 mm) piping was used for the first connecting pipe 10 and the second connecting pipe 11, the pipe diameter of the inlet flow path 7 and the outlet flow path 8 was set to φ29 mm, and the position of the lower end opening 8a of the outlet flow path 8 was set to 36.1 mm from the lower end of the upper coupler 1 (the abutting surface with the lower coupler 2), it was confirmed that the discharge (replacement) of residual fluid could be completed in a purge time of 2.5 seconds.

[0069] The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Upper coupler 2 Lower coupler 3. First emergency shutoff valve 4. Second emergency shutoff valve 4a Spherical surface 4b Vertex 5 Connection holding means 6. Space between valve bodies 7. Inlet channel 8. Discharge flow path 8a Lower opening (of discharge channel) 9 Recess 10 First connecting pipe 11 Second connecting pipe 12 Residual fluid recovery device O Coupler center axis

Claims

1. an emergency disconnection device for a fluid cargo handling device, the emergency disconnection device comprising: an upper coupler provided with a first emergency shutoff valve constituted by a ball valve; a lower coupler provided with a second emergency shutoff valve constituted by a ball valve and separably connected to the upper coupler; connection holding means for holding the connected state of the upper coupler and the lower coupler; and a valve body operating mechanism for opening and closing the first emergency shutoff valve and the second emergency shutoff valve, the connection holding state of the upper coupler and the lower coupler by the connection holding means being released after the first emergency shutoff valve and the second emergency shutoff valve are closed by operation of the valve body operating mechanism, and the upper coupler and the lower coupler are placed in a separable state. an emergency release device for a fluid loading device, the emergency release device comprising: a residual fluid discharge mechanism that uses a purge gas to discharge residual fluid remaining in an inter-valve space between the first emergency shutoff valve and the second emergency shutoff valve when the first emergency shutoff valve and the second emergency shutoff valve are in a closed state, the residual fluid discharge mechanism including an introduction flow path that introduces the purge gas into the inter-valve space and a discharge flow path that discharges the residual fluid from the inter-valve space, the introduction flow path being inclined downward at a predetermined angle toward the interior of the inter-valve space so that the purge gas is sprayed toward a position below the apex of the spherical surface of the second emergency shutoff valve.

2. 2. The emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling system according to claim 1, wherein the discharge flow path is provided on the opposite side of the coupler central axis from the inlet flow path.

3. 2. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment according to claim 1, wherein the discharge flow path is provided in an upwardly inclined state at a predetermined angle from the inter-valve space portion toward the outside, and the lower end opening of this discharge flow path is provided in a position as close as possible to a recess formed on the outer periphery of the base of the spherical surface of the second emergency shutoff valve when the second emergency shutoff valve is in a closed state.

4. 3. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment according to claim 2, wherein the discharge flow path is provided in an upwardly inclined state at a predetermined angle from the inter-valve space portion toward the outside, and the lower end opening of this discharge flow path is provided in a position as close as possible to a recess formed on the outer periphery of the base of the spherical surface of the second emergency shutoff valve when the second emergency shutoff valve is in a closed state.

5. 4. An emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling system according to claim 3, wherein the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path are provided in the upper coupler.

6. 5. An emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling system according to claim 4, wherein the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path are provided in the upper coupler.

7. 6. An emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the upper coupler is provided with a first connecting pipe communicating with the inlet flow path, and the upper coupler is provided with a second connecting pipe communicating with the outlet flow path, the inlet flow path having a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the first connecting pipe, and the outlet flow path having a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the second connecting pipe.

8. 7. An emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the upper coupler is provided with a first connecting pipe communicating with the inlet flow path, and the upper coupler is provided with a second connecting pipe communicating with the outlet flow path, the inlet flow path having a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the first connecting pipe, and the outlet flow path having a smaller flow path cross-sectional area than the second connecting pipe.

9. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inlet flow path and the outlet flow path are provided at symmetrical positions across the central axis of the coupler.

10. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be transferred to a separately installed residual fluid recovery device.

11. 10. An emergency release device for a fluid cargo handling system according to claim 9, wherein the residual fluid is transferred to a residual fluid recovery device that is separately installed.

12. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be returned to a piping upstream of the first emergency shutoff valve of the upper coupler.

13. 10. An emergency release device for a fluid loading equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the residual fluid is configured to be returned to the piping upstream of the first emergency shutoff valve of the upper coupler.

Images