Connecting device

Abstract

The invention relates to a connecting device (1) comprising a female connector (2) intended to be assembled to a male connector (3), wherein the female connector (2) and the male connector (3) each comprise a fluid duct (8), and wherein the connecting device (1) is characterised in that the female connector (2) comprises a sealing sleeve (13) fitted inside a body (4) of the female connector (2) with a radial clearance between the sealing sleeve (13) and the body (4) of the female connector (2), and in that the male connector (3) is provided with a nut (6) that enables the female connector (2) and the male connector (3) to be assembled together by screwing the nut (6) onto a threaded portion (7) of the female connector (2), wherein the nut (6) is fitted around a body (5) of the male connector (3) with a radial and longitudinal clearance between the nut (6) and the body (5) of the male connector (3).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] TITLE: Connection device

[0003] The subject of the invention is a connection device, and in particular a connection device for connecting a reservoir of a fluid such as hydrogen to a fluid supply circuit. The connection device according to the invention makes it possible to supply rigidly mounted hydrogen reservoirs with a rigid hydrogen network.

[0004] Various connection devices are already known for connecting rigid systems.

[0005] For example, we know of 1a steel elbow tubes which are welded at each of their ends (figure 1). This type of device has the disadvantage of not being removable.

[0006] There are also 1b elbow fittings, as shown in Figure 2. However, these fittings do not allow clearances to be taken up between two rigid systems.

[0007] Finally, it is known to use as a connection device the device 1c illustrated in figures 3 and 4. This blind connection device makes it possible to take up clearances but has a limited maintenance-free operating life due to the use of sealing O-rings.

[0008] The invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

[0009] In particular, it offers a device for connecting non-aligned conduits, the device being easily removable, allowing axial and / or angular play to be taken up, and able to be used for several decades without maintenance.

[0010] The invention thus relates to a connection device, intended to connect a first fluid zone to a second fluid zone, the device comprising a female connector intended to be assembled to a male connector, the female connector and the male connector each comprising a fluid conduit, the fluid conduit of the female connector having a longitudinal axis and extending between a first end of the female connector intended to be connected to the first fluid zone and a second end of the female connector intended to receive the fluid conduit of the male connector, the fluid conduit of the male connector extending between a first end of the male connector intended to be engaged in the female connector and a second end of the male connector intended to be connected to the second fluid zone, the fluid conduit of the male connector comprising a first portion, of longitudinal axis, located on the side of the first end of the male connector and a second portion,located on the side of the second end of the male connector and inclined relative to the first portion.,

[0011] In the connection device according to the invention, the female connector comprises on its second end a sealing sleeve mounted inside a body of the female connector with a radial clearance between the sealing sleeve and the body of the female connector, and the male connector is provided on its first end with a nut allowing assembly of the female connector and the male connector by screwing the nut onto a thread of the female connector, the nut being mounted around a body of the male connector with a radial and longitudinal clearance between the nut and the body of the male connector.

[0012] Thus, thanks to the cooperation between the sleeve and the nut specific to the device, a connection device is obtained which makes it possible to compensate for any axial and / or angular clearances between the first fluid zone and the second fluid zone.

[0013] The second portion of the fluid conduit of the male connector may be orthogonal to the first portion of the fluid conduit of the male connector.

[0014] The sealing sleeve may have a frustoconical external surface and an internal surface having a frustoconical portion located on the side of the second end of the female connector.

[0015] The body of the male connector may have a truncated cone-shaped portion at the first end of the male connector.

[0016] The inner surface of the sealing sleeve may include a longitudinal abutment area for the first portion of the fluid conduit of the male connector. The connecting device may include, at the second end of the female connector, a transverse washer acting as a longitudinal abutment for the sleeve.

[0017] The nut may include a main annular portion and an end annular portion, distal from the first end of the male fitting and of diameter less than the diameter of the main annular portion.

[0018] The annular end portion of the nut may be capable of moving longitudinally between two stops of the body of the male fitting.

[0019] The invention also relates to a connection system.

[0020] The connection system includes a first fluid zone, a second fluid zone, and a connection device described above connecting the first fluid zone to the second fluid zone.

[0021] The fluid may be hydrogen, the first fluid zone may be a hydrogen reservoir, and the second fluid zone may be a hydrogen supply circuit.

[0022] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description below, of a non-limiting example of implementation, made with reference to the appended figures in which:

[0023] [Fig. 1], already described, is a perspective view of a first connection device of the state of the art,

[0024] [Fig. 2], already described, is a perspective view of a second state-of-the-art connection device,

[0025] [Fig. 3], already described, is a perspective view of a third state-of-the-art connection device,

[0026] [Fig. 4], already described, is a longitudinal sectional view of the third state-of-the-art connection device,

[0027] [Fig. 5] is a front view of a connection device according to the invention,

[0028] [Fig. 6] is a longitudinal sectional view of the connecting device of Figure 5, [Fig. 7] a detailed longitudinal sectional view of the connecting device of Figure 5,

[0029] [Fig. 8] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a first step of a method of assembling the connecting device,

[0030] [Fig. 9] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a second step of a method of assembling the connecting device,

[0031] [Fig. 10] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a third step of a method of assembling the connecting device,

[0032] [Fig. 11] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a fourth step of a method of assembling the connecting device,

[0033] [Fig. 12] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a fifth step of a method of assembling the connecting device,

[0034] [Fig. 13] is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a step in disassembly of the connecting device, and

[0035] [Fig. 14] is a partial general perspective view of a connection system implementing connection devices according to the invention.

[0036] As illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, a connection device 1 according to the invention comprises a female connector 2 intended to be assembled by screwing to a male connector 3.

[0037] The female connector 2 makes it possible to connect the device 1 to a first fluid zone, typically a hydrogen tank, in a first connection direction x, called the longitudinal direction (figure 8).

[0038] The male connector 3 allows the device 1 to be connected to a second fluid zone, typically a hydrogen supply circuit, in a second connection direction y, aligned or not aligned with the first connection direction x in the operational configuration of the device 1, that is to say when the female connector 2 is assembled to the male connector 3. The second connection direction y is typically orthogonal to the first connection direction x (figure 8). The male connector 3 is provided with a nut 6 capable of being screwed onto a threaded zone 7 of the female connector 2.

[0039] The female connector 2 and the male connector 3 each comprise a fluid conduit 8, typically a conduit allowing the passage of hydrogen.

[0040] The female connector 2 has a longitudinal axis x. It comprises a body 4 including three successive coaxial cylindrical parts, namely a first part 9 located at a first end of the female connector 2, a central part 10 and a second part 11 located at a second end of the female connector 2.

[0041] The first part 9 is intended to be connected to the first fluid zone. It is provided with an external thread 12 allowing the female connector 2 to be screwed onto a connection element of the first fluid zone.

[0042] The central part 10 connects the first part 9 to the second part 11. The central part 10 serves as a longitudinal stop for the nut 6 of the male connector 3.

[0043] The second part 11 is intended to receive an end portion of the fluid conduit 8 of the male connector 3. It is provided with an external thread 7 allowing fixing by screwing the nut 6 of the male connector 3 onto the external thread 7.

[0044] The second part 11 of the body 4 of the female connector 2 houses a sealing sleeve 13. The sleeve 13 is of generally frustoconical shape, with a diameter which increases in the direction of the male connector 3, and is mounted with radial clearance (along the y and z axes) inside the second part 11 of the body 4 of the female connector 2. The sleeve 13 thus has in each of its cross sections (i.e. in a y, z plane) a diameter smaller than that of the second part 11 of the body 4 of the female connector 2.

[0045] The sealing sleeve 13 has a frustoconical external surface 13a, as well as an internal surface successively having, from the central part 10 of the body 4 and in the direction of the second end of the female connector 2: a first frustoconical portion 13b in which the diameter decreases in the direction of the second end of the female connector 2, an annular portion 13c, a second frustoconical portion 13d whose diameter increases in the direction of the second end, and a third frustoconical portion 13e in which the diameter increases more slightly in the direction of the second end than in the second frustoconical portion 13d (figure 7).

[0046] A metal washer 14, arranged transversely at the second end of the female connector 2, serves as a longitudinal stop for the sleeve 13. The washer 14 is arranged longitudinally between the sleeve 13 and a metal ring 15 mounted in a groove of the second part 11 of the body 2.

[0047] The washer 14 can move freely. It is only held by the ring 15.

[0048] We can also consider the presence of a ring 15 alone, without the washer 14.

[0049] A longitudinal fluid passage 8 is formed inside the female connector 2. It is delimited successively by the diameter of the first part 9, the central part 10 and the sealing sleeve 13.

[0050] The male connector 3 comprises a body 5 and a nut 6 capable of being screwed onto the threaded area 7 of the female connector 2, so as to allow the male connector 3 and the female connector 2 to be screwed together.

[0051] The body 5 of the male connector 3 is generally L-shaped. It comprises a first cylindrical part 16 located at a first end of the male connector 3. The first part 16 is coaxial with the longitudinal axis x of the female connector 2 when the male connector 3 is locked to the female connector 2. The first part 16, around which the nut 6 is arranged, forms a first portion of the fluid conduit 8, the end of which is intended to be inserted into the sealing sleeve 13 of the female connector 2.

[0052] The body 5 of the male connector 3 further comprises a second cylindrical portion 17 located at a second end of the male connector 3. The second portion 17 is intended to be connected to a connection element of the second fluid zone. The second portion 17 is orthogonal to the first portion 16. It should be noted that the second portion 17 could also have any type of inclination relative to the first portion 16, including being aligned with the first portion 16 or being parallel to the first portion 16. The second portion 16 forms a second portion of the fluid conduit 8. The second portion 17 of the body 5 of the male connector 3 is provided, at the second end of the male connector 3, with an external thread 18 allowing the male connector 3 to be screwed onto a connection element of the second fluid zone. Alternatively, the second portion 18 could be welded to the connection element.

[0053] A fluid passage 8, also L-shaped, is thus formed inside the body. The fluid passage 8 comprises a longitudinal fluid passage portion (along the x axis) and a transverse fluid passage portion (along the y axis).

[0054] The longitudinal fluid passage portion 8 of the male connector 3 is intended to be inserted into the female connector 2, so as to extend the longitudinal fluid passage 8 of the female connector, and thus to form a continuous fluid passage 8 inside the connection device 1.

[0055] The first part 16 successively comprises, from the first end of the male connector 3 and moving away from it: a first annular portion 16a, a frustoconical portion 16b whose diameter increases moving away from the first end, and a second annular portion 16c with a diameter greater than the diameter of the first annular portion 16a.

[0056] The nut 6 is arranged around the first part 16 of the body 5 of the male connector 3. Its longitudinal travel is delimited by two stops 19, 20 formed by two radially projecting parts of the body 5, for example two shoulders of the body 5.

[0057] The nut 6 comprises for this purpose a main annular part 6a, proximal to the female connector 2, which has a diameter greater than the diameters of the shoulders 19, 20, the main annular part 6a being extended by an annular end part 6b, distal to the female connector 2, which has a diameter less than the diameters of the shoulders 19, 20. The annular end part 6b can thus move longitudinally between the two stops 19, 20.

[0058] The diameter of the annular end part 6b being greater than the diameter of the part of the body 5 which is located between the two stops 19, 20, there is thus a radial clearance (along the axes y and z) between the first part 16 of the body 5 of the male connector 3 and the nut 6. The remainder of the description is devoted to a method of assembling (fixing) the male connector 3 and the female connector 2.

[0059] Initially, the female connector 2 and the male connector 3 are separated.

[0060] We start by mounting the female connector 2 on the first fluid zone, the first fluid zone typically being a hydrogen tank, for example by screwing the female connector 2 onto an inlet pipe of the hydrogen tank, and by mounting the male connector 3 on the second fluid zone, the second fluid zone typically being a hydrogen supply circuit, by screwing or welding the male connector 3 onto a pipe of the hydrogen distribution circuit (figure 8).

[0061] We can then begin to connect the two connectors 2, 3, obtaining a first contact along the x axis. There may be an offset between the longitudinal axis x of the female connector 2 and the longitudinal axis of the first part 16 of the body 5 of the male connector 3 (figure 9).

[0062] The sealing sleeve 13 can still move over a certain distance along the y and z axes depending on the relative position of the body 4 of the female connector 2.

[0063] Continuing the connection, we arrive at the point where the nut 6 touches the body 4 of the female connector 2. The annular portion 16a of the body 5 rests on the frustoconical portion 13e of the sealing sleeve 13 (figure 10) then slides until it abuts against the frustoconical portion 13d of the sleeve 13 (figure 11).

[0064] The nut 6 being movable radially (around the first part 16 of the body 5) and longitudinally (between the two stops 19, 20), it is possible to start screwing the connections 2, 3 along the axis x (figure 11).

[0065] The nut 6 then arrives in its final position (figure 12). The annular end part 6b of the nut 6 is then in abutment against the stop 19 of the body 5 of the male connector 3. A double metal / metal seal is obtained, with positional and mechanical locking.

[0066] To disconnect the storage device 1 from the hydrogen supply circuit, it is sufficient to simply unscrew the nut 6 (figure 13). Figure 14 illustrates a connection system 21 implementing connection devices 1 according to the invention.

[0067] Hydrogen tanks 22 are supplied with hydrogen by a hydrogen supply circuit 23. A connection device 1 makes it possible to connect each hydrogen tank inlet 22a to an outlet 23a of the hydrogen supply circuit 23.

[0068] The connection device according to the invention thus makes it possible to obtain a removable interface between two rigid systems, and which allows sealed fluid communication between conduits positioned angularly relative to each other.

[0069] The connecting device according to the invention, which is free from elastomer seals, has a service life of several decades.

Claims

Claims 1. Connection device (1), intended to connect a first fluid zone (22) to a second fluid zone (23), the device (1) comprising a female connector (2) intended to be assembled to a male connector (3), the female connector (2) and the male connector (3) each comprising a fluid conduit (8), the fluid conduit of the female connector (2) having a longitudinal axis (x) and extending between a first end of the female connector (2) intended to be connected to the first fluid zone (22) and a second end of the female connector intended to receive the fluid conduit of the male connector (3), the fluid conduit of the male connector extending between a first end of the male connector (3) intended to be engaged in the female connector (2) and a second end of the male connector (3) intended to be connected to the second fluid zone (23), the fluid conduit (8) of the male connector (3) comprising a first portion, having a longitudinal axis (x),located on the side of the first end of the male connector (3) and a second portion, located on the side of the second end of the male connector (3) and inclined relative to the first portion, the connection device (1) being characterized in that the female connector (2) comprises on the side of its second end a sealing sleeve (13) mounted inside a body (4) of the female connector (2) with a radial clearance between the sealing sleeve (13) and the body (4) of the female connector (2), and in that the male connector (3) is provided on the side of its first end with a nut (6) allowing assembly of the female connector (2) and the male connector (3) by screwing the nut (6) onto a thread (7) of the female connector (2), the nut (6) being mounted around a body (5) of the male connector (3) with a radial and longitudinal clearance between the nut (6) and the body (5) of the male connector (3)., 2. Connection device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second portion of the fluid conduit (8) of the male connector (3) is orthogonal to the first portion (3) of the fluid conduit (8) of the male connector.

3. Connection device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing sleeve has a frustoconical external surface (13a) and an internal surface having a frustoconical portion (13e) located on the side of the second end of the female connector (2).

4. Connection device (1) according to claim 3, and in that the body (5) of the male connector (3) has at the first end of the male connector (3) a frustoconical portion (16b).

5. Device (1) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the internal surface of the sealing sleeve (13) comprises a longitudinal abutment zone (13d) of the first portion of the fluid conduit of the male connector (3).

6. Device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises, at the second end of the female connector (2), a transverse washer (15) acting as a longitudinal stop for the sleeve (13).

7. Device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the nut (6) comprises a main annular part (6a) and an end annular part (6b), distal from the first end of the male connector (3) and of diameter less than the diameter of the main annular part (6a).

8. Device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the annular end part (6b) of the nut (6) is able to move longitudinally between two stops (19, 20) of the body (5) of the male connector (3).

9. Connection system (21), characterized in that it comprises a first fluid zone (22), a second fluid zone (23), and a connection device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8 connecting the first fluid zone (22) to the second fluid zone (23).

10. Connection system (21) according to claim 9, characterized in that the fluid is hydrogen, in that the first fluid zone (22) is a hydrogen reservoir and in that the second fluid zone (23) is a hydrogen supply circuit.

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