Cryogenic Loading Tower Guide Pad Assembly for Thermal Movement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing systems for loading and unloading cryogenic fluids, such as liquefied natural gas, face challenges due to significant temperature variations, which cause materials to expand or shrink, requiring a mobile loading and/or unloading tower. However, the installation of buffer supports is complicated by restricted workspace and the weight and bulkiness of these components.
Innovation Solution
A guidance device with a buffer support configuration that facilitates easier installation on a loading and/or unloading tower, allowing for vertical translation mobility while restricting horizontal movement. This device includes a support with a buffer reception area, an edge with an opening for buffer insertion, and a maintenance body to secure the buffer in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If buffer supports are installed on the loading and/or unloading tower within the storage tank, then the tower can accommodate temperature variations through vertical translation, but the installation process becomes complicated due to restricted workspace and the heavy, bulky nature of the buffer supports
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer support is designed with a receiving zone that allows the buffer to be pre-installed on the buffer support structure before the entire assembly is lowered into the storage tank. This preliminary assembly action is performed outside the restricted tank workspace, eliminating the installation complexity caused by limited access during in-tank assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer support system is divided into separable components: the buffer support structure with its receiving zone, and the buffer element itself. This segmentation allows the buffer to be independently positioned and secured in the receiving zone before final assembly, simplifying the installation process by breaking down the complex in-tank assembly into manageable steps performed outside the tank.
2Reliability
If buffer supports are installed within the storage tank, then the loading tower can be positioned relative to the base, but the restricted workspace and heavy buffer supports increase installation time and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer is pre-positioned in the receiving zone of the buffer support before the assembly enters the storage tank. This preliminary positioning action ensures that when the loading tower is lowered, the buffer is already in its correct position to guide and support the tower base, eliminating time-consuming adjustments within the restricted tank workspace.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer acts as an intermediary element between the loading tower base and the buffer support structure. By pre-installing the buffer in the receiving zone, it serves as a ready-made interface that facilitates the final positioning and securing of the tower base, reducing the overall installation time and operational complexity within the tank.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cryogenic fluid loading and/or unloading tower (6) in a storage tank (1), comprising at least one guide device (16) intended to allow the positioning of said tower relative to a base (4) integral with a bottom wall (2) of the tank, the guide device comprising a support (24) having a rim (46) and a receiving area (54) for a pad (26), the guide device (16) comprising a retaining member (58) for the pad delimiting with the rim (46) the receiving area, the retaining member (58) being intended to extend at least partially into an insertion opening for the pad, the tower (6) comprising a plurality of masts (12) and a base (14) connecting the masts together, the guide device (16) being integral with the base and configured to come into contact with the base (4).