JP2013217471A - Connecting joint of pipe for cryogenic fluid and equipment for supplying cryogenic fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting joint that facilitates connecting work and prevents mixing of air into a cryogenic fluid, gas leakage to air, and frost formation on the connecting joint.SOLUTION: An outer periphery of an insertion pipe part 14 formed close to the tip of a male type connecting joint 6 is airtightly and slidably covered with an overcoat pipe 15. The connecting joint includes: a receiving tool R fixed to the overcoat pipe 15 and a connecting and fixing tool 48 to be fixed to the receiving tool R; a guide rod 45 that allows the connecting and fixing tool 48 to slide and move parallel to the insertion pipe part 14; and a guide mechanism 16, which is configured by engraving engaging portions in the guide rod 45 to be correspond to a position, where the insertion pipe part 14 go in/out farthest, and a contact position where the top end face of the insertion pipe part 14 comes into contact with an outer peripheral surface of a ball valve 18, and relatively fixing an engaging pin 44 to be engaged with the engaging portions to the connecting and fixing tool 48.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cryogenic piping connection joint used for cryogenic fluids such as liquid hydrogen, liquefied natural gas, and liquid nitrogen, and to a cryogenic fluid supply facility using this coupling joint, and in particular, to liquid hydrogen supply piping. The present invention relates to a connecting joint and a cryogenic fluid supply facility.

  A pipe that uses a bayonet joint has been proposed to connect pipes in which the inner pipe of a double pipe with a heat insulation layer formed between the outer pipe and the inner pipe is used as a cryogenic fluid flow passage. Yes. However, in the case of the prior art, when the joint is separated, the flow path of the cryogenic fluid in the inner pipe is exposed to the outside air. The atmosphere is mixed in. Further, when the joint is separated while the joint and the inner pipe are cooled by the cryogenic fluid, condensation and frost formation occur in the joint and the inner pipe. When these are mixed in the cryogenic fluid, problems such as a decrease in purity, piping blockage, and incomplete valve closing occur. In order to prevent the occurrence of this problem, for example, in liquid hydrogen, the hydrogen gas sealing / releasing operation is repeated at least 10 times for each connection operation to remove the air remaining in the connection portion. After the filling work, in order to remove the frost on the pipes and valves, it is necessary to flow hydrogen gas warmed by the heating heater to the pipes for about 20 minutes, and further, the pipes and valves need to be warmed for about 20 minutes by the heating heater. Thus, a lot of work is required to connect and separate the piping that is the flow path of the cryogenic fluid without problems.

  Therefore, in order to suppress dew condensation and frost formation at the joint part, the connecting part between the inner pipes is set at a position different from the connecting part of the outer pipe, and a shutter for shutting off the outside air is connected to the connecting part between the outer pipes. The thing which has arrange | positioned the provided sheath tube is proposed. (Patent Document 1)

  However, in the thing of this patent document 1, the supply side joint part to connect and the apparatus side joint part are located in the location which entered from the opening part (shutter position) of the sheath pipe. As a result, when connecting a pipe constructed of a double pipe, at least one outer pipe and the sheath pipe must be relatively slid to advance one joint part to the other joint part. . For this reason, the airtightness between one outer tube and the sheath tube is broken, and the gas that flows out when the inner tubes are connected or disconnected may leak from between the sheath tube and the outer tube. If the leaking gas is an inert gas such as liquid nitrogen, only economic loss is sufficient, but in the case of a flammable gas such as liquid hydrogen, the problem of gas leakage can cause an explosion. There is.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 07-018519

  Therefore, the present applicant first prevents the fluid passage of the cryogenic fluid in the inner pipe from being exposed to the outside air even when the connection joint is separated, and blocks the outside air at the tips of the male connection joint and the female connection joint. A joint with a valve was proposed.

  However, in the previously proposed one, in order to prevent leakage gas from being released to the atmosphere at the connection part, a gas return pipe for returning the leakage gas to the inner pipe is arranged, and in order to prevent erroneous operation, connection operation is performed. It has been found that there is an inconvenience that the weight of the connecting joint is heavy and the size is increased because a device for automating the position is arranged.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such points, and can be easily connected without performing gas purging or heating work before and after the transfer operation of the cryogenic liquefied gas. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection joint that prevents air from being mixed into a cryogenic fluid, gas leakage into the atmosphere, and frost formation on the connection joint without significantly increasing the size and weight.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 provides a cryogenic fluid supply of a double pipe structure with an inner pipe through which a cryogenic fluid flows and an outer pipe covering the outside of the inner pipe. A pair of cryogenic fluid supply pipes constitutes a pair of male and female separable connection joints, and an open / close mechanism is arranged at the connection end of the outer pipe of the female connection joint. Opening of the self-sealing type shut-off valve, which is located at a location where the connecting end of the inner pipe is retracted from the connecting end of the outer pipe, and is attached to the end of a male connecting joint, which will be described later, at the connecting end of the inner pipe The operating portion is positioned, and the tip end portion of the male connection joint is configured to be inserted into the inner pipe of the female connection joint through the open / close mechanism in the open state. A connection joint of a cryogenic fluid pipe positioned in a state where the self-sealing shut-off valve is elastically biased toward the valve closing side,
The open / close mechanism arranged at the connection end of the outer pipe forming the female connection joint is composed of a ball valve, and the outer circumference of the outer pipe of the insertion pipe portion of the male connection joint is covered with an outer tube so that it can be airtightly slid. A receiving fixture fixed to the outer tube, a connecting fixture fixedly attached to the receiving device, a guide rod for sliding the connecting fixture parallel to the axis of the insertion tube portion, and insertion Engagement portions are formed on the guide rods so as to correspond to the most retracted position of the tube portion and the contact position where the distal end surface of the insertion tube portion contacts the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve. It is characterized in that the ball valve and the tip end surface of the male connection joint are in contact with each other by a guide mechanism configured by relatively fixing the engaging pin to be coupled to the coupling fixture.

  In addition to the structure of claim 1, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the front end surface of the self-sealing shut-off valve mounted on the male connection joint is convex to the ball valve mounted on the female connection joint. It is characterized by being formed in a concave curved surface corresponding to the curved surface.

  In addition to the structure of claim 1 or 2, the invention described in claim 3 forms a breather passage in the outer pipe portion of the female connection joint located on the open side of the ball valve attached to the female connection joint. The breather passage is configured to be openable and closable with a plug that operates in conjunction with the operation of the open / close operation tool of the ball valve.

  The present invention described in claim 4 is a cryogenic fluid supply facility, characterized in that the connection joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided.

  The present invention according to claim 5 is a method for supplying a cryogenic fluid, wherein the connection joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or the supply equipment according to claim 4 is used. And

  In the present invention, an opening / closing mechanism is arranged at the connection end of the outer joint of the female connection joint or the connection end of the outer connection of the male connection joint, and the connection end or male of the inner connection of the female connection joint. Since the connection end of the inner pipe of the mold connection joint is positioned at a position retracted from the connection end of the outer pipe, the open / close mechanism is operated to be closed when the pair of cryogenic fluid supply pipes are not connected. As a result, it is possible to suppress the outside air contact to the inside and the connection end of the inner pipe, and it is possible to prevent frost formation and condensation at the connection end of the inner pipe. Connection work can be easily performed without heating work.

  In addition, the open / close mechanism arranged at the connection end of the outer pipe forming the female connection joint is constituted by a ball valve, and the end face of the inner pipe of the male connection joint surely touches the outer peripheral surface of this ball valve. Cover the outer periphery of the insertion tube portion of the male connection joint consisting of the inner tube and outer tube with an outer tube that can be hermetically slid, and a retainer fixed to the outer tube and the retainer. The connecting fixture to be fixed, the guide rod for sliding the connecting fixture parallel to the axis of the insertion tube portion, the most retracted position of the insertion tube portion and the tip surface of the insertion tube portion are the balls. A guide mechanism in which an engaging portion is engraved on each guide rod in correspondence with a contact position that abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the valve, and an engaging pin that engages with the engaging portion is relatively fixed to the coupling fixture. Since the ball valve and the male connection joint are configured so that the tip end surface comes into contact with the Self-sealing type shut-off attached to the peripheral surface of the ball valve (opening / closing mechanism) attached to the female connection joint and the inner pipe tip of the male connection joint. It is possible to reduce the residual air between the front end face of the valve.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 2, since the tip surface of the self-sealing shutoff valve mounted on the male connection joint is formed as a concave curved surface corresponding to the convex curved surface of the ball valve, When the male connection joint is inserted into the female connection joint during operation, the peripheral surface of the ball valve and the front end surface of the self-sealing shut-off valve can be hermetically fitted, and air can be mixed into the cryogenic fluid , "Contamination") can be reduced.

  In the invention described in claim 3, the breather passage is formed in the outer pipe portion of the female connection joint located on the open side of the opening / closing mechanism attached to the female connection joint, and this breather passage is formed in the opening / closing mechanism. Since it can be opened and closed with a plug that operates in conjunction with the operation of the opening and closing operation tool, the air remaining in the opening of the female connection joint during the connection operation is inserted into the male connection joint. Accordingly, the breather passage is released to the atmosphere, and the breather passage is opened and closed by moving the plug in and out in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing mechanism of the female connection joint, so that contamination can be reduced and a pair of Since the breather passage is closed along with the connection of the connection joint, the cryogenic fluid is not leaked to the outside.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 4, since the connection joint described in claims 1 to 3 is provided, it is possible to reduce contamination that occurs in connection work.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 5, since the connection joint described in claims 1-3 or the supply equipment described in claim is provided, it is possible to reduce contamination generated in connection work and to reduce the cryogenic fluid. Leakage can be reduced.

It is a schematic block diagram of a cryogenic fluid supply equipment. It is a partially cut center longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connection joint which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partially cut center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Embodiment of the male connection joint which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of the front-end | tip part of the male connection coupling shown in FIG. It is a partially cut center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Embodiment of the female type connection joint which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view in the front-end | tip part of a female connection coupling. It is a principal part perspective view in the front-end | tip part of a female type connection coupling. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of an opening-closing mechanism. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows a guide mechanism. It is an extraction perspective view of a male type joint.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cryogenic fluid supply facility using liquid hydrogen as a cryogenic fluid, and a supply side pipe (2) connected from a cryogenic fluid storage container (1) such as a liquid hydrogen storage container. ) And a container side pipe (4) connected from a cryogenic fluid receiving container (3) such as a hydrogen tank for raw materials through a connecting joint (5). 2) a male connection joint (6) connected in communication with the distal end portion and a female connection joint (7) connected in communication with the distal end portion of the container side pipe (4).

  The male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) constituting the connection joint (5) are respectively composed of an inner pipe (8) through which a cryogenic fluid such as liquid hydrogen flows, An outer tube (9) covering the outside of the tube (8), and a cryogenic fluid having a double tube structure in which the space (10) between the inner tube (8) and the outer tube (9) is vacuum insulated. It consists of a supply pipe.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the male connection joint (6) is a self-sealing type shut-off valve in which the valve element (11) is urged in the closing direction by a valve closing urging spring (12). 13) is attached to the distal end of the inner tube (8), and the outer tube (15) is constructed so that the outer periphery of the insertion tube portion (14) composed of the inner tube (8) and the outer tube (9) can be hermetically slid. It is covered with. The outer tube (15) includes a holder (H) for gripping the distal end of the male connection joint (6) when the male connection joint (6) is moved and separated, and an insertion tube part (14) moving back and forth. A receiving device (R) of a guide mechanism (16) to be described later for guiding the movement is sometimes arranged. Further, a connector (17) capable of air-sliding with respect to the outer tube (9) is attached to a distal end portion of the outer tube (15).

  The front end surface of the self-sealing shutoff valve (13) corresponds to the convex curved surface of the ball valve body (19) constituting the opening / closing mechanism (18) incorporated in the female connection joint (7) described later. A concave curved surface is formed. Then, the male connection joint (6) is in contact with the ball valve body (19) in the valve-closed posture at the receiving side opening end of the female connection joint (7). ) Is connected and fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the female connection joint (7) is provided with a ball valve (opening / closing mechanism) (18) at the connection side end of the outer pipe (9). The opening / closing mechanism (18) includes a ball valve body (19) having a through hole (20) through which the insertion pipe portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) is inserted, and a valve box (21). Yes. Further, the diameter of the connecting end of the inner pipe (8) is increased from the middle, and the enlarged diameter part (22) is positioned at a position retracted from the end of the connecting side of the outer pipe (9). The valve opening operation part (23) for opening the self-sealing shut-off valve (13) mounted on the male connection joint (6) is located in the diameter-enlarged part (22) of the above-mentioned.

  The open / close mechanism (18) attached to the connection side end of the female connection joint (7) has a male shape on the inner peripheral surface of the male connection joint insertion line (24) formed in the valve box (21). A male connection joint detector (25) that abuts the outer peripheral surface of the outer pipe of the connection joint (6) is disposed in front of and behind the ball valve body (19). Further, a breather passage (26) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the male connection joint insertion pipe (24) located on the open side of the female connection joint (7), and this breather passage (26) is opened and closed by a mechanism (18 ) Can be opened and closed by a plug (28) that operates in conjunction with the operation of the opening / closing operation lever (27). In addition, the flange (29) is formed on the external projecting portion of the plug (28), and when the plug (28) is pushed into the breather passage (26), the flange (29) is male. The fitting (17) formed in the connection joint (6) is fitted into a recessed fitting part (30) provided at the tip part.

  The male connection joint detector (25) includes a PTFT contactor (31) that abuts on the outer pipe outer surface of the male connection joint (6), and a connection part (32) that moves along with the contactor (31). ), A Bowden cable (35) consisting of an inner cable (33) and an outer tube (34), and an opening / closing operation lever (27) of the opening / closing mechanism (18). The inner cable (33) has a proximal end connected to the connecting part (32) and a distal end connected to the engaging tool (37). Further, both ends of the outer tube (34) are fixed to the outer peripheral surface portion of the valve box (21). The contactor (31) is elastically biased toward the side protruding into the male connection joint insertion pipe (24).

  As shown in FIG. 7, a position fixing pin (38) is detachably mounted on the opening / closing operation lever (27) of the ball valve constituting the opening / closing mechanism (18). Opening / closing lever fixing tool (39) that accepts the position fixing pin (38) is formed at the fully closed position and the fully opening position of (3), and the position fixing pin (38) is attached to the opening / closing operation lever fixing tool (39). In this state, a receiving part (40) for receiving the engaging tool (37) connected to the tip of the inner cable (33) of the Bowden cable (35) is engraved on the position fixing pin (38). .

  The male connection joint detector (25a) located on the open side of the female connection joint (7) is fixed to the opening / closing operation lever that receives the position fixing pin (38) in the fully closed position of the opening / closing operation lever (27). The male connection joint detector (25b), which is connected to the tool (39a) and is located on the back side of the female connection joint (7), is fixed to the position fixing pin (38 ) Is connected to the open / close operation lever fixing tool (39b).

  The opening / closing operation lever (27) is provided with an auxiliary lever (41) for moving the position fixing pin (38) out and out. Further, the opening / closing operation lever (27) has a rotation base end portion formed in the cam plate (42), and the above-described breather passage is formed in the arc groove (43) formed through the cam plate (42). A plug (28) for opening and closing (26) is connected and supported, and the plug (28) is advanced into the breather passage (26) as the opening and closing operation lever (27) rotates in the opening direction, and the breather passage ( 26) is closed, and the plug (28) is withdrawn from the breather passage (26) as the opening / closing operation lever (27) rotates in the closing direction to open the breather passage (26). The plug (28) is blocked by the breather passage (26) when the male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) are normally connected to the plug (28). It can be operated by fitting it into a recessed fitting part (30) formed in the connector of the connection joint (6).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the male connection joint detector (25a) located on the open side of the female connection joint (7) detects the male connection joint (6), the male connection joint ( 6) Push the contactor (31) in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer pipe, and the pushing force is transmitted to the engagement tool (37) via the connecting part (32) and the inner cable (33) of the Bowden cable (35). Then, the engaging tool (37) is detached from the receiving part (40) (FIG. 8a), and the auxiliary lever (41) is operated to pull out the position fixing pin (38) from the opening / closing operation lever fixing tool (39), The opening / closing operation lever (27) can be opened and closed (FIG. 8b).

  The male connection joint detector (25b) located on the back side of the opening / closing mechanism (18) is connected to the male connector when the male connection joint detector (25b) detects the male connection joint (6). The contactor (31) is pushed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer pipe of the joint (6), and the pushing force is applied to the engagement tool (37) via the connecting part (32) and the inner cable (33) of the Bowden cable (35). The engaging tool (37) is engaged with the receiving part (40).

  The guide mechanism (16) for guiding the insertion / retraction movement of the insertion pipe part (14) of the male connection joint (6) during the operation of moving the male connection joint (6) is fixed to the outer tube (15). A receiving fixture (R), an annular fixture (46) assembled to the rear end portion of the outer pipe (9) of the male connection joint (6) so as to be relatively movable, a receiving fixture (R), A guide rod (45) installed between the annular fixture (46) and an operation portion (47) with a handle that is linearly guided by the guide rod (45) is provided. This operation portion with handle (47) is fixed to the outer pipe (9) of the male connection joint (6), and a connecting fixture (48) is mounted near the tip of the operation portion with handle (47). . The connecting fixture (48) has a female threaded portion that is screwed into a male threaded portion formed on the outer peripheral portion of the rear end of the catching tool (R). When the insertion pipe part (14) of the male connection joint (6) is advanced into the female connection joint (7) when connecting to the mold connection joint (7), both screw parts are screwed together. The male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) can be joined and fixed in a predetermined posture.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the guide rod (45) is at a position where the most retracted position and the front end surface of the inner tube (8) are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve constituting the opening / closing mechanism (18). Engagement portions (49) and (50) are engraved in the corresponding locations in the form of grooves, and the engagement pins (44) that engage with the engagement portions (49) and (50) are provided with the operation portion with the handle (47). ).
A plurality of guide mechanisms (16) are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the male connection joint (6).

  The connection joint (5) having the above-described configuration is an open / close mechanism (ball valve) of the female connection joint (7) when the male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) are separated. (18) is in the closed position, and the male connection joint (6) is in a position in which the self-sealing shut-off valve (13) is in the closed position and the insertion tube portion (14) is retracted into the outer tube (15). .

  Then, the connector (17) of the male connection joint (6) is brought into contact with and connected to the distal end surface of the valve box (21) forming the open end of the female connection joint (7). It should be noted that the distal end surface of the valve box (21) and the connector (17) of the male connection joint (6) are connected and fixed by a male screw part formed on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end of the valve box (21) and a male mold. This is done by screwing with a union nut rotatably attached to the distal end of the coupling (17) of the connection joint (6), and the distal end surface of the valve box (21) and the coupling (17) The abutting surface is in airtight contact.

  When the connection between the connector (17) of the male connection joint (6) and the valve box (21) of the female connection joint (7) is completed, the insertion pipe portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) The outer tube (15) that is fixed is advanced to the contact position engaging portion (50). With this advancement operation of the insertion tube portion (14), the male connection joint detector (25a) located on the open side detects the male connection joint (6), and from the opening / closing lever fixing tool (39) The position fixing pin (38) can be extracted. When the male connection joint (6) is advanced, the plug (28) attached to the breather passage (26) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the male connection joint insertion pipe (24) is retracted. The breather passage (26) communicates with the atmosphere, and when the male connection joint (6) is installed, the atmosphere sealed in the male connection joint insertion pipe (24) hits the male connection joint (6). It is discharged to the outside from the breather passage (26) by the pushing operation up to the position engaging portion (50).

  Next, the auxiliary lever (41) mounted on the opening / closing operation lever (27) is operated to pull out the position fixing pin (38) from the opening / closing operation lever fixing tool (39), and then the opening / closing mechanism (ball valve ) (18) Open / close operation lever (27) is opened. In conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism (ball valve) (18), the plug (28) attached to the breather passage (26) is inserted into the breather passage (26) to close the breather passage (26). . If the connection between the tip of the valve box (21) and the connector (17) of the male connection joint (6) is not correct, the flange (29) of the plug (28) is male. It is in a state where it climbs up on the peripheral wall surface of the coupling tool (17) without being fitted into the recessed fitting part (30) provided at the tip of the coupling tool (17) formed in the connection joint (6). Therefore, the breather passage (26) in this plug (28) is in a state communicating with the atmosphere, and the valve opening operation of the opening / closing operation lever (27) becomes heavy. Can recognize.

  When the open / close mechanism (ball valve) (18) is in the fully open position, the male pipe joint (6) insertion tube portion (14) passes through the through hole (20) of the ball valve body (19). Push the die connection joint (6) to the most advanced position and open the self-sealing shut-off valve (13) attached to the tip of the male connection joint (6) to the female connection joint (7) It is received by the operation unit (23) and opened. In this state, the handle-equipped operating portion (47) is operated to couple the coupling fixture (48) and the receiving fixture (R) by screwing.

  By inserting the insertion pipe portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) through the through hole (20), the male connection joint detector (25b) located on the back side of the opening / closing mechanism (18) is provided. Actuate and hold the open / close control lever (27) in the fully open position by engaging the position fixing pin (38) with the open / close control lever fixture (39) with the open / close control lever (27) in the fully open position. .

Next, the connecting joint (5) described above is used in the cryogenic fluid (liquid hydrogen) supply facility shown in FIG. 1, and the facility (receiving vessel) is used from the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) on the tank lorry (supply side). The connection joint disconnection procedure when liquid hydrogen is supplied to the liquid hydrogen tank (3) will be described.
When the cryogenic fluid transfer from the cryogenic fluid storage container (1) serving as the supply side container to the cryogenic fluid receiving container (3) serving as the liquid receiving side is completed, the cryogenic fluid is more than the female connection joint (7). Open the blow valve (52) attached to the gas discharge line (51) branched out from the container side pipe (4) located on the liquid receiving container (3) side, supply side pipe (2), connection joint (5 ) And the cryogenic fluid inside the container side pipe (4) is released, the blow valve (52) attached to the gas release line (51) is closed.

  Supply side pipe (2) on the flexible hose part (64) side of the connection between the supply side pipe (2) and the cleaning line (62) connected to the gas phase of the cryogenic fluid storage container (1) The second cleaning valve (67) and the purge valve (66) arranged in the purge gas supply line (68) connected to the valve are opened, and then the blow valve (52) is opened for a predetermined time. Hydrogen gas having pressure is circulated.

  After closing the purge valve (66) and confirming that the discharge line pressure gauge (65) indicating the internal pressure of the gas discharge line (51) has dropped to a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.3 MPa), the blow valve ( 52) is closed. Next, the second flush valve (67) is closed, and the male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) of the connection joint (5) are separated.

  By operating the operation portion (47) with a handle on the outer tube (15) to which the insertion tube portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) is fixed, the connecting fixture (48) and the receiving device ( R) is removed by screwing and then retracted to the contact position engaging portion (50). During this retraction movement, the self-sealing shut-off valve (13) attached to the tip of the male connection joint (6) moves away from the valve opening operation part (23) attached to the male connection joint (6). The male connection joint (6) is sealed by the valve closing action of the self-sealing shutoff valve (13). In the transitional period of the closing operation of the self-sealing shutoff valve (13), the low-temperature liquefied gas (liquid hydrogen) in the male connection joint (6) flows into the inner pipe (8) of the male connection joint (6). However, the leaked gas is not released to the outside because the breather passage (26) is blocked by the plug (28).

  In the process of retracting the insertion pipe part (14) of the male connection joint (6) against the outer tube (15) to the position engagement part (50), the tip of the male connection joint (6) opens and closes. The contactor (31) of the male connection joint detector (25b) retreats from the mounting position of the male connection joint detector (25b) located on the back side of the mechanism (18), and the male connection joint (6 ) And the engagement tool (37) that operates based on the operation of the contactor (31) disengages from the receiving portion (40) of the position fixing pin (38), and the position is fixed. The pin (38) is pulled out from the fixture (39) that fixes the open / close operation lever (27) in the fully open position, so that the open / close operation lever (27) can be opened and closed.

  Further, when the insertion tube portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) is retracted to the outer tube (15) to the contact position engaging portion (50), the male connection joint ( The tip of 6) corresponds to the convex curved surface of the ball valve body (19) constituting the opening / closing mechanism (18), and the ball valve body (19) constituting the opening / closing mechanism (18) is opened / closed. Rotation is enabled, and the open / close operation lever (27) is closed to the fully closed position. Therefore, although the connection joint itself is connected in this state, the male connection joint (6) is a self-sealing shut-off valve (13), and the female connection joint (7) is an open / close mechanism (ball valve). Each is sealed at (18).

  In addition, the plug (28) attached to the breather passage (26) is elastically connected to the breather passage (26) in conjunction with the valve closing operation for rotating the opening / closing operation lever (27) from the fully open position to the fully closed position. The breather passage (26) is opened by exiting from the inside. With the withdrawal operation of the plug (28) that opens the breather passage (26), the flange (28) of the plug (28) is attached to the distal end of the connector (17) formed in the male connection joint (6). Since it will come off from the provided recessed fitting part (30), the connection tool of the front end surface of the valve box (22) which forms the opening end part of a female connection joint (7), and a male connection joint (6) ( The union nut connecting 17) can be rotated.

  From this state, to the operation of retracting the insertion tube portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) with respect to the outer tube (15), to the engaging portion (49) formed at the position corresponding to the most retracted position. Based on the operation to retract, the tip of the male connection joint (6) is retracted from the mounting position of the male connection joint detector (25a) located on the open side of the female connection joint (7). An engagement tool (37) that operates based on the operation of the contactor (31) when it is detected that the contactor (31) of the male connection joint detector (25a) is not in contact with the male connection joint (6). ) Engages with the receiving portion (40) of the position fixing pin (38). As a result, the opening / closing operation lever (27) cannot be rotated and opened / closed, and the opening / closing operation lever (27) is fixed at the fully closed position.

  Then, the male pipe connection (6) is retracted to the position corresponding to the most retracted position, that is, the male pipe connection (14) is retracted to the outer tube (15). The self-sealing shut-off valve (13) attached to the tip of the inner pipe (8) constituting the joint (6) is accommodated in the outer pipe (9) of the male connection joint (6). Thus, the tip of the inner pipe of the male connection joint (6) can be protected by the outer pipe (9) of the male connection joint (6). A valve box that forms the open end of the female connection joint (7) in a state in which the tip of the inner pipe of the male connection joint (6) is accommodated in the outer pipe (9) of the male connection joint (6). The connecting joint (5) is separated by rotating the union nut that connects the tip surface of 21) and the coupler (17) of the male connecting joint (6).

  In the connecting joint (5) having the above-described configuration, when the pair of cryogenic fluid supply pipes are not connected, the open / close mechanism (18) is operated to be closed, so that the inside of the inner pipe of the female connecting joint (7) and It is possible to suppress outside air contact to the connection end, and it is possible to prevent frost formation and dew condensation at the connection end of the inner pipe (8), and gas purging and heating work is performed at the next connection operation. The connection work can be easily performed without any problem.

  Further, the open / close mechanism (18) disposed at the connection end of the outer pipe (9) forming the female connection joint (7) is constituted by a ball valve, and the tip end portion of the male connection joint (6) The open / close mechanism (ball valve) (18) is configured to be inserted into the outer pipe (9) of the female connection joint (7) through the open / close mechanism (ball valve) (18). The detection tool (25) of the male connection joint (6) that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the male connection joint is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer pipe located on the liquid receiving container side and the connection open end side. The detection tool (25) is connected to the open / close position fixing tool (38) of the open / close operation tool (27) for opening / closing the ball valve (18) so as to be operable in an interlocked manner, and the male connection joint in the detection tool (25) Since the ball valve (18) is configured to be opened and closed based on the detection operation, when the male connection joint (6) and the female connection joint (7) are not coupled in a normal posture, Opening / closing mechanism (ball valve) (18) is restricted. Is, the erroneous operation can be prevented in the connection work.

  Further, in conjunction with the insertion operation of the male connection joint (6), the air remaining in the space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the connection joint during the connection operation is discharged from the breather passage (26). As a result, contamination can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the male connection joint (6) is connected to the tip of the supply source side pipe (2), and the female connection joint (7) is connected to the tip of the container side pipe (4). The female connection joint (7) is connected to the tip of the supply side pipe (2), and the male connection joint (6) is connected to the tip of the container side pipe (4). It can also be made.

  Further, in the present invention, the connection joint and the supply equipment for the cryogenic fluid have been described so far, but the invention can also be applied to a fluid that does not like contamination even if it is not a cryogenic fluid.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a connection joint in a cryogenic fluid transfer path used in a liquid hydrogen supply facility such as a hydrogen vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or an industrial application.

  6 ... Male connection joint, 7 ... Female connection joint, 8 ... Inner tube, 9 ... Outer tube, 13 ... Self-sealing shut-off valve, 14 ... Insertion pipe part, 15 ... Outer tube, 16 ... Guide mechanism, 18 ... Opening / closing mechanism (ball valve), 23 ... Opening operation part, 26 ... Breather passage, 27 ... Opening / closing operation tool, 28 ... Plug, 44 ... Engagement pin, 45 ... Guide rod, 48 ... Connection fixing tool, 49/50 ... engaging part, R ... catch.

Claims (5)

The inner pipe (8) through which the cryogenic fluid circulates and the outer pipe (9) covering the outside of the inner pipe (8) constitute a cryogenic fluid supply pipe, and a pair of cryogenic fluid supply pipes A pair of male and female separable connection joints are constructed, and an open / close mechanism (18) is arranged at the connection end of the outer connection (9) of the female connection joint (7). The connection end of the pipe (8) is positioned at a position retracted from the connection end of the outer pipe (9), and the connection end of the inner pipe (8) is connected to the tip of a male connection joint (6) described later. Position the valve-opening operation part (23) of the mounted self-sealing shut-off valve (13), and pass through the open / close mechanism (18) in the open state at the end of the male connection joint (6). It is constructed so that it can be inserted into the inner pipe (8) of the female connection joint (7), and a self-sealing shutoff valve (13) is elastically attached to the valve closing side at the tip of the male connection joint (6). A connection joint of a cryogenic fluid pipe positioned in a state of
The open / close mechanism (18) arranged at the connection end of the outer pipe (9) forming the female connection joint (7) is constituted by a ball valve, and the insertion pipe portion (14) of the male connection joint (6) The outer tube (9) is covered with the outer tube (15) so as to be airtightly slidable, and the receiving device (R) fixed to the outer tube (15) and the receiving device (R) are fixedly fastened. Connected fixing tool (48), a guide rod (45) for sliding the connecting fixing tool (48) parallel to the axis of the insertion tube portion (14), and the most retracted insertion tube portion (14). Engagement portions respectively on the guide rod (45) corresponding to the most retracted position corresponding to the inserted position and the contact position where the distal end surface of the insertion tube portion (14) contacts the outer peripheral surface of the ball valve (18). (49) and (50) are engraved, and a guide mechanism (16) configured by fixing the engaging pin (44) engaged with the engaging portion (49) and (50) relative to the connecting fixture (48). The ball valve (18) and the male connection joint (6) are configured so that the front end faces abut on each other. Connection joint for piping for cryogenic fluid.   The tip of the self-sealing shutoff valve (13) mounted on the male connection joint (6) corresponds to the convex curved surface of the ball valve (18) placed at the connection end of the female connection joint (7). The connection joint for piping for cryogenic fluid according to claim 1, which is formed in a concave curved surface.   A breather passage (26) is formed in the outer pipe (9) portion of the female connection joint (7) located on the open side of the ball valve (18) attached to the female connection joint (7). The cryogenic fluid according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that (26) can be opened and closed by a plug (28) that operates in conjunction with the operation of the opening and closing operation tool (27) of the ball valve (18). Connection joint for piping.   A cryogenic fluid supply facility using the connection joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A method for supplying a cryogenic fluid using the connection joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or the supply facility according to claim 4.

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