JP3711369B2 - Cryogenic piping joint - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided in the middle of a pipe for transferring a cryogenic fluid such as liquid helium, liquid hydrogen, or liquid oxygen from a tank lorry, an elf or the like to another storage tank or equipment, and connecting and disconnecting the pipe. In particular, a cryogenic fluid pipe (hereinafter referred to as “liquid cryogenic fluid pipe”) for transferring liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen, which is arranged between a mobile launch pad of a rocket launch site equipment and a fixed storage equipment. The present invention relates to a cryogenic pipe joint suitable for use in a joint portion of a pipe.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A large number of rockets have been launched from the ground into space for the purpose of exploring or using outer space. In launching this rocket, liquid fuel and liquid oxidation, which are propellants that generate propulsion, are used. It is necessary to supply a cryogenic fluid such as an agent to a rocket assembled on a mobile launch pad from a fixed storage facility provided on the ground immediately before launch.
[0003]
For example, in the launch of the improved H-2A rocket developed in Japan, as with the Ariane 5 developed in Europe, the rocket body assembly and inspection and maintenance are carried out in the rocket assembly building, and about 8 hours on the day of launch. Before, the rocket is moved to the launch point on the mobile launch pad, and the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which are the propellants of the rocket, are filled into each tank from the fixed storage facility provided at the launch point via individual piping. There is a plan to adopt a method.
For this purpose, it is necessary to connect the mobile launch pad and the fixed storage facility, and to connect the pipe for transferring the propellant in a short time while preventing foreign matters such as moisture from entering the pipe. .
[0004]
In addition, if the launch is canceled for some reason after supplying propellant to the rocket, it is necessary to return the rocket from the launch site to the rocket assembly building. It is necessary to disconnect the pipe without returning the inside of the pipe to room temperature.
As described above, the bayonet joint shown in FIG. 2 has been conventionally used as a joint for connecting and disconnecting the connecting portions of pipes for transferring liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which are cryogenic propellants, in a short time. .
[0005]
As shown in the figure, the bayonet joint 01 evacuates the space 04 formed between the inner tube 02 and the outer tube 03, and performs vacuum insulation inside the inner tube 02 through which the cryogenic fluid passes, The boiling of the cryogenic liquid flowing in the inner pipe 02 is suppressed so that the cryogenic liquid flows and fills the rocket tank smoothly, and is directed to the flange 05 provided at the end. The female bayonet joint 07 formed on the inner surface of the inner pipe 02 and the flange 08 provided at the end coupled to the flange 05 are projected outward and inserted into the female bayonet joint 07. The male joint 09 that engages with the female joint 06 comprises a male bayonet joint 010 provided at the tip.
[0006]
By providing such a bayonet joint 01, it becomes possible to connect and disconnect the pipes in a short time, and although the transfer of the cryogenic liquid and the filling of the tank become smooth, the bayonet joint 01 There were the following problems in connecting pipes by:
That is, in the conventional bayonet joint 01, the flange 05 of the female bayonet joint 07 and the flange 08 of the male bayonet joint 010 are coupled to transfer the cryogenic liquid, and then the flange 05 and the flange 08 are joined. When the pipe ends are disconnected and the atmosphere is open to the atmosphere, foreign matter such as moisture in the atmosphere may be sucked into the inside of the pipe that has been maintained at an extremely low temperature, causing contamination.
[0007]
For this reason, each time the pipe is disconnected, it is necessary to perform gas blow etc. until the inside of the pipe reaches room temperature before disconnecting to prevent moisture and foreign matter from being sucked into the pipe, which takes time to disconnect. There is.
In addition, after piping rejoining, in order to maintain the cleanliness of the cryogenic fluid flowing in the pipe, it is necessary to carry out gas blow and inspect the cleanliness in the pipe. is there.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention eliminates the problem of the conventional cryogenic pipe joint that requires a long time for the above-mentioned conventional cryogenic liquid flow and rejoining, so that the pipe is separated even when the pipe is detached. Even if the pipe end is not open to the atmosphere and the pipe is disconnected before the pipe reaches room temperature, moisture and foreign matter in the atmosphere are prevented from being sucked into the pipe and must be rejoined. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cryogenic piping joint that can eliminate the need for performing gas blow in the piping and checking the cleanliness.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this reason, the cryogenic pipe joint of the present invention is the following means.
[0010]
(1) A flange connected to a flange provided on the other party's ball valve, and a flange connected to a bayonet joint are provided at both ends, respectively, and a sphere with an internal flow path formed therein is rotated. An open state in which the internal flow path is made to coincide with the flow path direction in the connected pipe, and an open state in which the internal flow path is in a closed state perpendicular to the flow path direction in the pipe. A pair of ball valves for opening and closing the pipes were respectively installed at the connection parts where the piping for transferring the cryogenic fluid was disconnected and joined.
In addition, the sphere includes not only those whose outer shape is substantially circular but also those whose part is arcuate.
[0011]
(2) A flange connected to the ball valve is provided, connected to a pipe for transferring the cryogenic fluid, and a space for vacuum-insulating the internal flow path through which the cryogenic fluid passes is formed between an inner pipe and an outer A female provided with a female joint that is formed by a pipe and has an engaging portion facing the direction of one of the ball valves connected via a flange on the inner surface of the inner pipe. A bayonet joint was provided between the pipe connection end and one ball valve.
[0012]
(3) A flange connected to the ball valve is provided, connected to a pipe for transferring the cryogenic fluid, and a space for vacuum-insulating the internal flow path through which the cryogenic fluid passes is formed between an inner pipe and an outer A male which is formed of a pipe and protrudes outward from a flange connected to the ball valve when the pipe is connected, extends in the internal flow path of the open ball valve, and engages with the female joint of the female bayonet. A male bayonet joint provided with a mold joint was provided between the end of the pipe connection and the other ball valve.
[0013]
The cryogenic pipe joint of the present invention is provided with a pair of ball valves at the connecting portion for connecting / disconnecting the piping, that is, at the end of the piping by the means described above, and this ball valve is closed to connect the piping. After the connection, the ball valve is opened, the male joint of the male bayonet joint is opened, and the ball valve is placed in the same direction as the flow path in the pipe. Pipes are connected by engaging a female joint of a female bayonet joint formed through the internal passage and directed toward the ball valve.
[0014]
As a result, even when the cryogenic fluid flows, the inner surface of the internal flow path is located outside the male joint of the male bayonet joint, and the normal temperature state is maintained. The ball valve used for the cryogenic piping joint can be used at room temperature.
Furthermore, when the ball valve is closed at the time of connection and disconnection, moisture and foreign matter can be prevented from entering the pipe.
In particular, even when the pipe is cooled after flowing a cryogenic fluid, the ball valve is closed at the position where the male bayonet joint and female bayonet joint and ball valve are connected. Since it is separated, it is possible to prevent moisture and foreign matter from entering the pipe.
[0015]
In this way, it is possible to prevent moisture and foreign matter from entering the pipe without requiring work such as gas blow to bring the inside of the pipe to room temperature before disconnecting the pipe. Inspection is also unnecessary.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cryogenic pipe joint according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a cryogenic pipe joint according to the present invention, which is arranged between a mobile launch pad installed at a rocket launch site and a fixed storage facility, and transfers liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen. It is sectional drawing of the cryogenic pipe joint interposed in the middle of piping to be performed.
In the figure, the right half shows a connected state and the pipe is electrically connected at the connecting portion, and the left half shows the connected state before the pipe is disconnected and disconnected.
[0017]
As shown in the figure, the female bayonet joint 7 connected to the end of one pipe 25 that transfers the cryogenic fluid has an inner pipe 2 and an outer pipe 3 that form a vacuum space 4 that performs vacuum insulation. A female joint 6 is provided which is composed of a flange 5 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 3 and has an opening in the direction of a lower ball valve 15 which is one ball valve to be described later.
[0018]
On the other hand, the male bayonet joint 10 that is separated from the pipe 25 and is connected to the end of the pipe (not shown) to be connected is the inner pipe 2 that forms a vacuum space 4 for performing vacuum insulation, like the female bayonet joint 7. And an outer pipe 3 and a flange 8 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the outer pipe, and an internal flow provided at each of an upper ball valve 20 and a lower ball valve 15 which are the other ball valves described later at the end. A male joint 9 extending through and engaging with the female joint 6 through the paths 21 and 16 is provided.
The bayonet joint 1 composed of the female bayonet joint 7 and the male bayonet joint 10 described above employs the same structure as the bayonet joint 01 shown in FIG. .
[0019]
Next, at the end of the female bayonet joint 7, a lower flange 17 coupled to the flange 5 is provided at the lower end and an upper flange 18 coupled to the lower flange 22 of the upper ball valve 20 is provided at the upper end. A lower ball valve 15 is accommodated inside.
The lower ball valve 15 has a substantially spherical outer shape in which a recess allowing the upper ball valve 20 to rotate is formed in the upper part, and has an internal flow passage area substantially the same as that of the pipe 25. A flow path 16 is provided through.
[0020]
Further, an upper flange 23 coupled to the flange 8 is provided at the upper end at the end of the joint of the male bayonet joint, and a lower flange 22 coupled to the upper flange 18 of the lower ball valve 15 is provided at the lower end. An upper ball valve 20 is accommodated inside the body.
The upper ball valve 20 has a substantially spherical outer shape, and an internal flow path 21 having the same flow area as the internal flow path 16 of the lower ball valve 15 is provided therethrough.
[0021]
The internal flow paths 16 and 21 respectively provided in the lower ball valve 15 and the upper ball valve 20 described above are opened in the same direction as the flow path of the pipe 25 by the rotation of the lower ball valve 15 and the upper ball valve 20. A state and a closed state facing in a direction orthogonal to the flow path of the pipe 25 can be formed.
[0022]
Further, as described above, the upper ball valve 20 and the male bayonet joint 10 are joined by the upper flange 23 of the upper ball valve 20 and the flange 8 of the male bayonet joint 10. When the pipe connection state is cut off as shown in Fig. 4, the long joint 11 is used to connect the male joint 9 of the male bayonet joint 10 to a position where it does not interfere with the rotation of the upper ball valve 20. In addition, when the pipe is connected, the short joint bolt 12 is used to connect the tip of the male joint 9 through the internal flow path 21 of the upper ball valve 20 and the internal flow path 16 of the lower ball valve 15. It engages with the female joint 6.
Further, on the outer periphery of the outer tube 3 of the male bayonet joint 10, a protective cylinder 14 is provided in which a spring 13 is inserted and expanded and contracted.
[0023]
Since the cryogenic pipe joint of the present embodiment is configured as described above, when the pipe is disconnected, the flange 8 and the upper flange of the upper ball valve 20 from the pipe communication state shown in the right half of the figure. 23, after removing the short bolt 12 connecting the upper flange 23, the male bayonet joint 10 is pulled upward, and the flange 8 and the upper flange 23 are joined by the long bolt 11, so that the internal flow paths 16, 21 are connected. The male joint 9 inserted and engaged with the female joint 6 is retracted to the vicinity of the flange 23 position above the upper ball valve 20 that does not interfere with the rotation of the upper ball valve 20.
[0024]
Next, the upper ball valve 20 and the lower ball valve 15 are rotated to change from the open state shown in the right half of the figure to the closed state shown in the left half of the figure, and then the upper flange 18 and the upper ball of the lower ball valve 15 are shown. By disconnecting the connection of the lower flange 22 of the valve 20, the disconnection of the pipe is completed.
[0025]
That is, in the cryogenic pipe joint provided with only the conventional bayonet joint 01 shown in FIG. 2, when the flange 05 and the flange 08 for separating the pipe are separated, the pipe is unavoidably opened to the atmosphere, and when the pipe is separated, Since moisture or foreign matter intrudes into the piping, it is necessary to perform a gas purge to warm the piping to room temperature when disconnecting the piping, which takes time to prepare and work. In contrast, in the cryogenic pipe joint according to the present embodiment, as described above, when the pipe is disconnected, the pipe connection portion is closed by the upper ball valve 20 and the lower ball valve 15. Even if the pipe is disconnected before the pipe reaches room temperature, contamination due to intrusion of moisture, foreign matter, etc. into the pipe does not occur, and the pipe disconnection work is completed in a short time Kill.
[0026]
Furthermore, since the connection portion of the pipe continues to be closed even after the pipe is disconnected, the maintenance work for preventing contamination due to intrusion of moisture, foreign matter, etc. into the pipe can be simplified regardless of the temperature of the pipe.
[0027]
Further, when connecting the pipe, as shown in the left half of the figure, an upper ball valve 20 to which the pipe and the male bayonet joint 10 are connected and a lower ball valve 15 to which the pipe 25 and the female bayonet joint 7 are connected are arranged. Thereafter, the upper flange 18 and the lower flange 22 are joined, and the upper ball valve 20 and the lower ball valve 15 are rotated to align the direction of the internal flow paths 21 and 16 with the direction of the flow path of the pipe 25. By changing the connection between the net joint 10 and the upper ball valve 20 from the long bolt 11 to the short bolt 12, the male joint 9 is inserted through the internal passages 21 and 16, and is engaged with the female joint 6. Match.
Thereby, the connection of the pipe in a state where the cryogenic fluid can flow is completed.
[0028]
That is, in the cryogenic pipe joint provided with only the conventional bayonet joint 01 shown in FIG. 2, when the flange 05 and the flange 08 for pipe connection are connected, the sealing member that has been closed until then must be removed. In addition, since the piping is absolutely open to the atmosphere, moisture or foreign matter in the atmosphere will enter the piping even when the piping is connected. In order to discharge the gas, it is necessary to perform a gas purge, and the work preparation and work took time. On the other hand, in the cryogenic pipe joint of the present embodiment, as described above, at the time of pipe connection, However, when the pipe is connected, the upper ball valve 20 and the lower ball valve 15 are closed, so that moisture, foreign matter, etc. do not enter the pipe. Flow do to hold the cleanliness of the cryogenic fluid, inspection of cleanliness embodiment and the piping of the gas purge is not necessary, can be simplified disconnection operations of the pipe, it can be completed in a short time.
[0029]
In addition, the upper ball valve 20 and the lower ball valve 15 that open and close the connection opening of the pipe are configured so that the cryogenic fluid flows through the internal flow paths 21 and 16 through the male joint 9 that is vacuum insulated. Therefore, there is no need to use expensive cryogenic specifications.
[0030]
Although the cryogenic pipe joint of the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the pipe used in the above-mentioned rocket launch field, but also tank lorries, elf, etc. for cryogenic fluids such as liquid helium, liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, etc. It can also be used for piping that is transferred from a container to a container such as a storage tank.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the cryogenic pipe joint of the present invention, by the configuration shown in the claims,
(1) It is possible to prevent moisture and foreign matter from entering the piping from the connecting portion of the piping that needs to be connected and disconnected, particularly the piping that transfers the cryogenic fluid.
In particular, in piping that transfers cryogenic fluid, if the piping is disconnected in a cryogenic state, a large amount of moisture and foreign matter will enter, so it is necessary to disconnect the piping to normal temperature by gas purge. It becomes unnecessary, and the separation work can be performed quickly.
[0032]
(2) In addition, when joining disconnected pipes, it is necessary to carry out a gas purge to remove moisture and foreign matter that have entered the pipe and clean it, and to inspect the pipe. This eliminates the need for the connection work to be simplified and speeded up, and the work efficiency can be improved in the same manner as in the item (1).
[0033]
(3) Since the ball valve is not in direct contact with the cryogenic fluid, a normal temperature specification valve can be used and can be made inexpensive.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the cryogenic pipe joint of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional cryogenic pipe joint.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,01 Bionette joint 2,02 Inner pipe 3,03 Outer pipe 4,04 Space 5,05 Flange 6,06 Female joint 7,07 Female bayonet joint 8,08 Flange 9,09 Male joint 10,010 Male bayonet joint 11 Long bolt 12 Short bolt 13 Spring 15 Lower ball valve 16 Internal flow path 17 Lower flange 18 Upper flange 20 Upper ball valve 21 Internal flow path 22 Lower flange 23 Upper flange 25 Piping

Claims (1)

In a cryogenic pipe joint that is installed in the middle of a pipe that transfers a cryogenic fluid and that disconnects and reconnects the pipe, each of the spheres that are installed at the pipe connection and each have an internal flow path are rotated. And a pair of ball valves that open and close the connection opening of the pipe connected to each other, and are installed between one of the ball valves and the connection of the pipe. A female bayonet joint in which a mold joint is formed and the other ball valve and the connection portion of the pipe, and the inside of the internal flow path is extended when the ball valve is opened, thereby the female joint And a male bayonet joint formed with a male joint that fits into a cryogenic pipe joint.

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