Patent ID: 6093068
Filing Date: 2000-07-25
Classification: B63B

Abstract:
A product transfer system for a vessel (10) floating on the sea comprising:a turret (20) rotatably supported with respect to said vessel,an anchoring system (50, 26) connected between the turret (20) and a seabed (42) by which the turret is maintained substantially stationarily with respect to said seabed,a manifold deck (103) carried by a support structure (115, 117) which is fixed to a top end of said turret (20),hydrocarbon transport lines (22) running from a source of hydrocarbon product on said seabed to manifolds on said manifold deck (103), each of said manifolds having a manifold outlet line (112),a plurality of product swivels forming a product swivel stack (100) carried by said support structure (115, 117) where each product swivel of said product swivel stack includes a stationary housing including an inlet connected to a manifold outlet (112) and a rotatable housing including a swivel outlet (156, 157) in fluid communication with a transport pipe which runs to a storage hold of the vessel,a torque tube (105) mounted for rotation about said turret (20) and coaxially placed about said product swivel stack (100) with said stationary housings of said product swivels of said product swivel stack (100) fixed together to form a swivel core and with said stationary housings being fixedly mounted with respect to said support structure (115, 117),a swivel torque arm (108) connected between said torque tube (105) and each one of said rotatable housings, anda main torque arm (110) coupled between said torque tube (105) and said vessel (10),wherein at least one of said manifold outlet lines (112) runs downwardly from said manifold deck and turns upwardly for entry into a bottom end of said swivel core for connection to one of said product swivels of said product swivel stack (100).