Patent ID: 6073777
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: F16L

Abstract:
A fluid swivel for transferring hydrocarbons that may contain sand or other particles, and which lies in an environment, comprising inner and outer main swivel parts that each have ports, and a bearing that supports said swivel parts in rotation of one of them with respect to the other about a largely vertical axis, said swivel parts including first and second swivel parts forming a transfer chamber positioned radially between them, said transfer chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port through which a fluid with a suspended particles flows between said ports from said first swivel part to said second swivel part, with said first and second swivel parts forming first and second chamber parts that are primarily horizontally spaced and that together form said transfer chamber, and said swivel parts forming a pair of gap passages between them leading from a location near said transfer chamber to the environment including a lower gap passage extending generally downward from near said transfer chamber to the environment with said lower gap passage having at least one seal and having an upper end;each of said swivel parts has a transfer chamber lower wall with a proximal portion lying adjacent to the other swivel part and a distal portion lying furthest from the other swivel part;said second swivel part lower wall proximal portion forms a raised second barrier to urge settling particles away from said lower gap passage, and said first swivel part lower wall proximal portion forms a first barrier that lies above said second barrier to divert fluid moving from said first chamber part to said second chamber part, over and past said second barrier.