The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 14, 2006
Filed:
Oct. 12, 2004
Hein Wille, Eze, FR;
Jack Pollack, Houston, TX (US);
Hein Wille, Eze, FR;
Jack Pollack, Houston, TX (US);
Sbm-Imodco Inc., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A system for offloading LNG (liquified natural gas) from a tanker () in shallow waters, for regasing, or heating the offloaded LNG to produce gaseous hydrocarbons, or gas, for pressurizing the gas, and for flowing the gas to an onshore station (), includes a structure that is fixed to the sea floor and projects above the sea surface and aids in mooring the tanker. In one system, the structure that is fixed to the sea floor is a largely cylindrical tower () with a mooring yoke () rotatably mounted on its upper end. A floating structure () such as a barge that weathervanes, has a bow end pivotally connected to a distal end of the yoke, so the barge is held close to the tower but can drift around the tower with changing winds, waves and currents. The tanker is moored to the barge so the barge and tanker form a combination that weathervanes as a combination. Regas and pressurizing equipment () for heating and pressuring the LNG, and any crew quarters (), are all located on the barge, so a low cost tower can be used. In another system, the structure is a breakwater ().