A system including an optical system having at least one refractive or reflective element, the optical system configured to substantially receive electromagnetic radiation emanating from a source, the optical system being located within a Dewar, a support structure, support structure being mechanically disposed between the optical system and a surface of the Dewar, the support structure having substantially low thermal conductance, a cold source; the cold source being located within the Dewar, a thermal link, the thermal link being mechanically disposed between the optical system and the cold source, the thermal link being substantially flexible and having substantially high thermal conductance.

The present invention provides a control device that includes a first temperature detection unit that detects a partition wall temperature of a tank main body in which liquefied gas is contained, and a second temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of a skirt that supports the tank main body. The control device further includes a temperature difference acquisition unit that acquires a temperature difference between the partition wall temperature detected by the first temperature detection unit and the temperature of the skirt which is detected by the second temperature detection unit, and a determination unit that determines whether or not a joint between the tank main body and the skirt is rapidly cooled by the liquefied gas on the basis of the partition wall temperature and the temperature difference.

A system including an optical system having at least one refractive or reflective element, the optical system configured to substantially receive electromagnetic radiation emanating from a source, the optical system being located within a Dewar, a support structure, support structure being mechanically disposed between the optical system and a surface of the Dewar, the support structure having substantially low thermal conductance, a cold source; the cold source being located within the Dewar, a thermal link, the thermal link being mechanically disposed between the optical system and the cold source, the thermal link being substantially flexible and having substantially high thermal conductance.

A loading assembly has a gas conduit that extends between a floating structure and another structure, to convey a pressurized gas stream between the two structures. An emergency disconnection coupler is configured in the gas conduit. A switching system is provided for controlling switching of an engagement mechanism in the emergency disconnection coupler between a locked position and an unlocked position (in either direction). The switching system is subject to two distinct fail-safe regimes: a fail-unlocked regime which inherently instructs for release of the emergency disconnection coupler, and a fail-closed regime which inherently precludes release of the emergency disconnection coupler when there is pressurized gas in the gas connection. The fail-unlocked regime is active when the gas pressure in the gas connection is below a predetermined override threshold value. The fail-locked regime overrides the fail-unlocked regime.

A method for managing the filling levels of a plurality of tanks arranged in a ship, said tanks being connected in such a way as to allow liquid to be transferred between said tanks, the method comprising providing an initial state (7) of the tanks, determining a target state (8) defining respective final filling levels of said tanks, determining a liquid transfer scenario (9), the transfer scenario defining one or more flows of liquid to be transferred between the tanks during a transfer period in order to shift from the initial state to the target state of the tanks, calculating a probability of damage to the tanks (10) during the course of said transfer scenario, as a function of successive filling levels of the tanks during the transfer period, if the probability of damage to the tanks satisfies an acceptance criterion, transferring (13) the liquid between the tanks in accordance with said transfer scenario.

The filling station according to the invention enables an automated refilling of a gas bottle by an end-user. This comprises an insertion device, which enables an end-user to insert an emptied gas bottle into the filling station. The filling station comprises a closing device for closing the filling station after the insertion of the gas bottle such that a removal of the gas bottle subsequent to the closing is not possible. The end-user may not remove the gas bottle in a closed state. Furthermore, the filling station comprises a filling device for an automated filling of an into the filling station inserted emptied gas bottle subsequent to the closing. A filling may thus only take place, if the filling station is closed and in consequence the gas bottle cannot be removed. There is a gas testing device for an automated gas leakage test after a refilling of an inserted gas bottle. With it, the tightness of a once again filled gas bottle is tested. There is a release device that releases an afore filled or full gas bottle only after a successful gas leakage test and thus enables a removal of a once again filled gas bottle. A removal of a gas bottled filled with gas respectively liquid gas is thus only possible, if the gas leakage test revealed that no gas escapes from the filled bottle. The invention further concerns a method for refilling.

An emergency release system includes a first shut-off valve unit which is land-based; and a second shut-off valve unit which is provided for a marine vessel and separably connected to the first shut-off valve unit, and the first shut-off valve unit is provided with a reservoir container which receives liquid air generated in the first shut-off valve unit and dropped, in a state in which the second shut-off valve unit is separated from the first shut-off valve unit, and the system includes a container support mechanism which is capable of retaining the reservoir container at a retracted position in a state in which the first and second shut-off valve units are connected to each other, the container support mechanism being configured to automatically shift the reservoir container to a reserving position, in a state in which the first and second shut-off valve units are separated from each other.

To provide a hydrogen filling system and a hydrogen filling method capable of preventing hydrogen from being filled at high filling rate in the same manner as the communication filling despite a condition that pressure, temperature and so on in the in-vehicle tank are not precisely grasped. The hydrogen filling system (100) of the present invention includes a control unit (CU1, CU2, CU3) for controlling hydrogen filling, wherein the control unit has a function of judging whether or not there is an abnormality in pressure or temperature data in an in-vehicle tank (IT) at communication filling and a function of stopping the communication filling and converting to non-communication filling when there is an abnormality in the pressure or the temperature data.

A method for conditioning a liquid cryogen in a tank includes reducing a pressure of the liquid cryogen in the tank for reducing a temperature of the liquid cryogen and condensing any vapor boil-off in the tank for reclaiming the liquid cryogen in the tank. The liquid cryogen may be selected from the group consisting of liquid nitrogen (LIN), liquid oxygen (LOX), and liquid argon (LAR).

A gas supply device includes a storage container that accumulates liquefied gas, a vaporizer for vaporizing liquefied gas derived from the storage container, a compression device that compresses gas vaporized from the liquefied gas in the vaporizer, a pressure accumulator that accumulates gas compressed in the compression device, and a supply path linked to a dispenser from the pressure accumulator.