The present invention prevents a gas generated by evaporating a low-temperature liquid from remaining in an internal space of a booster pump and enhances efficiency of discharge and suction. A reciprocating booster pump 50 includes a cylinder 41, a piston 42, a suction check valve 65, and a discharge check valve 62. The cylinder 41 has a suction port 55 and a discharge port 56. The suction port 55 suctions a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid to an inside. The discharge port 56 boosts the low-temperature liquid and discharges the low-temperature liquid to an outside. The piston 42 reciprocates in an internal space 43 of the cylinder. The suction check valve 65 opens and closes a suction flow passage 64 between the internal space and the suction port. The discharge check valve 62 opens and closes a discharge flow passage 61 between the internal space and the discharge port. The suction check valve is configured such that if a relative pressure at the internal space establishing a pressure of the low-temperature liquid before being suctioned into the cylinder as a criterion is higher than a predetermined pressure, the suction check valve closes.

The invention relates to a fluid compression apparatus having a plurality of compression stages, comprising a first compression chamber, a second compression chamber, an intake system communicating with the first compression chamber which is configured to allow fluid to be compressed into said first compression chamber, a transfer system configured to allow in an open position the transfer of fluid from the first compression chamber to the second compression chamber, a mobile piston for ensuring the compression of the fluid in the first and second compression chambers. The apparatus further comprises a discharge port which communicates with the second compression chamber and is configured to allow the exit of compressed fluid, the piston being translationally mobile in a longitudinal direction, wherein the first compression chamber is defined by a fixed lower cavity, a lower end of the piston and a first sealing system formed between the piston and a wall of the cavity, wherein the second compression chamber is defined by a fixed upper cavity, an upper end of the piston and a second sealing system formed between the piston and a wall of the upper cavity. The invention is characterized in that, in the operating configuration of the apparatus, the longitudinal direction of translation of the mobile piston is vertical, the intake system being located at a lower end of the apparatus and the discharge port being located in an upper part of the apparatus above the transfer system.

A pump for pumping a cryogenic liquid includes a pump housing having a cylinder with a piston slidably positioned therein. An intermediate fluid chamber that receives an intermediate fluid is defined within the cylinder adjacent to a first end of the piston and a fluid pumping chamber is defined within the cylinder adjacent to a second end of the piston. An intermediate fluid seal is attached to the piston and engages the cylinder. A pumped fluid seal attached to the piston and configured to engage the cylinder, said pumped fluid seal spaced from the intermediate fluid seal so that a differential pressure space is defined within the cylinder between the intermediate fluid and pumped fluid seals. A differential pressure vent valve is in fluid communication with the differential pressure space. A differential pressure switch senses a pressure within the differential pressure space and opens the differential pressure vent valve when the pressure within the differential pressure space reaches a predetermined pressure level.

The invention relates to a fluid compression apparatus comprising a housing having a compression chamber, an intake system communicating with the compression chamber which is configured to allow fluid to be compressed into said compression chamber, and a mobile piston for ensuring the compression of the fluid in the compression chamber. The apparatus further comprises a discharge port which is configured to allow the exit of compressed fluid from the compression chamber, the compression chamber being defined by a portion of the body of the piston and a fixed wall of the apparatus, the piston being translationally mobile along a longitudinal direction. The invention is characterized in that the piston has a tubular portion mounted around a fixed central guide, a first terminal end of the central guide forming the fixed wall delimiting a part of the compression chamber. The apparatus also comprises a sealing system formed between the central guide and the piston according to the longitudinal direction of translation of the piston, the intake system being located at a first end of the apparatus, the discharge port being located at a second end of the apparatus.

An improved filter apparatus for a cryogenic fluid includes a filter and a support. The filter includes a mesh having an internal space and an open end. The support is associated with the mesh for maintaining a volume of the internal space above a predetermined value. In operation cryogenic fluid enters the internal space through the mesh and exits the open end thereof.

The invention relates to a fluid compression apparatus comprising a first and a second compression chamber, an intake system communicating with the first compression chamber, a transfer system communicating with the first and second compression chambers, and a mobile piston for ensuring the compression of the fluid in the first and second compression chambers. The apparatus further comprises a discharge port which communicates with the second compression chamber and is configured to allow the outlet of compressed fluid, wherein the second compression chamber is defined by a part of the body of the piston and a fixed wall of the apparatus, the piston being translationally mobile according to a longitudinal direction, the piston having a tubular portion mounted around a fixed central guide, a terminal end of the central guide forming the fixed wall defining a part of the second compression chamber. The apparatus further comprises a sealing system formed between the central guide and the piston according to the longitudinal direction of translation of the piston, the intake system being located at a first end of the apparatus, the discharge port being located at a second end of the apparatus and the transfer system being located between the intake system and the discharge port.

A sealed and thermally insulating storage tank for a fluid that is anchored in a load-bearing structure built into a ship, the ship having a longitudinal direction, the tank having a loading/unloading tower suspended from a ceiling wall of the load-bearing structure, the loading/unloading tower including first, second and third vertical pylons defining a prism of triangular section, the loading/unloading tower carrying at least a first pump, the tank having a support foot that is fastened to the load-bearing structure, the tank having at least one sump, the first pump being arranged outside the triangular prism and being aligned with the support foot in a first transverse plane that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the ship.

A pump for cryogenic liquids including plurality of temperature managed pumping mechanisms. Each pumping mechanism including a barrel having a first end and a second end, and at least one bore extending through the barrel from the first end to the second end. The pump barrel including a stabilizer positioned on the first end and at least partially defining a space in fluid communication with the at least one bore to provide cooling to the barrel.

A pump includes a reservoir configured to receive a fluid pressurized by a boost pump. The pump also includes at least one pumping mechanism configured to receive a first flow of fluid from the reservoir and direct the first flow of fluid into a discharge passage of the pump without pumping the first flow of fluid when priming the pump. The at least one pumping mechanism is disposed in the reservoir such that the fluid in the reservoir surrounds at least a portion of the at least one pumping mechanism. The discharge passage is configured to output the first flow of fluid from the pump. The pump further includes a bypass passage configured to communicate a second flow of fluid from the reservoir to the storage tank.

The disclosure describes various aspects of a vibrationally isolated cryogenic shield for local high-quality vacuum. More specifically, the disclosure describes a cryogenic vacuum system replicated in a small volume in a mostly room temperature ultra-high vacuum (UHV) system by capping the volume with a suspended cryogenic cold finger coated with a high surface area sorption material to produce a localized extreme high vacuum (XHV) or near-XHV region. The system is designed to ensure that all paths from outgassing materials to the control volume, including multiple bounce paths off other warm surfaces, require at least one bounce off of the high surface area sorption material on the cold finger. The outgassing materials can therefore be pumped before reaching the control volume. To minimize vibrations, the cold finger is only loosely, mechanically connected to the rest of the chamber, and the isolated along with the cryogenic system via soft vacuum bellows.