CN116783421A

CN116783421A - Sealed and thermally insulated can including bellows barrier

Info

Publication number: CN116783421A
Application number: CN202180087280.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 文森特·洛兰; 马克·布瓦约; 伯努瓦·莫瑞
Original assignee: Gaztransport et Technigaz SA
Current assignee: Gaztransport et Technigaz SA
Priority date: 2020-12-23
Filing date: 2021-12-22
Publication date: 2023-09-19
Also published as: WO2022136599A1; FR3118119B1; KR20230122047A; EP4267881A1; FR3118119A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a tank, wherein the tank wall comprises at least one thermal insulation barrier (1, 5) and at least one sealing membrane (4, 7), the sealing membrane comprising a parallel series of corrugations (25, 26), the thermal insulation barrier (1, 5) being located between the sealing membrane and a support structure, the thermal insulation barrier (1, 5) comprising a parallel series of grooves (14, 15) receiving the series of corrugations (25, 26), wherein the tank comprises at least one corrugation barrier (32), the corrugation barrier (32) being located between a corrugation of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and an insulation panel, wherein the corrugation barrier (32) comprises a core of compressible material and a cladding completely covering the core, the corrugation barrier (32) being compressed between the sealing membrane and the thermal insulation barrier.

Description

Sealed and thermally insulated can including bellows barrier

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally isolated membrane tanks. The invention relates in particular to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks for storing and/or transporting liquefied gases at low temperature, such as tanks for transporting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at a temperature between, for example, -50 ℃ and 0 ℃ (including 0 ℃) or for transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at about-162 ℃ at atmospheric pressure. These tanks may be mounted on land or on floating structures. In the case of floating structures, tanks may be used to transport liquefied gas or to receive liquefied gas that is used as fuel for propelling the floating structure.

Background

In the prior art, sealed and thermally insulated tanks for storing lng are known, which tanks are incorporated into a support structure, such as a double hull, of a vessel for transporting lng. Such cans generally have a multilayer structure comprising, in order from the outside to the inside of the can in the thickness direction: a secondary thermal isolation barrier retained on the support structure; a secondary sealing film against the secondary thermal isolation barrier; a primary thermal isolation barrier against the secondary sealing film; and a primary sealing membrane against the primary thermal isolation barrier and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.

Document WO2019102163 describes a secondary thermal insulation barrier and a primary thermal insulation barrier formed by juxtaposed insulation panels. In this document WO2019102163, the secondary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of metal plates comprising corrugations protruding towards the outside of the tank and thus allowing the secondary sealing membrane to deform under the effect of thermal and mechanical loads generated by the fluid stored in the tank. The inner face of the insulating panel of the secondary thermal insulating barrier comprises grooves which receive the corrugations of the corrugated metal sheet of the secondary sealing membrane. The corrugations and the grooves form a network of channels extending along the wall of the tank.

In order to block said channels, document WO2019102163 also describes: the thermal isolation barrier includes a housing intersecting the groove and having a width greater than a width of the groove. Thus, the canister comprises a barrier arranged in the housing such that: the blocking member blocks a portion of the groove on the protruding side portion of the sealing film, and generates head loss (head loss) for the flow circulating in the groove. Thus, the barrier may be moved in the housing to accommodate the position of the corrugations in the grooves.

Disclosure of Invention

One idea behind the invention is to make the bellows-like barrier more adaptable while simplifying the installation in the tank.

Another concept behind the present invention is to limit the presence of continuous circulation channels in the thermal isolation barrier to limit natural convection phenomena in the thermal isolation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the invention provides a sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing and securing a fluid to a support structure, wherein the tank wall comprises at least one thermally insulating barrier and at least one sealing membrane, the sealing membrane comprising a series of parallel corrugations with longitudinal direction and planar portions between the corrugations, the corrugations protruding from the planar portions, the thermally insulating barrier being positioned against the sealing membrane, the thermally insulating barrier comprising insulating panels juxtaposed to each other,

Wherein the tank comprises at least one corrugation barrier positioned in alignment with and between a corrugation of the series of corrugations and one of the insulation panels, the corrugation barrier being configured to block a space left between the corrugation and the groove accommodating the corrugation,

wherein the corrugated barrier comprises a core of compressible material and a flexible cladding that completely covers the core to form a container for the core of compressible material, the corrugated barrier creeping or being compressed between the sealing film and the thermal isolation barrier.

Thanks to these features, such a can offers the possibility of flexibly blocking the groove receiving the corrugation of the membrane, even if there is a tolerance in the position of the corrugation in the groove. Such tolerances may be caused in particular by the manufacture and installation of the corrugations in the grooves. Furthermore, due to these features, the space between the convex side of the corrugation and the bottom of the groove formed by the thermal isolation barrier may be blocked by the corrugation barrier for different positions of the corrugation in the groove. In fact, the compressible material core, when compressed, can simply fill the space by adapting to the position of the corrugations and being compressed to a greater extent into alignment with the corrugations.

Thus, the corrugated barrier may limit the formation of flow in the channels of the thermal isolation barrier, in particular the formation of thermosiphons between these channels and any flow channels located closer to the hull, e.g. the space between the thermal isolation barrier and the support structure where the adhesive is applied.

In embodiments of the invention, a tank of the type described above may have one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier is positioned between the sealing membrane and the support structure, the corrugations protrude towards the interior of the tank, each insulation panel comprises a planar rigid plate forming a face in contact with the sealing membrane, the corrugation barriers being positioned between the corrugations in the series of corrugations and the rigid plates of the insulation panel.

According to one embodiment, the corrugations protrude from the planar portion on the protruding side of the sealing membrane, the thermal isolation barrier is positioned on the protruding side of the sealing membrane, the thermal isolation barrier comprises a parallel series of grooves receiving a series of corrugations, and the corrugation barrier is positioned in alignment with and between the corrugations of the series of corrugations and the bottoms of the grooves of the series of grooves.

According to one embodiment, the bellows-like barrier is compressed by the sealing film such that the dimension in the thickness direction is locally reduced by at least 20%, preferably by at least 30%, more preferably by at least 40%, for example by about 50% between the thickness before compression and the thickness after compression.

According to one embodiment, the wrapper comprises a first layer and a second layer, the first layer being positioned in contact with the sealing membrane, the first layer and the second layer being secured to each other over at least a portion of the periphery of the first layer and the second layer to form a container for the core of compressible material.

According to one embodiment, the first layer and the second layer are secured to each other around the entire periphery of the first layer and the second layer to form a closed container for the core of compressible material.

According to one embodiment, the first layer is made of a material that is more flexible than the material of the second layer.

According to one embodiment, the wrapper comprises only one layer comprising an inner surface positioned in contact with the sealing membrane, the single layer being formed in the form of a flexible cylinder to form a container for the core of compressible material.

According to one embodiment, the single layer, the first layer and/or the second layer comprises at least one perforation to facilitate air evacuation when the barrier is compressed. In the case of a single layer, the single layer may include at least one perforation on the exterior and/or interior surface of the single layer.

According to one embodiment, the core has at least 50% of the volume of the corrugated barrier in the compressed state or in the pre-compressed state, preferably the core has at least 90% of the volume of the corrugated barrier in the compressed state or in the pre-compressed state.

According to one embodiment, the core is made of foam, powder or nonwoven fibrous material.

According to one embodiment, the core is made of a material selected from the group consisting of: mineral wool, melamine foam, polyester filler, polyethylene filler, synthetic plastic foam, polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, or combinations thereof.

For example, the polyester filler may be manufactured in the form of fibrous mats, beads, spheres, or clusters.

According to one embodiment, the cladding is preferably made of a material that is not airtight and is prone to high head losses.

According to one embodiment, the covering comprises a woven or nonwoven fabric layer comprising mineral and/or synthetic fibers, for example, comprising glass fibers or polyester, polyamide or acrylic polymer fibers. Such a layer may be combined with an aluminium foil or a plastic film, which foil or film is preferably perforated to avoid complete sealing. Such a layer may also be coated to improve the sealing properties of the layer.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises a plurality of bellows stops, each bellows stop being positioned between a bellows and a groove accommodating the bellows.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises a plurality of bellows barriers, each bellows barrier being positioned between a bellows and an insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises a plurality of bellows stops positioned in alignment with and between a bellows in the series of bellows and a groove in the series of grooves, each bellows stop being configured to block a space left between the bellows and the groove accommodating the bellows, the bellows stops being regularly spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction of the series of bellows.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises a plurality of corrugation barriers positioned in alignment with and between corrugations of the series of corrugations and an insulation panel formed in alignment with the corrugations, each corrugation barrier being configured to block a space left between the corrugations and the insulation panel, the corrugation barriers being regularly spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction of the series of corrugations.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises a plurality of bellows stops positioned in alignment with and between a bellows in the series of bellows and a groove in the series of grooves, each bellows stop being configured to block a space left between the bellows and the groove accommodating the bellows, the bellows stops for the bellows being regularly spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction.

According to one embodiment, the thermal isolation barrier is a first thermal isolation barrier and the tank comprises a second thermal isolation barrier positioned opposite the protruding side of the sealing membrane, and the tank comprises at least one complementary corrugation barrier positioned facing the at least one corrugation barrier to sandwich the corrugation of the sealing membrane between the corrugation barrier and the complementary corrugation barrier, the complementary corrugation barrier being configured to block a space left between the corrugation and the second thermal isolation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the thermal isolation barrier comprises an interior surface, a series of grooves formed on the interior surface, and the corrugations protrude towards the exterior of the can.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane, the thermal isolation barrier is a primary thermal isolation barrier, the corrugations protrude towards the interior of the tank, and the tank comprises a secondary thermal isolation barrier held on the support structure and supporting the secondary sealing membrane, the primary thermal isolation barrier being supported by the secondary sealing membrane, the tank comprising a primary sealing membrane supported by the primary thermal isolation barrier and for contact with fluid in the tank, a series of grooves being formed on an outer surface of the primary thermal isolation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier comprises insulation plates, which are juxtaposed to each other, the insulation plates being provided with grooves forming a series of grooves, such that the grooves of two adjacent insulation plates are aligned in the longitudinal direction, said at least one corrugated barrier being received in the groove of one of the insulation plates.

According to one embodiment, an inter-plate space is defined between two adjacent insulation plates, the at least one corrugated barrier being received in a groove of one of the two insulation plates and being capable of protruding into the inter-plate space.

According to one embodiment, a thermal isolation barrier comprises: at least one isolation seal accommodated in the inter-plate space and extending in a longitudinal direction of the inter-plate space; and at least one bridging element disposed over the insulating seal,

And the bridging element comprises a bridging plate bridging adjacent two insulation panels and being secured to the inner faces of the two insulation panels to prevent the two insulation panels from moving apart, the inner faces of the insulation panels forming the inner surface of the thermal insulation barrier.

According to one embodiment, a thermal isolation barrier comprises: at least one isolation seal accommodated in the inter-plate space and extending in a longitudinal direction of the inter-plate space; and at least one bridging element being part of a chain of bridging elements and being disposed above the insulation seal, and a first bridging element of the chain of bridging elements extending between two consecutive corrugations in the series of corrugations, a corrugation barrier being positioned between the first and second bridging elements of the chain of bridging elements.

According to one embodiment, the bridging element comprises an insulating strip assembled to the bridging plate, the dimension of the insulating strip in the longitudinal direction being smaller than the dimension of the bridging plate in the longitudinal direction to be accommodated in the inter-plate space and compressed in the thickness direction of the thermal insulation barrier between the bridging plate and the insulation seal.

According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier comprises a chain of bridging elements extending in the longitudinal direction of the inter-plate space, and the chain of bridging elements comprises a plurality of bridging elements bridging adjacent two insulation plates and being fixed to each other.

According to one embodiment, a first bridge element of the bridge element chain extends between two consecutive corrugations of the series of corrugations, and a corrugation barrier is positioned between said first bridge element and a second bridge element of the bridge element chain and aligned with a corrugation of the series of corrugations between the sealing membrane and the thermal isolation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the first bridging element is fixed to the second bridging element by means of a bellows-like barrier.

According to one embodiment, the bellows-like barrier is fixed to the flexible layer and adjacent two bridging elements of the chain are fixed to each other by the flexible layer.

According to one embodiment, each insulating panel comprises an insulating polymer foam layer, and a rigid plate formed with a face in contact with the sealing membrane, the grooves of the series of grooves being formed in the rigid plate.

According to one embodiment, the series of corrugations is a first series of corrugations, and the corrugated metal sheet comprises a second parallel series of corrugations extending parallel to the transverse direction and planar portions between the corrugations.

Such tanks may form part of an onshore storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or such tanks may be installed in coastal or deepwater floating structures, particularly in a methane tanker vessel, a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), a Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) unit, or the like. Such a tank may also be used as a fuel tank in any type of vessel.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a vessel for transporting a cold liquid product, the vessel comprising a double hull and the above-mentioned tanks arranged in the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising: the above-mentioned vessel; an isolation pipe arranged to join a tank mounted in the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage; and a pump for driving the cold liquid product stream from the floating or onshore storage via the insulated conduit to the tank of the vessel or from the tank of the vessel via the insulated conduit to the floating or onshore storage.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method of loading or unloading such a vessel, wherein cold liquid product is transported from a floating or onshore storage facility to a tank of the vessel via an insulated pipeline, or cold liquid product is transported from a tank of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage facility via an insulated pipeline.

Drawings

The invention will be better understood and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a section of a tank wall.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a thermal isolation barrier upon which a corrugated sealing film is resting, the sealing film comprising corrugations received in grooves of the thermal isolation barrier, and fig. 2 depicts different possible locations of the corrugations in the grooves.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a thermal isolation barrier including a plurality of corrugated barriers according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in fig. 3, depicting the bellows-like barrier received in the groove prior to placement of the sealing membrane.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in fig. 3, depicting the bellows barrier received in the groove and depicting a first position of the bellows in the groove.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in fig. 3, depicting the bellows stop received in the groove and depicting a second position of the bellows in the groove.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an insulation panel and a chain of bridging elements for bridging adjacent two rows of insulation panels according to one embodiment of a thermal insulation barrier.

Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view of a thermal isolation barrier provided with a chain of bridging elements.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of fig. 8, depicting a sealing membrane positioned over the thermal isolation barrier.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a barrier according to a second embodiment being received in a bellows prior to compression.

Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a barrier according to a second embodiment being received in a corrugation after compression against an insulation panel.

Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tank of a methane tanker and a quay for loading/unloading the tank.

Detailed Description

Generally, the terms "outer" and "inner" are used to define the relative position of one element with respect to another element with reference to the interior and exterior of the tank.

In fig. 1 a multi-layer structure of one embodiment of a sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing a fluid is shown.

Each wall of the tank comprises, from the outside to the inside of the tank: a secondary thermal insulation barrier 1, the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 being anchored to a support structure 3 by a secondary retaining member and comprising juxtaposed insulation panels 2; a secondary sealing film 4, the secondary sealing film 4 being supported by the insulation plate 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1; a primary thermal insulation barrier 5, the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 being anchored to the insulation panels 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 by primary retaining members 19 and comprising juxtaposed insulation panels 6; and a primary sealing film 7 supported by the insulation plate 6 of the primary heat insulation plate 5 and adapted to be in contact with the low-temperature fluid contained in the tank.

The support structure 3 may in particular be a self-supporting metal plate or, more generally, the support structure 3 may be any type of rigid partition with suitable mechanical properties. The support structure 3 may in particular be formed by the hull of a marine vessel or a double hull. The support structure 3 comprises a plurality of walls defining the overall shape of the tank, generally a polyhedral shape.

The secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 comprises a plurality of insulation plates 2, said plurality of insulation plates 2 being anchored to the support structure 3 by means of resin beads, not depicted, and/or by means of studs welded to the support structure 3. If the resin beads individually anchor the insulation panel 2, the resin beads must have sufficient tackiness, but if the insulation panel 2 is anchored by a stud, the resin beads do not have to have tackiness. The insulating panel 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

As depicted in particular in fig. 3 to 10, the insulating panels 2, 6 each comprise an insulating polymer foam layer 9, which insulating polymer foam layer 9 is provided with an inner rigid plate 10 on its inner face and possibly an outer rigid plate (not depicted) on its outer face. The inner rigid board 10 and the outer rigid board are for example plywood (plywood board) glued to the insulating polymer foam layer 9. The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam. The polymer foam is advantageously reinforced with glass fibers that help reduce thermal shrinkage of the polymer foam.

The insulating panels 2, 6 are juxtaposed in parallel rows and separated from each other by an inter-panel space 12 ensuring a functional assembly gap. The inter-plate space 12 is filled with an insulating seal 13, the insulating seal 13 being represented in particular in fig. 5 and 6 and being for example glass wool, rock wool or open-cell flexible synthetic foam, which may be wrapped in kraft paper. The insulating seal 13 is advantageously made of a porous material so as to form a gas flow space in the inter-plate space 12 between the insulating plates 2. Such a gas flow space is advantageously used to enable an inert gas, such as nitrogen, to circulate in the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1, to keep the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 under an inert atmosphere and thus prevent flammable gases from being found in the explosive concentration range, and/or to reduce the pressure in the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1, thereby increasing the insulation capacity of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1. This gas circulation is also important to facilitate detection of any flammable gas leaks. The inter-plate space 12 has a width of, for example, about 30 mm. The insulating seal 13 is thus placed in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the greater length of the insulating panel 2, 6, and the insulating seal 13 is placed in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The insulating seal 13 is dimensioned such that the inner face of the insulating seal 13 directed towards the secondary sealing membrane 4 is aligned with the boundary of the insulating polymer foam layer 9, as can be seen in fig. 6.

The inner plate 10 according to one embodiment is shown in detail in fig. 3, 7 and 8. The inner plate 10 comprises two series of grooves 14, 15, the two series of grooves 14, 15 being perpendicular to each other to form a network of grooves. Each of the two series of grooves 14, 15 is parallel to opposite sides of the insulating panel 2. The grooves 14, 15 serve to receive corrugations formed on the metal plate of the secondary sealing barrier 4 that protrude towards the outside of the can. In the embodiment shown, the inner panel 10 comprises three grooves 14 extending in the longitudinal direction of the insulation panel 2 and nine grooves 15 extending in the transverse direction of the insulation panel 2.

The grooves 14, 15 pass completely through the thickness of the inner panel 10 and are therefore open at the level of the insulating polymer foam layer 9. Furthermore, the insulating panel 2 comprises, in the region of the intersection between the grooves 14, 15, interstitial holes 16 formed in the insulating polymer foam layer 9. The clearance hole 16 can accommodate a node region formed at the intersection between the corrugated portions of the metal plates of the secondary seal barrier 4. These node areas have a top protruding towards the outside of the tank.

Furthermore, the inner plate 10 is provided with metal plates 17, 18 for anchoring the edges of the corrugated metal plates of the secondary sealing membrane 4 to the insulating plate 2. The metal plates 17, 18 extend in two perpendicular directions, each of which is parallel to opposite sides of the insulating panel 2. The metal plates 17, 18 are fixed to the inner plate 10 of the insulating panel 2 by means of, for example, screws, rivets or staples. The metal plates 17, 18 are placed in recesses formed in the inner plate 10 such that the inner surfaces of the metal plates 17, 18 are flush with the inner surface of the inner plate 10.

The inner plate 10 is also equipped with studs 19, which studs 19 protrude towards the interior of the tank and are intended to fix the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 to the insulation plate 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1. The metal studs 19 pass through holes formed in the metal plate 17.

Furthermore, the inner plate 10 has a step 21 along the edge of the inner plate 10 in each space between two consecutive grooves 14, 15, which step 21 is intended to receive a bridging element 20 described in more detail below.

As can be seen in fig. 1 and 9, the secondary sealing membrane 4 comprises a plurality of corrugated metal sheets 24, each corrugated metal sheet 24 having a generally rectangular shape. The corrugated metal sheets 24 are arranged in an offset manner with respect to the insulation plates 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 such that each of said corrugated metal sheets 24 is coextensive on four adjacent insulation plates 2.

Each corrugated metal plate 24 comprises a first series of parallel corrugations 25 extending in the transverse direction and a second series of parallel corrugations 26 extending in the longitudinal direction. Each of the series of corrugations 25, 26 is parallel to opposite edges of the corrugated metal sheet 24. The corrugations 25, 26 protrude towards the outside of the tank, that is to say in the direction of the support structure 3. The corrugated metal plate 24 includes a plurality of planar surfaces between the corrugations 25, 26. At the level of each intersection between two corrugations 25, 26, the metal sheet comprises a node zone. In the embodiment shown, the first series of corrugations 25 and the second series of corrugations 26 have the same height. However, the first series of undulations 25 can have a height that is greater than the height of the second series of undulations 26, or the second series of undulations 26 can have a height that is greater than the height of the first series of undulations 25.

As shown in fig. 9, the corrugated portions 25, 26 of the corrugated metal plate 24 are accommodated in the grooves 14, 15 formed in the inner plate 10 of the insulation panel 2. Adjacent corrugated metal sheets 24 are welded together in overlapping relation. The corrugated metal plate 24 is anchored to the metal plates 17, 18 by spot welding.

The corrugated metal plate 24 is made of, for exampleThe expansion coefficient is generally 1.2X10 ^- ⁶ K ^-1 And 2x 10 ^-6 K ^-1 Iron-nickel alloys therebetween, or expansion coefficients of about 7x 10 in general ^-6 K ^-1 Is provided. Alternatively, the corrugated metal plate 24 may also be made of stainless steel or aluminum.

The primary thermal insulation barrier 5 comprises a plurality of insulation plates 6 of substantially cuboid shape. Here, the insulation plates 6 are offset with respect to the insulation plates 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 such that each insulation plate 6 extends over four insulation plates 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1. The insulation panel 6 has a structure similar to that of the insulation panel 2 of the secondary heat insulation barrier 1.

The primary sealing film 7 visible in fig. 1 is obtained by assembling a plurality of corrugated metal plates 27. Each corrugated metal plate 27 comprises a first series of parallel so-called high corrugations 28 extending in the longitudinal direction and a second series of parallel so-called low corrugations 29 extending in the transverse direction. The node region has a structure similar to that of the node region of the corrugated metal plate 24 of the secondary sealing film 4. The corrugations 28, 29 protrude towards the inside of the can. The corrugated metal plate 27 is made of, for example, stainless steel or aluminum.

The grooves 14, 15 are dimensioned to constitute an adjustment zone for arranging the corrugations 25, 26 in the tank during manufacture of the tank. In particular, the grooves 14, 15 must be sized to allow for variations in the dimensions of the corrugations 25, 26 associated with manufacturing tolerances of the corrugations 25, 26 in the corrugated metal sheet 24. Furthermore, this sizing must take into account the tolerances for positioning the insulating panel 2 and the corrugated metal sheet 24 relative to each other.

Fig. 2 depicts a central position 35 and an extreme position 36 defining a range of possible positions of the corrugations 25, 26 accommodated in the grooves 14, 15. The grooves 14, 15 are preferably dimensioned with a width 37 in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the corrugations 25, 26 and parallel to the inner face of the inner plate 10, which width 37 is greater than or equal to the width 38 of the corrugations 25, 26 in said direction plus a predetermined tolerance corresponding to twice the positioning tolerance of the corrugations 25, 26 in the grooves 14, 15 on either side of the central position 35.

Due to these dimensions, a space remains in the grooves 14, 15 between the insulating barrier 1 and the sealing film 4. These grooves 14, 15 may thus constitute a network of circulation channels. Such a channel extending continuously throughout the tank wall between the sealing film and the thermal insulation barrier will facilitate convective movement, in particular on tank walls having a large vertical component, such as lateral tank walls. The network of such continuous channels may create a thermosiphon phenomenon, thereby facilitating heat transfer by gas convection in the thermal insulation barrier.

An aspect of the invention is based on the idea of preventing these convective movements in the wall of the tank. To this end, an aspect of the invention is based on the idea of limiting the length of the channel formed by the grooves 14, 15 of the thermal insulation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the corrugated barrier 32 is inserted in one, some or all of the grooves 14, 15 of the thermal insulation barrier. These bellows barriers 32 are provided in the grooves 14, 15 to be arranged between the sealing film 4 and the thermal insulation barrier 1.

The corrugated barrier 32 is described below in connection with the secondary thermal isolation barrier 1 and the secondary sealing film 4 described above. Obviously, the corrugated barrier may equally well be used between the primary heat insulation barrier 5 and the primary sealing film 7 in case the corrugations 25, 26 protrude towards the outside of the tank, or between the primary heat insulation barrier 5 and the secondary sealing film 4 in case the corrugations 25, 26 protrude towards the inside of the tank. Finally, these bellows barriers 32 can equally well be used for cans with only one sealing membrane.

Fig. 3 shows a first embodiment with a secondary thermal insulation barrier 1, which secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 comprises a plurality of insulation plates 2 juxtaposed, said insulation plates 2 being provided with a series of grooves 14, 15. In this embodiment, the corrugated barrier 32 is received in a plurality of grooves 14 in the series of grooves of the same insulating panel 2 and is spaced from the inter-panel space 12 to be supported by the insulating polymer foam layer 9 and between the two portions of the inner rigid panel 10.

In this illustration, the barriers 32 are aligned in the transverse direction to form a barrier line on the insulation panel 2. In another embodiment, the stops 32 may be positioned in the quincuncial portions or received in alternating grooves 14.

In the embodiment shown, the grooves 14 of the same insulation plate 2 comprise a single blocking member 32, such that the pitch between two blocking members of the grooves 14 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1 is equal to the dimension of the insulation plate 2 in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation 25. Obviously, in different embodiments, the pitch may be different, for example by accommodating two stops 32 in the grooves 14 of the same insulating panel 2.

As depicted in particular in fig. 4-6, the bellows-like barrier 32 is formed from a core 33 of compressible material and a cladding 34 that completely covers the core 33. The core 33 is made of mineral wool, melamine foam, polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, polyethylene filler or polyester filler, for example, and is capable of generating head loss in the groove 14 while allowing the corrugate barrier 32 to deform to accommodate the space left between the corrugations 25 and the groove 14. Indeed, in the event of uncertainties in the placement of the corrugations in the groove 14, in particular due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances, it is advantageous to mount a larger and greatly deformable corrugated barrier 32 of overall complementary shape to the space left between the corrugations and the groove 14, so that the corrugated barrier 32 is thus compressed to fill the entire space.

The cladding 34 itself is made of, for example, woven glass fiber and serves as a reservoir for the core 33 and creates additional head loss for fluid flow through the channel formed between the corrugations and the grooves 14. In practice, the material of the wrapper 34 may be selected to have a greater or lesser filtering effect to fix the head loss of the flow through the wrapper 34. Thus, under normal operating conditions of the tank, the bellows-like barrier 32 with such a cladding 34 may produce a head loss of, for example, about 3Pa to 5 Pa. In this embodiment, the cladding 34 is formed by an inner layer 41 in contact with the secondary sealing film 4 and an outer layer 39 in contact with the insulating panel 2. The two layers 39, 41 are for example fixed to each other around the entire periphery of the two layers 39, 41 to form a closed container for the core 33 of compressible material. Furthermore, it has been found that it may be more advantageous to produce an inner layer 41 that is more flexible than the outer layer 39, such that the inner layer 41 is more easily deformed upon contact with the corrugations 25 and the outer layer 39 continues to perform its supporting and retaining function in the grooves 14. The outer layer 39 of the bellows-like barrier 32 is glued or stapled, for example, to two parts of the inner rigid plate 10.

In an embodiment not shown, an additional flexible layer may be located below the outer layer 39 such that the retaining action in the groove 14 is transferred to the additional flexible layer instead of the outer layer 39 of the container forming the core 33.

Fig. 4 to 6 show different placement of the corrugation 32 and the corrugation 25 in the groove 14 of the insulation panel 2 at different stages in the assembly of the tank wall.

In fact, fig. 4 shows the bellows barrier 32 before the secondary sealing membrane 4 is installed, such that the bellows barrier is in an uncompressed state. Fig. 5 and 6 themselves show the bellows stop 32 after positioning the secondary sealing membrane 4 and thus show the bellows 25 in the groove 14 in which the bellows stop 32 is received, the bellows stop 32 thus being in a compressed state. Referring to the range of possible positions depicted in fig. 2, fig. 5 shows a first situation in which the corrugation 25 is in a central position 35, while fig. 6 shows a second situation in which the corrugation 25 is in an extreme position 36.

In fig. 4, the corrugated barrier 32 is fixed to the inner rigid plate 10 of the insulation panel 2 by both ends of the outer layer 39, and the central portion of the outer layer 39 rests on the foam layer 9. The bellows stop 30 is thus fixed in the groove 14 and a large part of the groove 14 has been blocked by the bellows stop 30 forming a U-shaped cross section. Here, the compressible material core 33 is in an uncompressed state, and thus the bellows-like barrier 32 has a generally constant initial thickness.

In fig. 5, the corrugation 25 has been placed in a central position 35 within the recess 14. Thus, the bellows 25 has compressed the central portion 42 of the bellows stop 32 aligned with the top of the bellows 25 to a greater extent, thereby locally and substantially reducing the thickness of the bellows stop 32, for example by about 50% relative to the initial value of the bellows stop 32. By means of the compressible material core 33 of the corrugated barrier 32 compressed in this way, the barrier thus blocks the space left between the insulating panel 2 and the sealing membrane 4 by adapting to the position of the corrugations 25.

In a similar manner, in fig. 6, the corrugation 25 has been placed in an extreme position 36 within the recess 14 (here, on the right-hand side of the recess 14). Thus, the first portion 43 of the bellows stop 32 on the right side of the bellows has been compressed to a greater extent by the bellows 25, while the second portion 44 of the bellows stop 32 itself has not been compressed. Thus, the right hand portion 43 is greatly reduced in thickness, for example by about 50%, compared to the initial value of the right hand portion 43. In the example shown, the left hand portion 44 itself increases slightly in thickness because this portion of the compressible material of the core 33 is subject to creep. By means of the compressible material core 33 of the corrugated barrier 32 compressed in this way, the barrier thus blocks the space left between the insulating panel 2 and the sealing membrane 4 by adapting the position of the corrugations 25.

The bridging element 20 is shown in particular in fig. 7 to 10. In these figures, the bridging elements 20 each comprise a bridging plate 22, which bridging plate 22 bridges adjacent two insulation panels 2, thereby bridging the inter-panel space 12 between the insulation panels 2. Each bridge plate 22 is secured against each of the two adjacent insulation plates 2 to prevent the two insulation plates 2 from moving away from each other. The bridging plate 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes, for example, plywood.

The outer face of the bridging plate 22 is fixed against the bottom of the stepped portion 21. The depth of the stepped portion 21 is substantially equal to the thickness of the bridging plate 22, and thus the inner face of the bridging plate 22 reaches substantially the level of the other planar areas of the inner panel 10 of the insulation panel 2. Thus, the bridging plate 22 is in a position to ensure the continuity of bridging of the secondary sealing film 4.

In such a way as to ensure a good distribution of the joining force between the adjacent panels, a plurality of bridging plates 22 extend along each edge of the inner panel 10 of the insulating panel 2, the bridging plates 22 being disposed in each gap between adjacent two grooves 14, 15 of the parallel series of grooves.

The bridging plate 22 advantageously extends over substantially the entire length of the gap between two adjacent grooves 14, 15. Furthermore, the stepped portions 21 on both sides of the inter-plate space 12 form receiving portions for the bridging plates 22, that is, gaps formed between edges of the stepped portions 21 of the two insulation plates 2. The receptacle has a lateral dimension that is slightly greater than the lateral dimension of the bridge plate 22 so that installation and/or manufacturing tolerances may be ignored when inserting the bridge plate 22 into the receptacle.

The bridging plate 22 may be secured against the inner panel 10 of the insulation panel 2 by any suitable means. For example and as shown in fig. 3, glue 40 is applied in the step 21 between the outer face of the bridge panel 22 and the inner panel 10 of the insulation panel 2 so that the bridge panel 22 can be satisfactorily fixed to the insulation panel 2.

The bridging elements 20 each further comprise an insulating strip 23, the insulating strip 23 being fixed to the outer face of the bridging plate 22, for example glued to the outer face of the bridging plate 22. During assembly of the bridging element 20 and the insulation panel 2, the insulation strips 23 are accommodated in the inter-panel space 12 between the bridging plate 22 and the insulation seal 13 and compressed between these two elements. In order to be easily accommodated in the inter-plate space 12, the dimension of the insulating strips 23 in the lateral direction of the inter-plate space 12 is equal to the dimension of the inter-plate space 12 in the lateral direction of the inter-plate space 12. The insulating strips 23 are made of, for example, a polymer foam such as polyurethane foam. The insulating strips 23 have a longitudinal dimension, for example, equal to the longitudinal dimension of the bridging plate 22.

Furthermore, as shown in particular in the embodiments depicted in fig. 7 and 8, the bridging elements 20 bridging the same two adjacent insulating panels 2 are connected in pairs to form a bridging element chain 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of the inter-panel space 12. However, in another embodiment, not shown, the bridging elements 20 may all be independent of each other.

Adjacent two bridging elements 20 of the bridging element chain 30 are fixed to each other by means of a bellows-like barrier 32, as is shown in particular in fig. 7 and 8. The outer layer 39 of the corrugated barrier 32 is more particularly fixed to the inner panels 10 of the two insulation panels 2, for example stapled or glued to the inner panels 10 of the two insulation panels 2. In this embodiment, the bellows stop 32 is thus placed at the level of the inter-plate space and aligned with the two grooves 14 to be positioned between the bellows and the insulating seal 13.

In an embodiment not shown, two adjacent bridge elements 20 of the bridge element chain 30 are fixed to each other by means of the flexible layer 31, for example, two adjacent bridge elements 20 of the bridge element chain 30 are stapled to each other by means of the flexible layer 31. The bellows stop 32 is fixed to the flexible layer 31, e.g. the bellows stop 32 is glued to the flexible layer 31.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in particular in fig. 7, the bridge plate 22, which is positioned in alignment with the direction of the metal plates 17, 18 fixed to the insulating panel 2, is equipped with a thermal protection strip 45, the thermal protection strip 45 being fixed against the inner wall of said bridge plate 22 and serving to protect the bridge plate 22 during welding of the plates forming the sealing film.

In fig. 7 the bridge element chain 30 has been depicted in the step of gluing the bridge element chain 30 to the insulation panel 2 with glue 40 at the level of the step 21, whereas in fig. 8 the bridge element chain 30 has been fixed to the insulation panel 2.

Fig. 9 and 10 are sectional views of fig. 8, allowing a better distinction to be made between the relative arrangement of the different elements with respect to each other in two different sectional directions.

Also depicted in fig. 9 is the corrugated metal plate 24 of the secondary sealing film 4, the corrugations 25 and 26 of the corrugated metal plate 24 being arranged in the grooves 14, 15 of the insulation plate 2 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 1. Thus, fig. 9 is a section taken along the longitudinal direction of the inter-plate space 12 at the level of the inter-plate space.

Thus, it is possible to distinguish between bridging plates 22, the edges of bridging plates 22 being beveled, and outer layer 39 being stapled or adhered to these beveled surfaces. The insulating strip 23 extends at its edges along the inclined edges of the bridging plate 22 to obtain a V-section outer layer 39, with the base of the V resting on the insulating seal 13. Thus, the outer layer 39 connects the edges of adjacent two bridging plates 22. The bellows barrier 32 is placed on the flexible layer 31 and compressed between the flexible layer 31 and the bellows 25.

Fig. 10 is a cross section taken in the transverse direction of the inter-plate space 12. Thus, the following barrier strips 23 can be distinguished in this figure: the insulating strip 23 is compressed between the bridging plate 22 and the insulating seal 13 and fills the entire space left by the insulating seal 13 in the thickness direction and in the transverse direction. The bridging plate 22 is accommodated on both sides of the latter in two stepped portions 21 of two adjacent insulating panels 2.

In the first embodiment of fig. 2 to 10, the bellows stop 32 is accommodated in the groove 15 to be compressed between the bellows and the bottom of the groove 15. In addition, the bellows-like member 32 is glued or stapled to the wall of the recess formed by the rigid plate 10. This embodiment corresponds in particular to the case where the bellows of the sealing film protrudes towards the outside of the can and is accommodated in the groove.

Fig. 11 and 12 correspond to a second embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in that: the blocking member 32 is glued this time to the inside of the corrugation and compressed between the corrugation and the planar rigid plate 10 of the insulating panel 2, 6. Further, this second embodiment corresponds particularly to the case where the corrugated portion of the sealing film protrudes toward the inside of the can 71.

Thus, fig. 11 schematically illustrates the bellows stop 32 accommodated in the bellows prior to compression such that the bellows stop has a height that is greater than the top height of the bellows. Furthermore, prior to compression, the bellows stop 32 does not necessarily have a shape complementary to the bellows.

Fig. 12 also schematically shows the corrugation barrier 32 accommodated in the corrugation, but this time after being compressed between the planar rigid plate 10 of the insulation panel 2, 6 and the corrugation of the sealing membrane 4, 7. Thus, the bellows stop 32 has been compressed and deformed to fill the entire space left between the bellows in one of the series of bellows 25, 26 and the rigid plate 10.

Referring to fig. 13, a cross-sectional view of a methane tanker vessel 70 shows a generally prismatic sealed and insulated tank 71 mounted in a double hull 72 of the vessel. The walls of the tank 71 include: a primary sealing barrier for contact with LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier arranged between the primary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 of the vessel, and two isolation barriers arranged between the primary sealing barrier and the secondary sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72, respectively.

In a manner known per se, a loading/unloading pipe 73 provided on the top deck of the vessel can be connected to a sea or port terminal by means of a suitable connector for transferring cargo of LNG from the tank 71 or to the tank 71.

Fig. 13 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading/unloading station 75, an underwater pipeline 76 and an onshore installation 77. The loading/unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore unit, and the loading/unloading station 75 includes a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated flexible tubes 79 that may be connected to the load/unload conduit 73. The orientable movable arm 74 is suitable for all methane tanker loaders. A connection duct, not shown, extends within the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables the methane number 70 to be loaded from the onshore facility 77 or the methane number 70 to be unloaded to the onshore facility 77. The onshore installation 77 comprises a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connection pipeline 81 connected to the loading or unloading station 75 via an underwater pipeline 76. The underwater piping 76 enables liquefied gas to be transferred a great distance, for example 5km, between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore device 77, which enables the methane tanker 70 to maintain a great distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

Pumps 70 on board the vessel and/or pumps provided with on-shore devices 77 and/or pumps provided with loading and unloading stations 75 are used to generate the pressure necessary for transferring the liquefied gas.

While the invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments, it is evident that the invention is by no means limited to these embodiments and that the invention encompasses all technical equivalents and combinations of the described technical means, as long as the combinations of the described technical means fall within the scope of the invention.

Use of the verb "to comprise" or "to comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims

1. A sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing and securing fluids to a support structure, wherein the tank wall comprises at least one thermally insulated barrier (1, 5) and at least one sealing membrane (4, 7), the sealing membrane comprising a series of corrugations (25, 26) with longitudinal direction parallel and planar portions between the corrugations (25, 26), the corrugations (25, 26) protruding from the planar portions, the thermally insulated barrier (1, 5) being positioned against the sealing membrane (4, 7), the thermally insulated barrier (1, 5) comprising insulated panels (2, 6), the insulated panels (2, 6) being juxtaposed to each other,

Wherein the tank comprises at least one corrugation barrier (32) positioned in alignment with a corrugation of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and between a corrugation of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and one of the insulation panels (2, 6), the corrugation barrier (32) being configured to block a space left between the corrugation and the groove accommodating the corrugation,

wherein the corrugated barrier (32) comprises a core of compressible material and a flexible cladding that completely covers the core to form a container for the core of compressible material, the corrugated barrier (32) creeping or being compressed between the sealing film and the thermal isolation barrier.

2. Can of claim 1, wherein the corrugations (25, 26) protrude from the planar part on a protruding side of the sealing membrane, the thermal isolation barrier (1, 5) being positioned on the protruding side of the sealing membrane, the thermal isolation barrier (1, 5) comprising a parallel series of grooves (14, 15) receiving the series of corrugations (25, 26), the corrugation barrier (32) being positioned in alignment with the corrugations of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and between the corrugations of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and the bottoms of the grooves of the series of grooves (14, 15).

3. Can of claim 2, wherein the insulation panels comprise grooves forming the series of grooves such that the grooves (14, 15) of adjacent two insulation panels (2, 6) are aligned in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the corrugated barrier (32) being received in a groove of one of the insulation panels.

4. A tank according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the thermal isolation barrier (1) is a first thermal isolation barrier and the tank comprises a second thermal isolation barrier positioned opposite the protruding side of the sealing membrane, and wherein the tank comprises at least one complementary corrugate barrier positioned facing at least one of the corrugate barriers (32) to sandwich the corrugations of the sealing membrane between the corrugate barrier and the complementary corrugate barrier, the complementary corrugate barrier being configured to block a space left between the corrugations and the second thermal isolation barrier.

5. Tank according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the thermal insulation barrier comprises an inner surface, the series of grooves (14, 15) being formed on the inner surface, and the corrugations protruding towards the outside of the tank.

6. Tank according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the sealing film is a secondary sealing film (4), the thermal isolation barrier is a primary thermal isolation barrier (5), the corrugations protrude towards the interior of the tank, and wherein the tank comprises a secondary thermal isolation barrier (1) held on the support structure and supporting the secondary sealing film (4), the primary thermal isolation barrier (5) being supported by the secondary sealing film (4), the tank comprises a primary sealing film (7) supported by the primary thermal isolation barrier (5) and intended to be in contact with the fluid in the tank, the series of grooves (14, 15) being formed on the outer surface of the primary thermal isolation barrier (5).

7. Can of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each insulating panel (2) comprises an insulating polymer foam layer (9), and a rigid plate (10) formed with a face in contact with the sealing membrane, the grooves of the series of grooves (14, 15) being formed in the rigid plate.

8. Can of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulation barrier (1, 5) is located between the sealing membrane (4, 7) and the support structure, the corrugations protruding towards the interior of the can, each insulation panel (2) comprising a planar rigid plate (10) formed with a face in contact with the sealing membrane, the corrugation barrier (32) being located between a corrugation of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and the rigid plate (10) of the insulation panel (2).

9. Can of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bellows-like barrier (32) is compressed by the sealing film such that the dimension in the thickness direction is locally reduced by at least 20% between the thickness before compression and the thickness after compression.

10. Can of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cladding (34) comprises a first layer (41) and a second layer (39), the first layer being positioned in contact with the sealing film, the first layer and the second layer being fixed to each other over at least a portion of the periphery of the first layer and the second layer to form the container for the compressible material core, the first layer being made of a material that is more flexible than the material of the second layer.

11. Can of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wrapper (34) comprises a single layer having an inner surface positioned in contact with the sealing membrane, the single layer being formed in the form of a flexible cylinder to form the container for the compressible material core.

12. Can of claim 10 or 11, wherein the single layer, the first layer (41) and/or the second layer (39) comprises at least one perforation.

13. Can of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the core (33) has at least 90% of the volume of the bellows-like barrier (32) in compressed state or pre-compressed state.

14. Can of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the core (33) is made of foam, powder or nonwoven fibrous material, preferably the core (33) is selected from the following: mineral wool, melamine foam, polyester filler, polyethylene filler, synthetic plastic foam, polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, or combinations thereof.

15. Can of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the wrapper (34) comprises a woven or non-woven fabric layer comprising mineral and/or synthetic fibers.

16. Tank according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the tank comprises a plurality of bellows barriers (32), each bellows barrier (32) being located between a bellows and an insulating panel.

17. Tank according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the tank comprises a plurality of corrugation barriers (32) positioned in alignment with and between corrugations of the series of corrugations (25, 26) and insulation panels formed in alignment with the corrugations, each corrugation barrier (32) being configured to block a space left between the corrugation and the insulation panels, the corrugation barriers (32) being regularly spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of the series of corrugations.

18. A vessel (70) for transporting a cold liquid product, the vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to any of claims 1 to 17 provided in the double hull.

19. A transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising: the vessel (70) of claim 18; -an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81), the insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) being arranged to connect the tank (71) installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage (77); and a pump for driving a flow of cold liquid product from the floating or onshore storage via the insulated pipeline to the tank of the vessel or from the tank of the vessel via the insulated pipeline to the floating or onshore storage.

20. A method of loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 18, wherein cold liquid product is transported from a floating or onshore storage (77) to the tank (71) of the vessel via an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) or cold liquid product is transported from the tank of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage (77) via an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81).