EP3707423B1 - Sealed and thermally insulating tank - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to the field of tanks, sealed and thermally insulating, with membranes, for the storage and/or transport of fluid, such as a cryogenic fluid.

Sealed and thermally insulating tanks with membranes are used in particular for the storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is stored, at atmospheric pressure, at around -162°C. These tanks can be installed on land or on a floating structure. In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be intended for the transport of liquefied natural gas or to receive liquefied natural gas serving as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure.

Technology background

Various techniques are known for the construction of a watertight and thermally insulating tank with membranes integrated into a support structure having a substantially polyhedral internal surface and comprising successively, in a direction of thickness, a secondary insulation barrier, a barrier of secondary sealing, a primary insulation barrier and a primary sealing barrier.

We know, for example by WO-A-2014167214 Or WO-A-2017006044 , a vessel wall in which the secondary insulation barrier consists essentially of secondary insulating blocks juxtaposed on the polyhedral internal surface of the support structure, the secondary sealing barrier consists of a corrugated metal membrane arranged on an internal surface secondary insulating blocks, the primary insulating barrier essentially consists of primary insulating blocks juxtaposed on the secondary metal membrane and anchored to the secondary insulating barrier by anchoring members carried by the secondary insulating blocks, and the barrier of The primary seal consists of a corrugated metal membrane arranged on an internal surface of the primary insulating blocks. Along the edges of the load-bearing structure, the primary and secondary insulating blocks are made of prefabricated corner structures.
The document FR3042253A1 discloses a sealed and thermally insulating tank.

Summary

Certain aspects of the invention will now be explained with reference to the figure 1 . There figure 1 partially illustrates an insulation barrier essentially consisting of insulating blocks juxtaposed on a polyhedral support surface 1 having two flat regions 2 and 3 forming an angle between them and meeting at an edge 4. The insulating blocks comprise a structure of angle 5 arranged along the edge which has two sides respectively parallel to each of the two flat regions 2 and 3 and flat insulating panels 6 arranged on the flat regions of the support surface on either side of the structure corner 5.

As seen on the figure 1 , if the flat insulating panels 6 have been mounted first, there may be a problem of space preventing the corner structure 5 from being placed along the edge, as indicated by the arrow 7. It follows that t may be best to construct the isolation barrier ending in a flat region. However, once the corner structure 5 has been placed along the edge, an entire area of the support surface close to the edge 4 is no longer accessible.

Furthermore, it is preferable to produce an insulation barrier with insulating blocks that are as standardized as possible in order to reduce manufacturing costs. However, the construction of a large load-bearing structure such as the hull of a ship is subject to high dimensional tolerances, for example several centimeters, which prevent the dimensions of a vessel from being fully planned before its construction. It follows that it may be necessary to construct at least some of the insulating blocks to measure according to the actual dimensions of the load-bearing structure.

One idea at the basis of the invention is to propose a sealed and thermally insulating tank with a multilayer structure which makes it easier to take into account at least some of the aforementioned constraints. Another idea underlying the invention is to provide a waterproof and insulating multilayer structure which is easy to produce over large surfaces.

• dans laquelle la barrière d'isolation comporte des éléments isolants disposés en plusieurs rangées parallèles,
• dans laquelle un dit organe d'ancrage comporte un élément d'appui monté sur la surface de support entre deux éléments isolants d'une première desdites rangées parallèles et mobile par rapport à la surface de support transversalement à ladite première rangée entre :
  • une position escamotée dans laquelle l'élément d'appui est logé entièrement entre les deux éléments isolants de manière à laisser libre l'emplacement d'une deuxième desdites rangées parallèles, la deuxième rangée étant adjacente à la première rangée, et
  • une position déployée dans laquelle l'élément d'appui déborde sur l'emplacement de la deuxième rangée et est en prise avec au moins un élément isolant de la deuxième rangée pour retenir ledit élément isolant de la deuxième rangée sur la surface de support.

For this, the invention provides a sealed and thermally insulating tank intended for the storage of a fluid, the sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising an insulation barrier and a sealing barrier arranged on an interior surface of the insulation barrier , the insulation barrier being arranged on a support surface, for example substantially polyhedral, carrying members anchoring and retained on the support surface by said anchoring members,

• wherein the isolation barrier comprises insulating elements arranged in several parallel rows,
• wherein a said anchoring member comprises a support element mounted on the support surface between two insulating elements of a first of said parallel rows and movable relative to the support surface transversely to said first row between:
  • a retracted position in which the support element is housed entirely between the two insulating elements so as to leave free the location of a second of said parallel rows, the second row being adjacent to the first row, and
  • a deployed position in which the support element extends over the location of the second row and is in engagement with at least one insulating element of the second row to retain said insulating element of the second row on the support surface.

Thanks to these characteristics, the insulating element of the second row can be put in place easily when the support element is retracted and can be reliably retained on the support surface when the support element is deployed. In addition, since the bearing member is engaged with the insulating member laterally from a side of the insulating member facing the first row, and not crossing the insulating member in the thickness direction , the structure of the insulating element of the second row can be relatively simple.

According to embodiments, such a tank may comprise one or more of the following characteristics.

The anchor member can be made in different ways. According to one embodiment, the anchoring member further comprises a stud fixed to the support surface and projecting inwardly into a space between the two insulating elements of the first row, and a nut screwed onto the stud and capable of clamping the support element in the direction of the support surface to lock the position of the support element.

The support element can be made in different ways. According to one embodiment, the support element comprises a support bar having a slot through which the stud passes, so that, when the nut does not tighten the support bar, the support bar can be slid in a direction transverse to the first row between the retracted position, in which the support bar is housed entirely between the two insulating elements, and the deployed position or positions in which a portion of the bar support protrudes beyond the first row to come into engagement with said at least one insulating element of the second row. According to one embodiment, the support bar has a U-shaped section.

The insulating elements can be made in different ways, in particular in the form of flat panels on flat portions of the support surface or in the form of dihedral blocks on edge zones of the support surface.

According to one embodiment, the second row insulating element is a planar insulating panel which comprises a layer of insulating polymeric foam sandwiched between a rigid bottom plate and a rigid cover plate, the rigid cover plate and the layer of insulating polymer foam having a recess made in the thickness of the insulating panel to uncover a support zone on the internal surface of the rigid bottom plate, said recess opening onto an edge of the flat insulating panel parallel to the first row and facing the first row, the anchoring member being in engagement with said support zone of the bottom plate.

According to one embodiment, the recess formed in the thickness of the insulating panel is a groove oriented perpendicular to said edge of the flat insulating panel. Such grooves can be provided at different locations, for example at the ends of the edge of the flat insulating panel facing the first row and/or in a central portion of this edge of the flat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the flat insulating panel has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the recess being formed in a corner of the flat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the support surface carries a plurality of anchoring members distributed along the first row of insulating elements and comprising support elements mounted on the support surface between the insulating elements of the first row and movable relative to the support surface between the retracted position and the deployed position(s), said bearing elements engaging respective areas of said second row insulating element to retain said insulating element on the supporting surface. Thus, the retention of the insulating element of the second row on the support surface can be ensured entirely by the movable support elements or by a combination of the movable support elements and other anchoring members.

According to one embodiment, the support surface has at least two planar regions forming an angle between them and joining at an edge zone, and the first row of insulating elements comprises a row of angle structures arranged along said edge region of the support surface and the second row of insulating elements comprises a row of planar insulating panels arranged on a said planar region of the support surface.

Thanks to these characteristics, it is possible to anchor a plane insulating panel adjacent to the row of corner structures by means of one or more anchoring members located between the successive corner structures. This arrangement simplifies the positioning and the implementation of the anchoring members, in particular when the flat insulating panel adjacent to the row of corner structures must be sized to measure and therefore cannot be standardized.

In the case where the support surface is provided by a secondary barrier itself consisting of secondary corner structures and secondary plane insulating panels, this arrangement also has the advantage of making it possible to position these anchoring members relatively close to the edge area, especially on secondary corner structures. Thus, because the secondary flat insulating panels adjacent to the secondary corner structures do not need to carry these anchoring members for the primary flat insulating panels, the custom dimensioning of these secondary flat insulating panels can be facilitated.

• un bloc isolant diédrique présentant deux pans parallèles aux deux régions planes et formant un angle entre eux, ledit pan comportant une surface extérieure plane en appui contre une région plane correspondante de la surface de support et une surface intérieure plane parallèle à ladite région plane correspondante et espacée de ladite surface extérieure plane dans une direction d'épaisseur, et
• une cornière métallique fixée sur les surfaces intérieures planes du bloc isolant diédrique pour former ladite barrière d'étanchéité au droit de la zone d'arête de la surface de support.

The corner structure can be made in different ways. According to one embodiment, a so-called corner structure comprises:

• a dihedral insulating block having two faces parallel to the two planar regions and forming an angle between them, said face comprising a flat outer surface resting against a corresponding flat region of the support surface and a flat inner surface parallel to said corresponding flat region and spaced from said planar outer surface in a thickness direction, and
• a metal angle fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the dihedral insulating block to form said sealing barrier in line with the edge zone of the support surface.

• deux structures d'angle successives dans ladite rangée sont disposées de manière à présenter un espacement selon la direction de la zone d'arête entre les blocs isolants diédriques, ledit espacement étant au moins partiellement recouvert par la portion saillante de la cornière métallique d'une des deux structures d'angle successives,
• et ledit élément d'appui de l'organe d'ancrage est monté sur la surface de support entre les blocs isolants diédriques des deux structures d'angle.

According to one embodiment, the metal angle has a projecting portion which projects relative to the dihedral insulating block in the direction of the edge zone,

• two successive corner structures in said row are arranged so as to present a spacing along the direction of the edge zone between the dihedral insulating blocks, said spacing being at least partially covered by the protruding portion of the metal angle of a of the two successive corner structures,
• and said anchor member bearing member is mounted on the support surface between the dihedral insulating blocks of the two corner structures.

According to one embodiment, a block of insulating material is placed in the spacing between the dihedral insulating blocks between the projecting portion of the metal angle iron and the support element. Thanks to these characteristics, the insulation barrier can be made substantially continuous despite the spacing between the insulating blocks, to limit convection phenomena.

It may be desired to facilitate access to the anchoring member between the dihedral insulating blocks of the two corner structures. For this, according to one embodiment, at least one of the two successive corner structures has a cutout formed in the projecting portion of the metal bracket in line with said anchoring member disposed between the dihedral insulating blocks, to provide access to said anchoring device.

According to another embodiment, a said metal angle iron whose projecting portion covers said spacing comprises a hole on its internal surface to receive a fixing member intended to cooperate with the dihedral insulating block to fix said metal angle iron on the dihedral insulating block of the corner structures, the fixing member being adapted to be engaged in the bore from the internal surface of the metal angle iron. For example, the fixing member comprises a screw or a rivet whose head is turned towards the inside of the tank and whose body passes through the hole in the metal bracket to cooperate with the dihedral insulating block.

According to one embodiment, the dihedral insulating block carries an insert mounted on the flat inner surface of at least one face to receive and stop said body of the fixing member in the direction of thickness of said at least one face.

According to one embodiment, the insert is mounted on said planar interior surface with play in a direction parallel to the planar interior surface. Such play allows in particular a position adjustment of the metal bracket after assembly, for example in response to the cold setting, and thus makes it possible to reduce the thermal stresses.

According to one embodiment, said at least one face of the dihedral insulating block has a groove extending parallel to the edge zone and opening onto said flat inner surface, the insert being housed sliding in said groove.

According to one embodiment, said groove has a width which decreases along the direction of thickness towards the flat inner surface, so as to block said insert in the direction of thickness.

According to one embodiment, the support surface comprises a third planar region transverse to the edge zone at one end of the edge zone, and a last corner structure of the row of corner structures comprises, in addition said dihedral insulating block, a third face parallel to the third planar region and forming angles with said two faces of the dihedral insulating block.

According to one embodiment, said dihedral insulating block of the penultimate corner structure of the row of corner structures has a greater dimension in the direction of the edge zone than corner structures located along a central portion of the edge zone, the metal angle iron of the said penultimate angle structure being composed of two segments of angle iron juxtaposed along the direction of the edge zone and fixed to the flat interior surfaces of the dihedral insulating block.

According to one embodiment, a first segment of angle iron of said penultimate angle structure is fixed to said dihedral insulating block by means of a fixing member located on the outer surface of the first segment of angle iron and inaccessible from the inner surface of the first segment of angle iron,
and a second angle section of said penultimate angle structure located on the side of the end of the edge zone has said hole on its internal surface to receive said fixing member intended to cooperate with the dihedral insulating block to fix said second segment of angle iron on the dihedral insulating block of the corner structures, the fixing member being able to be engaged in the hole from the internal surface of the second angle segment.

According to one embodiment, a first segment of angle iron of said penultimate angle structure has orifices for the passage of anchoring members serving to fix said dihedral insulating block on the support surface and a second segment of angle iron of said penultimate corner structure located on the side of the end of the edge zone has a continuous surface outside the or each hole receiving the or each fixing member.

Thanks to these characteristics, the penultimate corner structure can quite easily be adjusted to the dimension of the support structure in the direction of the edge zone, to take account of the manufacturing tolerances of this support structure.

According to one embodiment, the sealing barrier comprises a closure piece arranged astride the metal angles of the two successive corner structures so as to connect the metal angles of the two corner structures in a sealed manner,
said closure piece covering a gap located between the metal angles and the cutout of said or each protruding portion which covers the spacing between the dihedral insulating blocks.

According to one embodiment, the sealing barrier in line with one or each planar region of the support surface comprises a metal membrane bearing undulations parallel to the edge zone and undulations perpendicular to the edge zone and flat areas located between said undulations, an edge of the metal membrane parallel to the edge area being welded to the metal angles of the successive corner structures, said undulations perpendicular to the edge area being aligned with interstices located between the metal angles of the successive angle structures.

According to one embodiment, the closure piece comprises a corrugation perpendicular to the edge zone aligned with a corrugation of the membrane metal and two flat portions located on either side of the corrugation and welded respectively to the metal angles of the two corner structures.

The above features may be employed in the construction of an isolation barrier constructed directly over a supporting structure providing the supporting surface, or in the construction of a primary isolation barrier constructed over a pre-existing secondary barrier providing said supporting surface. support.

According to one embodiment, said insulation barrier is a primary insulation barrier and said sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, the vessel further comprising a secondary insulation barrier having a substantially polyhedral internal surface covered of a secondary sealing barrier and forming said support surface.

Such a tank can be part of an onshore storage facility, for example to store LNG or be installed in a floating, coastal or deep water structure, in particular an LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) , a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO) and others.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for the transport of a cold liquid product comprises a double hull and a aforementioned tank placed in the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a ship, in which a fluid is routed through insulated pipes from or to a floating or terrestrial storage installation to or from the tank of the ship.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a transfer system for a fluid, the system comprising the aforementioned vessel, insulated pipes arranged so as to connect the tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or terrestrial storage installation and a pump for driving fluid through the insulated pipelines from or to the floating or onshore storage facility to or from the vessel's tank.

• fournir une surface de support,
• monter un organe d'ancrage sur la surface de support, ledit organe d'ancrage comportant un élément d'appui monté mobile par rapport à la surface de support, monter la première rangée d'éléments isolants sur la surface de support, de manière que l'élément d'appui soit logé entièrement entre deux éléments isolants de la première rangée d'éléments isolants et que ledit élément d'appui soit monté mobile transversalement à ladite première rangée,
• disposer une deuxième rangée d'éléments isolants sur la surface de support, la deuxième rangée étant parallèle et adjacente à la première rangée,
• déplacer l'élément d'appui jusqu'à une position déployée dans laquelle l'élément d'appui déborde sur l'emplacement de la deuxième rangée et est en prise avec au moins un élément isolant de la deuxième rangée pour retenir ledit élément isolant de la deuxième rangée sur la surface de support, et
• verrouiller l'élément d'appui en position déployée.

The invention also provides a manufacturing process for manufacturing a sealed and thermally insulating tank mentioned above, the process comprising:

• provide a support surface,
• mounting an anchoring member on the support surface, said anchoring member comprising a support element mounted movable relative to the support surface, mounting the first row of insulating elements on the support surface, so that the support element is housed entirely between two insulating elements of the first row of insulating elements and that said support element is mounted to move transversely to said first row,
• arrange a second row of insulating elements on the support surface, the second row being parallel and adjacent to the first row,
• moving the support element to a deployed position in which the support element protrudes over the location of the second row and is in engagement with at least one insulating element of the second row to retain said insulating element of the second row on the support surface, and
• lock the support element in the deployed position.

• un bloc isolant diédrique présentant deux pans respectivement parallèles à chacune des deux régions planes et formant un angle entre eux, chaque pan comportant une surface extérieure plane et une surface intérieure plane espacée de ladite surface extérieure plane dans une direction d'épaisseur, et
• une cornière métallique fixée sur les surfaces intérieures planes du bloc isolant diédrique pour former une barrière d'étanchéité, la cornière métallique présentant une portion saillante qui fait saillie par rapport au bloc isolant diédrique selon la direction de l'arête,
• dans laquelle ladite cornière métallique comporte un perçage sur sa surface interne pour recevoir un organe de fixation destiné à coopérer avec le bloc isolant diédrique pour fixer ladite cornière métallique sur le bloc isolant diédrique de la structures d'angle, l'organe de fixation étant apte à être engagé dans le perçage depuis la surface interne de la cornière métallique.

The invention also provides a corner structure comprising:

• a dihedral insulating block having two sides respectively parallel to each of the two planar regions and forming an angle between them, each side having a planar outer surface and a planar inner surface spaced from said planar outer surface in a direction of thickness, and
• a metal angle fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the dihedral insulating block to form a sealing barrier, the metal angle having a projecting portion which projects with respect to the dihedral insulating block in the direction of the edge,
• wherein said metal angle has a hole on its internal surface to receive a fixing member intended to cooperate with the dihedral insulating block to fix said metal angle on the dihedral insulating block of the corner structures, the fixing member being suitable to be engaged in the drilling from the inner surface of the angle metal.

Brief description of figures

• La figure 1 est une vue schématique en section d'une barrière d'isolation thermique construite de manière modulaire avec des modules globalement parallélépipédiques sur une surface de support polyédrique, au niveau d'une arête.
• La figure 2 est une vue en perspective d'une paroi de cuve étanche et thermiquement isolante au niveau d'une zone d'angle de la cuve, la membrane d'étanchéité primaire étant omise.
• La figure 3 est une vue analogue à la figure 2, dans laquelle une structure d'angle primaire est omise mais des panneaux isolants plans primaires adjacents à la structure d'angle primaire sont montrés.
• La figure 4 est une vue en perspective agrandie représentant une rangée de structures d'angle primaires, vue depuis un plan de coupe IV-IV de la figure 2 et pour une autre valeur d'angle.
• La figure 5 est une vue en perspective agrandie d'un détail de la rangée de structures d'angle primaires.
• La figure 6 est une vue de dessus d'une paroi de cuve étanche et thermiquement isolante au niveau d'une zone d'angle de la cuve, montrant l'emplacement d'un panneau isolant plan lorsque des barres d'appui sont escamotées.
• La figure 7 est une vue en perspective représentant une disposition des structures d'angle secondaires à l'intersection entre trois parois de la cuve.
• La figure 8 est une vue en perspective représentant une disposition des structures d'angle primaires sur les structures d'angle secondaires de la figure 7.
• La figure 9 est une vue en perspective de la cuve à l'intersection entre trois parois de la cuve, représentant partiellement la membrane d'étanchéité primaire et un panneau isolant plan primaire.
• La figure 10 est une vue analogue à la figure 9, dans laquelle la membrane d'étanchéité primaire recouvrant le panneau isolant plan primaire est représentée.
• La figure 11 est une vue en perspective d'une paroi de cuve étanche et thermiquement isolante selon un autre mode de réalisation, au niveau d'une zone d'angle de la cuve et dans laquelle les membranes d'étanchéité sont omises.
• La figure 12 est une représentation schématique écorchée d'une cuve de navire méthanier et d'un terminal de chargement/déchargement de cette cuve.
• La figure 13 est une vue en perspective d'une structure d'angle selon un autre mode de réalisation.
• La figure 14 est une vue en perspective d'un insert logé dans la structure d'angle de la figure 13.
• La figure 15 représente une paroi de cuve étanche et thermiquement isolante employant la structure d'angle de la figure 13, vue de dessus par rapport à un panneau isolant primaire plan.
• La figure 16 est une vue en perspective de la paroi de cuve de la figure 15 après mise en place d'une cornière métallique fixée depuis l'intérieur de la cuve.

The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely by way of illustration and not limitation. , with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• There figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modularly constructed thermal insulation barrier with generally parallelepiped modules on a polyhedral support surface, at one edge.
• There figure 2 is a perspective view of a sealed and thermally insulating vessel wall at a corner zone of the vessel, the primary sealing membrane being omitted.
• There picture 3 is a view analogous to figure 2 , in which a primary corner structure is omitted but primary planar insulating panels adjacent to the primary corner structure are shown.
• There figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a row of primary corner structures, seen from a IV-IV sectional plane of the figure 2 and for another angle value.
• There figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail of the row of primary corner structures.
• There figure 6 is a top view of a watertight and thermally insulating tank wall at a corner area of the tank, showing the location of a planar insulation panel when support bars are retracted.
• There figure 7 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of secondary corner structures at the intersection between three vessel walls.
• There figure 8 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of the primary corner structures on the secondary corner structures of the figure 7 .
• There figure 9 is a perspective view of the tank at the intersection between three walls of the tank, partially showing the primary waterproofing membrane and a primary planar insulating panel.
• There figure 10 is a view analogous to figure 9 , in which the primary sealing membrane covering the primary planar insulating panel is shown.
• There figure 11 is a perspective view of a sealed and thermally insulating tank wall according to another embodiment, at the level of a corner zone of the tank and in which the sealing membranes are omitted.
• There figure 12 is a cutaway schematic representation of an LNG tank and a loading/unloading terminal for this tank.
• There figure 13 is a perspective view of a corner structure according to another embodiment.
• There figure 14 is a perspective view of an insert housed in the corner structure of the figure 13 .
• There figure 15 shows a sealed and thermally insulating vessel wall employing the corner structure of the figure 13 , top view relative to a plane primary insulation panel.
• There figure 16 is a perspective view of the vessel wall of the figure 15 after installation of a metal bracket fixed from inside the tank.

Detailed description of embodiments

By convention, the terms “external” and “internal” are used to define the relative position of one element with respect to another, with reference to the interior and exterior of the tank.

The multilayer structure of a sealed and thermally insulating tank for storing liquefied natural gas will be described below. Each wall of the tank comprises, from the outside towards the inside of the tank, a secondary thermally insulating barrier comprising secondary insulating elements juxtaposed and anchored to a supporting structure by secondary anchoring members, a secondary sealing membrane carried by the secondary insulating elements, a primary thermally insulating barrier comprising primary insulating elements juxtaposed and anchored to the secondary insulating elements by primary anchoring members 19 and a primary sealing membrane carried by the primary insulating elements and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.

The load-bearing structure can in particular be formed of self-supporting metal sheets or, more generally, of any type of rigid partition having suitable mechanical properties. The load-bearing structure can in particular be formed by the hull or the double hull of a ship. The supporting structure comprises a plurality of walls defining the general shape of the vessel, usually a polyhedral shape.

The flat areas of the tank can be made in different ways, for example according to the teaching of WO-A-2016046487 or of WO-A-2017006044 . A corner zone of the tank along an edge of the supporting structure will be described below more particularly.

To figure 2 And 3 , the structure of the walls of the vessel is observed at an edge 10 between a first bearing wall 11 and a second bearing wall 12.

The angle formed between the first bearing wall 11 and the second bearing wall 12 is approximately 90° in the embodiment shown. The angle can however have any other value, for example of the order of 135°.

The secondary thermally insulating barrier comprises a row of secondary angle structures 13 arranged along the edge 10, a single secondary angle structure 13 being represented on the figure 2 And 3 . The secondary corner structure 13 and the secondary sealing membrane 15 arranged on its internal surface 14 can be produced in different ways, for example according to the teaching of WO-A-2017006044 .

The secondary corner structure 13 here comprises a sandwich structure consisting of a layer of insulating polymer foam 16 sandwiched between two rigid plates 17, 18, for example made of plywood. The inner plate 18 has a network of perpendicular grooves 19 intended to receive the corrugations 24 of the secondary sealing membrane 15. The corrugations 24 protrude outwards from the tank in the direction of the supporting structure and are each received in a groove 19.

In a variant embodiment not shown, the orientation of the undulations of the secondary sealing membrane is towards the inside of the tank.

The inner plate 18 is also equipped with a plurality of metal plates 20, for example made of stainless steel or an alloy with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, in particular invar ^® , intended for anchoring the edges of the membrane of secondary sealing. The metal plates 20 are fixed in recesses made in the internal plate 18 and fixed thereto, by screws, rivets or staples for example. Alternatively, the metal plates 20 are fixed directly to the layer of insulating polymer foam 16, for example by gluing.

The internal plate 18 is also equipped with anchoring plates 21 intended to ensure the fixing of primary angle structures 30 against the secondary angle structure 13. The anchoring plates 21 are for example glued on the internal plate 18 and / or fixed thereto, by screws, rivets or staples for example.

Furthermore, the secondary sealing membrane 15 has a plurality of orifices through each of which passes an anchoring member making it possible to anchor the primary corner structures 30. A cap nut 22 passes through each of the orifices and is present on its outer periphery a thread cooperating with a threaded bore 23 formed in one of the anchoring plates 21. Furthermore, the blind nut 22 has a threaded blind bore intended to receive a fixing stud for the primary angle structures 30 The blind nut 22 further comprises a collar making it possible to sandwich the secondary sealing membrane 15 between said collar and the anchoring plate 21. The periphery of this collar is welded to the secondary sealing membrane 15 in order to to ensure tightness.

The primary thermally insulating barrier comprises along the edge 10 of the vessel a plurality of primary corner structures 30. The primary corner structure 30 is a preassembled assembly comprising a dihedral insulating block 31 and an angle iron 32. The block dihedral insulator 31 has an inner face on which the angle iron 32 rests and an outer face resting against the secondary sealing membrane 15. The dihedral insulating block 31 has a composite structure in its thickness, comprising a layer of insulating polymer foam 33 taken into sandwich between two plywood plates 34, 35 glued to said layer of polymer foam 33.

The angles 32 are metal angles, for example, made of stainless steel. The angle 32 has two wings resting against the inner face of the dihedral insulating block 31. Each wing of an angle 32 has studs, not shown, which are welded to the outer face of said wing and project towards the inside of the tank to fix the angle iron 32 to the dihedral insulating block 31, before mounting the primary angle structure 30 in the tank.

Each wing of the bracket 32 also has a stud 36 on its internal face, projecting towards the inside of the tank. The dowels 36 make it possible to anchor welding equipment during the welding of the elements of the primary waterproofing membrane to the angles 32.

As described in WO-A-2017006044 , the angle iron 32 is provided with orifices 37, for example eight in number per angle iron 32, making it possible to mount nuts on studs (not shown) carried by the plates 21, in order to ensure the fixing of the structure of primary angle 30 to secondary angle structure 13.

As best seen on figure 2 And 4 , the primary angle structures 30 are arranged on the secondary angle structures 13 in the form of a row along the edge 10. In this row, two successive primary angle structures 30 have a space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31. Generally, joint insulating elements 39 are inserted into the space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31, so as to ensure continuity of the thermal insulation.

In at least some of the spaces 38, the secondary corner structure 13 can carry an anchoring member intended to cooperate with a primary insulating element. This case will be described more precisely with reference to the figures 3 to 5 . The anchoring member as a whole is cut in its median plane of symmetry on the figure 4 , so that the half-view is enough to understand its structure.

In this embodiment, the anchoring member comprises a plate 40 fixed on the internal surface of the secondary angle structure 13 between two plates 21. The plate 40 can be fixed on the secondary angle structure 13 of different ways like the plates 21. It has a tapped hole 41 intended to receive a blind nut 42 shown in half view on the figure 4 . The plate 40 can be present in line with each space 38 or in line with some, for example one in three, of the spaces 38.

The blind nut 42 passes through an orifice of the secondary sealing membrane, not shown, and has on its outer periphery a thread 43 cooperating with the tapped hole 41 formed in the plate 40. Furthermore, the blind nut 42 has a blind bore threaded 44 receiving a stud 45. The cap nut 42 further comprises a flange 46 allowing to sandwich the secondary sealing membrane between said collar and plate 40. The periphery of this collar is welded to secondary sealing membrane 15 in order to ensure sealing.

As seen on the figure 4 , the pin 45 protrudes inwardly into the space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31 and serves to fix a support bar 50 oriented perpendicular to the edge 10. The support bar 50 here has a section U-shaped whose base is turned towards the supporting structure. In the mounted state as shown, a first portion of the support bar 50 extends into the space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31 and has a slot 58 through which the stud 45 passes. A nut 47 screwed onto the pin 45 makes it possible to tighten the support bar 50 towards the internal surface of the secondary corner structure 13.

A second portion 51 of the support bar 50 protrudes beyond the row of primary corner structures 30 to bear on a flat primary insulating panel 29 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 30. The length of the slot 58 allows adjustment of the length of the second portion 51 projecting beyond the row of primary corner structures 30.

Preferably, the slot 58 whose two ends 58a and 58b are indicated on the sectional view of the figure 4 , is long enough to allow the support bar 50 to be completely retracted into the space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31. Thus, before the nut 47 is tightened, the support bar can be slid 50 between this retracted position (shown on the figure 6 ), which facilitates the installation of the flat primary insulating panel 29 by completely freeing its location indicated in dashed line at the number 99, and the deployed position illustrated on the figure 4 . The deployment movement of the support bar 50 is schematized by the arrow 98 on the figure 6 .

In one embodiment, the length of the planar primary insulation panel 29 is nine times the width of the primary corner structure 30, so that four mutually spaced grab bars at an interval of three times the width of the primary corner structure 30 engages the flat primary insulating panel 29 along its edge facing the edge, namely two support bars 50 at the two ends of this edge, that is to say at two corners of the flat primary insulating panel 29, and two support bars in a central zone of the edge of the flat primary insulating panel 29. This central zone is represented on the picture 3 .

As partially shown in the picture 3 , the flat primary insulating panel 29 has the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with a longitudinal edge 26 parallel to the edge 10. The flat primary insulating panel 29 has for example a composite structure consisting of a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid bottom plate, of which an uncovered area 28 is visible, and a rigid cover plate 25. The rigid cover plate 25 and the layer of insulating polymer foam are hollowed out with a groove 27 extending perpendicular to the edge 10 to the right of the plate 20 and leading to the longitudinal edge 26 to discover the uncovered zone 28 of the rigid bottom plate.

In the mounted state, the second portion 51 of the support bar 50 is engaged in the groove 27 and rests on the uncovered zone 28 of the rigid bottom plate, possibly by means of a shim. 48. Another shim 49 can be inserted between the other end of the support bar 50 and the secondary membrane (not shown). The shims 48 and 49 are sized to ensure parallelism between the support bar 50 and the bottom plate of the flat primary insulating panel 29. They are made of a sufficiently soft material to avoid the risk of punching, marking or damage the secondary sealing membrane 15. For example, they can be made of plywood, plastic or epoxy resin.

The support bar 50 mounted in this way has several advantages: the second portion 51 is a length cantilevered substantially parallel to the flat wall of the tank which rests on the flat primary insulating panel 29, preferably distance from the edge of this panel. It therefore makes it possible to retain the flat primary insulating panel 29 on the secondary membrane without requiring any complex arrangement on the flat primary insulating panel 29: it suffices to clear a flat portion of the bottom plate.

In addition, the length of the second portion 51 is easily adjustable by sliding the stud 45 in the length of the slot 58. This arrangement therefore adapts easily to flat primary insulating panels having different dimensions or grooves 27 having different lengths. The length of the groove 27 can in particular be shortened following a cutting of the edge 26 to reduce the width of the insulating panel 29.

In addition, given that the support bar 50 is anchored on a stud carried by the secondary corner structure 13, its position is not sensitive to the dimensioning of the flat secondary insulating panels (not shown) adjacent to the secondary structure. secondary angle 13. This arrangement therefore adapts easily to plane secondary insulating panels of different dimensions.

As seen on the figure 4 , each angle iron 32 has two projecting flanges 53 which project relative to the dihedral insulating block 31 at two opposite ends of the angle iron 32 in the direction of the edge 10. Thus, the space 38 between the two dihedral insulating blocks 31 is partially covered by the two projecting rims 53 on either side thereof.

To preserve access to the anchoring member disposed in the space 38, at least each of the two projecting edges 53 on either side of the anchoring member is provided with a cutout 54 which is located plumb with the pin 45 and which is formed in the end edge 55 oriented transversely to the edge 10.

Optionally, as sketched on the picture 2 , all the projecting edges 53 of all the angles 32 can have this cutout 54 to standardize the manufacture.

As best seen on the figure 5 , the cutouts 54 are used to provide sufficient space between the two projecting edges 53 for the passage of a tightening tool 60, for example a socket wrench having a cylindrical head 61 or a screwdriver. The depth of the cutout 54 in the direction of the edge 10 can therefore be dimensioned to provide a distance D slightly greater than the diameter of the cylindrical head 61 between the bottoms of the two cutouts 54 facing each other. The length of the cutout 54 along the end edge 55 may be substantially equal to the same distance D, for example around 30mm.

• montage de la barrière isolante secondaire et de la membrane étanche secondaire 15, y compris les écrous borgnes 42
• mise en place des barres d'appui 50 en position rétractée, la fente 58 de la barre d'appui étant positionnée au droit de l'écrou borgne 42.
• Insertion et vissage du goujon 45 dans l'écrou borgne 42 à travers la fente 58 de la barre d'appui 50, mise en place de l'écrou 47 sur le goujon 45 en position non serrée
• mise en place des jointures isolantes 39 entre les emplacements des structures d'angle primaires 30. Là où la barre d'appui 50 est présente, la jointure isolante 39 présente à sa base un tenon inséré dans la section creuse en forme de U de la barre d'appui 50. La jointure isolante 39 présente aussi un puits cylindrique 56 au droit de l'écrou borgne 42 pour recevoir le goujon 45 et l'écrou 47.
• fixation des structures d'angle primaires 30 sur les structures d'angle secondaires 13, de part et d'autre des jointures isolantes 39.
• pose des panneaux isolants primaires plans 29 adjacents à la rangée de structures d'angle primaires 30
• Déplacement des barres d'appui 50 en position déployée, la jointure isolante 39 restant immobilisée par le goujon 45 engagé dans le puits cylindrique 56
• Vissage de l'écrou 47 sur le goujon 45 à travers les découpes 54 des cornières 32 et le puits cylindrique 56 de la jointure isolante 39, pour réaliser le serrage de la barre d'appui 50
• Insertion d'un bouchon cylindrique 57 dans le puits cylindrique 56 pour l'obturer.
• Mise en place de la membrane d'étanchéité primaire.

The assembly sequence of the corner zone of the tank will now be briefly described:

• assembly of the secondary insulating barrier and the secondary waterproof membrane 15, including cap nuts 42
• installation of the support bars 50 in the retracted position, the slot 58 of the support bar being positioned in line with the cap nut 42.
• Inserting and screwing stud 45 into cap nut 42 through slot 58 of support bar 50, fitting nut 47 onto stud 45 in untightened position
• placement of the insulating joints 39 between the locations of the primary corner structures 30. Where the support bar 50 is present, the insulating joint 39 has at its base a tenon inserted in the U-shaped hollow section of the support bar 50. Insulating joint 39 also has a cylindrical well 56 in line with cap nut 42 to receive stud 45 and nut 47.
• attachment of the primary corner structures 30 to the secondary corner structures 13, on either side of the insulating joints 39.
• laying flat primary insulation panels 29 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 30
• Movement of the support bars 50 into the deployed position, the insulating joint 39 remaining immobilized by the pin 45 engaged in the cylindrical well 56
• Screwing of the nut 47 on the stud 45 through the cutouts 54 of the angles 32 and the cylindrical well 56 of the insulating joint 39, to achieve the tightening of the support bar 50
• Insertion of a cylindrical plug 57 into the cylindrical well 56 to seal it.
• Installation of the primary waterproofing membrane.

The construction of the flat portions of the vessel wall located on both sides of an edge can be made in the same way or in a different way, and in a symmetrical or asymmetrical way. Furthermore, if only one corner of the tank has been described above, the other corners of the tank may have an identical or different arrangement.

With reference to figures 7 to 10 , we will now describe the structure of the vessel wall at one end of the edge 10, that is to say at the intersection between three flat walls. The three walls which are represented here respectively constitute a bottom wall, an end wall and a lower oblique wall. The lower oblique wall forms an angle of 135° with the bottom wall. The lower oblique wall and the bottom wall are perpendicular to the end wall. Such arrangement corresponds for example to a tank which has a generally polyhedral shape and which comprises two end walls of octagonal shape which are connected to each other by eight walls, namely a bottom wall and a horizontal ceiling wall , two vertical side walls, two upper oblique walls each connecting one of the side walls to the ceiling wall and two lower oblique walls each connecting one of the side walls to the bottom wall.

In this area, as shown in the figure 7 , the row of secondary corner structures 13 ends with a last secondary corner structure 113 which is formed of a set of three insulating panels which are respectively fixed against the supporting structure of each of the three supporting walls. The three insulating panels of the last secondary corner structure 113 each have a sandwich structure identical to that of the secondary corner structures 13, namely consisting of a layer of insulating polymer foam 116 sandwiched between two rigid plates 117, 118 for example plywood.

On each of the three insulating panels of the last secondary corner structure 113, the rigid plate 118 carries anchoring plates 121 and 140 whose structures and functions are identical to those of the anchoring plates 21 and 40 described above in relationship with the secondary corner structure 13. In particular, the anchor plates 121 make it possible to fix a final primary corner structure 130 ( Fig. 7 ) on the last secondary corner structure 113.

The plate 40 makes it possible to fix an anchor member in a space between the last primary corner structure 130 and a penultimate primary corner structure 230 ( Fig. 7 ) of the row of primary corner structures. This anchoring member comprises a pin 145 engaged in a slot 158 of a support bar 150 visible on the figure 9 .

There figure 8 is also a view of the edge end area, additionally showing the primary corner structures mounted on the secondary corner structures of the figure 7 . The secondary waterproofing membrane is entirely omitted to simplify the representation.

As shown, the last primary corner structure 130 of the row consists of three insulating blocks resting respectively against each of the three insulating panels of the last secondary corner structure 113. Furthermore, the insulating blocks of the last primary corner structure 130 each have an internal face on which rests a three-sided angle iron 132 whose general structure is similar to the metal angle iron 32 of the primary angle structure 30, except for the presence of a third wing 100 parallel to the lower oblique wall. The three-sided angle iron 132 notably comprises studs 136, orifices 137 and flanges 153 whose structures and functions are similar to those of the studs 36, orifices 37 and flanges 53 described above.

The penultimate primary corner structure 230 is shown using reference numerals increased by 200 for elements analogous or identical to those of the primary corner structure 30. The dihedral insulating block 231 is longer than the insulating block dihedral 31 and carries on its inner surface two successive metal angles in the direction of the edge. The metal angle 232 is substantially identical to the metal angle 32 of the primary corner structure 30 but, because the dihedral insulating block 231 is elongated in the direction of the last primary corner structure 130, it can have a larger dimension. long along the edge 10 and it protrudes only on one side (not shown) of the dihedral insulating block 231.

The metal angle 65 is placed next to the metal angle 232 with a small gap between them and attached to the dihedral insulating block 231 in the same way as the metal angle 32 of the primary corner structure 30. The metal angle 65 has a projecting flange 253 which projects with respect to the dihedral insulating block 231 in the direction of the edge 10 above the space 138. The space 138 is partially covered by the two projecting flanges 153 and 253 on either side other of it.

The protruding rim 153 and/or the protruding rim 253 can include a cutout to facilitate access to the anchor member located in the space 138. Here, a cutout 254 is present only in the protruding rim 253.

Furthermore, the fixing of the penultimate primary corner structure 230 on the secondary insulating barrier is carried out only at the level of the portion farthest from the last primary corner structure 130, namely the portion bearing the angle iron metal 232 which is fixed on an underlying penultimate secondary corner structure 13 in the same way as described previously For this, the metal angle 232 also has the holes 237.

Conversely, the metal bracket 65 does not have any orifices and can be continuous, since the portion of the dihedral insulating block 231 facing the last primary corner structure 130 spans the gap 66 between the penultimate structure of secondary corner 13 and the last secondary corner structure 113 and extends over the last secondary corner structure 113 without being fixed thereto.

This arrangement has the advantage of being independent of the precise size of the gap 66 in the secondary isolation barrier, which can be easily adjusted to compensate for manufacturing tolerances.

In addition, to adjust the primary insulation barrier to the manufacturing dimensional tolerances of the load-bearing structure, it is possible to cut the penultimate primary angle structure 230 to measure, namely to cut the end of the dihedral insulating block 231 and the end of the metal bracket 65 facing the last primary corner structure 130. Given the absence of attachment of this end portion to the secondary insulation barrier, this cutting causes no complication . In this case the cutout 254 is added after cutting the metal angle iron 65 to the desired length.

There figure 9 shows the same area of the tank as the figure 8 , but with the addition of a last flat primary insulating panel 129 adjacent to the penultimate primary corner structure 230. This flat primary insulating panel 129 has, analogously to the groove 27 of the picture 3 , a recess 127 made in line with a corner zone of the rigid bottom plate (not shown) to uncover said corner zone. There figure 9 also shows the support bar 150 which is engaged in the recess 127 and rests on the uncovered area in the manner previously described.

With reference to figures 9 and 10 , we will now describe the structure of the primary sealing membrane at the corners of the tank.

The primary sealing membrane is for example a membrane having two series of mutually perpendicular undulations. It can be done essentially as described in WO-A-2017006044 . Metal sheets 67 of the primary sealing membrane bordering an edge are welded along their edge directed towards the edge on the metal angles 32, 232, 65, 132. In addition, metal corner pieces 68,168, 268 are welded astride each interface between two successive metal angles 32, 232, 65, 132.

The corner pieces 68, 168, 268 cover the orifices 37, 137, 237 and the cutouts 54, 254 of the metal angles provide continuity of the undulations of the primary sealing membrane oriented perpendicular to the edge 10.

With reference to figures 13 to 16 , a second embodiment of the structure of the vessel wall at the end of the edge 10 will now be described. In this embodiment, the penultimate primary corner structure 1230, shown in perspective on there figure 13 , is modified to make it possible to mount the second metal angle iron 1065 ( Fig. 16 ) from inside the tank, after assembly of the penultimate primary corner structure 1230.

For this, on the side of the penultimate primary corner structure 1230 which faces the last primary corner structure 130, the two sides of the dihedral insulating block 231 have a respective groove 83 which extends parallel to the edge 10 and which opens onto the inner surface of the inner plate 235 and on the side of the inner plate 235 facing the last primary corner structure 130. The groove 83 has a width which increases along the direction of thickness from the inner surface, namely in the illustrated embodiment it comprises successively a narrower inlet portion and a wider bottom portion.

An insert 84 shown in perspective on the figure 14 is housed slidably in the groove 83. The insert 84 has an overall profiled shape with a wider base portion 85 intended to be housed in the bottom portion of the groove 83 and a narrower head portion 86 intended to be housed in the entrance portion of the groove 83. The head portion 86 has a threaded hole 87 on its upper surface to receive a fixing screw 88 ( Fig. 16 ). Preferably the insert 84 is slightly narrower than the groove 83 to allow adjustment clearance also in the direction transverse to the edge 10.

THE figures 15 and 16 represent the area of the vessel wall located at the end of the ridge before the primary sealing membrane is fitted. There figure 15 is a plan view from above with respect to the last planar primary insulating panel 129. It shows that the penultimate primary corner structure 1230 is mounted on the secondary insulating barrier without the second metal angle 1065 not be present. This therefore frees up access to the space 138 between the last primary corner structure 130 and the penultimate primary corner structure 1230. This access from above makes it possible to easily adjust the position of the support bar 150 in the deployed position to rest on the uncovered zone 128 of the bottom plate of the last flat primary insulating panel 129, as shown in the figure 15 , and lock it in position by tightening the nut 145.

Next, insulating gaskets, not shown, are placed in the space 138 and in the recess 127, to complete the primary insulating barrier, then the second metal angle 1065 is fixed to the penultimate primary angle structure 1230 as shown. on the figure 16 . For this, a fixing screw 88 is engaged in a hole in each of the two sides of the second metal angle iron 1065 and screwed into the tapped hole 87 of the insert 84. Alternatively, a rivet could be used.

The primary membrane can then be made as previously described.

The metal bracket 1065 which is fixed from inside the tank allows easy access to an anchoring member. This solution can be used with anchoring members made in different shapes.

There figure 11 illustrates another embodiment of the vessel wall along the edge 10. The primary and secondary sealing membranes are omitted to simplify the representation. Elements similar or identical to those of the figures 2 to 4 bear the same reference numeral increased by 300 and will only be described insofar as they differ from those of the figures 2 to 4 .

In this embodiment, the primary angle structure 330 is fixed to the secondary angle structure 313 by means of studs 345 arranged in each space 338 between two dihedral insulating blocks 331. For this, the rigid plate 334 is slightly more wider than the layer of polymer foam 333 so as to uncover two side edges of the rigid plate 334.

A support bar 350 has a hole, which may be oblong, through which the stud 345 passes and rests on the side edges of the rigid plate 334 of the two primary corner structures 330 between which the stud 345 is arranged. Thus, each primary corner structure 330 is retained by two support bars 350 in taken with the two side edges of its rigid plate 334. A nut, not shown, is screwed onto each stud 345 to tighten the support bar 350 in the direction of the support structure. The cutouts 354 in the edges of the metal angles 332 facilitate the assembly of the stud 345 then the establishment of the nut in the manner previously described.

Due to this method of fixing the primary angle structures 330, the orifices are eliminated in the metal angle 332, which can therefore be continuous.

For anchoring the planar primary insulation panel 329 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 330 to the secondary barrier, a row of studs 69 may be provided on either side of the row of primary corner structures 330. This may require the provision of a wider secondary corner structure 313, as shown.

In a variation of the figure 11 , not shown, the pins 69 are removed and the support bar 350 is made to slide like the support bar 50 of the figure 6 , in order to be able to be placed in a deployed position straddling the primary corner structure 330 and on the flat primary insulating panel 329, so as to jointly ensure the anchoring of these two insulating elements. For this, the length of the support bar 350 can be increased and the geometry of the flat primary insulating panel 329 can be adapted to receive the support bar 350 in a groove or a recess uncovering the bottom plate.

In one embodiment, the secondary insulating barrier and the secondary sealing membrane are eliminated and the studs which anchor the primary insulating barrier are carried directly by the load-bearing walls 11, 12.

The technique described above for making a sealed and thermally insulating tank for storing a fluid can be used in different types of tanks, for example to constitute an LNG tank in an onshore installation or in a floating structure such as an LNG carrier. Or other.

The technique illustrated above in the context of a truly polyhedral support surface, in which planar portions meet at edges, is also applicable to an approximately polyhedral support surface which, instead of edges, would present rounded portions forming a connection between flat portions. The term edge zone is used for designate the connection between two planar portions in the two contexts and can correspond to a real edge or to a rounded portion between the two planar portions.

With reference to the figure 12 , a cutaway view of an LNG carrier 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 of generally prismatic shape mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary leaktight barrier intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary leaktight barrier arranged between the primary leaktight barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and two insulating barriers arranged respectively between the primary waterproof barrier and the secondary waterproof barrier and between the secondary waterproof barrier and the double hull 72.

In a manner known per se, loading/unloading pipes 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship can be connected, by means of appropriate connectors, to a maritime or port terminal to transfer a cargo of LNG from or to the tank 71.

There figure 12 represents an example of a maritime terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipeline 76 and an installation on land 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation comprising a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 which supports the mobile arm 74. The mobile arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 which can be connected to the loading/unloading pipes 73. The orientable mobile arm 74 adapts to all sizes of LNG carriers. A connecting pipe, not shown, extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 allows the loading and unloading of the LNG carrier 70 from or to the shore installation 77. This comprises liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting pipes 81 connected by the underwater pipe 76 to the loading or unloading station 75. The underwater pipe 76 allows the transfer of the liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the shore installation 77 over a great distance, for example 5 km, which makes it possible to keep the LNG carrier 70 at a great distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

To generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps on board the ship 70 and/or pumps fitted the installation on land 77 and/or the pumps fitted to the loading and unloading station 75.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it includes all the technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

The use of the verb "to comprise", "to understand" or "to include" and of its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or other steps than those set out in a claim. The use of the indefinite article “un” or “une” for an element or a step does not exclude, unless otherwise stated, the presence of a plurality of such elements or steps. The scope of the invention is that as defined by the claims.

In the claims, any reference sign in parentheses cannot be interpreted as a limitation of the claim.

Claims (23)

1. A sealed and thermally insulating tank intended for storing a fluid, the sealed and thermally insulating tank having an insulating barrier and a sealing barrier disposed on an inner surface of the insulating barrier, the insulating barrier being disposed on a support surface bearing anchoring members and being retained on the support surface by said anchoring members,

   wherein the insulating barrier has insulating elements disposed in a plurality of parallel rows,

   wherein a said anchoring member has a bearing element (50, 150) that is mounted on the support surface between two insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230) of a first of said parallel rows,

   the bearing element (50, 150) being in a retracted position, in which the bearing element (50, 150) is housed entirely between the two insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230) so as to leave the location (99) of a second of said parallel rows free, the second row being adjacent to the first row, and

   characterized in that the bearing element (50, 150) is movable with respect to the support surface transversely to said first row between:

   the retracted position, and

   an extended position, in which the bearing element overlaps the location of the second row and is engaged with at least one insulating element (129) of the second row so as to retain said insulating element (29, 129) of the second row on the support surface.
2. The tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anchoring member also has a pin (45, 145) that is fixed to the support surface and protrudes inwardly into a space between the two insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230) of the first row, and
   a nut (47) that is screwed onto the pin and is able to clamp the bearing element (50, 150) in the direction of the support surface in order to lock the position of the bearing element.
3. The tank as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bearing element has a bearing bar (50, 150) having a slot (58, 158) through which the pin (45, 145) passes, such that, when the nut is not clamping the bearing bar, the bearing bar can be slid in a direction transverse to the first row between:

   the retracted position, in which the bearing bar (50, 150) is housed entirely between the two insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230), and

   the extended position(s), in which a portion (51) of the bearing bar protrudes beyond the first row so as to engage with said at least one insulating element (29, 129) of the second row.
4. The tank as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insulating element of the second row is a flat insulating panel (29, 129) that has a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid bottom sheet and a rigid cover sheet (25), the rigid cover sheet and the layer of insulating polymer foam having a recess (127) made in the thickness of the insulating panel so as to uncover a bearing zone (28) on the internal surface of the rigid bottom sheet, said recess opening onto an edge (26) of the flat insulating panel parallel to the first row and facing the first row, the anchoring member being engaged with said bearing zone (28) of the bottom sheet.
5. The tank as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flat insulating panel has a rectangular parallelepipedal shape, the recess (127) being made in a corner of the flat insulating panel.
6. The tank as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the support surface bears a plurality of anchoring members (45, 145) that are distributed along the first row of insulating elements and have bearing elements (50, 150) that are mounted on the support surface between the insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230) of the first row and are movable with respect to the support surface between the retracted position and the extended position,
   said bearing elements engaging with respective zones of said insulating element (29, 129) of the second row in order to retain said insulating element on the support surface.
7. The tank as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the support surface has at least two flat regions that form an angle between one another and meet at an edge-corner zone (10),
   wherein the first row of insulating elements has a row of corner structures (30, 130, 230, 1230) disposed along said edge-corner zone of the support surface and the second row of insulating elements has a row of flat insulating panels (29, 129) disposed on a said flat region of the support surface.
8. The tank as claimed in claim 7, wherein a said corner structure (30, 130, 230, 1230) has:

   a dihedral insulating block (31, 131, 231) having two faces that are parallel to the two flat regions and form an angle between one another, said face having a flat outer surface bearing against a corresponding flat region of the support surface and a flat inner surface parallel to said corresponding flat region and spaced apart from said flat outer surface in a thickness direction, and

   a metal corner piece (32, 232, 65, 1065, 132) fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the dihedral insulating block so as to form said sealing barrier in line with the edge-corner zone of the support surface.
9. The tank as claimed in claim 8, wherein the metal corner piece has a protruding portion (53, 153, 253) that protrudes with respect to the dihedral insulating block along the direction of the edge-corner zone,

   wherein two successive corner structures in said row are disposed so as to exhibit a spacing (38, 138) along the direction of the edge-corner zone between the dihedral insulating blocks, said spacing being at least partially covered by the protruding portion (53, 153, 253) of the metal corner piece of one of the two successive corner structures,

   wherein said bearing element of the anchoring member (45, 145) is mounted on the support surface between the dihedral insulating blocks (31, 131, 231) of the two corner structures.
10. The tank as claimed in claim 9, wherein a block of insulating material (39) is disposed in the space (38, 138) between the dihedral insulating blocks between the protruding portion (53, 153, 253) of the metal corner piece and the bearing element.
11. The tank as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein one said metal corner piece (1065), the protruding portion (253) of which covers said space, has a drilled hole in its internal surface for receiving a fixing member (88) intended to engage with the dihedral insulating block (1230) in order to fix said metal corner piece to the dihedral insulating block of the corner structures, the fixing member being able to be inserted into the drilled hole from the internal surface of the metal corner piece (1065).
12. The tank as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fixing member (88) has a screw or a rivet, the head of which faces the interior of the tank and the body of which passes through the drilled hole in the metal corner piece in order to engage with the dihedral insulating block.
13. The tank as claimed in claim 12, wherein the dihedral insulating block bears an insert (84) mounted on the flat inner surface of at least one face in order to receive and lock said body of the fixing member in the thickness direction of said at least one face.
14. The tank as claimed in claim 13, wherein the insert (84) is mounted on said flat inner surface with a clearance in a direction parallel to the flat inner surface.
15. The tank as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one face of the dihedral insulating block has a groove (83) that extends parallel to the edge-corner zone (10) and opens onto said flat inner surface, the insert (84) being housed in a sliding manner in said groove.
16. The tank as claimed in claim 15, wherein said groove (83) has a width that decreases along the thickness direction toward the flat inner surface, so as to block said insert (84) in the thickness direction.
17. The tank as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 16, wherein the support surface has a third flat region transverse to the edge-corner zone at one end of the edge-corner zone (10), wherein a final corner structure (130) of the row of corner structures has, in addition to said dihedral insulating block, a third face (100) that is parallel to the third flat region and forms angles with said two faces of the dihedral insulating block (130), and

    wherein said dihedral insulating block (231) of the penultimate corner structure (230) of the row of corner structures has a larger dimension along the direction of the edge-corner zone than corner structures situated along a central portion of the edge-corner zone, the metal corner piece of said penultimate corner structure being made up of two corner-piece segments (232, 1065) that are juxtaposed along the direction of the edge-corner zone and are fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the dihedral insulating block (231),

    wherein a first corner-piece segment (232) of said penultimate corner structure is fixed to said dihedral insulating block (231) by means of a fixing member that is situated on the external surface of the first corner-piece segment and is inaccessible from the internal surface of the first corner-piece segment,

    and a second corner-piece segment (1065) of said penultimate corner structure, said second corner-piece segment (1065) being situated on the end side of the edge-corner zone, has said drilled hole in its internal surface for receiving said fixing member intended to engage with the dihedral insulating block (231) in order to fix said second corner-piece segment (1065) to the dihedral insulating block of the corner structures, the fixing member being able to be inserted into the drilled hole from the internal surface of the second corner-piece segment (1065).
18. The tank as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first corner-piece segment (232) of said penultimate corner structure has orifices (237) for the passage of anchoring members that are used to fix said dihedral insulating block (231) to the support surface and the second corner-piece segment (1065) of said penultimate corner structure situated on the end side of the edge-corner zone has a continuous surface away from the or each drilled hole receiving the or each fixing member.
19. The tank as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein said insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier and said sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, the tank also having a secondary insulating barrier (13, 113, 213) having a substantially polyhedral internal surface that is covered with a secondary sealing barrier (15) and forms said support surface.
20. A vessel (70) for transporting a fluid, the vessel having a double hull (72) and a tank (71) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 disposed in the double hull.
21. A system for transferring a fluid, the system having a vessel (70) as claimed in claim 20, insulated pipelines (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged so as to connect the tank (71) installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage installation (77) and a pump for conveying a fluid through the insulated pipelines from or to the floating or onshore storage installation to or from the tank of the vessel.
22. A method for loading or offloading from a vessel (70) as claimed in claim 20, wherein a fluid is passed through insulated pipelines (73, 79, 76, 81) from or to a floating or onshore storage installation (77) to or from the tank (71) of the vessel.
23. A manufacturing method for manufacturing a sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in one of claims 1 to 19, the method involving:

    providing a support surface,

    mounting an anchoring member on the support surface, said anchoring member having a bearing element (50, 150) mounted in a movable manner with respect to the support surface,

    mounting the first row of insulating elements (30, 130, 230, 1230) on the support surface such that the bearing element (50, 150) is housed entirely between two insulating elements of the first row of insulating elements and such that said bearing element is mounted so as to be movable transversely to said first row,

    disposing a second row of insulating elements (29, 129) on the support surface, the second row being parallel and adjacent to the first row,

    moving the bearing element (50, 150) into an extended position, in which the bearing element overlaps the location (99) of the second row and is engaged with at least one insulating element (29, 129) of the second row so as to retain said insulating element of the second row on the support surface, and

    locking the bearing element in the extended position.

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