EP3749889A1

EP3749889A1 - Facility for storing and transporting a liquefied gas

Info

Publication number: EP3749889A1
Application number: EP19710027.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pierre HOUEL; Sébastien DELANOE; Sébastien COROT
Original assignee: Gaztransport et Technigaz SA
Current assignee: Gaztransport et Technigaz SA
Priority date: 2018-02-07
Filing date: 2019-02-05
Publication date: 2020-12-16
Also published as: RU2020125268A3; KR20200118169A; FR3077617A1; RU2020125268A; JP7229259B2; US20200355324A1; CN111727343B; JP2021513633A; US11454349B2; FR3077617B1; CN111727343A; WO2019155154A1; KR102588864B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a facility for storing and transporting a liquefied gas, including a sealed pipe (7) passing through the tank wall in order to define a fluid passage between the inside and the outside of the tank, a sealed metal sleeve (29) arranged around the sealed pipe (7) and inserted into the opening (22) of the load-bearing wall, the sealed sleeve including a longitudinal portion extending at least to the sealing membrane (14), the sealing member being sealingly connected to the sealed sleeve (29), wherein the load-bearing structure comprises a coaming (24) projecting from an outer surface of the load-bearing wall, the sealed pipe being supported by a top wall (26) of the coaming, the sealed sleeve (29) having an outer end arranged on the outside of the load-bearing wall and attached to the coaming or to the sealed pipe (7) around the entire sealed pipe.

Description

INSTALLATION FOR THE STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF A GAS

LIQUEFIED

Technical area

The invention relates to the field of sealed tanks and thermally insulating diaphragm for the storage and / or transport of a liquefied gas, including vessels embedded on ships or other floating structures.

The vessel (s) may be intended to carry a large cargo of liquefied gas and / or to receive liquefied gas as fuel for the propulsion of the vessel.

Technological background

Liquefied natural gas transport vessels have a plurality of tanks for storing the cargo. The liquefied natural gas is stored in these tanks, at atmospheric pressure, at about -162 ° C and is thus in a state of two-phase liquid-vapor equilibrium so that the heat flow exerted through the walls of the tanks tends to cause evaporation of liquefied natural gas.

In order to avoid generating overpressures inside the tanks, a tank of LNG tanker is associated with a steam evacuation pipe, called gas dome, which is arranged in the ceiling wall of the tank, generally at the level of the tank. the center line of the ship, and connected to the ship's main steam trap and a degassing mast. The vapor thus collected can then be passed to a re-liquefaction plant to then reintroduce the fluid in the tank, to a power generation equipment or to a degassing mast provided on the deck of the vessel.

A gas dome structure suitable for a tank wall comprising a glued composite membrane has been described in particular in the publication WO-A-2013093261 or WO-A-2014128381. However, these structures have large dimensions and are quite complex. summary

An idea underlying the invention is to provide a relatively simple structure for penetrating a sealed pipe in a sealed and thermally insulating diaphragm tank, including a small diameter pipe that can be used to collect or inject liquid or steam .

According to one embodiment, the invention provides an installation for storing and transporting a liquefied gas, the installation comprising:

a bearing structure comprising a bearing wall provided with an opening, a sealed and thermally insulating tank integrated in said supporting structure, said sealed and thermally insulating tank having a tank wall mounted on an inner surface of the supporting wall, the tank wall; having at least one thermally insulating barrier and at least one superimposed sealing membrane in a thickness direction of the vessel wall,

a metal sealed conduit engaged in the opening of the carrier wall and passing through the vessel wall parallel or obliquely to said thickness direction to define a fluid passage between the inside and the outside of the vessel, a metallic waterproof sheath disposed around the sealed pipe and engaged in the opening of the carrier wall, the waterproof sheath comprising a longitudinal portion extending parallel to the sealed pipe through the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier at least up to the membrane of sealing, the sealing membrane having an opening traversed by the sealed pipe and being sealingly connected to the waterproof sheath around said opening, wherein the bearing structure comprises a protruding outer surface with respect to an outer surface of the wall carrier and arranged around the sealed pipe, the sealed pipe being supported ed by a top wall of the coaming,

the longitudinal portion of the impervious sheath having an outer end disposed outside the carrier wall and sealingly attached to the top wall of the coaming or the sealed conduit, all around the sealed conduit.

Thanks to these characteristics, a crossing of the sealed and insulating tank wall by the sealed pipe can be carried out in a simple and reliable manner, without jeopardizing the tightness of the tank wall. In particular, the transmission of Mechanical stresses between the bearing wall and the sealing membrane can be very substantially limited by the presence of the waterproof sheath and coaming.

According to embodiments, such an installation may include one or more of the following features.

Fixing the or each sealed sheath to the supporting structure can be achieved in different ways, directly or indirectly. According to one embodiment, the outer end of the waterproof sheath is attached to the top wall of the coaming. According to one embodiment, the longitudinal portion of the impervious sheath constitutes a lateral wall of the coaming, the longitudinal portion of the impervious sheath being welded to the bearing wall around the opening of the bearing wall, the top wall of the coaming being fixed on the outer end of said longitudinal portion. According to one embodiment, the impervious sheath further comprises a support ring fastened to the outer end of the longitudinal portion of the impervious sheath and extending radially inwardly of the impervious sheath, the support ring having an inner edge attached to the sealed conduit around the sealed conduit.

Preferably in this case, the support ring is disposed in the coaming, in particular in an outer half of the coaming.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is a metal membrane which is sealingly welded to the sealed sheath via a flanged ring. According to one embodiment, the metal membrane has a series of parallel corrugations spaced by a regular wave pitch, the opening of the sealing membrane traversed by the sealed pipe having dimensions smaller than the regular wave pitch and being disposed in a flat area of the metal membrane between two undulations. According to embodiments, such a metal membrane may be the only sealing membrane of the tank, for example for a LPG tank, or a primary membrane of a tank having a plurality of sealing membranes. In the latter case, an annular space located between the sealed duct and the sealed duct may be in communication with the interior space of the tank. According to one embodiment, the tank wall comprises a primary sealing membrane intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas, a secondary sealing membrane arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the supporting wall, a thermally insulating barrier. secondary electrode arranged between the secondary sealing membrane and the carrier wall and a primary heat-insulating barrier arranged between the secondary sealing membrane and the primary sealing membrane. In this case, the impervious sheath can be used to bond the primary waterproofing membrane or the secondary waterproofing membrane. It is also possible to provide a secondary waterproof sheath for bonding the secondary waterproofing membrane and a primary waterproof sheath to bond the primary waterproofing membrane.

According to one embodiment, said metallic sheath comprises a connecting plate extending at the level of the secondary sealing membrane all around the longitudinal portion of the sealed sheath, the secondary sealing membrane comprising a bonded composite sheet of sealingly to the connecting plate all around the opening of the secondary sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, a filling of insulating material is arranged in a gap between the longitudinal portion of the sealed sheath and the sealed pipe.

According to one embodiment, the primary waterproofing membrane has an opening for the passage of the sealed pipe, an edge of said opening being sealingly connected to the sealed pipe all around the sealed pipe.

According to one embodiment, said metallic waterproof sheath is a secondary waterproof sheath and the installation further comprises a primary metal sheath disposed around the sealed pipe between the sealed pipe and the secondary waterproof sheath, the primary waterproof sheath having a longitudinal portion extending parallel to the sealed pipe through the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier at least up to the primary waterproofing membrane, the sealing membrane having an opening through which the sealed pipe and the primary waterproof sheath pass; and being sealingly bonded to the primary waterproof jacket around said opening. According to one embodiment, a filling of insulating material is arranged in a gap between the longitudinal portion of the secondary sealed sheath and the longitudinal portion of the primary waterproof sheath.

According to one embodiment, the longitudinal portion of the primary waterproof sheath has an outer end disposed outside the carrier wall and sealingly attached to the top wall of the coaming or to the sealed pipe, all around the pipe. waterproof. According to one embodiment, the primary waterproof sheath further comprises a primary support ring attached to the outer end of the longitudinal portion of the primary sheath and extending radially inwardly of the primary sheath, the primary support ring having an inner edge attached to the sealed conduit around the sealed conduit.

Such a sealed pipe can serve different functions, for example to collect liquefied gas from the interior space of the tank or inject liquefied gas into the interior space, in particular a vapor phase in an upper portion of the tank or a liquid phase in a lower portion of the tank.

According to one embodiment, the sealed conduit has a collection end opening into the vessel at an upper portion of the vessel for collecting a vapor phase of the liquefied gas. Such a pipe for collecting the vapor phase in the tank may be provided with a relatively small diameter, for example less than 300 mm, and in particular less than 100 mm.

According to one embodiment, the other end of the sealed pipe is connected to a gas dome of the tank and / or to a main steam collector of the installation and / or pressure relief valves of the tank.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall is a ceiling wall. Such a pipe for collecting the vapor phase in the tank may be provided at different locations of the upper portion of the tank, in particular near a longitudinal edge and / or a side edge of the ceiling wall of the tank.

The supporting structure can be realized in different ways, in particular in the form of a terrestrial construction, in the form of a transportable self-supporting metal carcass, or in the form of a floating structure. Thus, the invention also proposes a floating structure, in particular a tanker ship, comprising a double hull and a aforementioned installation installed in the double hull, in which the carrying structure of the installation is formed by internal walls of the double hull.

According to embodiments, such a floating structure may include one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall is a ceiling wall and the load-bearing wall is an intermediate bridge of the floating structure, the floating structure also comprising an upper bridge parallel to and spaced from the intermediate bridge, the watertight pipe further comprising an upper portion extending above the coaming to the upper deck and through an opening of the upper deck, a sleeve of insulating material being arranged around said upper portion between the coaming and the upper deck.

According to one embodiment, the floating structure further comprises an accordion compensator extending along the upper portion of the pipe above the upper deck and having a lower end connected to the upper deck around the opening of the upper deck and an upper end connected to the sealed conduit around the sealed conduit, the compensator for sealing the opening of the upper deck around the sealed conduit by allowing a thermal contraction of the sealed conduit.

According to one embodiment, the floating structure is a vessel intended for the transport of liquefied gas, such as a LNG carrier or a LPG transport vessel for example. According to another embodiment, the vessel is a vessel propelled by motor means powered by the vapor phase of the liquefied gas. These embodiments may be combined.

According to one embodiment, the floating structure is a barge, coastal or in deep water, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) or a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO).

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method of loading or unloading such a floating structure, into which a liquefied gas through isolated pipes to or from a floating or land storage facility to or from a tank of the floating structure.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a transfer system for a cryogenic fluid, the system comprising the aforementioned floating structure, insulated pipes arranged to connect the tank installed in the double shell to a floating storage facility or and a pump for driving a flow of cryogenic fluid through the isolated pipelines from or to the floating or land storage facility to or from the vessel of the floating structure.

Brief description of the figures

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the course of the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely for illustrative and non-limiting purposes. with reference to the accompanying drawings.

- Figure 1 is a partial sectional view of a liquefied natural gas transport vessel tank, equipped with steam evacuation pipes passing through the ceiling wall of the tank and the upper decks of the vessel.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic view of zone II of FIG. 1, according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of zone III of FIG.

- Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a zone of the vessel wall surrounding the discharge pipe, before the closure of the secondary sealing membrane.

- Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing the secondary sealing membrane and the primary insulating barrier.

- Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of a zone of the tank wall surrounding the discharge pipe, showing the primary waterproofing membrane. FIG. 7 is an enlarged schematic view of zone II of FIG. 1, according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of zone VIII of FIG. 7.

- Figure 9 is an enlarged partial view of the zone II of Figure 1, according to a third embodiment.

- Figure 10 is a schematic cutaway representation of a vessel comprising a liquefied natural gas storage tank and a loading / unloading terminal of this vessel.

Detailed description of embodiments

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown partially a vessel hull 1 inclined at a gite angle, in which is integrated a sealed and thermally insulating tank 2 having a generally polyhedral shape, defined by a ceiling wall, only visible , a bottom wall, transverse walls and side walls, the transverse walls and the side walls connecting the bottom wall and the ceiling wall according to the known technique. The tank 2 is for example intended to contain a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a pressure close to atmospheric pressure.

The vessel 2 has a longitudinal dimension extending along the longitudinal direction of the vessel. The tank 2 is bordered at each of its longitudinal ends by a transverse partition not shown, delimiting a sealed spacer space known as cofferdam.

The hull 1 is a double hull having an inner hull and an outer hull spaced by stiffeners 3. In the upper part of the ship, the inner hull is closed by an intermediate bridge 4 and the outer hull by an upper bridge 5, which are spaced apart by a tweeter space 6, better visible in Figure 2.

A sealed pipe 7 provided for the evacuation of the vapor phase in a tilting situation connects the internal space of the tank 2 to a gas dome 8, itself connected to a main steam collecting circuit 9 and to a mast 10 by means of a pressure relief valve 11. For this, the sealed pipe 7 passes through a wall of the tank, here the ceiling wall 12. The function of such a pipe for evacuating the vapor phase is described in more detail in the publication WO-A-2016120540.

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 9, the structure of the vessel wall and of the supporting structure at the location where they are traversed by the sealed conduit 7 will now be described in greater detail. This location is designated by the frame II on Figure 1.

Each wall of the tank 2, here the ceiling wall 20, comprises, from the outside towards the inside of the tank, a secondary heat-insulating barrier 13, a secondary sealing membrane 14 carried by the secondary heat-insulating barrier 13 , a primary thermally insulating barrier 15 and a primary sealing membrane 16, carried by the primary thermally insulating barrier 15 and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.

According to one embodiment, the cell wall is made according to Mark III technology which is described in particular in document FR-A-2691520. In such a tank, the thermally insulating barriers 13, 15 and the secondary sealing membrane 14 consist essentially of panels juxtaposed on the inner surface of the carrier wall, here the intermediate bridge 4. The secondary sealing membrane 14 is formed a composite material comprising an aluminum foil sandwiched between two sheets of fiberglass fabric. The primary waterproofing membrane 16 is itself obtained by assembling a plurality of metal plates, welded to each other along their edges, and comprising corrugations extending in two perpendicular directions. The metal plates are, for example, made of stainless steel sheets or aluminum, shaped by folding or stamping.

Other details on such a corrugated metal membrane are described in particular in FR-A-2861060.

The pipe 7 is here a stainless steel tube, typically circular diameter less than 100mm, which extends perpendicularly to the ceiling wall 20 through the entire thickness of the ceiling wall 20 and the double shell 1 to connect the interior space of the tank 2 to equipment located on the upper deck of the ship. The pipe 7 has an inner end 21 which is open and opens into the interior space of the tank 2 in the immediate vicinity of the primary sealing membrane 16.

The pipe 7 extends through an opening of the primary waterproofing membrane 16 and through an opening of the secondary waterproofing membrane 14, which are sealed around pipe 7, as will be described below. .

The pipe 7 extends through an opening 22 of the intermediate bridge 4 with a spacing and through an opening 23 of the upper bridge 5 with a spacing. It is known that the structure carrying a floating structure is likely to deform to the wave, including bending along the longitudinal axis. To isolate the pipe 7 from the effects of these deformations, the pipe 7 is supported by the intermediate bridge 4 at a coaming 24, which allows to shift the welded connection of the pipe 7 away from the intermediate bridge 4.

The height of the coaming is significantly lower than the height of the tween space 6, for example between 10 and 20cm.

Like the double shell 1, the coaming 24 is a welded metal structure, for example stainless steel. It comprises a lateral wall 25 forming an outwardly projecting turret, welded to the intermediate bridge 4 around the opening 22, and a top wall 26 welded to the upper end of the side wall 25. The top wall 26 has an opening which is crossed by the pipe 7, for example in the center of the top wall 26, and whose edge is welded all around the pipe 7, to take the weight of the pipe 7. At the sea, the coaming 24 deforms similarly to a ball in response to the bending of the intermediate bridge 4 and limits the displacement of the pipe 7.

The inner shell preferably forms a liquid and gas-tight enclosure around the vessel, including at the intermediate bridge 4 and the overburden 24.

Above the upper deck 5, the pipe 7 is surrounded by an accordion compensator 19 which connects the peripheral surface of the pipe 7 to the outer surface of the upper deck 5 sealingly, while allowing a variation in length of the pipe 7 under the effect of temperature variations in service.

An insulating sleeve 27 is disposed around the pipe 7 in the tween space 6, to limit thermal leakage. Similarly, an insulating filling 28 is arranged in the coaming 24, beyond the secondary heat-insulating barrier 13, to limit thermal leakage. Materials suitable for the insulating sleeve 27 and the insulating filler 28 include glass wool, polyurethane foam and the like.

A secondary waterproof sheath 29, for example made of stainless steel, is arranged around the pipe 7 and extends in the thickness of the tank wall from a support ring 30 fixed around the pipe 7 in the coaming 24 until to the secondary waterproof membrane 14, which is connected by a sealed bonding to a connecting plate 31 attached to the periphery of the secondary sealed sheath 29. The connecting plate 31 extends radially outside the secondary waterproof sheath 29. Preferably, the support ring 30 is arranged in the upper half of the coaming 24.

The primary waterproofing membrane 16 is in turn sealingly welded around the pipe 7 beyond the inner end 32 of the secondary waterproof sheath 29.

The structure of the vessel wall around the pipe 7 and the secondary watertight sheath 29 will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 4 shows two prefabricated rectangular panels 33 disposed on the inner surface of the intermediate bridge 4 on either side of the pipe 7, so that the secondary watertight sheath 29 is housed in a cutout formed in a longitudinal edge. of each of the rectangular panels 33 at the mid-length thereof. FIG. 4 also shows the sectional plane A-A corresponding to FIG.

According to the known technique, a rectangular panel 33 comprises a secondary insulating block 34, a composite secondary membrane element 35 stuck on the secondary insulating block 34 and primary insulating pavers 36 adhered to the composite secondary membrane element 35, except at a peripheral rim and at a clearance zone 37 around the secondary weatherproof sheath 29.

The rectangular panel 33 further comprises a countersink 38, for example circular, in the clearance zone 37, to accommodate the connecting plate 31 carried by the secondary waterproof sheath 29. The countersink 38 interrupts the composite secondary membrane element 35 to distance from secondary watertight sheath 29.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, a piece of sealed composite ply 39 is stuck astride the connecting plate 31 and the composite secondary membrane elements 35 all around the secondary sheath 29 to ensure the continuity of the waterproofing membrane. secondary 14. Watertight composite ply strips 40 are also glued at the interstices between two rectangular panels 33, according to the known technique.

FIG. 5 also shows, in an exploded perspective view, complementary insulating blocks 41, which are glued after the secondary sealing membrane 14 has been terminated on the edges of the rectangular panels 33 and in the clearance zone 37 to complete the barrier thermally insulating primary 15.

Two half-openwork blocks 43 are used around the pipe 7. Each of them comprises a semicircular cutout 42 in a longitudinal edge for accommodating the pipe 7. A shoulder 44 formed in the semicircular cutout 42, visible in FIG. cover the end 32 of the secondary waterproof sheath 29.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the perforated half-block 43, like the insulating block 41, comprises an insulating foam block 45 and a cover plate 46.

A bottom plate 47 of rigid material, for example plywood may also be provided on the perforated half-block 43 to stiffen it, as illustrated. The other insulating pavers 41 have a better rigidity, because of the greater dimension and the absence of cutting. An unrepresented bottom plate can also be provided therein.

FIG. 6 shows the primary waterproofing membrane 16 around the pipe 7. The primary waterproofing membrane is formed of metal plates having corrugations 48 and 49 extending in two perpendicular directions. As visible, the end 21 of the pipe 7 passes through a flat area 57 of the primary waterproofing membrane between the corrugations 48 and 49 and provided with a corresponding opening. A collar ring 50 is welded to both the edge of the metal plates around the opening and at the periphery of the pipe 7 to seal.

The spacing between two corrugations 48 or two corrugations 49 is for example between 400 and 600mm, in particular 510mm.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, a gap 51 between the pipe 7 and the secondary waterproof sheath 29 may be left empty or filled with an insulating lining.

Different possibilities exist for assembling the secondary waterproof sheath 29 to the supporting structure. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the secondary waterproof sheath 29 is assembled to the pipe 7 by the support ring 30. FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which the secondary sheath 29 is welded to the wall of 24. Figure 9 shows an embodiment in which the secondary waterproof sheath 129 directly forms the lateral wall of the coaming 124.

In the latter two cases, it is seen that the coaming 24 partially participates in the secondary sealing barrier, at least at the level of the top wall 26 located radially inside the secondary waterproof sheath 29. The coaming 24 must therefore at least at the level of the top wall 26. Similarly, the coaming 124 fully participates in the secondary sealing barrier. The coaming 124 must therefore be completely sealed.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, there will now be described a second embodiment of the vessel wall around the pipe 7. The elements identical or similar to those of the first embodiment have the same reference numeral as in the figures 2 to 6 and will not be described again.

This second embodiment uses a primary waterproof sheath 52 interposed between the secondary sheath 29 and the pipe 7, and used to close the primary waterproofing membrane 16 without direct connection with the pipe 7. The primary waterproof sheath 52 allows uncoupling more the waterproofing membrane primary 16 possible displacements that the pipe 7 may undergo in service under the effect of thermal contraction and / or under the effect of flow it leads.

As for the secondary waterproof sheath 29, different possibilities exist to assemble the primary waterproof sheath 52 to the supporting structure. In the embodiment of Figure 7, the primary waterproof sheath 52 is assembled to the pipe 7 by the support ring 53. The primary waterproof sheath 52 could also be extended to the top of the coaming.

As can be seen in FIG. 8, the collar ring 50 is welded both to the edge of the metal plates around the opening and to the periphery of the primary sealing sheath 52 to ensure sealing. The gap 54 between the pipe 7 and the primary waterproof sheath 52 is in communication with the interior space of the tank 2. The gap 51 between the secondary sheath 29 and the primary waterproof sheath 52 is here filled with a filling insulating.

With reference to FIG. 9, a third embodiment of the vessel wall around the pipe will now be described. Elements identical or similar to those of the first embodiment bear the same reference number as in FIGS. 2 to 6 increased by 100 and will not be described again.

The third embodiment makes it possible to further simplify the structure by using the same metallic sheath both as a secondary weatherproof sheath 129 and a sidewall of the coaming 124. In other words, the secondary weatherproof sheath 129 is bonded to the intermediate bridge 104 around the opening 122, without significant offset except the thickness of a connecting plate 55. This embodiment is particularly suitable for applications where the deformations of the carrier structure are more limited.

In an exemplary sizing, the wall thickness of the pipe 7 and the or each sealed sheath 29, 52, 129, 152 is between 5mm and 12mm.

The structures described above are easily adaptable to tank walls whose thermally insulating barriers are more or less thick. In a simplified embodiment, for example for a lighter gas liquefied than LNG, the secondary waterproofing membrane and the secondary waterproof sheath 15

are removed and the vessel wall has a single thermally insulating barrier surmounted by a single metal sealing membrane.

Further details on the number and position of the vapor phase drainage ducts and on the outdoor steam collection system

5 of the tank and to which such pipes can be connected are described in the publication WO-A-2016120540.

The structures described above with reference to a vapor phase evacuation pipe and a ceiling wall of the vessel can be used for other pipes, especially small diameter pipes, which must pass through.

10 any wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank.

Referring to Figure 10, there is a broken view of a LNG tank 70 equipped with such a storage facility and transport of liquefied natural gas. Figure 10 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 of generally prismatic shape mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship.

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

Figure 10 also shows an example of a marine terminal

20 having a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipe 76 and an onshore installation 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is an off-shore fixed installation comprising a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 which supports the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can connect to the loading / unloading pipes 73.

The movable arm 74 is adjustable to suit all LNG carriers. A connection pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables the loading and unloading of the LNG tank 70 from or to the shore facility 77. liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting lines 81 connected by the underwater pipe 76

30 at 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 16

the installation on land 77 over a large distance, for example 5 km, which keeps the LNG tanker 70 at a great distance from the coast during the loading and unloading operations.

In order to generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps on board the ship 70 and / or pumps equipping the shore installation 77 and / or pumps equipping the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is obvious that it is not limited thereto and that it comprises all the technical equivalents of the means described and their combinations if they are within the scope of the invention.

The use of the verb "to include", "to understand" or "to include" and its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps other than those set out in a claim. The use of the indefinite article "a" or "an" for an element or a step does not exclude, unless otherwise stated, the presence of a plurality of such elements or steps.

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

Claims

1. Installation for the storage and transport of a liquefied gas, the installation comprising:

a carrier structure (1) comprising a carrier wall (4, 104) provided with an opening (22, 122),

a sealed and thermally insulating tank (2) integrated into said supporting structure, said sealed and thermally insulating tank having a tank wall mounted on an inner surface of the carrier wall, the tank wall including at least one thermally insulating barrier (13 , 15) and at least one sealing membrane (14, 16) superimposed in a thickness direction of the vessel wall,

a sealed pipe (7, 107) engaged in the opening of the carrier wall and passing through the tank wall parallel or obliquely to said thickness direction to define a fluid passage between the inside and the outside of the tank , a metallic sheath (29, 129, 52, 152) disposed around the sealed pipe (7, 107) and engaged in the opening (22, 122) of the carrier wall, the sealed sheath having a longitudinal portion s' extending parallel to the sealed conduit through the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier at least up to the sealing membrane (14, 16), the sealing membrane having an opening traversed by the sealed conduit and being bonded in a manner sealed to the sealed sheath (29, 129, 52, 152) all around said opening,

wherein the supporting structure comprises a coaming (24, 124) protruding from an outer surface of the carrier wall and disposed around the sealed conduit, the sealed conduit being supported by a top wall (26, 126) of the coaming,

the longitudinal portion of the impervious sheath (29, 129, 52, 152) having an outer end disposed outside the bearing wall and sealingly attached to the top wall (26, 126) of the coaming or to the pipe waterproof (7, 107), all around the watertight pipe.

2. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal portion of the waterproof sheath (129) constitutes a lateral wall of the coaming (124), the longitudinal portion of the waterproof sheath being welded to the carrier wall (104). around the opening (122) of the carrier wall, the top wall (126) of the coaming being fixed on the outer end of said longitudinal portion.

3. Installation according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof sheath (29, 52, 152) further comprises a support ring (30, 53, 153) fixed to the outer end of the longitudinal portion of the waterproof sheath and s extending radially inwardly of the waterproof sheath, the support ring (30, 53, 153) having an inner edge attached to the sealed conduit around the sealed conduit (7, 107).

4. Installation according to claim 3, wherein the support ring (30, 53, 153) is disposed in an outer half of the coaming (24, 124).

5. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sealing membrane (16) is a metal membrane which is sealed to the sealed sheath (52, 152) via a ring flange (50).

6. Installation according to claim 5, wherein the metal membrane (16) has a series of parallel corrugations (48, 49) spaced from a regular wave, the opening of the sealing membrane traversed by the sealed pipe (7) having dimensions smaller than the regular wave pitch and being disposed in a flat area (57) of the metal membrane between two corrugations (48, 49).

7. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vessel wall comprises a primary sealing membrane (16) intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas, a secondary sealing membrane (14) arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the supporting wall (4), a secondary heat-insulating barrier (13) arranged between the secondary sealing membrane and the supporting wall and a primary heat-insulating barrier (15) arranged between the waterproofing membrane secondary (14) and the primary waterproofing membrane (16).

8. Installation according to claim 7, wherein said sealed sheath (29, 129) comprises a connecting plate (31) extending at the level of the secondary sealing membrane (14) all around the longitudinal portion of the sheath. sealed, the secondary waterproofing membrane comprising a tablecloth composite (39) sealingly adhered to the connecting plate (31) all around the opening of the secondary sealing membrane.

9. Installation according to claim 8, wherein a filling of insulating material is arranged in a gap (51) between the longitudinal portion of the sealed sheath and the sealed pipe.

10. Installation according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the primary sealing membrane (16) has an opening for the passage of the sealed pipe, an edge of said opening being sealingly connected to the sealed pipe (7) while around the waterproof pipe.

11. Installation according to claim 8, wherein said metal sheath is a secondary sealed sheath (29, 129) and the installation further comprises a primary metallic sheath (52, 152) arranged around the sealed pipe (7). 107) between the sealed pipe and the secondary weatherproof sheath (29, 129), the primary waterproof sheath having a longitudinal portion extending parallel to the sealed pipe through the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier at least up to primary waterproofing membrane (16), the primary waterproofing membrane having an opening through which the sealed pipe and the primary watertight sheath are and sealingly bonded to the primary waterproof sheath (52, 152) around said opening.

12. Installation according to claim 11, wherein a filling of insulating material is arranged in a gap (51, 151) between the longitudinal portion of the secondary sheath and the longitudinal portion of the primary waterproof sheath.

13. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sealed pipe has a collection end (21) opening into the vessel (2) at an upper portion of the vessel to collect a vapor phase of the liquefied gas.

14. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the vessel wall is a ceiling wall (20).

15. Floating structure, in particular a tanker (70), comprising a double hull (1) and an installation according to one of claims 1 to 14 installed in the double hull, in which the supporting structure of the installation is formed by internal walls (4, 104) of the double hull.

16. Floating structure according to claim 15, wherein the vessel wall is a ceiling wall (20) and the load-bearing wall is an intermediate bridge (4) of the floating structure, the floating structure also comprising an upper bridge. (5) parallel to and spaced from the intermediate bridge (4, 104), the sealed conduit further comprising an upper portion extending above the coaming (24, 124) to the upper deck (5) and through a opening (23) of the upper bridge, a sleeve (27) of insulating material being arranged around said upper portion between the coaming and the upper deck.

Floating structure according to claim 16, further comprising an accordion compensator (19) extending along the upper portion of the pipe (7, 107) above the upper deck (5) and having a lower end connected to the upper deck around the opening (23) of the upper deck and an upper end connected to the seal line (7, 107) all around the seal line, the compensator serving to seal the opening of the upper deck around the watertight pipe by allowing a thermal contraction of the watertight pipe.

18. Transfer system for a liquefied gas, the system comprising a floating structure (70) according to claim 15, insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the tank (71) installed in the double hull at a floating or land storage facility (77) and a pump for driving a flow of cryogenic fluid through the isolated pipelines from or to the floating or land storage facility to or from the vessel of the floating structure.

A method of loading or unloading a floating structure (70) according to claim 15, wherein a liquefied gas is fed through insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) to or from a floating storage facility or earth (77) to or from a tank (71) of the floating structure.