JP6545299B2 - Gas dome structure for sealed insulation tank - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of sealed insulation tanks for storage and / or transport of fluids such as cryogenic fluids. Sealed insulated tanks are used in particular for the storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) which is stored at about -162 ° C at atmospheric pressure.

  The invention relates more particularly to a gas dome structure intended to define a channel for circulating steam between the inner space of the tank and at least one steam collector arranged outside the tank.

  Korean Patent Application Publication No. 20140088975 describes defining a steam circulation path between the inner space of a tank and two steam recovery units disposed inside the tank and housed inside a double hull of a ship. A sealed thermally insulated tank is disclosed that includes the intended gas dome structure.

  The gas dome structure includes a gas-insulated pipe that penetrates the hull of the double hull. The sealing pipe comprises at its upper end a connecting flange consisting of an outwardly directed edge which receives the removable cover via a seal. However, the seal interposed between the removable cover and the connecting flange is in direct contact with the vapor phase present in the inner drum. Here, when the fluid stored in the tank is a cryogenic fluid such as liquefied gas, the vapor may have a low temperature of up to about -160 ° C. Thus, the seal is exposed to relatively low temperatures, and thus, over time, can damage the seal and be exposed to wide temperature changes that can cause leakage from the gas dome structure. Therefore, the reliability of the steam gas dome leaves room for improvement.

  The present invention is a gas dome structure comprising a sealing pipe and a removable cover closing the upper end of the sealing pipe, wherein the tightness is more secure and more durable at the junction between the sealing pipe and the removable cover. Provided based on the idea of proposing a gas dome structure.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a fluid storage device comprising a hull and a sealed insulated tank located in the hull, the tank having an interior space intended to store fluid, a tank roof And. The tank roof is
A thermal barrier supported by the hull,
And a sealing membrane intended to contact the fluid contained in the tank. The fluid storage device has a gas dome structure, and the gas dome structure is
A connecting flange is provided through the insulating barrier and the sealing membrane of the tank roof so as to define a channel for circulating between the inner space of the tank and at least one steam collector arranged outside the tank. A sealed pipe having a longitudinal upper end and a longitudinal lower end;
A cover fixed to the connecting flange by a fastener for closing the longitudinal upper end of the sealing pipe;
A gasket compressed between the cover and the connecting flange;
A steam recovery pipe airtightly passing through the wall of the sealed pipe to enter the closed pipe in the recovery zone, the steam recovery pipe comprising a recovery zone and a steam recovery device disposed outside the tank A steam recovery pipe, capable of transporting steam between the
The sealing pipe comprises a carrier plate extending transversely towards the interior of the sealing pipe and located longitudinally between the recovery zone and the upper longitudinal end of the sealing pipe, the carrier plate at one side of the carrier plate Defining a lower interior of the lower sealing pipe and, on the other hand, an upper upper interior of the sealing pipe above the carrier plate,
An insulating plug for closing the upper inside of a sealed pipe, wherein the insulating plug has an upper surface and a lower surface respectively facing the cover and the carrier plate, and the carrier plate supports the insulating plug and insulates all around the lower surface And an insulating plug that interacts with the lower surface of the plug to form a barrier that limits the thermal convection effect between the lower and upper portions inside the sealed pipe.

  Thus, due to the presence of the insulating plug, the minimum temperature to which the seal may be subjected is not too low, which makes it possible to reduce the thermal fluctuations, thus limiting the aging of the properties of the seal. Thus, the service life of the seal is extended and the risk of leaks between the cover and the upper end of the sealing pipe is reduced.

  According to some embodiments, this type of fluid storage device can include one or more of the following features.

  According to one embodiment, the steam recovery pipe penetrates the wall of the sealing pipe perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the insulation plug comprises an insulation body and a base placed between the insulation body and the carrier plate.

  According to one embodiment, the base is provided with gripping means projecting in the direction of the longitudinal upper end of the sealing pipe through a hole formed in the insulating body.

  According to one embodiment, the insulation plug has a circular shape.

  According to one embodiment, the base comprises a rigid disc. The rigid disc is made of, for example, stainless steel.

  According to one embodiment, the gripping means is, for example, a handle that passes through the insulating body.

  According to one embodiment, the insulating plug comprises an insulating body comprising a top plate, a bottom plate and a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate and the top plate.

  According to one embodiment, the two upper and lower plates are made from plywood.

  According to one embodiment, the layer of insulating polymer foam comprises polyurethane.

  According to one embodiment, the carrier plate and the insulation plug are fixed together.

  According to one embodiment, the carrier plate comprises a plurality of pins, each projecting in the direction of the longitudinal upper end of the sealing pipe and having a threaded end passing through the respective open orifice formed in the insulating plug And the threaded end of each of the pins interacts with a nut to fasten the insulating plug to the carrier plate.

  According to one embodiment, the sealing pipe comprises a shoulder formed between the lower and the upper part of the sealing pipe, said upper part having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lower part, said shoulder being a carrier Form a plate.

  According to one embodiment, the carrier plate defines upper and lower parts of the sealing pipe and projects laterally towards the interior of the sealing pipe with respect to the upper and lower parts of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the upper part of the sealing pipe has a diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the lower part of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the sealing pipe comprises an outer drum, an inner drum passing through the outer drum, and an insulating intermediate space provided between the outer drum and the inner drum.

  According to one embodiment, the inner drum is airtightly connected to the outer drum and has a longitudinal upper end located in a zone longitudinally disposed between the carrier plate and the lower longitudinal end of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the steam recovery pipe passes airtightly through the wall of the outer drum in a zone located longitudinally between the carrier plate and the upper end of the inner drum.

  According to one embodiment, the steam recovery zone is defined by the carrier plate and the upper end of the inner drum.

  According to one embodiment, the gas dome structure comprises a safety valve and a first steam recovery unit leading to a degassing mast, a burner, a propulsion and / or liquefaction device of a ship, and gas storage during loading or unloading of the tank And a second steam recovery pipe leading to a second steam collector connected to the manifold intended to be connected to the terminal.

  According to one embodiment, the connecting flange projects laterally from the longitudinal upper end of the sealing pipe towards the outside of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the insulation plug has a thickness of more than 70 mm.

  According to one embodiment, each fastener comprises a screw which interacts with the nut and passes through a hole formed in the cover and a hole formed in the connecting flange.

  A fluid storage device of this kind may form part of a land storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or a floating body structure, coastal or deep water, in particular an ethane tanker or methane tanker, floating storage regassing It may be installed in a plantation facility (FSRU), a floating production storage and offloading facility (FPSO), etc. In the case of a floating body structure, the tank can be intended to receive liquefied natural gas which serves as a fuel for the propulsion of the floating body structure.

  According to one embodiment, the fluid storage device is configured in the form of a ship.

According to one embodiment, the invention relates to a method of assembling a fluid storage device as described above. The method is
The assembly, which includes a sealed pipe and a steam recovery pipe,
The sealing pipe has a longitudinal upper end with a connecting flange, the lower longitudinal end passing through the insulating barrier and sealing membrane of the tank roof and a carrier plate extending laterally towards the interior of the sealing pipe, A vapor recovery pipe is disposed between the recovery zone and the upper longitudinal end of the sealing pipe in the longitudinal direction, and the vapor recovery pipe passes airtightly through the wall of the sealing pipe and opens into the interior of the sealing pipe in the recovery zone. As, forming, and
Placing the insulation plug inside the top of the interior of the sealing pipe supporting the carrier plate;
Securing the cover to the connecting flange and compressing the gasket between the cover and the connecting flange.

  According to some embodiments, this type of assembly method can include one or more of the following features.

According to a first embodiment, the step of forming an assembly comprising a sealed pipe and a steam recovery pipe comprises
A substep for supplying the lower part of the sealing pipe and the carrier plate, wherein the carrier plate is fixed to the lower part and supplies a lower part for the sealing pipe and the carrier plate, which protrudes laterally outward of the lower part When,
Providing the upper portion of the sealing pipe with the connecting flange, the upper portion providing the upper portion of the sealing pipe with the connecting flange having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lower portion;
And D. securing the upper portion on the carrier plate in an airtight manner.

  According to one embodiment, the lower part of the sealing pipe and the carrier plate respectively correspond to the sealing pipe and the connecting flange of the gas dome structure according to the prior art. Thus, this type of assembly method makes it possible to obtain the gas dome structure according to the invention by simply adding the top on the original gas dome structure.

According to another embodiment, the step of forming an assembly comprising a sealed pipe and a steam recovery pipe comprises
A substep of feeding the top of the sealing pipe, the top of the sealing pipe being provided with a connecting flange, the substep of feeding the top of the sealing pipe;
Providing a lower portion of the sealing pipe, the lower portion including a second flange projecting radially outward, the sub step of supplying the lower portion of the sealing pipe;
Supplying a carrier plate;
Securing the carrier plate to the bottom and / or top of the sealing pipe;
And coaxially securing the upper portion of the sealing pipe to the lower portion of the sealing pipe.

  According to one embodiment, the lower and second flanges of the sealing pipe correspond respectively to the sealing pipe and the connecting flange of the gas dome structure according to the prior art. Thus, this type of assembly method makes it possible to modify the existing gas dome structure to obtain the gas dome structure according to the invention, while having the possibility of retaining the original cover.

  According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method of loading or unloading such a fluid storage device, wherein the fluid passes from the floating body or onshore storage facility to the tank of the ship through the insulated pipeline, or It is transported from the tank of the ship to the floating or land storage facility.

  According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a fluid transfer system, said system being configured to connect the fluid storage device described above and a tank of the fluid storage device to a floating body or a land storage facility And a pump for driving fluid from the floating body or onshore storage facility to the tank of the fluid storage unit through the insulated pipeline, or from the tank of the fluid storage unit to the floating body or onshore storage facility.

  The invention will be better understood and other objects in the course of the following description of some particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Details, features and advantages will be clearer.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the gas dome structure according to the first embodiment, in particular the outer zone of the gas dome located outside the double hull of the ship, wherein the inner zone of the gas dome located inside the double hull of the ship is Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view, drawn briefly. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the outer zone of the gas dome structure of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the insulation plug for sealing the inside of the gas dome structure sealed pipe of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the outer zone of the gas dome structure according to a second embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the geometry of a carrier plate intended to support a sealing plug according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas dome structure sealed pipe, carrier plate and insulation plug according to another embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tank of an LNG carrier equipped with a gas dome structure and a loading / unloading terminal of the tank.

  FIG. 1 shows a partial view of a gas dome structure 1 for a sealed insulating tank, for example for storing liquefied gas such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The gas dome structure 1 defines a channel for circulating steam between the inner space 2 of the tank and one or more steam collectors (not shown) arranged outside the tank.

  The tank is located inside the double hull of the vessel. The double hull of the ship comprises an outer shell 4 and an inner shell 5. The inner shell 5 constitutes the transport structure of the tank and is generally in the form of a polyhedron. As shown in FIG. 1, each wall of the tank has a secondary heat insulating barrier 6 supported by the inner shell 5 and a secondary airtight film 7 in the direction from the outside of the tank to the inside in the direction of the thickness of the wall. And a primary insulation barrier 8 and a primary hermetic membrane 9 intended to contact the fluid stored in the tank.

  According to one embodiment, the primary insulation barrier 8 and the secondary insulation barrier 6 each consist of thermal insulation elements, more particularly parallelepiped thermal insulation caissons juxtaposed in a regular pattern. In addition, both the secondary membrane 7 and the primary membrane 9 are a series of parallel folded edges of the same Invar®, alternately arranged with an elongated Invar® welded support. It consists of By way of example, a sealed insulating tank having such a structure is described in the patent FR 2877 638.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gas dome structure comprises a sealing pipe 10 passing through two openings respectively formed in the shell 4 and the inner shell 5. The sealing pipe 10 extends longitudinally between the upper longitudinal end 14 and the lower longitudinal end 15 of the sealing pipe 10, which is directed perpendicularly to the tank roof. The sealed pipe 10 is airtightly welded to the secondary membrane 7 and the primary membrane 9.

  The sealing pipe 10 is provided with a cylindrical outer drum 11 penetrating the opening in the outer shell 4 and the opening in the inner shell 5. The outer drum 11 is open at both ends. The gas dome structure further comprises an inner drum 12 fixed to the outer drum 11. The inner drum 12 is formed of a cylindrical peripheral wall whose both ends are open. The inner drum 12 is concentric with the outer drum 11 and extends into the outer drum 11.

  An insulating intermediate space 13 is arranged between the outer drum 11 and the inner drum 12. The insulating intermediate space 13 is filled with insulating packing uniformly distributed in the inner span of the outer drum 11 between the outer drum 11 and the inner drum 12. The insulation packing comprises one or more insulation materials selected from glass wool, rock wool, fluff, fiber materials, perlite, expanded perlite, polymer foams and aerogels. Alternatively or additionally, the insulating intermediate space 13 is maintained under negative pressure.

  The inner drum 12 and the outer drum 11 are joined transversely to the longitudinal direction of the inner drum 12 and the outer drum 11 via an annular plate 16 extending horizontally between the inner drum 12 and the outer drum 11. ing. The inner drum 12 does not extend to the upper end of the outer drum 11.

  Furthermore, FIG. 1 also shows that, above the upper end of the inner drum 12, an insulating packing 42, such as, for example, polyurethane foam, is distributed around the outer drum 11 in order to insulate the sealing pipe 10. There is.

  The gas dome structure 1 comprises at least one steam recovery pipe 3, 17 passing airtightly through the wall of the sealing pipe 10 and opening into a recovery zone 25 located inside the sealing pipe 10. Thus, each steam recovery pipe 3, 17 can carry steam between the recovery zone 25 inside the sealed pipe 10 and a steam collector located outside the sealed pipe 10. The recovery zone 25 is disposed longitudinally between the upper end of the inner drum 12 and the longitudinal upper end 14 of the sealing pipe 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the gas dome structure 1 comprises two steam recovery pipes 3, 17 which pass airtightly across the circumferential wall of the sealing pipe 10. More specifically, the steam recovery pipes 3, 17 pass only the peripheral wall of the outer drum 11 and thus open into the sealing pipe 10 in the recovery zone 25. In the illustrated embodiment, the ends of the steam recovery pipes 3, 17 are flush with the wall of the outer drum 11 and therefore do not project into the interior of the sealing pipe 10.

  One of the steam recovery pipes 3 leads to a steam recovery unit (not shown) and is equipped with a safety valve. The relief valve is calibrated to ensure that the vapor phase gas is evacuated from the tank when the vapor pressure in the tank is above a threshold pressure of about 0-2 bar, for example 0.2-0.4 bar . When considering pressure loss, the calibration of the safety valve is slightly lower than the threshold pressure that the vapor pressure in the tank should not exceed. This steam recovery pipe 3 makes it possible to extract the steam from the tank in case of excessive pressure and aims to control the pressure in the tank so as to avoid excessive pressure which may damage it. I assume. The steam recovery pipe 3 transports the steam to the steam recovery unit, and the steam recovery unit is, for example, a degassing mast, a burner, a propulsion device for a ship, or a vapor phase gas is condensed and reintroduced into the tank in the liquid phase Leading to a liquefier.

  The other steam recovery pipe 17 leads to a steam recovery unit connected to a manifold that is intended to be connected to the gas storage terminal during loading or unloading of the tank. Thus, the steam recovery pipe 17 enables the circulation of steam during tank loading and unloading operations. In fact, as liquefied gas is transferred from the supply terminal to the tank during the loading operation, the gas phase through the gas dome structure and the steam recovery pipe 17 to keep the pressure in the tank's ullage space approximately constant. Gases are simultaneously transferred from the tank to the terminal. Conversely, during the loading operation where liquefied gas is transferred from the tank to the terminal, gas phase gas is simultaneously transferred from the terminal to the tank to avoid pressure drop in the tank.

  Furthermore, as shown in more detail in FIG. 2, the upper longitudinal end 14 of the sealing pipe 10 is provided with a connecting flange 18. The connecting flange 18 has an annular shape and extends horizontally to the longitudinal direction of the sealing pipe 10, that is, horizontally to the outside of the steam sealing pipe 10. The connecting flange 18 is welded to the upper end of the outer drum 11.

  The gas dome structure 1 also comprises a cover 19 fixed to the steam connection flange 18 so as to close the longitudinal upper end 14 of the sealing pipe 10. The gasket 20 shown in FIG. 2 is compressed between the cover 19 and the connecting flange 18. The cover 19 is detachably fixed to the upper end 14 in the longitudinal direction. Thus, when the cover 19 is removed, the inner space 2 of the tank can be accessed via the sealing pipe 10, for example, to perform maintenance work on the tank. The cover 19 is fixed to the connection flange 18 by a plurality of fasteners (not shown) passing through the holes 21 formed on the periphery of the cover 19 and the opposed holes 22 formed on the outer periphery of the connection flange 18. There is. The fasteners each comprise, for example, a bolt comprising a threaded rod and a nut interacting with the threaded rod. The cover 19 has fixing means 21 on the top surface that can be manipulated by the maintenance tool.

  The gasket 20 may be compressed between the cover 19 and the connecting flange 18, thus enabling a seal between the outside and the inside of the sealing pipe 10. The gasket 20 may be arranged at a diameter smaller than the installed diameter of the fastener, ie between the inner part of the connecting flange 18 and the cover 19.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the gasket 20 includes one or more eyes formed on the tab 23 projecting towards the outside of the gasket 20. The eyes are disposed to face the holes 21 formed in the cover 19 and the holes 22 formed in the connection flange 18. Thus, each eye passes one eye of the fastener to hold the gasket 20 in place. Alternatively, according to an embodiment not shown, the gasket 20 is arranged in a recess formed in the cover 19 or the connecting flange 18 to hold the gasket 20 in place.

  The gasket 20 is made of a polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), glass and / or aramid and / or butadiene acrylonitrile reinforced with carbon fibers (NBR). The gasket may be a flat seal or an o-ring seal.

  Furthermore, the sealing pipe 10, more particularly, the outer drum 11 of the sealing pipe 10 has a shoulder 24. The shoulder 24 is located in a zone located longitudinally between the recovery zone 25 and the upper longitudinal end 14 of the sealing pipe 10. The shoulder is obtained by the change in diameter of the outer drum 11 between the upper 26 and lower 27 portions of the outer drum 11. The upper portion 26 of the outer drum 11 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the lower portion 27 of the outer drum 11 so that inside the sealing pipe 10 the upper portion 26 of the outer drum 11 and the lower portion 27 of the outer drum 11 A laterally extending annular carrier plate 29 may be disposed between them. The carrier plate 29 is arranged outside the sealing pipe 10 and is mechanically reinforced by the presence of a gusset plate joining the lower surface of the carrier plate to the outer surface of the outer drum 11. The carrier plate 29 makes it possible to support the insulating plug 30. The purpose of the insulating plug 30 is to seal the top of the interior of the sealing pipe 10. The insulating plug 30 has a lower surface 31 facing the carrier plate 29. The insulating plug 30 and the carrier plate 29 always interact with each other over the entire circumference of the insulating plug 30. Thus, such an arrangement is between, on the one hand, the lower space of the sealing pipe 10 arranged beneath the carrier plate 29 and, on the other hand, the upper space of the sealing pipe 10 arranged above the carrier plate 29. Make it possible to limit the forced convection of

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the insulation plug 30 comprises an insulation body 32 and a base 33. The base 33 comprises a rigid disc, for example made of stainless steel, on which the insulating body 32 is supported. The base also comprises one or more grip handles 34 which project upwardly towards the longitudinal upper end of the sealing pipe 10. The handles 34 extend through respective holes 35 formed in the insulating body 32. Thus, these handles 34 facilitate gripping and manipulating the insulating plug 30.

  The insulating body 32 is shown cut away in FIG. Insulating body 32 includes a layer 36 of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between top plate 37 and bottom plate 38. Top plate 37 and bottom plate 38 are, for example, plywood bonded onto layer 36 of the insulating polymer foam. These plywoods are advantageous in that they make it possible to reinforce the insulation body while contributing to the insulation. The layer 36 of insulating polymer foam may in particular comprise a polyurethane-based foam optionally reinforced with glass fibres. As an example, the thickness of the insulating body is greater than 70 mm, for example about 150 mm.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the insulation plug 30 is fixed to the carrier plate 29. This can ensure that the insulating plug 30 remains in place relative to the carrier plate 29, limiting or even eliminating forced thermal convection between the carrier plate 29 and the insulating plug 30. Help to For this purpose, the carrier plate 29 is provided with a plurality of pins 39 distributed uniformly around the longitudinal direction of the sealing pipe 10, as shown in FIGS. The pin 39 projects upward toward the longitudinal upper end 14 of the sealing pipe 10. Each pin 39 penetrates through holes 40 and 41 formed in the base 33 and the insulating body 32 of the insulating plug 30. In addition, each pin 39 includes a threaded end that interacts with a nut to secure the insulating plug 30 to the carrier plate 29.

  The holes 40, 41 are a balance of pressure between the upper part of the internal space of the sealing pipe 10 located above the carrier plate 29 and the lower part of the internal space of the sealing pipe 10 located below the carrier plate 29. Is also advantageous in that it enables

  As noted above, it has been found that the presence of the insulating plug 30 supporting the carrier plate 29 allows the minimum temperature that the gasket 20 can receive to be significantly increased. Thus, as an example, for the gas dome structure 1 equipped with a tank in which liquefied natural gas is stored at a temperature of about -162 ° C., the above-described configuration is based on the temperature of the gasket 20 of the gas dome structure 1 It is possible to ensure that the temperature of the gasket 20 does not go below -50 ° C while potentially below 80 ° C.

  In the embodiment not shown, the base 33 is a rigid structure consisting of a machine welded metal bar.

  In the embodiment not shown, the base 33 and the insulating body 32 are not integral. In this case, the insulating body 32 is provided on the upper side facing the cover 19 with gripping means, such as handles, which allow the cover to be removed. Insulating body 32 now does not include holes 35 or through holes 41 which allow the handle to pass, as in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In such embodiments, the base 33 may be fixed to the carrier plate 29. For this purpose, the base 33 now has holes which allow the passage of pins welded to the carrier plate 29. According to another embodiment, the base 33 is not fixed to the carrier plate 29.

  FIG. 4 shows a gas dome structure 101 according to a second embodiment. Elements that are the same as or similar to elements of FIGS. 1-3, ie, elements that perform the same function, have the same reference numerals increased by 100. This gas dome structure 101 differs in particular from the above in that it can be obtained by adapting a gas dome structure according to the prior art, ie a gas dome structure as described, for example, in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 20140088975. . In order to fit the gas dome structure 1 according to the prior art, on the one hand a cylindrical upper portion 126 extending the first sealing pipe 10 upwards and on the other hand a connecting flange 118 projecting towards the outside of the cylindrical portion 125 The additional part provided is welded to the part indicated by reference numeral 129 in FIG. 3, which is a flange originally intended to receive the cover. The upper portion 26 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the original lower portion 127. Therefore, the structure of the gas dome 101 thus modified has the same configuration as the gas dome structure 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In particular, the part 129 forms a carrier plate on which the insulating plug 130 is fixed. Thus, the operation to adapt the gas dome structure according to the prior art is easy to carry out.

  The insulating plug 130 can have the same structure as the insulating plug 30 described above. According to one embodiment, the pins 139 are additionally welded onto the carrier plate 129, thus enabling the insulating plug 130 to be fixed on the carrier plate 129 in a manner similar to that described above. Furthermore, the connecting flange 118, the gasket and the cover 119 are also similar to those described above with respect to the preceding embodiments.

  FIG. 5 is a top view schematically illustrating the configuration of the carrier plate 229 according to one embodiment. It will be appreciated that the radially inner edge of the carrier plate 229 need not necessarily be circular, for example as shown in FIG. 2, but may have other shapes, such as square.

  It should also be noted that, in all the illustrated embodiments, the carrier plates 29, 129, 229 extend in a horizontal plane, but other embodiments may have other configurations. In particular, in the embodiment not shown, the carrier plate has a tapered shape in which the conical axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the sealing pipe 10,110. In such a case, it is advantageous for the lower surface of the insulating plug to have a complementary tapered shape.

  FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the structure of a gas dome 301 according to another embodiment. Elements that are the same as or similar to elements of FIGS. 1-3, ie, elements that perform the same function, have the same reference numerals, increased by 300. This embodiment differs from the embodiments described above in that the shoulders of the outer drum 311 do not form the carrier plate 329. In fact, in this embodiment, the carrier plate 329 is welded to the inner drum 311 on the upper 326 and / or the lower 327 of the inner drum 311 and the interior of the sealing pipe 310 relative to the upper 326 and the lower 327 It is a part that protrudes to

  In such a configuration, according to another embodiment, the diameter of the upper portion 326 of the sealing pipe 310 may be smaller than or equal to the diameter of the lower portion 327, as shown in FIG.

  This kind of gas dome structure 301 can also be obtained by adapting the gas dome structure according to the prior art. In this case, the lower portion 327 of the sealing pipe 310 corresponds to a sealing pipe of a gas dome structure according to the prior art. Thus, to obtain the gas dome structure according to the invention, an upper portion 326 with a connecting flange 318 is added on top of the original gas dome structure. According to one embodiment not shown, the upper portion 326 has a diameter equal to that of the lower portion, the upper portion being originally the part that originally served as a flange intended to receive the cover before the structural change Welded to 343. This makes it possible to use a cover 319 of the same diameter as the original cover, and thus to reuse the original cover 319 when fitting the gas dome structure according to the prior art.

  The above-described techniques for making gas dome structures can be used for various types of membrane tanks, land installations, or floating body structures such as LNG carriers.

  Referring to FIG. 7, a cross-sectional view of the LNG tanker 70 shows a rectangular insulating insulating tank 71 of a general shape installed in the double hull 72 of the ship. The walls of the tank 71 may be a primary airtight barrier intended to contact the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary airtight barrier disposed between the primary airtight barrier and the double hull of the ship 72, as well as each primary It comprises two insulating barriers arranged between the air tight barrier and the second air tight barrier and between the secondary air tight barrier and the double hull 72.

  In a manner known per se, the loading / unloading pipeline 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship, by means of suitable connectors, for transferring LNG cargo from the tank 71 to or from the tank 71, a land terminal or harbor It can be connected to the terminal.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a land terminal that includes a loading and unloading facility 75, an underwater pipeline 76 and a land facility 77. The loading and unloading facility 75 is a land fixed facility comprising a movable arm 74 and a rig 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries an insulated flexible pipe bundle 79 connectable to the loading / unloading pipeline 73. The adjustable movable arm 74 is compatible with any size LNG tanker. A connecting pipe (not shown) extends in the rig 78. The loading and unloading facility 75 enables loading and unloading of the LNG tanker 70 from the on-shore facility 77 and into the tanker. The latter comprises a storage tank 80 for liquefied gas and a connecting pipe 81 connected to a loading or unloading facility 75 by means of an underwater pipeline 76. The submersible pipeline 76 liquefies between the loading and unloading facility 75 and the on-shore facility 77 over a large distance, for example 5 km, which allows the LNG tanker 70 to be kept a large distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations. Make it possible to transfer the gas.

  A pump mounted on the ship 70 and / or a pump equipped with a land facility 77 and / or a pump equipped with a loading and unloading facility 75 is used to generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of liquefied gas.

  Although the invention has been described in connection with some specific embodiments, the invention is in no way limited to these embodiments, and the invention is within the scope of the invention It is quite self-evident to include all technical equivalents of the described means and combinations thereof.

  Where the verb "have", "comprise" or "include" and its conjugations are in use, this is a matter other than as referred to in the claims. It does not exclude the presence of the elements or other steps of.

  In the claims, any reference signs in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims.

Claims (19)

A fluid storage device comprising a hull and a sealed insulation tank arranged in said hull (4, 5), comprising:
Said tank comprises an interior space (2) intended to store fluid and comprises a tank roof,
The tank roof is
A thermal barrier (6) supported by the hull (4, 5);
A sealing membrane (9) intended to contact the fluid contained in the tank;
The fluid storage device has a gas dome structure (1, 101, 301),
The gas dome structure is
A longitudinal upper end (14, 114, 314) with a connecting flange (18, 118, 318) and a longitudinal lower end (15) of the tank roof penetrating the insulation barrier (6) and the sealing membrane (9) A sealed pipe (10, 110, 310) defining a channel for circulating between the interior space (2) of the tank and at least one steam collector disposed outside the tank. )When,
A cover (19, 119) fixed to the connecting flange (18, 118, 318) by a fastener for closing the longitudinal upper end (14, 114, 314) of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) 319),
A gasket (20) compressed between the cover (19, 119, 319) and the connection flange (18, 118, 318);
A vapor recovery pipe (3) passing airtightly through the wall of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) to enter the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) in a recovery zone (25, 125, 325) , 17, 117), wherein the steam recovery pipe (3, 17, 117) is a steam between the recovery zone (25, 125, 325) and the steam recovery device disposed outside the tank. And a steam recovery pipe (3, 17, 117), which can carry
The sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) extends laterally towards the interior of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) and in the longitudinal direction the collection zone (25, 125, 325) and the sealing pipe A carrier plate (29, 129, 329) located between the upper end (14, 114, 314) of (10, 110, 310), the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) Located below the interior of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) located below the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) and above the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) at the other Defining the interior upper portion of the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310),
An insulating plug (30, 130, 330) for closing the upper portion inside the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310), the insulating plug comprising the cover (19, 119, 319) and the carrier plate (29) , 129, 329) respectively, the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) supporting the insulating plug (30, 130, 330), the upper surface and the lower surface (31) of the lower surface (31) Interacting with the lower surface of the insulating plug (30, 130, 330) over the entire circumference to limit the thermal convection effect between the lower portion and the upper portion inside the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310) Insulation plugs (30, 130, 330), which form a barrier
A fluid storage device.   The insulation plug (30, 130, 330) comprises an insulation body (32) and a base (33) placed between the insulation body (32) and the carrier plate (29, 129, 329). A fluid storage device according to claim 1.   The base (33) is a grip which projects in the direction of the longitudinal upper end (14, 114, 314) of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) through a hole (35) formed in the insulating body (32). A fluid storage device according to claim 2, comprising means (34).   The insulating plug (30, 130, 330) is an insulating polymer foam sandwiched between an upper plate (37), a lower plate (38), the lower plate (38) and the upper plate (37) A fluid storage device according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an insulating body (32) comprising a layer of   A fluid storage device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) and the insulating plug (30, 130, 330) are fixed together.   The carrier plate (29, 129) comprises a plurality of pins (39, 139), each projecting towards the longitudinal upper end (14, 114) of the sealing pipe (10, 110), the insulation A threaded end passing through respective through holes (40, 41) formed in the plug (30, 130), said threaded end of each of said pins interacting with a nut to A fluid storage device according to claim 5, wherein an insulating plug (30, 130) is fastened to the carrier plate (29, 129).   The sealing pipe (10, 110) comprises a shoulder (24) formed between the lower (27, 127) and the upper (26, 126) of the sealing pipe (10, 110), the upper ( 26. 126) A diameter larger than that of the lower part (27, 127), the shoulder (24) forming the carrier plate (29, 129) A fluid storage device according to any one of the preceding claims.   The carrier plate (329) defines an upper portion (326) and a lower portion (327) of the sealing pipe (310), relative to the upper portion (326) and the lower portion (327) of the sealing pipe (310). The transversely projecting towards the interior of the sealing pipe (310), the upper part (326) of the sealing pipe (310) has a diameter less than or equal to the diameter of the lower part (327) of the sealing pipe (310) The fluid storage device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.   The sealed pipe (10, 110, 310) includes an outer drum (11, 110, 310), an inner drum (12) passing through the outer drum (11, 110, 310), and the outer drum (11, 110). 310) and an insulating intermediate space (13) provided between the inner drum (12) and the fluid storage device according to any of the preceding claims.   The inner drum (12) is airtightly connected to the outer drum (11, 110, 310) and the longitudinal lower end of the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) and the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) 10. The fluid storage device of claim 9, having a top end disposed in a longitudinally disposed zone between (15) and (15). The steam recovery pipe (3, 17) is positioned in the longitudinal direction in the zone between the carrier plate (29, 129, 329) and the upper end of the inner drum (12), the outer drum (11, 110) 11. A fluid storage device according to claim 10 , wherein the fluid storage device is passed airtightly through a wall of (310).   The connecting flange (18, 118, 318) extends from the longitudinal upper end (14, 114, 314) of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) to the outside of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) 12. A fluid storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, projecting laterally.   Each fastener comprises a screw interacting with a nut and passing through a hole (21) formed in the cover (19) and a hole (22) formed in the connection flange (18). The fluid storage device according to any one of 1 to 12.   14. A fluid storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, configured in the form of a ship. 15. A method of assembling a fluid storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising
An assembly comprising the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310) and the steam recovery pipe (3, 17, 117);
The sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) comprises the longitudinal upper end (14, 114, 314) with the connecting flange (18, 118, 318), the insulation barrier (6) of the tank roof and the And a longitudinal lower end (15) penetrating the sealing membrane (9), said sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) extending laterally towards the inside of said sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) And the carrier plate (29) disposed longitudinally between the collection zone (25, 125, 325) and the upper longitudinal end (14, 114, 314) of the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310). , 129, 329) , and
The steam recovery pipe (3, 17, 117) passes airtightly through the wall of the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310), and in the recovery zone (25, 125, 325) the sealed pipe (10) , 110, 310) to form an opening inside;
Placing the insulation plug (30, 130, 330) inside the upper part inside the sealing pipe (10, 110, 310) supporting the carrier plate (29, 129, 329);
Securing the cover (19, 119, 319) to the connecting flange (18, 118, 318) and compressing the gasket (20) between the cover and the connecting flange.
How to assemble, including. Forming an assembly comprising the sealed pipe (110) and the steam recovery pipe (3, 17),
The substep of supplying the sealing pipe (110) and the lower portion (127) of the carrier plate (129), wherein the carrier plate (129) is fixed to the lower portion (127) and of the lower portion (127) Supplying the sealing pipe and the lower part of the carrier plate, projecting laterally towards the outside, and
A substep of feeding the upper portion (126) of the sealing pipe (110) with the connection flange (118), the upper portion (126) having a diameter larger than the diameter of the lower portion (127) Supplying the upper part of the sealing pipe with a connecting flange;
Air-tightly securing the upper portion (126) onto the carrier plate (129);
16. A method of assembling according to claim 15, comprising. Forming an assembly comprising the sealed pipe (10, 110, 310) and the steam recovery pipe (3, 17),
A substep of supplying the upper portion (326) of the sealed pipe (310), wherein the upper portion (326) of the sealed pipe (310) comprises the connecting flange (318), which supplies the upper portion of the sealed pipe The substeps to
A substep of feeding a lower portion (327) of the sealing pipe (310), the lower portion (327) comprising a second flange (343) projecting radially outward, feeding a lower portion of the sealing pipe The substeps to
Supplying the carrier plate (329);
Securing the carrier plate (329) to the lower portion (327) and / or the upper portion (326) of the sealing pipe (310);
Coaxially securing the upper portion (326) of the sealing pipe (310) to the lower portion (327) of the sealing pipe;
16. A method of assembling according to claim 15, comprising. 15. A method of loading or unloading a fluid storage device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising
Fluid is floated from the floating body or land storage facility (77) to the tank of the fluid storage device or through the insulating pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) or from the tank of the fluid storage device. A method of loading or unloading a fluid storage device that is transported to a facility. The fluid storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
An insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) configured to connect the tank (71) to a floating or land storage facility (77);
A pump for driving fluid from the floating body or onshore storage facility to the tank or from the fluid tank to the floating body or onshore storage facility through the insulating pipeline;
A fluid transfer system comprising: