JP7684331B2 - Hermetically insulated tanks built into the load-bearing structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of sealed insulated tanks incorporated into load-bearing structures for storing cryogenic fluids, and in particular to membrane tanks for storing liquefied gases, such as flammable gases.

Insulated sealed tanks can be used in various industries to store low-temperature products. For example, in the energy sector, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a methane-rich liquid that can be stored at approximately -163°C and atmospheric pressure in land-based storage tanks or tanks installed on floating structures. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can be stored at temperatures between -50°C and 0°C.

In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be intended to receive liquefied gas to serve as fuel for the transport of the liquefied gas or for the propulsion of the floating structure.

Sealed insulating membrane tanks integrated into double-hulled vessel hulls are known in the art. For example, WO 2014/096600 teaches this type of tank, in which the insulating barrier includes an assembly of approximately parallelepiped insulating elements juxtaposed on a load-bearing structure to form a substantially uniform support surface for the sealing membrane, and a retaining member attached to the load-bearing structure between the juxtaposed insulating elements and cooperating with the insulating elements to hold the insulating elements against the load-bearing structure. Each insulating element is retained by four mechanical couplers located at the corners of the insulating element.

The International Publication indicates that thermal gradients in the insulation element can lead to differential expansion in adhesive assemblies of polymer foam with other rigid materials, such as plywood, which can easily cause bending stresses in the insulation element.

One object of the present invention is to design an insulating barrier structure that provides advantageous properties in terms of insulation, mechanical strength, and support for tank wall structures, particularly tensioned sealing membranes.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a hermetically insulated tank, which includes a tank wall fixed to a support wall of a load-bearing structure and which is integrated into said load-bearing structure,
the tank wall includes an insulating barrier secured to the support wall and a sealing membrane carried by the insulating barrier;
the insulation barrier includes a plurality of rows parallel to a first direction, each of the plurality of rows including a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped insulation panels, the plurality of rows being juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
the sealing membrane comprises a plurality of strakes arranged parallel to one another in the first direction and made of metal, each of the strakes having a flat central portion resting on an upper surface of the insulating panel and two raised edges projecting relative to the central portion toward the interior of the sealed insulated tank, the strakes being juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the second direction and welded together in a sealing manner at the height of the raised edges;
a size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is an integer multiple of two or more of a size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, the plurality of strakes in one of the plurality of rows are arranged such that at least one of the plurality of strakes is entirely in the one row and at least two of the plurality of strakes straddle the one row and two adjacent rows on either side of the one row, and the raised edges of the strakes are offset in the second direction relative to the ends of the one row;
the support wall comprises first and second retaining members cooperating with first and second edges of the insulating panels in the one row, the first and second retaining members securing the insulating panels in the one row to the support wall, the first retaining member being at the height of the first edge, the first edge being parallel to the first direction, the first retaining member being aligned with the strakes spanning the one row and the adjacent row, the second retaining member being at the height of the second edge, the second edge being parallel to the second direction, and the second retaining member being spaced from corners of the insulating panels in the one row and aligned with the or each strake that rests entirely on the one row.

Thus, the retaining members are aligned with each of the strakes in the row, i.e. the first retaining member is aligned with the two strakes that straddle the row and the two adjacent rows on either side of the row, and the second retaining member is aligned with each strake that rests entirely on the row. The arrangement of the retaining members allows for a uniform distribution of the forces on the insulation panel and limits defects in the flatness of the support surface formed for the sealing membrane. These flatness defects have various causes, such as deformation of the hull due to the loaded ballast. Furthermore, if the tank wall is exposed to a temperature gradient through the thickness, the aforementioned thermal expansion differences or thermal contraction differences tend to create small deformations when the insulation panel is bent, as described in WO 2014/096600. Locating at least the second retaining member away from the corners of the insulation panel rather than at the corners limits the length exposed to bending, thereby limiting deflection, i.e., bending displacement through the thickness of the tank wall. This distribution of retaining members can thus reduce deformation of the insulation panel and vertical steps between adjacent insulation panels.

This arrangement of retaining members may be applied to one or each row, or may be applied to a subset of rows, for example every other row in an insulating barrier.

Embodiments of this type of tank may include one or more of the following features:

It is preferable that the first retaining member is positioned away from the corner of the insulating panel in one row.

Similarly, locating the first retaining member away from the corners of the insulation panel rather than at the corners limits the length exposed to bending, thereby limiting deflection and thus bending displacement through the thickness of the tank wall.

According to one embodiment, the raised edge of the strake is offset in the second direction relative to the first edge of the one row by a distance equal to half the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes;
The second retention member is spaced from the corner of the insulating panel a distance equal to or an integer multiple of the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes.

Thus, the retaining member located at the height of the second edge of the insulating panel is positioned so as to align with the centerlines of the strakes whose entirety rests on said row, thereby enabling the distribution of force acting on the insulating panel to be uniform.

According to one embodiment, the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and the second retaining member is centrally positioned on the second edge.

According to another embodiment, the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is greater than twice the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and second retaining members are disposed along the second edge that are spaced apart from one another by a distance equal to the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes.

According to one embodiment, the parallelepiped insulation panels of the one row are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction,
a magnitude of the repeating pattern in the first direction is twice the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction;
The first retention member is centrally located on the first edge.

According to another embodiment, the parallelepiped insulation panels of the one row are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction.
a magnitude of the repeating pattern in the first direction is an integer multiple greater than two times the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction;
First retaining members are disposed along the first edge spaced apart a distance equal to the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes.

This feature allows the retaining members to be distributed on the support wall in a regular array, for example in the shape of a face-centered cubic array, which facilitates construction and provides a uniform distribution of forces exerted on the insulation panel and the sealing membrane it supports.

The parallelepiped insulation panel may have various structures. According to one embodiment, said parallelepiped insulation panel has a square shape. According to one embodiment, the insulation panel comprises a bottom plate that abuts against the support wall, for example via a bead of polymerizable mastic, a cover plate parallel to the bottom plate and a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate and the cover plate. According to one embodiment, an intermediate plate parallel to the bottom plate is inserted within the thickness of the layer of insulating polymer foam and divides it into two layers. This type of structure is advantageous in that it makes it possible to limit the bending forces that arise due to differential shrinkage of the material of the insulation panel.

Thanks to the bead of polymerizable mastic, the flatness of the parallelepiped insulation panel is improved and its fitment is ensured. According to one embodiment, a non-adhesive film is inserted between the supporting wall and the bead of polymerizable mastic in order to prevent the bead of polymerizable mastic from adhering to the supporting wall. Conversely, in another embodiment, this non-adhesive film is omitted and the parallelepiped insulation panel is adhered to the supporting wall by the bead of polymerizable mastic.

The retaining member can be manufactured in a variety of ways. According to one embodiment, the second retaining member includes a stud and an elongated mounting portion,
the stud is fixed perpendicularly to the support wall in a gap between two parallelepiped insulation panels in one row;
the mounting portion includes a central portion pivotally disposed relative to the stud and two end portions extending transversely relative to the stud on either side of the stud;
The mounting portion is pivotable between an open position and a retaining position;
In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction;
In the retaining position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction or oblique to the first direction;
The two parallelepiped insulation panels have lateral recesses which receive the end portions of the mounting parts in the holding position, and in the holding position the mounting parts restrain the two parallelepiped insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall.

According to one embodiment, the first retaining member includes a stud and an elongated mounting portion,
the studs are fixed perpendicularly to the support wall in the gap between two rows;
the mounting portion includes a central portion pivotally disposed relative to the stud and two end portions extending transversely relative to the stud on either side of the stud;
The mounting portion is pivotable between an open position and a retaining position;
In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction;
In the retaining position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction or oblique to the second direction;
Two parallelepiped insulation panels located on either side of the gap have lateral recesses that receive the end portions of the mounting portions in the holding position, and in the holding position the mounting portions restrain the two parallelepiped insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall.

According to one embodiment, the end portion of the mounting portion in the retaining position cooperates with an upper surface of a bottom plate of the parallelepiped insulation panel.

According to one embodiment, the stud carries a nut that is fastened to the end of the stud opposite the support wall, and a spring washer that is disposed between the nut and the central portion of the mounting portion.

According to one embodiment, anchor flanges fixed to the insulation panel and parallel to the first direction are positioned between the juxtaposed strakes to secure the sealing membrane to the insulation barrier.

According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier is a secondary thermal insulation barrier and the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane;
The tank wall further includes a primary sealing membrane intended to contact a product contained in the sealed, insulated tank, and a primary insulating barrier disposed between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the first and second retention members are first and second secondary retention members, respectively;
The sealed insulated tank further includes a primary support member provided on the insulating panel of the one row,
The primary retention members lie on a first line parallel to the first direction and aligned with one of the second secondary retention members, and on a second line parallel to the second direction and aligned with one of the first secondary retention members. The primary retention members are preferably located at the intersections of the first and second lines.

Such tanks may for example form part of a land-based or seabed based storage facility for storing LNG or may be installed on floating coastal or offshore structures, in particular LNG carriers, Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSOs) and the like.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting cryogenic liquid products comprises a double hull and the aforementioned tank integrated into the double hull. According to one embodiment, the double hull comprises an inner hull forming the load-bearing structure of the tank.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading a vessel, comprising the steps of:
The method is characterized in that the cryogenic liquid product is transported via insulated pipes from a floating or on-shore storage facility to the tanks of the vessel or from the tanks of the vessel to the floating or on-shore storage facility.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a cryogenic liquid product transfer system, comprising: a vessel as described above; an insulated pipe arranged to connect the sealed insulated tank of the vessel to a floating or land-based storage facility; and a pump for driving the cryogenic liquid product from the floating or land-based storage facility to the sealed insulated tank of the vessel, or from the sealed insulated tank of the vessel to the floating or land-based storage facility, via the insulated pipe.

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, and other objects, details, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent in the following description of some specific embodiments of the present invention, given by way of illustration only and not of limitation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a tank wall according to a first embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tank wall mechanical coupler of FIG. 1 in a retaining position. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the mechanical coupler in the released position. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tank wall according to a second embodiment, with the sealing membrane omitted. FIG. 5 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall according to a third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tank of an LNG carrier and a terminal for loading/unloading this tank.

Figure 1 shows the wall of an insulated tank 1 from above, illustrating its structure. This type of structure can be implemented on a wide range of surfaces with various orientations, for example to cover the bottom, ceiling and side walls of a polyhedral tank. The orientation of Figure 1 is not limiting in this respect.

The tank 1 is attached to a support wall 2. By convention, "top" refers to a position closer to the interior of the tank and "bottom" refers to a position closer to the support wall 2, regardless of the orientation of the tank walls relative to the Earth's gravitational field.

The tank wall comprises at least one insulating barrier and one sealing membrane 10 (represented as if partially transparent in FIG. 1 for the purposes of illustration) held on the insulating barrier. The insulating barrier consists of a number of parallelepiped insulating panels 3 arranged side by side in the form of a number of parallel rows A, B so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the support wall 2. To allow flatness of the sealing membrane 10, beads of mastic 29 (shown in FIG. 4) are placed between the support wall 2 and the underside of the insulating panels 3. These beads of mastic 29 are for example applied to the underside of the insulating panels 3. According to one embodiment, the beads of mastic may be corrugated beads as described in patent FR 2 931 535. Shims, not shown, may equally be provided on the support wall 2 to support the corners of the insulating panels 3.

For example, the insulation panel 3 comprises a foam block 42 of a high density polymer, in particular polyurethane with or without glass fibre, sandwiched between two flat plates, for example a bottom plate 41 and a cover plate 44, made for example of plywood. For example, the foam block has a density of the ^order of 130 kg/m3. Other constructions are possible as well.

Rows A and B of insulation panels 3 extend in a first direction and are separated by gaps 4 extending in the first direction. In row B, the insulation panels 3 are substantially regularly separated by gaps 5 extending in a second direction. The insulation panels 3 have two edges parallel to the first direction, along which a first retaining member 21 is disposed. The insulation panels 3 have two edges parallel to the second direction, along which a second retaining member 22 is disposed.

According to one embodiment, the bead of mastic 29 is not glued to the supporting wall 2. For this purpose, a film, not shown, for example of kraft paper or plastic, is arranged between the bead 29 and the supporting wall 2. Here, four holding elements 21, 22 are arranged per insulation panel 3, which serve to hold the insulation panel 3 on the supporting wall 2. They can be manufactured in various ways.

According to another embodiment, the bead of mastic 29 adheres to the support wall 2 and holds the insulation panel 3 by adhesion. In this case, the holding elements 21, 22 serve to hold the insulation panel 3 on the support wall 2, overlapping with the above-mentioned adhesive forces, in particular during polymerization of the mastic during the manufacture of the tank.

The sealing membrane 10 comprises a continuous layer of strakes 11, 12 made of metal with raised edges, the length of which extends in a first direction and the width of which extends in a second direction. The raised edges of the strakes 11, 12 are welded to weld supports (not shown) fixed in grooves 13 formed on the cover plate 44 of the insulation panel 3. For example, the strakes 11, 12 are made of Invar®, an alloy of iron and nickel, whose coefficient of expansion is typically between 1.2×10 ⁻⁶ and 2×10 ⁻⁶ K ⁻¹ . It is also possible to use an alloy of iron and manganese, whose coefficient of expansion is typically around 7 to 9×10 ⁻⁶ K ⁻¹ .

The insulating barrier may be constructed on any size surface by periodically repeating the rows A, B of insulating panels and the metal strakes 11, 12 in the second direction. The rows A, B of insulating panels and the metal strakes 11, 12 may extend for any required length in the first direction. The dimension of the periodic pattern of rows A, B is equal to twice the width of the strakes 11, 12, and the longitudinal edges of the strakes 11, 12 are offset by half a width in the second direction relative to the edges of rows A, B, so that row A is covered by the strake 11 resting entirely on row A and by the two strakes 12 spanning row A and the two adjacent rows. Only the adjacent row B is represented here.

Alternatively, the offset of the strakes 11, 12 does not have to be half the width, but this offset cannot be zero because the groove 13 must be formed.

By arranging the retaining members 21 and 22 centrally on the four edges of the insulating panel 3, which here has a square cross section, the advantage is obtained that a substantially equal number of retaining members are aligned with each of the strakes 11 and 12.

Furthermore, compared to fasteners provided at the four corners of the insulation panel 3, the fastening by the retaining members 21 and 22 arranged in the center of the edge of the insulation panel 3 has the advantage of limiting the length of the panel that is prone to bending under the influence of loaded ballast and/or thermal gradients. Here, this length is limited to the distance between the retaining member 21 or 22 and the corner, i.e. half the length of the side. Conversely, the distance between the two retaining members is the full length of the side when the retaining members are arranged at the corners of the insulation panel 3.

If the dimension of the insulation panel 3 in the second direction (widthwise of the strakes 11, 12) is larger, e.g., increased by the strake width, there will be a second strake 11 that rests on the entire row. In this case, there may be multiple retaining members 22 spaced apart from one another along the edge of the insulation panel 3, so that there is always a retaining member 22 that is aligned with multiple strakes 11 that rest on the entire row.

With reference to Figures 2 and 3, an embodiment of the retaining members 21 and 22 in the form of a mechanical coupler is described below.

The mechanical coupler includes a stud 31 extending perpendicular to the support wall 2, the lower end of which is received in a bush 30, possibly forming a ball joint, which is welded to the support wall 2. The stud 31 can also be welded directly to the support wall 2.

The stud 31 is engaged in turn by a pivotable retainer 32, a spring washer 34 and a nut 33 in the form of a split nut to prevent it from being loosened by vibration. In FIG. 3, the retainer 32 is arranged parallel to the gap 4 or 5 in which the coupler is located and therefore does not cooperate with the insulation panel 3. In the retaining position shown in FIG. 2, the retainer 32 is pivoted about 90 degrees around the stud 31, thereby forming an axis that is engaged through the central portion 36, so that the end lug 35 of the retainer 32 enters the recess 43 of the insulation panel 3 and fixes the insulation panel 3 in the thickness direction. If the retainer 32 is symmetrical as shown here, the second end lug 35 of the retainer 32 can have the same effect on a second insulation panel 3 (not shown) located on the other side of the gap.

Here, the recesses 43 are grooves machined into the foam block 42 that covers the top surface of the bottom plate 41. Thus, the end lugs 35 have a flat shape parallel to the bottom plate 41 and can interengage with the bottom plate 41 over a sufficient area to prevent degradation due to punch-through.

With reference to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the insulation barrier is shown. Here, the recesses for receiving the end lugs 35 of the retaining parts 32 are produced in the form of wells 143 that penetrate the entire thickness of the foam block 42 and the cover plate 44. That is to say, in this embodiment, the locking of the insulation panel 3 is not performed by pivoting the retaining parts 32, but by placing the retaining parts 32 on the studs 31 from above. The wells 143 then allow the nuts 33 to be placed on the studs 31 and tightened.

Figure 4 also shows a series of beads of mastic 29 placed on the support wall 2 at the location of the insulation panels 3. This representation is illustrative and does not necessarily correspond to the way the beads of mastic 29 are placed in the tank.

The above-mentioned techniques for producing tank walls with a single sealing membrane can also be used, e.g.
It can be used in different types of tanks to build dual membrane tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in floating structures such as LNG carriers or other structures, or on land installations. In this context, the sealing membrane 10 shown in the previous figures can be considered as a secondary sealing membrane, to which the primary sealing barrier and primary sealing membrane (not shown) are added. In this way, the technique can also be applied to tanks with multiple stacked insulating barrier and sealing membranes.

For this purpose, Fig. 4 and Fig. 1 also show a primary retaining member 46 that may be optionally provided on the cover panel 44 to allow the primary insulation barrier to be secured. More precisely, Fig. 4 shows a first line I parallel to a first direction and aligned with the retaining member 22, and a second line II parallel to a second direction and aligned with the retaining member 21. As shown, the primary retaining member 46 is preferably located on the cover panel 44 at the intersection of line I and line II. It will be apparent that the series of parallel lines I may be drawn in the same manner for multiple successive rows. It will be apparent that the series of parallel lines II may be drawn in the same manner for multiple successive rows of insulation panels.

Alternatively, the primary retention member may be located elsewhere on the insulation panel 3, for example on line I or line II.

Next, a third embodiment of a flat tank wall, more specifically a flat tank wall suitable for a double membrane tank, will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

A cutaway view of a portion of the multi-layer structure of the insulated sealed tank wall 101 is shown in Figure 5, where elements similar or identical to those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numbers and will not be described again.

A primary insulation barrier 53 consisting of a primary insulation panel 54 is added to the secondary membrane formed by the strakes 11, 12 and the welded supports 55. A primary sealing membrane 51 is added to the primary insulation barrier 53. Other details of the primary insulation barrier 53 and/or the primary sealing membrane 51 are shown, for example, in WO 2019/234360.

With reference to FIG. 6, a cutaway view of an LNG carrier 70 shows a sealed, insulated tank 71 of generally prismatic shape attached to the vessel's double hull 72. The walls of the tank 71 include a primary sealing barrier intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier arranged between the primary sealing barrier and the vessel's double hull 72, and two insulating barriers arranged between the primary sealing barrier and the secondary sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72, respectively. In a simplified variant, the vessel includes a single hull.

Loading and unloading pipes 73 located on the upper deck of the ship may be connected in known manner by means of suitable connectors to an offshore or port terminal for transferring cargoes of liquefied gas to and from the tanks 71.

6 shows an example of a marine terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipeline 76, and an onshore facility 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed marine facility including a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to a loading and unloading pipe 73. The adjustable movable arm 74 fits any size LNG carrier. A connecting pipe, not shown, extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 allows the LNG carrier 70 to load and unload from or to the onshore facility 77. The onshore facility 77 includes a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting pipe 81 connected to the loading and unloading station 75 by an underwater pipeline 76. The underwater pipeline 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading and unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77 over long distances, for example 5 km, thereby allowing the LNG carrier 70 to be maintained at long distances from shore during loading and unloading operations.

Pumps on board the vessel 70 and/or pumps provided at the onshore facility 77 and/or pumps provided at the loading and unloading station 75 are used to generate the pressure required for the transfer of the liquefied gas.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific embodiments, it is clear that the invention is in no way limited thereto, but includes all technical equivalents of the described means, including combinations thereof, if such combinations are within the scope of the invention.

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

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

Claims (17)

A sealed, insulated tank comprising a tank wall (1, 101) fixed to a support wall (2) of a load-bearing structure and integrated into said load-bearing structure,
the tank wall includes an insulating barrier secured to the support wall and a sealing membrane carried by the insulating barrier;
The insulation barrier comprises a plurality of rows (A, B, C) parallel to a first direction, each of the plurality of rows comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped insulation panels (3), the plurality of rows being juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
the sealing membrane comprises a number of strakes (11, 12) arranged parallel to the first direction and made of metal, each of the strakes (11, 12) comprising a flat central portion resting on an upper surface of the insulating panel and two raised edges projecting relative to the central portion towards the interior of the sealed insulated tank, the strakes being juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the second direction and welded to one another in a sealing manner at the height of the raised edges,
a size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is an integer multiple of two or more of the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, the plurality of strakes in one of the plurality of rows are arranged such that at least one of the plurality of strakes (11) is entirely in the one row and at least two of the plurality of strakes (12) straddle the one row and two adjacent rows on either side of the one row, and the raised edges of the strakes are offset in the second direction relative to the ends of the one row;
1. The tank according to claim 1 , wherein the support wall comprises first and second retaining members (21, 22) cooperating with first and second edges of the insulating panels (3) of the one row, the first and second retaining members (21, 22) fixing the insulating panels of the one row to the support wall, the first retaining member (21) being provided at the height of the first edge, the first edge being parallel to the first direction, the first retaining member (21) being aligned with the strakes (12) spanning the one row and the adjacent row, the second retaining member (22) being provided at the height of the second edge, the second edge being parallel to the second direction, the second retaining member (22) being spaced from corners of the insulating panels of the one row and aligned with the or each strake (11) entirely resting on the one row. The sealed insulated tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the first retaining member (21) is positioned away from the corner of the insulating panel (3) of the one row. the raised edge of the strakes (11, 12) is offset in the second direction relative to the first edge of the one row by a distance equal to half the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes;
3. The tank of claim 1, wherein the second retaining member (22) is spaced from the corner of the insulation panel by a distance equal to or an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes. The sealed insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the size of the repeating pattern of the multiple rows (A, B, C) is twice the size of the repeating pattern of the multiple strakes (11, 12) in the second direction, and the second retaining member (22) is positioned at the center of the second edge. 4. The tank of claim 1, wherein the size of the repeating pattern of the rows is greater than twice the size of the repeating pattern of the strakes in the second direction, and second retaining members are disposed along the second edge that are spaced apart from each other a distance equal to the size of the repeating pattern of the strakes. The parallelepiped insulation panels (3) of the one row are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction;
a size of the repeating pattern in the first direction is twice the size (11, 12) of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction;
6. The sealed insulated tank according to claim 1, wherein the first retaining member (21) is disposed at the center of the first edge portion. A sealed insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the parallelepiped insulation panel (3) has a square shape. The second retaining member (22) includes studs (30, 31) and an elongated mounting portion (32);
the studs (30, 31) are fixed perpendicularly to the support wall (2) in the gaps (5) between the two parallelepiped insulation panels (3) in one row,
The mounting portion (32) includes a central portion (36) pivotally disposed relative to the stud and two end portions (35) extending transversely to the stud on either side of the stud;
The mounting portion (32) is pivotable between an open position and a retaining position;
In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction;
In the retaining position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction or oblique to the first direction;
8. The tank according to claim 1, wherein the two parallelepiped insulation panels (3) have lateral recesses (43, 143) for receiving the end portions (35) of the mounting portions in the holding position, and wherein the mounting portions (32) restrain the two parallelepiped insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall in the holding position. The first retaining member (21) includes a stud (30, 31) and an elongated mounting portion (32),
The studs (30, 31) are fixed perpendicularly to the support wall (2) in the gap (4) between the two rows (A, B),
The mounting portion (32) includes a central portion (36) pivotally disposed relative to the stud and two end portions (35) extending transversely to the stud on either side of the stud;
The mounting portion (32) is pivotable between an open position and a retaining position;
In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction;
In the retaining position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction or oblique to the second direction;
The sealed insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the two parallelepiped insulation panels (3) located on either side of the gap (4) have lateral recesses (43, 143) that receive the end portions (35) of the mounting portions in the holding position, and in the holding position the mounting portions (32) restrain the two parallelepiped insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall. The sealed insulated tank according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the end portion (35) of the mounting part in the holding position cooperates with the upper surface of the bottom plate (41) of the parallelepiped insulating panel (3). The sealed insulated tank according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the studs (30, 31) carry nuts (33) fastened to the ends of the studs opposite the support wall, and spring washers (34) arranged between the nuts (33) and the central portion (36) of the mounting portion. The sealed insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that an anchor flange (51) fixed to the insulating panel and parallel to the first direction is arranged between the juxtaposed strakes (11, 12) and fixes the sealing membrane to the insulating barrier. the thermal insulation barrier is a secondary thermal insulation barrier and the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane;
The tank according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the tank wall further comprises a primary sealing membrane (51) intended to be in contact with the product contained in the tank and a primary insulating barrier (53) arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane (10). the first and second retaining members (21, 22) are first and second secondary retaining members, respectively;
The sealed insulated tank further comprises a primary retaining member provided on the insulating panel (3) of the one row,
14. The sealed insulated tank of claim 13, characterized in that the primary retention members are located on a first line (I) parallel to the first direction and aligned with one of the second secondary retention members (22) and on a second line (II) parallel to the second direction and aligned with one of the first secondary retention members (21). A vessel (70) for the transportation of a fluid, comprising:
The ship (70) is characterized by comprising a double hull (72) and the sealed insulated tank (71) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, which is installed in the double hull (72). 1. A fluid transfer system comprising:
A vessel (70) according to claim 15;
an insulated pipe (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the sealed insulated tank (71) of the ship to a floating or land-based storage facility (77);
a pump for driving the fluid from the floating or land-based storage facility to the sealed insulated tank of the vessel or from the sealed insulated tank of the vessel to the floating or land-based storage facility via the insulated pipe;
A transfer system comprising: 16. A method of loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 15, comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a fluid is transported from a floating or on-shore storage facility (77) to the tank (71) of the vessel or from the tank (71) of the vessel to the floating or on-shore storage facility (77) via a thermally insulated pipe (73, 79, 76, 81).

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