KR102169516B1 - How to assemble a liquid dome - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of assembling a sealing and insulating tank inside a bearing structure (1), the assembly method:
-Installing a loading/offloading tower (17),
-Providing a closing block 20 for a liquid dome,
-Inserting the closing block 20 into the storage space of the tank by sliding the closing block 20 along the pipes 18 of the loading/unloading tower 17, wherein the closing block 20 is a retaining member (22, 23) lies within the storage space of the phase,
-Mounting a supporting structure insert 24 to the supporting structure 1, wherein the supporting structure insert 24 closes the opening in the liquid dome,
-Sliding the closing block 20 along the pipes 18 in the direction of the supporting structure insert 24, and
-Fixing the closing block 20 to the supporting structure insert 24.

Description

How to assemble a liquid dome

The present invention relates to the field of sealed and insulating membrane-type tanks. In particular, the present invention relates to a tank for transporting liquefied petroleum gas (known as LPG) at temperatures between, for example, -50°C and 0°C, or at about -162°C at atmospheric pressure, and The same relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks for storing and/or transporting liquefied gases at low temperatures. These tanks can be installed on land or on floating structures. In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be for receiving the liquefied gas used for transporting the liquefied gas or as fuel for propulsion of the floating structure.

In one embodiment, the liquefied gas is LNG, ie a mixture with a high methane content stored at a temperature of approximately -162° C. at atmospheric pressure. Other liquefied gases can also be envisioned, especially ethane, propane, butane or ethylene. The liquefied gas can be stored under pressure, for example at a relative pressure between 2 and 20 bar, in particular at a relative pressure of approximately 2 bar. Tanks can be manufactured by a variety of techniques, in particular in the form of integral membrane-type tanks or self-supporting tanks.

Document FR2785034 discloses a sealed and insulated tank for storing liquefied natural gas, which is installed in a double hull of a ship.

The sealing and insulation tank includes: a secondary insulation barrier leaning against an inner hull of a ship; A secondary sealing membrane leaning against the secondary insulating barrier; A primary insulating barrier leaning against the secondary sealing membrane; And walls with a multi-layered structure that continuously constitutes a primary sealing membrane intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank.

The tank has a loading/unloading tower for loading the cargo inside the tank before the cargo is transported and for unloading the cargo after the cargo is transported.

During the assembly of such a tank, the secondary and primary insulating barriers and the secondary and primary sealing membranes are mounted and fixed in the double hull of the ship. After that, in a second step, the loading/unloading tower is mounted in the tank and fixed to the double hull of the ship.

However, the piping of the loading/unloading tower must penetrate the tank wall and the double hull to make it possible to move the liquid contained in the tank's storage space out of the tank. To this end, the upper wall of the double hull has openings left freely for mounting the loading/unloading tower in the tank. Similarly, the upper tank wall fixed to the upper wall of the double hull has a passage in line with the opening. This passage in the upper tank wall is also left free to mount the loading/unloading tower. Thus, during the installation of the loading/unloading tower in the tank, the pipings of the loading/unloading tower are configured to have an end continuously passing through a passage in the upper tank wall and an opening in the double hull.

To complete the assembly of the tank following the installation of the loading/unloading tower, a hull insert is installed in the opening of the double hull to close the opening in the double hull. Holes are provided in the hull insert for passage of the piping of the loading/unloading tower. Then, a number of tank wall parts are mounted on the hull insert to surround the piping to ensure insulation and sealing of the upper tank wall.

The assembly method of such a tank is not completely satisfactory, especially because it is time consuming and complex.

The fundamental idea of the present invention is to propose a method of assembling a sealed and insulated tank that makes it possible to reduce the assembly time.

According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method of assembling a sealing and insulating tank inside a bearing structure, wherein the bearing structure has a plurality of walls defining an inner space, and the plurality of walls are open. comprising an upper wall of the supporting structure having (opening), the assembly method:

-Installing a loading/offloading tower in the inner space through the opening, wherein the loading/offloading tower has a plurality of pipes each having an upper end protruding from the inner space, and the loading/offloading tower The unloading tower having at least one retaining member;

-Providing a closing block having a portion of the tank wall, the closing block having orifices;

-Inserting the upper ends of the pipes into the corresponding holes in the closing block;

-Sliding the closing block along the pipes until the closing block comes into contact with the holding member in the inner space and stops;

-Providing a bearing structure insert with through-holes;

-Mounting the supporting structure insert to the supporting structure so that the supporting structure insert blocks the opening in the upper wall of the supporting structure and ends of pipes of the loading/unloading tower pass through the through-holes of the supporting structure insert. ;

-Sliding the closing block along the pipes in the direction of the supporting structure insert; And

-Fixing the closing block to the support structure insert; includes.

Thus, this assembly method can significantly reduce the assembly time, since the closing block can be pre-assembled and then integrally directly inserted into the storage space of the tank.

Moreover, the presence of the through-holes and the protruding member in the closure block makes it possible to hold the closure block in place in the storage space while the bearing structure insert is mounted on the bearing structure. Accordingly, when the supporting structure insert is mounted on the supporting structure, the closing block can be simply raised and fixed integrally by sliding along the pipes in the direction of the supporting structure insert. Therefore, this mounting method is quick and easy to implement.

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

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises fixing a plurality of tank walls to the corresponding walls of the supporting structure for defining a storage space for the fluid in the tank, one of the tank walls being an upper portion of the supporting structure. It is an upper tank wall fixed to the wall, the upper tank wall has a passage in line with an opening in the upper wall of the supporting structure, the passage allowing the storage space to communicate with the outer space of the supporting structure.

According to one embodiment, the pipes extend within the storage space of the tank.

According to an embodiment, the upper ends of the pipes protrude from the inner space of the supporting structure by continuously passing through the passage in the upper tank wall and the opening in the upper wall of the supporting structure.

According to an embodiment, at least one of the pipes has a holding member, and the holding member protrudes from the pipe into the storage space of the tank.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises sealing the tank between the upper tank wall and the portion of the tank wall formed by the closing block.

According to one embodiment, each tank wall has an insulating barrier and a sealing membrane, the sealing membrane being intended to contact the fluid stored in the storage space of the tank and arranged to abut the insulating barrier.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall portion of the closed block has an insulating barrier portion and a sealing membrane portion.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises welding the pipings of the loading/unloading tower to the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises welding the pipings of the loading/unloading tower to the closed block.

According to one embodiment, some pipings or each piping of the loading/unloading tower has a protrusion protruding into the storage space of the tank. Thus, the closing block rests on several protrusions.

According to one embodiment, the protruding member(s) connect the two pipings of the loading/unloading tower together. In general, this protruding member may be a reinforcing rod of a loading/unloading tower.

According to an embodiment, the supporting structure insert has an inner surface facing an outer surface of the closing block, and the method comprises the steps of disposing correcting strips between the outer surface of the closing block and the inner surface of the supporting structure insert. Including, the crystal strips form a flat support surface in the inner space of the support structure, the outer surface of the closing block 20 is fixed to the flat support surface.

According to an embodiment, the closing block and the protruding member are configured such that when the closing block is placed in the storage space on the protruding member, the outer surface of the closing block is spaced apart by a distance of 1.5 m or more from the inner surface of the supporting structure insert.

These correction strips make it possible to compensate for the planarity defects of the bearing structure insert, thus providing a planar support surface that allows a stable and secure fixation of the closing block to the bearing structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the wall portion of the closing block has an end panel forming the outer surface of the closing block, and the quartz strips are stapled to the end panel.

According to one embodiment, the end panel is a plywood panel.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises placing the correction strips on the inner surface of the bearing structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises:

-Measuring the flatness of the inner surface of the supporting structure insert; And

-The thickness of the correction strips according to the measurement of the plan view of the inner surface of the support structure insert so that the inner surfaces of the crystal strips opposite from the support structure insert are placed in one and the same plane to form the planar support surface. It further includes a; step of dimensioning (dimensioning).

According to one embodiment, the crystal strips have beads of resin, and the beads of resin are fixed to the inner surface of the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the beads of the resin are made of mastic.

According to an embodiment, fixing the closing block to the supporting structure insert includes squashing beads of resin.

According to one embodiment, the beads of the resin are deformed by compression while the closing block is fixed to the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the beads of the resin, in a squashed state due to the squashing step, are joined to form a flat support surface.

According to an embodiment, the resin beads have a thickness adjusted in size according to a measurement of a plan view of the inner surface of the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the beads of resin are dimensioned to form a flat support surface.

According to one embodiment, before sliding the closing block in the direction of the supporting structure insert, the beads of resin are fixed to the outer surface of the closing block, generally the closing block.

According to one embodiment, the crystal strips have a batten, and each bead of resin is fixed to each batten.

According to one embodiment, the battens are plywood battens.

According to one embodiment, the batons have a thickness dimensioned according to a measurement of a plan view of the inner surface of the supporting structure insert to form the planar support surface, and the battens are fixed to the outer surface of the closing block.

With these features, the flatness defects of the bearing structure insert can be filled by the battens without the need to provide beads of different sizes to fill the planarity defects of the bearing structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the resin beads have a uniform thickness.

Beads of resin having such a uniform thickness can be produced quickly and easily. Therefore, the beads of the resin can be produced one by one and placed directly on the batons, and thus can be produced quickly and easily. Moreover, these evenly thick resin beads avoid mistakes associated with placing beads of a given thickness on the wrong battens.

The continuous production of the resin beads thus limits the installation time of the set of resin beads, thereby limiting the time required between the installation of the first resin bead and the last resin bead, whereby the closed block and Limit the amount of time the first resin bead is installed without squashing between the supporting structure inserts. Thus, the time during which the bead of the first resin installed on the batten is not in its final position and undergoes drying is reduced.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises fixing the crystal strips to the outer surface of the closing block.

According to an embodiment, the method comprises: before sliding the closing block in the direction of the supporting structure insert, fixing the correction strips to the outer surface of the closing block, and then supporting the closing block. And fixing the crystal strips in contact with the inner surface of the supporting structure insert to fix the structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises applying the beads of resin to the outer surfaces of the batons, the outer surfaces of the battens being opposite the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the batons are stapled to the outer surface of the closing block.

According to one embodiment, staples for fixing the batons to the outer surface of the closing block are 200mm apart.

According to an embodiment, the method further includes applying beads of the resin to the inner surface of the supporting structure insert before the closing block slides in the direction of the supporting structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the crystal strips are fixed to the inner surface of the support structure insert in a pre-assembly step, the assembly method comprising fixing the crystal strips to the support structure insert before the step of providing the support structure insert.

According to one embodiment, the step of fixing the closing block to the supporting structure insert includes fixing the correction strips to the outer surface of the closing block after sliding the closing block in the direction of the supporting structure insert.

According to an embodiment, the method further includes installing reference strips on an inner surface of the supporting structure insert, wherein the reference strips have an inner surface opposite from the supporting structure insert and have one same plane. And the crystal strips are dimensioned to form the support surface within the plane.

In other words, the reference strips are dimensioned to form a reference plane, and the crystal strips are dimensioned to form a support surface within the reference plane such that the closing block is pressed against the crystal strips in the reference plane.

According to an embodiment, the reference strips are positioned on the supporting structure insert in a reference pattern.

According to one embodiment, the correction strips are placed on the bearing structure insert in a fastening pattern.

According to an embodiment, the fixing pattern and the reference pattern are configured such that the reference strips and the correction strips are located at different portions of the supporting structure insert.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises installing tie rods between the supporting structure insert and the closing block, wherein the tie rods move the closing block in the direction of the supporting structure insert. It works to slide.

According to one embodiment, the closing block and the supporting structure insert have through-passages through which the tie-rods pass.

According to an embodiment, a locknut is mounted on the first ends of the tie rods, and the first ends of the tie rods pass through the supporting structure insert.

According to an embodiment, a nut is screwed to the second ends of the tie rods, and the second end passes through the closing block.

According to one embodiment, the tie rods hold the closing block in place during the drying period of the beads of resin.

Such tanks may be assembled, for example, in onshore storage facilities for storing LNG, or in offshore or offshore floating structures, especially methane carriers, floating storage and regasification units (FSRU), floating production storage and unloading (FPSO) units, etc. I can. These tanks can serve as fuel storage in any type of ship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood from the description of some specific embodiments of the invention below, given by way of non-limiting example only in connection with the appended drawings given, further objects, details, and features of the invention. And the advantages will be more clearly revealed.
1 is a partial schematic view of a bearing structure intended to accommodate the walls of a sealed and insulating tank;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-layer structure of the walls of the tank;
3 is a schematic view showing a loading/unloading tower and partially showing a supporting structure in which the tower is installed;
Fig. 4 is a partial schematic view of a longitudinal section of a sealing and insulating tank during assembly to a liquid dome and a loading/unloading tower with the hull insert not yet installed in the liquid dome;
5 is a partial schematic view of a longitudinal section of a sealing and insulating tank during assembly to a liquid dome and loading/unloading tower, with the closing block not yet fixed to the hull insert;
6 is a partial schematic view of a longitudinal section of a sealed and insulating tank assembled in a liquid dome and loading/unloading tower;
Fig. 7 is a schematic partial detail view of Fig. 5 showing the difference in flatness between the hull insert and the closing block;
Fig. 8 is a schematic detailed view similar to Fig. 7 showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a partial schematic view of a closing block fixed to a hull insert according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 10 is a partial schematic view similar to Fig. 8, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 11 is a partial schematic view similar to Fig. 8, according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
12 is a partial schematic view in a longitudinal section of a sealed and insulating tank showing the lifting means of the closed block;
13 is a schematic cut-away view of a tank of a methane carrier and a terminal for loading/unloading the tank.

Referring to FIG. 1, one can see the rear part of a bearing structure 1 intended to accommodate the walls of a sealed and insulating tank. The supporting structure 1 is formed by a double hull of a ship. The supporting structure 1 has an overall shape of a polyhedron. The supporting structure 1 has a front wall 2 and a rear wall 3, which in this case has an octagonal shape. In FIG. 1, in order to be able to see the inner space of the bearing structure 1, the front wall 2 is only partially shown. The front wall 2 and the rear wall 3 are cofferdam walls of the ship and extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ship. The supporting structure 1 also has an upper wall 4, a lower wall 5 and side walls 6. The upper wall 4, the lower wall 5 and the side walls 6 extend in the longitudinal direction of the ship and connect the front wall 2 and the rear wall 3.

The upper wall 4 has a cuboid-shaped space protruding upward, near the rear wall 3 of the supporting structure 1, and this space is known as a liquid dome 7. The liquid dome 7 is formed by a front transverse wall 8 and a rear transverse wall 9 and two side walls 10, which extend vertically and project upwards. The liquid dome 7 defines an opening 11 in the upper wall 4 for passage of pipes carrying liquid from or to the tank mounted in the supporting structure, as described below. .

The tank is a membrane-type tank with a multi-layer-structure. Thus, as schematically shown in Fig. 2, each wall of the tank is a secondary insulating barrier 12 with insulating elements leaning against the supporting structure 1 continuously from the outside to the inside, in the thickness direction of the wall. , A secondary sealing membrane 13 fixed to the insulation elements of the secondary insulation barrier 12, a primary insulation barrier 14 having insulation elements leaning against the secondary sealing membrane 13, and the primary insulation barrier 14 ) Is fixed to the insulating elements and has a primary sealing membrane 15 intended to be in contact with the fluid contained in the tank. The multi-layered structure of the tank is arranged on each of the walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the supporting structure 1. This multi-layered structure is also present in the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7 and thus the passage 16 in the tank wall in line with the opening 11 in the liquid dome 7 Qualify.

By way of example, each wall of the tank is in particular of the Mark III type as described in FR2691520, for example of the NO96 type as described in FR2877638, or a Mark as described for example in WO14057221 It may be of type V.

During assembly of the tank in the supporting structure 1, each wall of the tank is fixed to each wall of the supporting structure 1, and proceeds from the outside to the inside of the tank. In other words:

-Fixing the insulating elements of the secondary insulating barrier 12 to each wall of the supporting structure 1;

-Fixing the secondary sealing membrane 13 to the insulating elements of the secondary insulating barrier 12;

-Fastening the insulating elements of the primary insulating barrier 14 through the secondary sealing membrane 13 to the insulating elements or the supporting structure 1 of the secondary insulating barrier 12; Then

-Fastening the primary sealing membrane 15 to the insulating elements of the primary insulating barrier 14.

Fixing of the tank walls to the supporting structure 1 is performed to form a passage 16 in line with the opening 11 in the liquid dome 7. Thus, the passages 16 and openings 11 are left free to allow the installation of a loading/offloading tower 17 in the tank. This loading/unloading tower 17 shown in FIG. 3 makes it possible in particular to load cargo into and/or unload cargo from the tank.

The loading/unloading tower 17 has a tripod structure composed of three vertical pillars 18. These vertical columns 18 extend virtually the entire height of the storage space of the tank. Cross members 23 distributed over the entire height of the loading/unloading tower 17 connect the pillars 18 together to ensure the rigidity and integrity of the loading/unloading tower 17 do.

The base of the loading/unloading tower 17 is fixed to the lower wall 5 of the supporting structure 1 and cooperates with a support foot intended to hold the loading/unloading tower 17 in a vertical position. Such supports are described for example in applications FR3035475 and WO2011157915.

The upper ends 19 of the vertical pillars 18 protrude out of the supporting structure 1 through the passage 16 and the opening 11 in the liquid dome 7. One or more of the tops 19 are intended to be connected to the LNG transfer system.

Each of the vertical columns 18 is hollow, thereby forming a pipe for loading or unloading fluid into or from the tank, respectively; Or, in the event of a failure of another unloading pump, an emergency shaft is formed for lowering the emergency pump and the unloading line. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, two of the columns 18 form a unloading line for unloading from the tank, for this purpose, each associated with a unloading pump installed at the lower end of the loading/unloading tower 17, The third pillar forms an emergency shaft.

4 to 6 show different assembly states of the tank during the process of closing the liquid dome 7. Specifically, in order to preserve the insulating and sealing characteristics of the tank, the passage 16 in the tank wall must be closed while allowing the upper end 19 of the columns 18 to pass. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 3, a closing block 20 for passage 16 is provided.

The closing block 20 has an insulating barrier portion and a sealing membrane portion. The insulating barrier portion of the closing block 20 may have an insulating lining made of polyurethane foam disposed between two rigid sheets made of plywood, for example. For example, the insulating barrier portion of the closed block has a structure similar to that of a component insulating element of one of the insulating barriers 12, 14 of the walls of the tank. Likewise, the sealing membrane portion of the closing block may have a structure similar to that of the sealing membranes 13 and 15 of the tank walls.

The closing block 20 has a dimension complementary to the dimension of the passage 16. Moreover, the closing block 20 has through-holes 21. These through-holes 21 have a shape complementary to the outer shape of the columns 18 of the genital loading/unloading tower 17. These through-holes 21 are disposed in the closing block 20 at positions corresponding to the positions of the pillars 18 in the passage 16.

As shown in Fig. 3, the closing block 20 inserts the columns 18 of the loading/unloading tower 17 into the corresponding through-holes 21 in the closing block 20 and The closing block 20 is then inserted into the storage space of the tank by sliding it along the loading/unloading tower 17.

The pillars 18 have a retaining member 22. This holding member 22 protrudes from the outer surface of the column 18 into the storage space of the tank. The closing block 20 slides along the pillars 18 until it is supported on the retaining members 22. These retaining members 22 make it possible to hold the closing block 20 in place during other operations of closing the liquid dome 7.

In an embodiment not shown, the retaining members 22 are formed by cross members 23 connecting the pillars 18 together. More specifically, the closing block 20 is placed in the storage space of the tank while being supported on the cross member(s) 23 disposed closest to the upper wall 4 of the supporting structure 1. Thus, the loading/unloading towers 17 used in current tanks do not need to be modified to carry out the assembly method described herein.

As soon as the closing block 20 is in the storage space while being supported on the retaining members 22, the opening 11 in the upper wall 4 of the retaining structure 1 may be blocked. To this end, the hull insert 24 is moved onto the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7, which forms a cover for the liquid dome 7. Thus, the hull insert 24 has a dimension larger than the dimension of the opening 11 so that it can rest on the upper edge of the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 17. The hull insert 24 can be made in a number of ways, for example by a structure and material similar to the upper wall 4 of the bearing structure 1. The hull insert 24 is preferably fixed to the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7, for example by welding.

In a manner similar to the closing block 20, the hull insert 24 has holes 25 through which the upper ends 19 of the pillars 18 pass. Thus, the hull insert 24 inserts the ends 19 of the pillars 18 into the corresponding holes 25 in the hull insert 24, so that the liquid dome walls 8, 9, 10 ) Is attached. The ends 19 of the pillars 18 are fixed to the hull insert 24, for example by welding. In other words, the pillars 18 may be suspended from the hull insert 24.

The hull insert 24 constitutes a fixing structure for the closing block 20 in order to terminate the assembly of the tank by completing heat insulation and sealing of the upper tank wall. When the hull insert 24 is installed to close the opening 11 in the liquid dome 7, the closing block 20 may be raised to contact the hull insert 24. The closing block 20 integrally slides along the columns 18 in the direction of the hull insert 24. Then, the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 facing the hull insert 24 is fixed to the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. In order to complete the sealing of the tank, the pillars 18 are fixed in a sealing manner, for example by welding, to the sealing membrane parts of the closing block 20. Similarly, the sealing membrane parts of the closing block 20 are welded in a hermetic manner to the sealing membranes of the tank walls fixed to the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7.

The method of assembling a tank in a liquid dome described above with reference to Figures 4 to 6 is implemented quickly and easily. This is because the closing block 20 is integrally manufactured in advance and can be inserted into the storage space of the tank. Similarly, such an integral closing block 20 can be easily raised to contact the hull insert 24 and fixed to the hull insert 24, the pillars 18 being closed block by the retaining members 22 It is made to be able to hold 20 in place in the storage space, and to be able to guide the closing block 20 by sliding of the closing block 20.

However, the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 to which the closing block 20 is fixed may have a planarity defect. In Figures 6-11, these planar defects are shown in an intentionally exaggerated manner in order to make the drawings and the description below easier to understand.

As shown in Fig. 6, when the closing block 20 is raised to contact the hull insert 24, a plan defect of the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 is caused by the outer surface of the closing block 20 ( 27) to make it impossible to provide a planar fastening surface. This planar fixing surface allows good coordination with the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 and thus allows a reliable and reliable positioning and fixing of the closing block 20 to the hull insert.

In order to fill in the flatness defects of the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24, correcting strips 28 are placed between the closing block 20 and the hull insert 24, i.e. the closing block 20 It is disposed between the outer surface 27 and the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. These strips have the function of providing a flat fixing surface for the closing block. Thus, these quartz strips 28 must have an inner surface located in one and the same reference plane 29 in order to jointly form the flat fixed surface of the closing block 20.

The crystal strips 28 have a bead of regin 30. These resin beads 30 are, for example, strips used to fill up the planarity defects of the supporting structure 1 during fixing of the tank walls to the walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the supporting structure 1 Used in the manufacture of fields. Beads 30 of such resin are made of, for example, mastic.

However, since the tank walls are already fixed to the walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the supporting structure 1, the plan view of the walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the supporting structure 1 The machine used to produce the necessary resin for the strips to fill in the defects no longer exists within the inner space of the bearing structure 1. Therefore, in order to make the beads 30 of resin and install them between the hull insert 24 and the closing block 20, the resin for manufacturing the beads 30 of resin for the crystal strips 28 is It is manufactured outside the tank and introduced into the tank.

Manufacturing and delivering the resin outside the tank to manufacture the resin beads 30 at its installation site increases the installation time of the resin beads 30. Since these resin beads 30 have a maximum exposure time to ambient air before deterioration of their properties, an increase in the installation time of these resin beads 30 is disadvantageous.

In order to manufacture and install the beads 30 of resin in turn, and to limit the exposure time to the surrounding air, a measurement of the flatness of the surface 26 to reveal a spacing pattern is made. This spacing pattern defines a distance 31 between the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 and a reference plane 29 in line with the positions provided for each correction strip 28. Thus, the spacing pattern makes it possible to dimension the thickness of each crystal strip 28 according to its position.

In order to make the spacing pattern easier to implement, reference strips 32 (see FIG. 12) may be disposed on the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. These reference strips 32 are fixed to the inner surface 26 by, for example, double-sided adhesive tape, adhesive or any other fastening means. These reference strips 32 have an inner surface positioned on the reference plane 29 and are made of, for example, plywood. These reference strips 32 are installed on the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 at different positions than those provided for the crystal strips 28 so as not to interfere with the position of the crystal strips 28. do.

8-11 show different embodiments of the quartz strips 28 related to different modes of assembly of the tank in the liquid dome 7.

According to the first modification shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the crystal strips 28 are manufactured with the help of beads 30 of resin alone. The resin beads 30 are dimensionally adjusted according to the measurement of a plan view of the surface 26 of the hull insert 24, that is, according to a spacing pattern. Accordingly, the resin beads 30 have a thickness determined according to the position on the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 and the distance 31 between the inner surface 26 and the reference plane 29 at this position. Each resin bead 30 has a dimension determined according to the spacing pattern and is directly manufactured on the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20. Accordingly, the resin beads 30 may be implemented one by one on the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20.

Since the thickness of the resin beads 30 is dimensionally adjusted according to the spacing pattern, the distance 33 between the resin beads 30 and the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 is uniform, and the resin The difference in the thickness of the beads 30 makes it possible to fill the planar joints of the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. Thus, when the closing block 20 is raised to contact the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24, the beads 30 of the resin are substantially simultaneously with the inner surface ( 26) is pressed against. These resin beads 30 may undergo compression and uniform deformation during the elevation of the closing block 20 with respect to the hull insert 24, and contact the closing block 20 with the hull insert 24 by bonding Make it possible to fix it. In this compressed state, the inner surfaces of the beads 30 of resin are located on the reference plane 29.

10 and 11 show a variant embodiment of the quartz strips 28. In this variant, each crystal strip 28 has a bead 30 of resin associated with a batten 34. These battens 34 are made of plywood, for example. In this variant, the batons 34 are dimensioned according to a spacing pattern to fill the planar joints of the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. The beads 30 of the resin have a uniform thickness in the portion they take on.

These uniformly thick resin beads 30 are produced quickly, since there is no need to modify the tool for manufacturing them to adjust the thickness of the resin beads 30. Thus, the device can produce a continuous bead 30 of resin of uniform thickness, which depends on the desired length of the bead 30 of resin to be associated with the battens 34 of the crystal strips 28. It is cut sequentially. Such devices are for example a resin pouch with an application orifice or pneumatic or electrical resin nozzle.

10 shows a first mode of assembly of these quartz strips 28. In the first assembly mode, each crystal strip 28 is manufactured by assembling the accurately dimensioned baton 34 and corresponding beads 30 of resin. Then, each manufactured quartz strip 28 is fixed to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 within the storage space of the tank. More specifically, the batons 34 are arranged on the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 so that the resin beads 30 are disposed between the batons 34 and the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. ) Is fixed. The battens 34 are stapled, for example, to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20. Due to the adapted dimensional adjustment of the batons 34, the distance 33 between the beads 30 of resin and the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24, despite the planarity defects of the inner surface 26 ) Is uniform.

When the crystal strips 28 are fixed to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20, the closing block 20 may be raised to contact the hull insert 24 as described above. The resin beads 30 may be compressed between the batons 34 and the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 to be uniformly deformed, and to fix the closing block 20 to the hull insert 24 Can act as an adhesive for

According to this modification of the first assembly mode, the batons 34 are not manufactured in advance but are assembled directly in the storage space of the tank. First, correctly dimensioned battens 34 are manufactured and fixed to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 which is placed in the storage space of the tank. The batons 34 are stapled, for example, to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 34, with a stapling interval of, for example, 20 cm or less. When the batons 34 are correctly fixed to the closing block 20, the resin beads 30 are on the outer surface 35 of the batons 34, that is, the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. It is manufactured on the side of the batons 34 opposite or is attached to the outer surface 35 of the batons 34.

This modification of the first assembly mode can further reduce the time while the resin beads 30 are manufactured without the closing block 20 rising with respect to the hull insert 24. In particular, the beads 30 of resin are manufactured one by one and placed directly on the batons 34 which are already fixed to the closing block 20, thereby placing the batons 34 on the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 During the fixing step, the beads of the resin are not left in contact with the surrounding air.

11 shows a second assembly mode, which differs from the other assembly modes in that the quartz strips 28 are not fixed to the closing block 20 but directly fixed to the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. Do. Thus, the crystal strips 28 are manufactured one by one and then fixed to the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. The crystal strips 28 can be compressed, for example by a template, to deform the beads 30 of resin and ensure that the inner surface of the batons 34 is within the reference plane 29. have.

In order to make the tank easier to assemble, the crystal strips 28 can advantageously be fixed to the hull insert 24 outside of the tank. Thus, the hull insert 24 attached to the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7 already has crystal strips 28 fixed to its inner surface 26, so that the closing block 20 As soon as the silver hull insert 24 is fixed to the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7, it can be raised directly in the direction of the hull insert 24. The closing block 20 is raised in the direction of the hull insert 24 until it comes into contact with the battens 34 of the crystal strips 28 fixed to the hull insert 24.

The pre-fixation of the crystal strips 28 to the hull insert 24 is only with the battens 34 associated with the beads 30 of resin or as described above with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 It can be implemented by crystal strips 28 having beads 30 of resin dimensioned according to the spacing pattern.

12 shows the closing block 20 fixed to the hull insert 24. In this figure, tie rods 35 are installed between the hull insert 24 and the closing block 20. These tie rods 35, when the hull insert 24 is installed on the walls 8, 9, 10 of the liquid dome 7, can raise the closing block 20 to contact the hull insert 24. To be. These tie rods 35 have a hull insert 24 and a rod 36 passing through the closing block 20. In an embodiment not shown, tie rods 35 have a chain instead of rod 36.

The upper end of the rod 36 supports the first locking member 37 disposed outside the inner space of the supporting structure 1. The first locking member 37 is, for example, a nut screwed to the upper end portion of the rod 36 on which the screw is formed. The first locking member 37 abuts the outer surface 38 of the hull insert 24, and the outer surface 38 is a surface opposite from the inner surface 26 to which the closing block 20 is fixed.

Similarly, the lower end of the rod 36 supports a second locking member 39 disposed to contact the inner surface 40 of the closing block 20. The second locking member 39 is, for example, a locknut in contact with the inner surface 40 of the closing block 20. These tie rods 35 hold the closing block 20 on the outer surface of the closing block 20 located on the reference plane 29 from a rest position supported by the holding member 21 in the storage space of the tank. 27) allows it to be raised to a position fixed to the hull insert 24. When the closing block is in place with respect to the hull insert 24, by sealing the tie rods 35 and the sealing membranes, the sealing of the sealing membranes can also be completed. Similarly, the first locking member 36 can be welded to the hull insert 24.

In another embodiment, tie rods are used to hold the closing block 20 in place during the drying period of the beads 30 of resin, for example for approximately 24 hours, and then the closing block 20 ) Are replaced with suitable fastening members for fastening to the hull insert 24.

Advantageously, the reference strips 32 installed on the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24 to form the reference plane 28 make it possible to prevent the lifting of the closing block 20. In particular, the raising of the closing block 20 relative to the hull insert 24 presses the beads 30 of the resin against the inner surface 26 of the hull insert 24. However, when the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 reaches the reference plane 29, deformation of the beads 30 of the resin prevents reliably blocking the rise of the closing block 20. When the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 reaches the reference plane 29, the reference strips 32 act as a stop to block the elevation of the closing block 20.

For assembling sealed and insulated tanks, the techniques described above can be used to form sealed and insulated tanks of LNG reservoirs in other types of reservoirs, for example floating structures such as onshore facilities or methane carriers.

Referring to FIG. 13, a cut-away view of the methane transport ship 70 shows a sealed and insulating tank 71 having a prismatic shape as a whole mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealing barrier intended to contact the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary leakage sealing barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and the And two insulating barriers respectively disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the secondary sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72.

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

13 shows an example of a marine terminal with loading and unloading stations 75, underwater piping 76 and onshore equipment 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation having a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the mobile arm 74. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulating flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading/unloading pipes 73. The directional movable arm 74 is suitable for methane carriers of all sizes. A connection pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables loading and unloading of the methane carrier 70 from or to the onshore facility 77. The onshore facility 77 includes tanks 80 and connection pipes 81 for storing liquefied gas, and the connection pipes 81 are the loading or unloading station through the underwater pipe 76 It is connected to (75). The underwater piping 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77 over a long distance, for example 5 Km, which is a methane transport ship during loading and unloading operations. (70) is allowed to remain a long distance from the shore.

In order to generate the pressure required for the transfer of the liquefied gas, the pumps mounted on the ship 70 and/or the pumps provided in the onshore facility 77 and/or the loading and unloading station 75 Pumps are used.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, and if within the scope of the present invention, all technical equivalents of the described means and combinations thereof It is clear to cover.

The use of the verbs “have” and “comprise” or “include” and their conjugation forms does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those recited in a claim. The use of the indefinite article (“a” or “an”) for an element or step does not exclude the presence of multiple elements or steps, unless stated otherwise.

In the claims, any reference signs between parentheses should not be construed as a limitation of the claim.

Claims (12)

A method of assembling a sealing and insulating tank inside a bearing structure (1), wherein the bearing structure (1) has a plurality of walls (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) defining an inner space and the The plurality of walls comprises an upper wall 4 of the supporting structure 1 having an opening 11,
The assembly method is:
-Installing a loading/offloading tower 17 in the inner space through the opening 11, wherein the loading/offloading tower 17 has an upper end 19 protruding from the inner space Having a plurality of pipings (18) each having, the loading/unloading tower (17) having at least one retaining member (22, 23);
-Providing a closing block (20) having a tank wall portion, the closing block (20) having orifices (21);
-Inserting the upper ends (19) of the pipes (18) into the corresponding holes (21) in the closing block (20);
-Sliding the closing block 20 along the pipes 18 until the closing block 20 comes into contact with the holding members 22 and 23 in the inner space and stops;
-Providing a support structure insert 24 with through-holes 25;
-The supporting structure insert 24 closes the opening 11 in the upper wall 4 of the supporting structure 1 and the ends 19 of the pipes 18 of the loading/unloading tower 17 are Mounting the supporting structure insert (24) to the supporting structure so as to pass through the through-holes (25) of the supporting structure insert (24);
-Sliding the closing block (20) along the pipes (18) in the direction of the supporting structure insert (24); And
-Fixing the closing block (20) to the support structure insert (24); including, assembling method. The method of claim 1,
The supporting structure insert 24 has an inner surface 26 facing the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20, and the method includes an outer surface 27 of the closing block 20 and the supporting structure insert 24 ) Arranging correcting strips 28 between the inner surfaces of), wherein the correction strips 28 form a flat support surface within the inner space of the support structure 1, and the closure The assembly method, wherein the outer surface (27) of the block (20) is fixed to the planar support surface. The method of claim 2,
-Measuring the planarity of the inner surface 26 of the supporting structure insert 24; And
-The inner surface (26) of the support structure insert (24) so that the inner surfaces of the crystal strips opposite from the support structure insert (24) are placed in one and the same plane (29) to form the planar support surface. Dimensioning the thickness of the crystal strips (28) according to the measurement of the top view of the assembly method. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The crystal strips (28) have beads of resin (30), wherein the beads of resin (30) are fixed to the inner surface (26) of the supporting structure insert (24). The method of claim 4,
The method of assembling, wherein the crystal strips (28) have a batten (34), and each bead of resin (30) is fixed to each batten (34). The method of claim 5,
The batons 34 have a thickness dimensioned according to a measurement of a plan view of the inner surface 26 of the support structure insert 24 to form the planar support surface, and the battens 34 The assembly method, which is fixed to the outer surface 27 of (20). The method of claim 6,
The resin beads 30 have a uniform thickness, assembling method. The method of claim 5,
Before the step of sliding the closing block 20 in the direction of the supporting structure insert 24, fixing the correction strips 28 to the outer surface 27 of the closing block 20, and then The assembly method further comprising the step of fixing the crystal strips 26 in contact with the inner surface 26 of the support structure insert 24 in order to fix the closing block 20 to the support structure insert 24 . The method of claim 8,
Further comprising the step of applying the resin beads 30 to the outer surface of the batons 34, the outer surface of the battens 34 is opposite to the supporting structure insert 24, assembly method . The method of claim 4,
Before the closing block 20 slides in the direction of the supporting structure insert 24, applying the beads 30 of the resin to the inner surface 26 of the supporting structure insert 24. , How to assemble. The method of claim 4,
It further comprises the step of installing reference strips (32) on the inner surface (26) of the supporting structure insert (24), wherein the reference strips (32) are opposite from the supporting structure insert (32). The method of assembling, having an inner surface and being located in one and the same plane, the crystal strips (28) being dimensioned to form the support surface in the plane. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
It further comprises the step of installing tie rods (35) between the support structure insert (24) and the closing block (20), wherein the tie rods (35) comprises the closing block (20). The assembly method is operated to slide in the direction of the supporting structure insert (24).

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