KR102472929B1 - Sealed and thermally insulating tank - Google Patents

Abstract

A sealed and insulated tank for storing the fluid is formed at the corner structure 10 at the edge corner 100 between the support structure 5 of the first wall 1 and the support structure 25 of the second wall 2. wherein the corner structure connects to the first anchoring flange 11 via the first connecting piece 12 on the one hand and to the second anchoring flange 211 via the second connecting piece 212 on the other hand. and the sealing corner piece 13 is connected in a sealing manner to the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall and the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall.

Description

Sealed and insulated tank {SEALED AND THERMALLY INSULATING TANK}

The invention relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks. Specifically, the invention relates to transporting liquefied petroleum gas (also referred to as LPG) at temperatures between -50°C and 0°C, for example, or transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) at atmospheric pressure, around -162°C. It relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks in the context of the storage or transport of low-temperature liquids, such as tanks for ships for ships.

Sealed and insulated tanks for ships are known, for example, from document WO-A-2017064413. The document describes a tank of a propane tanker or methane tanker comprising a plurality of tank walls. Each wall of the tank includes at least one sealing membrane and at least one thermal insulation barrier.

Document JP2009079736 proposes an onshore tank for cryogenic liquids, which tank has an insulating barrier comprising a support structure made of concrete and an M-shaped component adapted to adjust to the thickness of the insulating barrier by changing the height of the M-shaped component. include However, the M-shaped component requires complex shaping.

One object of the invention is to propose a corner structure capable of supporting one or more sealing membranes at a corner between two walls of a tank and adaptable to various thicknesses of an insulating barrier.

The invention provides a sealed and insulated tank for storing a liquid comprising a first wall and a second wall, the first wall and the second wall being, in the thickness direction, a bearing wall fixed to the bearing wall. A heat insulating barrier and a sealing membrane parallel to the supporting wall and fixed to the insulating barrier, respectively, wherein the sealed and insulating tank comprises, at an edge corner between the supporting wall of the first wall and the supporting wall of the second wall, a corner The corner structure includes a first anchoring flange fixed to the supporting wall of the second wall, a second anchoring flange fixed to the supporting wall of the first wall and, on the other hand, to the first anchoring flange through the first connecting piece. and a sealing corner piece fixed and on the other hand fixed to the second anchoring flange via the second connecting piece. The sealing corner piece is connected in a sealing manner to the sealing membrane of the first wall and the sealing membrane of the second wall, the sealing corner piece having a first flat branch extending in a plane of the sealing membrane of the second wall. and a second flat branch extending in the plane of the sealing membrane of the first wall, the first connecting piece having a first flat branch parallel to the first anchoring flange and a second flat branch parallel to the sealing membrane of the second wall. wherein the second connecting piece comprises a first flat branch parallel to the second anchoring flange and a second flat branch parallel to the sealing membrane of the first wall, the first flat branch of the first connecting piece comprising the first flat branch is welded to the anchoring flange, the first flat branch of the second connecting piece is welded to the second anchoring flange, the first flat branch of the sealing corner piece is welded to the second flat branch of the first connecting piece, and the sealing The second flat branch of the corner piece is welded to the second flat branch of the second connecting piece, the sealing membrane of the first wall is welded to the second flat branch of the sealing corner piece, and the sealing membrane of the second wall is welded to the sealing corner piece is welded to the first flat branch of

This corner structure makes it possible to adjust the position of the corner sealing membranes by adapting the position of the anchorage of the connecting pieces on the anchoring flanges to suit the desired position of the sealing corner piece. Adjusting the position of this sealing corner piece makes it easy to adjust the corner structure to match the thickness of the thermal insulation barriers of the tank walls. Specifically, the position of the first flat branch of the first connecting piece on the first anchoring flange adjusts the distance between the second flat branch of the first connecting piece and the supporting wall of the second wall, so that the first 1 makes it possible to adjust the distance between the plan branch and the supporting wall of the second wall. Similarly, the position of the second flat branch of the second connecting piece on the second anchoring flange adjusts the distance between the second flat branch of the second connecting piece and the supporting wall of the first wall, and thus the second flat branch of the sealing corner piece. It makes it possible to adjust the distance between the flat branch and the supporting wall of the first wall.

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

According to some embodiments, the first anchoring flange is also fixed to the supporting wall of the first wall and the second anchoring flange is fixed to the supporting wall of the second wall. In other words, in this example the first anchoring flange and the second anchoring flange are fixed at the junction of the supporting walls of the first wall and the second wall.

According to certain embodiments, the sealing corner piece comprises a plurality of cross sections, two adjacent cross sections connected to each other in a sealing manner via a corrugated coupling projecting towards the inside of the tank, The sealing membranes of the wall and the second wall each include a series of corrugations projecting toward the inside of the tank and developing in a direction perpendicular to the edge corner, each of the first and second walls The corrugation is aligned with the corrugated coupling of the sealing corner piece. Such corrugated couplings are simple to produce and fit a corrugation of the first wall and a corrugation of the second wall to ensure continuity of seal between the sealing corner piece and the sealing membranes while at the same time sealing the sealing membranes. can be transformed with

According to certain embodiments, the sealing corner piece comprises a plurality of cross sections, two adjacent cross sections connected to each other in a sealing manner via a corrugated coupling projecting towards the inside of the tank, The sealing membranes of the wall and the second wall each include a series of corrugations projecting toward the outside of the tank and developing in a direction perpendicular to the edge corner, each corrugation of the first and second walls forming a portion of the sealing corner piece. Aligned with corrugated coupling.

According to certain embodiments, the corrugated coupling comprises a central part, a first curved end and a second curved end, the first curved end fitting over the corrugation of the sealing membrane of the first wall on the one hand, and on the other Fits over the central part on the one hand, the second curved end fits over the corrugation of the sealing membrane of the second wall on the one hand, and over the central part on the other hand. The fact that the corrugated couplings are in three parts simplifies the connection with sealing membranes and makes it possible to rectify misalignments between the corrugations.

According to certain embodiments, the first anchoring flange extends parallel to the supporting wall of the first wall and the second anchoring flange extends parallel to the supporting wall of the second wall.

According to certain embodiments, at the edge corner, the supporting wall of the first wall and the supporting wall of the second wall together form a salient angle on the inside of the tank, and the first anchoring flange forms a salient angle on the supporting wall of the first wall. and a second anchoring flange extends at a continuation of the supporting wall of the second wall.

According to certain embodiments, at the edge corner, the supporting wall of the first wall and the supporting wall of the second wall together form a re-entrant angle on the inside of the tank, and the first anchoring flange forms a re-entrant angle of the first wall. Parallel to the supporting wall and spaced a distance from the supporting wall of the first wall, the second anchoring flange is parallel to the supporting wall of the second wall and spaced a distance from the supporting wall of the second wall.

According to certain embodiments, the thermal insulation barrier of the first wall and/or the second wall comprises a plurality of lagging elements, each lagging element comprising a cover panel facing towards the interior of the tank; The inner surface of the lagging element bounding the edge corner comprises a discontinuity facing the sealing membrane, the connecting plate is received in the discontinuity and the inner surface of the lagging element and the inner surface of the flat branch of the sealing corner piece and Lie flush with, the sealing membrane is fixed to its inner surface to form a continuous flat support surface for the sealing membrane.

According to certain embodiments, slots are formed in the first anchoring flange and/or the second anchoring flange, the slots being located at the level of the corrugated couplings. These slots make it possible, at least in part, to limit the mechanical stresses experienced by the welds between the cross sections of the sealing corner piece and the corrugated couplings.

According to certain embodiments, the thermal insulation barrier fixed to the supporting wall is a secondary thermal insulation barrier, the sealing membrane fixed to the secondary thermal insulation barrier is a secondary sealing membrane, and the secondary sealing membrane of the first wall and the secondary sealing membrane of the second wall The sealing corner piece connected in a sealing manner is a secondary sealing corner piece, and the first wall and the second wall are, in the thickness direction of the tank, from the outside to the inside, on the top of the secondary insulating barrier and the secondary sealing membrane. , a primary thermal insulation barrier and a primary sealing membrane adapted to contact the liquid contained in the tank, and the corner structure further comprises a primary sealing corner piece sealedly connected to the primary sealing membrane of the first wall and the primary sealing membrane of the second wall. include

According to certain embodiments, the primary sealing corner piece is secured to the secondary sealing corner piece via one or more spacers.

According to certain embodiments, an outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece bears primary studs, each spacer including at least one orifice through which the primary stud passes, the spacer comprising a primary nut mounted to the primary stud. is held pressed against the outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece, the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece supports secondary studs, the spacer exhibits fixing tabs, and the secondary stud secures two adjacent spacers. positioned between the tabs, the support plate includes an orifice mounted on the secondary stud, and the two adjacent spacers are pressed by the support plate against the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece by a secondary nut mounted on the secondary stud. maintain.

According to certain embodiments, the secondary sealing membranes are composite membranes, the secondary sealing corner piece includes a plurality of cross sections, and the two adjacent cross sections are sealed in a manner via a composite sealing strip. connected to each other with

According to certain embodiments, composite sealing strips are bonded between corner pieces.

Such a tank may form part of an on-shore storage facility, for example for storing liquefied gas, or an in-shore or off-shore floating structure. , in particular methane tankers, LPG carriers, floating storage regasification units (FSRUs), floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, and the like.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting a low-temperature liquid product includes a hull and the aforementioned tank arranged in the hull.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading or offloading from such a vessel, wherein the cold liquid product is transported from a floating or onshore storage facility to or from the hull of a vessel either floating or onshore. transported through insulated pipes to a storage facility.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a conveying system for low-temperature liquid products, the system comprising insulated pipes arranged in such a way as to connect the above-described vessel and a tank installed on the vessel's hull to a floating or onshore storage facility. and a pump for driving the flow of the cold liquid product through the insulated pipes from the floating or onshore storage facility to the vessel's tank or from the vessel's tank to the floating or onshore storage facility.

The invention will be better understood and its additional objects, details, features and advantages more apparent while referring to the accompanying drawings in which a number of specific embodiments of the invention are given only by way of non-limiting example. It will become clear.
1 is a perspective view of a tank according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the tank of FIG. 1 showing the tank dome viewed from the inside of the tank;
3-6 are perspective views of a convex corner structure according to one embodiment of the invention during various stages in its construction.
Figure 7 is a view from a cross section of the corner structure of Figure 6;
8-11 are views in section of a corner structure for a tank comprising two sealing membranes intercalated with two insulating barriers according to various alternative embodiments of the invention. In particular, Figures 9 and 10 show one specific embodiment for anchoring a primary seal corner piece to a secondary seal corner piece, and Figure 10 is a view in section in plane of two studs secured to the primary seal corner piece. 9 is a view in section in plane of the two studs fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece. 10B-10F are views in section in a plane perpendicular to the primary sealing corner piece and parallel to the edge corner, and depict various steps in one particular embodiment for mounting the primary sealing corner piece to the secondary sealing corner piece. 11 shows an alternative embodiment for anchoring a primary sealing corner piece to a secondary sealing corner piece.
12 is a profile view of a sealing corner piece.
13 is a view from a section of a reentrant corner structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a cutaway view of a methane tanker or propane tanker including a tank according to an embodiment of the invention.
15 is a partial perspective view of a convex corner structure according to certain embodiments of the invention.

Hereinafter, the drawings are described in the context of a bearing structure made of the inner walls of a double hull of a ship for transporting liquefied gas. In particular, such a support structure may have a polyhedral geometry, for example in the shape of a prism. Figure 1 shows such a support structure, in which the longitudinal direction of the support structure comprising an upper wall 104, a lower wall 105 and side walls 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 The walls run parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vessel and form a polygonal section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vessel. The overall orientation of a vessel equipped with such polyhedral tanks is illustratively described with reference to FIG. 1 of document FR3008765.

Longitudinal walls (104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111) are interrupted in the longitudinal direction of the vessel by transverse supporting walls (101, 103) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vessel. )do. The longitudinal walls 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 and the transverse walls 101, 103 meet at reentrant edge corners.

Each wall of the support structure supports a respective tank wall. In Figures 2 to 7, each of the tank walls is stored in a tank, such as liquefied petroleum gas containing butane, propane, propene, etc., at an equilibrium temperature between, for example, about -50°C and 0°C ( It is made of an insulating barrier that supports a sealing membrane in contact with a fluid having an equilibrium temperature.

The upper wall 104 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped, protrudes upward, and includes a space referred to as the tank dome 112 .

As shown in better detail in FIG. 2 , the tank dome 112 is formed by two transverse walls, a front wall 113 and a rear wall 114 and extends vertically and upwards from the top wall 104 . It is defined by two side walls 115, 116 protruding in the direction. The tank dome 112 is a horizontal cover, not shown in FIG. 2, to cover an opening formed between the front wall 113, the rear wall 114, and the side walls 115 and 116 of the tank dome 112. contains more The horizontal cover has a series of pipes passing through the horizontal cover adapted to load or offload the previously mentioned liquids and gases. The longitudinal top wall 104 and the walls of the tank dome 112 meet at convex edge corners 100 . The front wall 113 and the side walls 115 and 116 of the tank dome 112 meet at reentrant edge corners 201 .

3 is a tank corner in the region of the convex edge corner 100 between the first support wall 5 and the second support wall 25 supporting the first tank wall 1 and the second tank wall 2, respectively. This is a view from the inside of the tank of The first support wall 5 and the second support wall 25 form an angle α therebetween. The first tank wall 1 and the second tank wall 2 meet at the corner structure 10 of the tank.

Specifically, as will be described in connection with FIGS. 3 to 6 , the corner structure 10 is a convex corner structure (the angle α between the two supporting walls toward the inside of the tank is between 180° and 360° , which means that the edge corner is a convex angle when viewed from the inside of the tank), which may be, for example, the longitudinal wall 104 and the front wall 113 of the tank dome 112, the rear wall 114 and an edge corner between one of the side walls 115, 116. Figures 3 to 6 show specific examples of angles α measured at 270 degrees.

As will be described in connection with FIG. 13, the corner structure 10 is a yaw corner structure (the angle α is included between 0 ° and 180 ° so that the edge corner when viewed from the inside of the tank is a yaw angle). may be, for example, an edge corner between the longitudinal walls 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 and the transverse walls 101, 103. 13 shows a specific example of an angle α measured as 90°.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the first tank wall 1 has, in the thickness direction, a support wall 5, a thermal insulation barrier 6 fixed to the support wall 5, and a seal parallel to the support wall 5. Membrane 27 is included. The second tank wall 2 includes, in the thickness direction, a support wall 25 , a thermal insulation barrier 26 fixed to the support wall 25 and a sealing membrane 7 parallel to the support wall 25 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the thermal insulation barrier 6 of the first tank wall 1 is made of a plurality of lagging elements 61 anchored to the first supporting wall 5 . These lagging elements 61 together form a flat surface on which the sealing membrane 27 is anchored. Likewise, the thermal insulation barrier 26 of the second tank wall 2 is made of a plurality of lagging elements 61 anchored to the second supporting wall 25 . These lagging elements 61 together form a flat surface to which the sealing membrane 7 is anchored. Lagging elements 61 are anchored to the support structure by any suitable means.

In one embodiment, the lagging elements 61 are produced in the form of box sections anchored to the supporting wall by means of studs, as described in publication WO-A-2017064413.

As shown in Fig. 6, the sealing membranes 7 and 27 are made of a plurality of overlapping metal plates placed side by side with each other. These metal plates are preferably rectangular. The metal plates are welded together to ensure sealing of the sealing membrane. The metal plates are made of, for example, stainless steel or an iron-based alloy with a high nickel or high manganese content with a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

In order to cause the sealing membrane to deform in response to various stress loadings experienced by the tank, in particular in response to thermal contraction due to loading of liquefied gas into the tank, the metal plates are oriented towards the inside of the tank. It includes a plurality of wrinkles (71, 72). More specifically, the sealing membrane 7 includes a series of first corrugations 71 and a series of second corrugations 72 forming a regular rectangular pattern. A series of first corrugations 71 are perpendicular to the edge corner 100 and a series of second corrugations 72 are parallel to the edge corner 100 . Preferably, the corrugations 71 and 72 run parallel to the edges of the rectangular metal plates. The distance between two consecutive pleats 71 and 72 of the series of pleats is, for example, on the order of 300 mm to 800 mm, ideally 600 mm.

As shown in Fig. 3, the corner structure 10 comprises a first anchoring flange 11 and a second tank wall extending from and in the continuation of the supporting wall 5 of the first tank wall 1. and a second anchoring flange 211 extending from and in the continuation of the supporting wall 25 of (2). When the first anchoring flange 11 extends in a direction not parallel to the supporting wall 25 of the second wall 2, the first anchoring flange 11 extends to the supporting wall 5 of the first tank wall 1. ), it is possible not to extend in the continuation of In other words, the first anchoring flange 11 extends from the supporting wall 25 in a direction not parallel to the supporting wall 25 . As shown in the drawings, preferably, the first anchoring flange 11 extends in a direction perpendicular to the supporting wall 25 . 1 to 10 and 11 , the first anchoring flange 11 extends from the junction of the supporting walls 5 , 25 and in a direction parallel to the supporting wall 5 . A row of lagging elements 61 of the thermal insulation barrier 6 bordering the edge corner 100 is a row of lagging elements 61 bordering the second anchoring flange 211 and the edge corner 100 positioned to form a space between them.

Similarly, when the second anchoring flange 211 extends in a direction not parallel to the supporting wall 5 of the first wall 1, the second anchoring flange 211 extends to the supporting wall of the second tank wall 2. It is possible not to extend in the continuation of (25). In other words, the second anchoring flange 211 extends from the supporting wall 5 in a direction not parallel to the supporting wall 5 . As shown in the figures, the second anchoring flange 211 preferably extends in a direction perpendicular to the supporting wall 5 . 1 to 10 and 11 , the second anchoring flange 211 extends from the junction of the supporting walls 5 and 25 and in a direction parallel to the supporting wall 25 . The row of lagging elements 61 of the insulating barrier 26 bordering the edge corner 100 is the space between the first anchoring flange 11 and the row of lagging elements 61 bordering the edge corner 100 is positioned to form

As shown in FIG. 4 , the corner structure 10 includes a first connecting piece 12 and a second connecting piece 212 . The first connection piece 12 is bounded by a first flat branch 122 fixed to the anchoring flange 11 and extending in a continuation of the anchoring flange 11 and an edge corner 100 by an insulating barrier 26 ) and a second flat branch 121 extending parallel to the supporting wall 25 in the space formed between the row of lagging elements 61 and the first anchoring flange 11 . Specifically, the first connecting piece 12 may be made of a plurality of continuous sections 125 . Similarly, the second connecting piece 212 is fixed to the anchoring flange 211 and is bounded by a first flat branch 2122 extending in the continuation of the anchoring flange 211 and the edge corner 100, an insulating barrier and a second flat branch 2121 extending parallel to the supporting wall 5 in the space formed between the row of lagging elements 61 of (6) and the first anchoring flange 211 . Specifically, the second connecting piece 212 may be made of a plurality of continuous sections 215 . The connecting piece 12, 212 is welded without particular preference to that side of the anchoring flange 11, 211 facing towards the insulating blocks 61 of the tank wall 1 or 2. As shown in FIG. 7 , connecting pieces 12 and 212 may include a reinforcer between their two flat branches to increase their stiffness. Advantageously, between the first anchoring flange 11 , the row of lagging elements 61 of the thermal insulation barrier 26 bordering the edge corner 100 , the second flat branch 121 and the supporting wall 25 The spaces formed are filled with a lagging material such as glass wool or polyurethane foam. Advantageously, between the second anchoring flange 211 , the row of lagging elements 61 of the thermal insulation barrier 6 bordering the edge corner 100 , the second flat branch 211 and the supporting wall 5 The spaces formed are filled with a lagging material such as glass wool or polyurethane foam.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the corner structure 10 connects to the first anchoring flange 11 via the first connecting piece 12 on the one hand and to the second connecting piece 212 on the other hand. 2 further comprises a sealing corner piece (13) fixed to the anchoring flange (211).

The sealing corner piece 13 is a plate with a thickness greater than that of the sealing membranes 7 and 27, for example a metal plate. The sealing corner piece 13 has a thickness between 3 mm and 10 mm, for example. This thickness provides sufficient rigidity for self-supporting, which is not necessarily the case for sealing membranes 7, 27.

The sealing corner piece 13 has a first flat branch 131 extending in the plane of the sealing membrane 7 of the second tank wall 2 and extending in the plane of the sealing membrane 27 of the first tank wall 1. It includes a second flat branch 132 that does. The first flat branch 131 is fixed to the first connecting piece 12 (more specifically, welded to the second flat branch 121 of the first connecting piece 12), and the second flat branch 132 is welded to the second connecting piece 212 (more specifically, welded to the second flat branch 2121 of the second connecting piece 212). As shown in FIG. 12 , the sealing corner piece 13 may have a reinforcement 134 on its outer surface.

Such a corner structure establishes, on the one hand, the position of the anchorage of the first flat branches 122, 2122 of the connecting pieces 12, 212 on the anchoring flanges 11, 211 and, on the other hand, the connecting pieces 12, 212 By adjusting the position of the anchorage of the flat branches 131, 132 of the sealing corner piece 13 relative to the second flat branches 121, 2121 of ), it is possible to adjust the position of the sealing corner piece 13 do. Adjusting the position of this sealing corner piece 13 makes it easy to adjust the corner structure to match the thickness of the lagging elements 61 of the thermal insulation barriers 6, 26.

The first branch 131 of the sealing corner piece forms a flat support for the sealing membrane 7 of the second tank wall 2, and the second branch 132 of the sealing corner piece forms a flat support for the sealing membrane 7 of the second tank wall 2. It forms a flat support for the sealing membrane 27 of the wall 1 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall lies on the first branch 131 of the sealing corner piece 13 . The sealing membrane 27 of the first wall lies on the second branch 132 of the sealing corner piece 13 . To ensure continuity between the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall and the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall in the region of the corner structure 10 , the sealing corner piece 13 is connected to the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall. ) and to the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall. For example, the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall can be welded to the first branch 131 of the sealing corner piece 13 on which the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall lies, and the sealing membrane of the first wall 27 can be welded to the second branch 132 of the sealing corner piece on which the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall rests.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the sealing corner piece 13 may include a plurality of cross sections 135 . For example, the cross sections 135 for the sealing corner piece overlap the two adjacent sections 125 of the first connecting piece 12 and the two adjacent sections 215 of the second connecting piece 212. and is fixed

As shown in FIG. 6 , two adjacent cross sections 135 can be connected to each other in a sealed manner via a corrugated coupling 15 . Each of the series of first corrugations 71 of the first and second walls is aligned with the corrugated coupling 15 of the sealing corner piece. The corrugated coupling 15 fits over the corrugation 71 of the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall and over the corrugation 71 of the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall. The corrugated couplings 15 allow the sealing corner piece 13 to deform together with the sealing membranes 7 , 27 .

As better seen in FIG. 7 , the corrugated coupling 15 includes a central part 153 , a first curved end 151 and a second curved end 152 . The central part 153 includes two transverse tabs, one of which is welded to the central part 133 of one section 155 of the sealing corner piece and the other transverse tab. The tabs of are welded to the central part of the adjacent section 155 of the sealing corner piece. The first curved end 151 fits over the corrugation 71 of the first wall on the one hand and over the central part 153 on the other hand. The first curved end 151 includes two transverse tabs, one of which is welded to one section 155 of the sealing corner piece and the other transverse tab that seals. Welded to the adjacent section 155 of the corner piece, these tabs cover the overlap area between the sealing membrane 7 of the second tank wall 2 and the sealing corner piece 13. Similarly, the second curved end 152 includes two transverse tabs, one of which is welded to section 155 of the sealing corner piece and the other transverse tab Welded to the adjacent section 155 of the sealing corner piece, these tabs cover the overlap area between the sealing membrane 27 of the first tank wall 1 and the sealing corner piece 13 .

Such corrugated couplings 15 are simple to manufacture and simple to fit over the corrugation 71 of the first wall and over the corrugation 71 of the second wall to form a sealing corner piece 13 and a sealing membrane ( It is deformable together with the sealing membranes 7 and 27 while ensuring the continuity of the seal between them 7 and 27 . The fact that the corrugated couplings 15 are in three parts simplifies the connection to the sealing membranes 7 , 27 and makes it possible to correct the misalignment between the corrugations 71 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , slots 119 are optionally formed in the first anchoring flange 11 . Similarly, optionally, slots 2119 are formed in the second anchoring flange 211 . Specifically, the slots 119 and/or 2119 can extend from the end of the anchoring flange 11, 211 in a direction perpendicular to the edge corner 100, and specifically to anchor the anchoring flange 11, 211 in that direction. ) may extend a distance equal to between 1/2 and 2/3 of the dimension. Specifically, the slots 119 and/or 2119 may be located in the region of the corrugated couplings 15, that is to say typically every 600 mm. These slots 119 , 2119 make it possible to relieve the mechanical stresses experienced by the welds between the corrugated couplings 15 and the cross sections 135 of the sealing corner piece 13 .

As shown in Figure 5, each lagging element 61 includes a cover panel that faces towards the inside of the tank. By convention, whatever the orientation of the tank walls with respect to the Earth's gravitational field, the adjectives "inside" or "interior" when applied to a component of a tank are those components that look toward the interior of the tank. refers to the part of the tank, and the adjectives "outside" or "exterior" refer to the part of this component oriented towards the outside of the tank. On the side of the lagging elements 61 immediately adjacent to the corner structure 10 , the inner side of the cover panel has a discontinuity 62 facing the connecting piece 12 , 212 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the connecting plate 63 is received in the discontinuity 62 and lies flush with the inner surface of the lagging element 61 and the inner surface of the flat branch 132 of the sealing corner piece. , to which the sealing membrane 27 is fixed, forming a continuous flat support surface for the sealing membrane 27 . In addition, the connecting plate 63 makes it possible to compensate for possible construction play during the manufacture of the tank. Further, the connecting plate 63 may have a discontinuity on its outer surface, and the first branch 2122 of the connecting piece 212 to which the flat branch 132 of the sealing corner piece is fixed is the portion of the connecting plate 63. become lodged in the discontinuity. Consequently, the connecting plate 63 supports both the inner surface of the lagging element 61 and the inner surface of the first branch 2122 of the connecting piece 212 . Although the connection plate 63 is described in connection with the first tank wall 1 , it will be appreciated that a similar connection plate may be provided on the second tank wall 2 .

The foregoing technology for creating a tank with a single sealing membrane constitutes a double membrane tank for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in various types of tanks, e.g. in onshore installations such as methen tankers or in floating structures. To do so, it can be used. In this context, it can be considered that the sealing membrane shown in the foregoing figures is a secondary sealing membrane, and that a primary thermal insulation barrier and a primary sealing membrane also need to be added to this secondary sealing membrane. In this way, the technology may be applied to tanks having a plurality of insulating barriers and sealing membranes superposed on top of each other.

Figure 8 shows two walls of the tank at the edge corner 100 according to an alternative embodiment, wherein the first tank wall 1 is, in the thickness direction of the tank, from the outside to the inside, as described above. A secondary thermal insulation barrier 6 corresponding to the thermal insulation barrier 6 described in connection with the above, a secondary sealing membrane 27 corresponding to the sealing membrane 27 described in connection with the previous figures, the thermal insulation barrier 6 and the tank and a primary sealing membrane 9 adapted to come into contact with the liquid contained in the Similarly, the second tank wall 2 is, in the thickness direction of the tank, from the outside to the inside, a secondary heat insulating barrier 26 corresponding to the heat insulating barrier 26 described in connection with the above-mentioned figures, the above-mentioned figures and a secondary sealing membrane 7 corresponding to the sealing membrane 7 described in connection with, a primary thermal insulation barrier 26 and a primary sealing membrane 29 adapted to contact the liquid contained in the tank.

The primary thermal insulation barriers 6, 26 and primary sealing membranes 29, 9 may be similar to the secondary thermal insulation barriers 6, 26 and secondary sealing membranes 27, 7 and will not be described in further detail.

In a form not shown, the primary sealing membranes 9 and 29 differ from the secondary sealing membranes 7 and 27 . For example, the corrugations of the secondary sealing membranes 7, 27 may look towards the outside of the tank wall.

In another form, not shown, the secondary sealing membranes 9 and 29 and the secondary sealing membranes 7 and 27 have corrugations facing outward of the tank wall.

In another form, not shown, the secondary sealing membranes 7, 27 are composite sealing barriers. The composite connecting strip is bonded to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 on the second flat branch 132 on one side and to the composite sealing barrier present on the top part of the insulating blocks 61 on the other side. Alternatively, the composite connecting strip can be bonded to the second connecting piece 212 on one side and to the composite sealing barrier present on the top part of the insulating blocks 61 on the other side. To ensure sealing of the secondary barrier, composite sealing strips are bonded between the corner pieces 135 . Specifically, the composite sealing barrier can be made of a composite material comprising three layers, two outer layers of which are fiberglass fabrics, and an intermediate layer of thin metal foil, for example It is approximately 0.1 mm thick aluminum foil. This metal foil constitutes a secondary sealing barrier and is bonded to the insulating blocks 61 of the insulating barriers 6 and 26 . Specifically, composite connecting strips and composite sealing strips can be joined using polyurethane or epoxy adhesives.

The primary sealing corner piece 913 is fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 corresponding to the sealing corner piece 13 described in connection with FIGS. 3 to 6 . The primary sealing corner piece 913 is similar to the sealing corner piece 13 described in connection with FIGS. 3-6 and will not be described in detail. The primary sealing corner piece 913 is connected to the primary sealing membrane 29 of the first tank wall 1 and the primary sealing membrane 9 of the second tank wall 2 in a sealing manner.

There are various possible ways of securing the primary sealing corner piece 913 to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 . As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 , in particular, the primary sealing corner piece 913 can be fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 by anchoring members 30 .

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the anchoring members 30 are configured to secure the primary sealing corner piece ( 913 ) before the assembly formed by the spacers 32 and the primary sealing corner piece 913 is fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 . 913 may include one or more spacers 32 fixed to it.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 may support secondary studs 31 fixed by welding and/or screwing. 9 is a view in section in a plane of the two studs 31 fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 . Specifically, each cross section 135 of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 may include two studs 31 . Each stud 31 extends perpendicularly to the central part 133 of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 towards the inside of the tank.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece 913 may support primary studs 35 fixed by welding and/or screwing. 10 is a view in section in a plane of the two studs 35 fixed to the primary sealing corner piece 913. Specifically, each cross section of the primary sealing corner piece 913 may include two studs 35 . Each stud 35 extends perpendicular to the central part of the primary sealing corner piece toward the outside of the tank.

One manner of mounting the primary sealing corner piece 913 to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 will now be described in conjunction with FIGS. 10B-10F.

As shown in FIG. 10B , each cross section 9135 of the primary sealing corner piece 913 includes one or more primary studs 35 . The opposite end of the studs to the primary sealing corner piece 913 supports the screw thread. Each spacer 32 includes one or more orifices 322 extending from its inner surface. Specifically, each spacer 32 may include two orifices 322 extending from its inner surface.

As shown in FIG. 10C, each spacer 32 is mounted to one or more studs 35 such that each orifice 322 of the spacer has a stud 35 passing therethrough.

As shown in FIG. 10D, a nut 351 is mounted to the threaded end of each stud 35. Eventually, the inner surface of the spacer 32 is kept pressed against the outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece 913 by the nut 351 . A bore 321 made in the spacer 32 in line with the orifice through which the stud 31 passes allows a nut 351 to be screwed onto the stud and the nut 351 to be screwed onto the stud. After being fixed, the bore 321 is filled with an insulator.

10e and 10f, then the outer surface of the spacer 32 (which means referring to the opposite side of the spacer 32 with respect to the primary sealing corner piece 931) is formed by any means, for example It is fixed to the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece 13, for example by bonding, riveting or screw fastening.

As shown in FIG. 10E , each cross section 135 of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 includes one or more studs 31 . The opposite end of the studs 31 to the secondary sealing corner piece 13 supports the screw thread. The spacer 32 has securing tabs 323 extending to align with the outer surface of the spacer. Stud 31 is positioned between fixing tabs 323 of two adjacent spacers 32 .

As shown by FIG. 10F , a support plate 33 including an orifice is mounted on the stud 31 . A nut 311 is mounted on the threaded end of the stud 31. As a result, two adjacent spacers 32 are kept pressed by the support plate 33 against the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 .

Alternatively, according to an alternative form not shown, the studs 31 extending from the secondary sealing corner piece 31 pass through holes in the primary sealing corner piece 913, and the nut is the primary sealing corner mounted on the inner surface of the piece 913, so that the primary sealing corner piece 913 is kept pressed against the inner surface of the spacer 32 by the nut, and the spacer 32 itself is the secondary sealing corner piece ( 13) is held pressed against the inner surface by the nut.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the primary sealing corner piece 913 may alternatively include two flat branches, between which the angle α between the supporting walls of the edge corner, in other words, the degree In the case shown in Fig. 11, it forms an angle equal to 90 degrees. Therefore, the primary sealing corner piece 913 is fixed to the support 37 forming an angle equal to the angle α. For example, such a support 37 can be a beam with an isosceles triangular cross section, the base of which is fixed to the outer surface of the spacer 32 .

A similar corner structure may be used for the retracted edge corner 201 of the tank. 13 shows a tank edge corner between two tank walls forming an inside angle α of the order of 90 degrees. Such a tank edge corner comprises a corner structure 510 similar to the corner structure 10 as described in connection with FIGS. The fact that it runs parallel to the support wall 5 of and at a distance from the support wall 5 and that the second anchoring flange 211 is parallel to and supported by the support wall 25 of the second tank wall 2 It is that it leads to a certain distance from the wall 25.

Referring to FIG. 14 , a cutaway view of a methane tanker or propane tanker 1070 shows a generally prismatic sealed and insulated tank 1000 mounted on a double hull 1072 of a vessel. The wall of the tank includes at least one sealing barrier brought into contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank and at least one thermal insulation barrier arranged between the sealing barrier and the double hull 1072 .

In a manner known per se, the loading/offloading pipes 1073 arranged on the upper deck of the vessel are, by suitable connectors, for conveying a cargo of liquefied gas to or from the tank 1000. , can be connected to marine or port terminals.

14 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and offloading station 1075, an underwater pipe 1076 and an onshore facility 1077. The loading and offloading station 1075 is a fixed offshore facility comprising a mobile arm 1074 and a tower 1078 supporting the mobile arm 1074. The mobile arm 1074 supports a bundle of flexible insulated pipes 1079 which can be connected to the loading/offloading pipes 1073. The orientable movable arm 1074 is calibrated to fit all sizes of methane tankers. Although not shown, the connecting pipe extends inside the tower 1078. The loading and offloading station 1075 allows loading and offloading of vessel 1070 to and from facility 1077 onshore. The facility includes liquefied gas storage tanks 1080 and connecting pipes 1081 connected to a loading or offloading station 1075 by means of an underwater pipe 1076. Submersible pipe 1076 allows liquefied gas to be transported over long distances, for example 5 km, between loading or offloading station 1075 and onshore facility 1077, which allows vessel 1070 to be transported during loading and offloading operations. Keeping them away from the shore for long distances.

In order to create the pressure required to transport the liquefied gas, pumps carried on board the ship 1070 and/or pumps equipped with facilities 1077 onshore and/or loading and offloading stations 1075 are used. Mounted pumps are used.

Although the invention has been described in connection with numerous specific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is in no way limited thereto and that all equivalents and combinations of the foregoing instrumentalities fall within the scope of the invention.

Use of the verbs "comprise", "exhibit" and "include" and their conjugations excludes the presence of elements or steps other than those recited in a claim. I never do that. The use of the indefinite articles (a, an) for a component or step does not exclude that there are plural of such components or steps, unless stated otherwise.

In the claims, any reference sign between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims (15)

In a sealed and insulated tank (1000) for storing a fluid,
It includes a first wall (1) and a second wall (2), and the first wall (1) and the second wall (2), in the thickness direction, support walls (5, 25), the support wall ( a thermal insulation barrier (6, 26) fixed to 5, 25, and a sealing membrane (7, 27) parallel to the support wall (5, 25) and fixed to the thermal insulation barrier (6, 26), respectively; The sealed and insulated tank 1000 has a corner structure at the edge corners 100 and 201 between the support wall 5 of the first wall 1 and the support wall 25 of the second wall 2 (10), wherein the corner structure,
- a first anchoring flange (11) fixed to the supporting wall (25) of the second wall (2);
- a second anchoring flange 211 fixed to the supporting wall 5 of the first wall 1;
- a seal fixed to the first anchoring flange 11 via the first connecting piece 12 on the one hand and to the second anchoring flange 211 via the second connecting piece 212 on the other hand a corner piece (13), the sealing corner piece (13) connected in a sealing manner to the sealing membrane (27) of the first wall and to the sealing membrane (7) of the second wall;
including,
The sealing corner piece 13 has a first flat branch 131 extending in the plane of the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall 2 and in the plane of the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall 1. and an extending second flat branch (132);
The first connecting piece 12 has a first flat branch 122 parallel to the first anchoring flange 11 and a second flat branch 121 parallel to the sealing membrane 7 of the second wall 2 ),
The second connecting piece 212 has a first flat branch 2122 parallel to the second anchoring flange 211 and a second flat branch 2121 parallel to the sealing membrane 27 of the first wall 1 ),
the first flat branch 122 of the first connecting piece 12 is welded to the first anchoring flange 11;
the first flat branch 2122 of the second connecting piece 212 is welded to the second anchoring flange 211;
The first flat branch 131 of the sealing corner piece 13 is welded to the second flat branch 121 of the first connecting piece 12, and the second flat branch 132 of the sealing corner piece 13 ) is welded to the second flat branch 2121 of the second connecting piece 212,
the sealing membrane (27) of the first wall (1) is welded to the second flat branch (132) of the sealing corner piece (13);
The sealing membrane (7) of the second wall (2) is welded to the first flat branch (131) of the sealing corner piece (13).
According to claim 1,
The sealing corner piece 13 includes a plurality of cross sections 135,
Two adjacent cross sections (135) are connected to each other in a sealed manner via a corrugated coupling (15) projecting towards the inside of the tank,
The sealing membranes 27, 7 of the first wall and the second wall have a series of corrugations projecting toward the inside of the tank and developing in a direction perpendicular to the edge corners 100, 201 ( 71, 271), respectively,
The tank (1000), wherein each corrugation (71) of the first wall and the second wall is aligned with the corrugated coupling (15) of the sealing corner piece.
According to claim 1,
The sealing corner piece 13 includes a plurality of cross sections 135,
Two adjacent cross sections (135) are connected to each other in a sealed manner via a corrugated coupling (15) projecting towards the inside of the tank,
The sealing membranes 27, 7 of the first wall and the second wall have a series of corrugations 71, 271 projecting toward the outside of the tank and developing in a direction perpendicular to the edge corners 100, 201. ), respectively,
The tank (1000), wherein each corrugation (71) of the first wall and the second wall is aligned with the corrugated coupling (15) of the sealing corner piece.
According to claim 2 or 3,
The corrugated coupling (15) includes a central part (153), a first curved end (151) and a second curved end (152),
the first curved end (151) fits over the corrugation (71) of the sealing membrane (27) of the first wall on the one hand and over the central part (153) on the other hand;
The tank (1000), wherein the second curved end (152) fits over the corrugation (71) of the sealing membrane (7) of the second wall on the one hand and over the central part (153) on the other hand.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first anchoring flange 11 extends parallel to the supporting wall 5 of the first wall 1, and the second anchoring flange 211 extends parallel to the supporting wall 25 of the second wall 2. Tank 1000 extending parallel to.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
At the edge corner 100, the support wall 5 of the first wall and the support wall 25 of the second wall together form a salient angle α on the inside of the tank, 1 anchoring flange 11 extends from the continuation of the supporting wall 5 of the first wall 1, and the second anchoring flange 211 extends from the supporting wall 25 of the second wall 2. Tank 1000 extending from the continuum.
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The support wall 5 of the first wall 1 and the support wall 25 of the second wall form a re-entrant angle α on the inside of the tank,
the first anchoring flange (11) extends parallel to the support wall (5) of the first wall (1) and spaced apart from the support wall (5) of the first wall (1);
The second anchoring flange 211 is a tank 1000 extending parallel to the support wall 25 of the second wall 2 and spaced apart from the support wall 25 of the second wall 2. ).
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The thermal insulation barrier (6, 26) of at least one of the first wall (1) and the second wall (2) includes a plurality of lagging elements (61),
Each lagging element 61 comprises a cover panel facing towards the inside of the tank,
The inner surface of the lagging element (61) bordering the edge corner (100) includes a discontinuity (62) facing the sealing membrane (27),
a connecting plate (63) is received in the discontinuity (62) and lies flush with the inner surface of the lagging element (61) and the inner surface of the flat branch (132) of the sealing corner piece (13);
The tank (1000) wherein the sealing membrane (27) is secured to the inner surface to form a continuous flat support surface for the sealing membrane (27).
According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The heat insulating barriers 6 and 26 fixed to the support walls 5 and 25 are secondary heat insulating barriers,
The sealing membrane (7, 27) fixed to the secondary thermal insulation barrier (6, 26) is a secondary sealing membrane,
the sealing corner piece 13 connected in a sealing manner to the secondary sealing membrane 27 of the first wall and the secondary sealing membrane 7 of the second wall is a secondary sealing corner piece;
The first wall 1 and the second wall 2, in the thickness direction of the tank, from the outside to the inside, the secondary insulation barriers 6, 26 and the secondary sealing membranes 7, 27 On the top part, a primary thermal insulation barrier (8, 28) and a primary sealing membrane (7, 27) adapted to come into contact with the liquid contained in the tank,
The corner structure (10) further comprises a primary sealing corner piece (913) connected in a sealing manner to the primary sealing membrane (9) of the first wall and the primary sealing membrane (29) of the second wall tank (1000) ).
According to claim 9,
The tank (1000), wherein the primary sealing corner piece (913) is fixed to the secondary sealing corner piece (13) via one or more spacers (32).
According to claim 10,
The outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece 913 bears primary studs 35;
each spacer (32) includes at least one orifice through which a primary stud (35) passes;
the spacer (32) is held pressed against the outer surface of the primary sealing corner piece (913) by a primary nut mounted on the primary stud (35);
The inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece 13 supports secondary studs 31,
The spacer 32 has fixing tabs 323,
The secondary stud 31 is located between the fixing tabs 323 of two adjacent spacers 32,
The support plate 33 includes an orifice mounted on the secondary stud 31,
The two adjacent spacers (32) are held pressed by the support plate (33) against the inner surface of the secondary sealing corner piece (13) by a secondary nut (311) mounted on the secondary stud (31). Tank (1000).
According to claim 9,
The secondary sealing membranes 27 and 7 are composite membranes, the secondary sealing corner piece 13 includes a plurality of cross sections 135, and the two adjacent cross sections 135 form a sealing manner through a composite sealing strip. Tanks 1000 connected to each other.
In a vessel 1070 for transporting a cold liquid product,
A vessel (1070) comprising a hull (1072) and a tank (1000) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 arranged in the hull.
A conveying system for a low temperature liquid product comprising:
The system,
A vessel (1070) according to claim 13;
Insulated pipes (1073, 1079, 1076, 1081) arranged in such a way as to connect the tank (1071) installed on the ship's hull to a floating or onshore storage facility (1077), and
A pump for driving the flow of a low-temperature liquid product from the floating or onshore storage facility to the tank of the ship, or from the tank of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility, through the insulated pipes.
Conveying system comprising a.
In the method for loading or offloading a vessel (1070) according to claim 13,
The cold liquid product is conveyed via insulated pipes (1073, 1079, 1076, 1081) from the floating or onshore storage facility (1077) to the hull of the ship or from the hull of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility (1077). Way.

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