KR102474089B1 - Fluid-tight container provided with corrugated coupling elements - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fluid-tight container comprising at least two walls, the walls angular to each other and connected to each other in the edge region, the fluid-tight container tank comprising: - attached to a carrier structure in the edge region; A connecting beam comprising a plurality of parts (2), each part (2) comprising a central core and two connecting vanes (9) projecting towards the outer surface of the central core; - a sealing membrane (20), wherein the edges (24) of the sealing membrane (20) parallel to the edge zone are welded to the connecting vanes (9) parallel to the sealing membrane (20) in each part. 20); - an undulating coupling element (15) attached in a straddling manner over the connecting vanes (9) of two adjacent parts (2) so as to connect the connecting vanes (9) together and to attach the parts (2) to each other, said coupling element The corrugations 18 of (15) are located between the corrugations 21 of the sealing membrane 20 and comprise coupling elements 15, which are parallel.

Description

Fluid-tight container provided with corrugated coupling elements

The present invention relates in particular to the field of sealed tanks for the storage or transport of fluids, in particular to sealed and insulated tanks for low temperature liquefied gases.

The invention more particularly relates to the connecting beam of such a tank and in particular to the connection between different sections of such a connecting beam.

A methane tanker tank is known, for example, from French patent FR-A-2549575. The methane tanker tank includes a plurality of longitudinal tank walls and a plurality of transverse tank walls. The wall of the tank comprises a double sealing membrane sandwiched with a double insulating barrier. This tank is incorporated here into the bearing structure formed by the hull of the methane tanker.

When loading and unloading LNG, changes in temperature and state of charge of the tank exert great stress on the membrane of the tank. Likewise, during sea transport, the movement of the vessel exerts significant forces on the barriers of the tank. In order to prevent deterioration of the sealing and insulating properties of the tank, the primary and secondary sealing membranes are fixed to the bearing structure using connecting rings at the corners between the transverse and longitudinal walls of the tank.

The fixation of the connecting ring to the bearing structure on the one hand and the connection with the hermetic membrane on the other hand ensures that loads are transmitted between the membrane and the ship's hull, thus making the overall structure of the tank rigid.

The connecting ring makes it possible, in particular, to absorb tensile loads resulting from thermal contraction of the metal elements forming the hermetic barrier, deformation of the hull at sea and the filling state of the tanks.

It is known from the applicant that it is possible to reduce assembly work on a vessel by producing a connecting ring with a connecting beam having a cross section in the form of a parallelogram. The connecting beam is composed of a plurality of sections to be assembled to one another to form a connecting beam that transmits loads uniformly over its entire length.

While assembling different sections of the connecting beam, joining parts are used to connect the sections together. However, these coupling parts are complex and bulky, and mounting the assembly in the tank is difficult to implement.

One idea on which the present invention is based is to simplify the mounting of the tank and in particular of the connecting beam while ensuring overall mechanical strength.

Another idea on which the invention is based is to ensure a secure connection between the sections of the connecting beam while ensuring the continuity of the seal-tightness of the sealing membrane in the edge region.

Another idea on which the present invention is based is the experience of being able to have very good resistance to accidental press-in and other stresses, which cause deformation of the beam and/or movement of the cargo when the ship is at sea, for example from thermal contraction. It is to provide a tank wall that brings together the advantages of a corrugated primary membrane and a secondary membrane formed by parallel strakes with the robustness demonstrated by

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a sealed tank comprising at least two walls forming an angle therebetween and meeting at an edge region, the sealed tank comprising:

- a connecting beam fixed to the bearing structure in the edge region, the connecting beam comprising a plurality of sections each comprising a hollow central core having sections in the form of parallelograms and extensions of the two sides of the central core intersecting at the corners of the central core. a connecting beam composed of two connecting wings protruding outward from the central core from the corners at the rear, the corner of the central core being the same as the corner between the walls;

- corrugated sealing membrane comprising undulations perpendicular to the edge region, the sealing membrane being located on at least two walls, the edge of the sealing membrane parallel to the edge region to the connecting vane of each section parallel to the sealing membrane a welded, corrugated sealing membrane;

- a corrugated coupling element comprising at least one corrugation, wherein the corrugated coupling element is fixed across the coupling vanes of two adjacent sections to connect the coupling vanes together and fix the sections to each other, wherein the corrugation of the coupling element The shape includes corrugated coupling elements, located between and parallel to the corrugations of the sealing membrane.

Due to these features, the coupling element makes it possible to connect the different sections of the connecting beam simply and securely.

According to another advantageous embodiment, such a tank may have one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the coupling element comprises a plurality of parallel undulations.

According to one embodiment, the coupling elements are firmly welded to the connecting vanes. A tight weld is understood to mean that the weld bead connecting the parts makes it possible to obtain a fluid-tight continuous surface.

According to one embodiment, the coupling elements, central core and/or connecting vanes are made of stainless steel, aluminum, Invar ^® : iron and nickel with an expansion coefficient typically between 1.2×10 ^-6 and 2×10 ^-6 K ^-1 . is a material in an alloy of, or an alloy of iron with a high manganese content with an expansion coefficient of approximately 7×10 ^-6 K ^-1 .

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is produced from stainless steel or aluminum.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane consists of a corrugated metal plate, for example made of stainless steel, having a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm and a measurement of 3 m x 1 m. The metal sheet may have a first series of parallel corrugations, for example in the form of a rectangle, and so-called low waves extending in direction y from one edge of the sheet to the other edge, and a so-called high wave extending in direction x from one edge of the metal sheet to the other edge. and a second series of parallel wavy shapes, the wavy series being continuous wavy shapes. The directions x and y of the wavy series are orthogonal.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane comprises two mutually perpendicular corrugated series with a discontinuity of a portion of the corrugation at the intersection between the two series.

According to one embodiment, the coupling element comprises a first wing and a second wing on both sides of the undulation, the first wing being welded to the connecting wing of one of the two adjacent sections and the second wing being welded to the two adjacent sections. Among them are welded to the other connecting wing.

Thus, the coupling element is firmly fixed with the connecting wing.

According to one embodiment, the coupling element is such that the first wing and the second wing consist of two parts, one in contact with one of the connecting vanes and the other in contact with the other connecting vane, such that the corners of the parallelogram of the central core are identical. It folds at an angle. Choreum is also folded in this embodiment.

According to one embodiment, one of the connecting wings includes a cutout overlapping the corrugation of the sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the coupling element overlaps the edge of the sealing membrane, the sealing membrane comprising a cut-out at the edge of the coupling element.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the coupling element is firmly welded to the sealing membrane in the overlap between the coupling element and the sealing membrane.

Thus, the coupling element is rigidly connected to the sealing membrane so as to extend the coupling element and the sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the coupling element welded to the sealing membrane comprises a setback enabling the edge of the coupling element to be positioned over the edge of the sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane consists of a plurality of metal sheets welded to one another, wherein the dimension of the edges of the metal sheets parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connecting beam is a multiple of the longitudinal dimension of one of the sections of the connecting beam.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the edge of the metal sheet is an integer multiple of the longitudinal dimension of one of the sections of the connecting beam. For example, for a 2 or 3 m long section the metal sheet has a length or width of 1 or 2 or 3 m, and for a 2.4 or 3.6 m long section the metal sheet has a length or width of 1.2 or 2.4 or 3.6 m or have a width

According to one embodiment, the corrugation of the coupling element is produced by stamping or folding.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is produced by stamping or folding.

According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is produced by folding, and the tank comprises a cap which is firmly fixed to the corrugated end of the sealing membrane and has a terminal corrugated portion in the form of a dome so as to approximate the corrugated shape, a portion of the cap is fixed to one of the connecting wings.

Thus, in the case of an open corrugation at its end, the cap makes it possible to close the corrugation of the sealing membrane so as to maintain the seal-tightness of the sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the part of the cab that allows the cab to be secured to the connecting vane is the perimeter soleplate.

According to one embodiment, the corrugation of the coupling element is produced by folding, the tank comprising a cap which is rigidly fixed to the corrugated end of the coupling element and has a terminal corrugated part in the form of a dome so as to approximate the corrugation; A part of the cap is fixed to the sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the part of the cap enabling the cap to be secured to the sealing membrane is the perimeter soleplate.

According to one embodiment, the corrugated sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane, the corner of the central core is a first corner and the central core includes a second corner opposite to the first corner, and the tank is configured from the outside of the tank. In the thickness direction into the interior:

— a secondary thermal insulation barrier located under the connecting beam;

- a secondary sealing membrane located on the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core forming a second corner opposite to the first corner;

- a primary thermal insulation barrier located between the secondary sealing membrane and the primary sealing membrane;

- a primary sealing membrane located on the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core forming the first corner.

According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane is made of Invar ^® : an alloy of iron and nickel with a coefficient of expansion typically between 1.2×10 ^-6 and 2×10 ^-6 K ^-1 , or approximately 7×10 ^-6 K It is made of an alloy of iron with a high manganese content with an expansion coefficient of ^-1 .

According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane comprises a metal band extending longitudinally and having a raised longitudinal edge, the raised edges of two adjacent metal bands paired to form an expansion bellows. It is welded to allow deformation of the secondary sealing membrane in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

According to one embodiment, the connecting wing is a primary connecting wing and the corner of the central core is a first corner, and each section of the connecting beam is:

- two secondary stator blades projecting outwardly from the central core from the second corner of the central core at extensions of the two sides of the central core intersecting at the second corner opposite to the first corner,

- two secondary connecting wings protruding outwardly from the central core at extensions of the two sides of the central core which intersect at the second corner and in opposite directions to the secondary stator vanes with respect to the central core, and

- two primary stator blades protruding outwardly from the central core in an extension of the two sides of the central core which intersect at the first corner and in a direction opposite to the primary connecting vanes relative to the central core,

The connecting beam is fixed to the bearing structure using a secondary stator blade and a primary stator blade.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the secondary sealing membrane parallel to the edge region is welded to the secondary connecting vane of each section parallel to the secondary sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises at least one connecting plate, the connecting plate being fixed over the central core of two adjacent sections.

According to one embodiment, the connecting plate is planar.

According to one embodiment, the tank comprises three connecting plates fixed across three different sides of the parallelogram of the central core.

According to one embodiment, the central core is composed of metal sheets welded to each other to form a parallelogram in cross section, and the connecting plate is fixed to one of the metal sheets.

According to one embodiment, the at least one metal sheet of the central core includes an edge that is setback at one end.

Thus, when the sections are placed side by side, the setback edge of each section creates a window enabling a component to be welded inside the section, for example a connecting plate.

According to one embodiment, the sheet forming the connecting plate, the central core and/or the secondary connecting wings is made of stainless steel, aluminum, Invar ^® : an expansion of typically 1.2×10 ^-6 to 2×10 ^-6 K ^-1 It is produced from a material in an alloy of iron and nickel with a modulus of iron and nickel, or an alloy of iron with a high manganese content with an expansion coefficient of approximately 7×10 ^-6 K ^-1 .

Such tanks may form part of an onshore storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or may be used in offshore or deep-water floating structures, in particular methane tankers, floating storage and reliquefaction units (FSRUs), offshore floating and production storage It can be installed in the device (FPSO). Such tanks can also be used as fuel in any type of vessel.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a vessel for transporting cold liquid products, which includes a double hull and the aforementioned tank disposed within the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, wherein a cold liquid product is passed through an insulated pipeline from a floating or land storage facility to a vessel's tank or to a vessel's tank. are transported to floating or onshore storage facilities.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a conveying system for cold liquid products, comprising a vessel as described above, an insulated vessel configured to connect a tank installed within the hull of the vessel to a floating or land storage facility. It includes pipelines and pumps for driving the flow of cold liquid product through insulated pipelines from the floating or land storage facility to the vessel's tanks, or from the vessel's tanks to the floating or land storage facilities.

A better understanding of the invention and other objects, details, features and advantages of the invention will be obtained from the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention, given in a purely illustrative and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will become clear.
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cross section of a connecting beam.
- Figure 2 is a perspective view in cross section of a connecting beam provided with coupling elements and connecting plates according to the first embodiment;
- Figure 3 is a schematic view from above of a tank wall close to a corner of the tank in the edge region, with coupling elements according to a second embodiment;
- Figure 4 is a detailed view of the profile of the cap according to section IV-IV in Figure 3;
- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a coupling element according to a third embodiment.
- Figure 6 is a schematic cut-away view of a vessel comprising sealed fluid storage tanks and terminals for loading/unloading these tanks.

In this description, regardless of the gravitational field, the terms above, top or above refer to the inside of the tank and below, bottom or below refer to the outside of the tank.

The sealed membrane tank comprises at least one sealing membrane 20 which allows the tank to be sealed. In the example presented below, the tank includes a primary sealing membrane 20 and a secondary sealing membrane. Between the sealing membranes, the presented tank comprises a primary thermal insulation barrier, which makes it possible to maintain the temperature inside the tank, for example when loading liquefied gas. The tank also includes a secondary insulating barrier disposed around and outside the secondary sealing membrane.

The primary sealing membrane 20 is composed of a corrugated metal plate. For example, this corrugated metal plate is made of stainless steel with a thickness of about 1.2 mm and dimensions of 3 m x 1 m. A metal plate in the form of a rectangle has a first series of parallel corrugations 22, so-called low waves, extending in the y direction from one edge of the sheet to the other and extending in the x direction from one edge of the metal sheet to the other. Parallel waves 21 of the second series, the so-called high waves. The directions x and y of the series of waves 21 and 22 are orthogonal. Corrugations 21 and 22 project on the side surfaces of the inner surface of the metal sheet 1 intended to be placed in contact with, for example, a fluid contained in a tank. Here, the edge of the metal plate is parallel to the corrugation. The corrugated metal plate includes a flat portion 23 between the corrugations 21 and 22 . The terms "high" and "low" have a relative meaning and indicate that the so-called low ripples have a lower height than the so-called high ripples. In a variant, the undulations may have the same height.

The primary sealing membrane 20 may also have two series of mutually orthogonal corrugations 21, 22 with a certain corrugation discontinuity at the intersection between the two series. For example, the breaks are distributed alternately in the waves of a first series and the waves of a second series, and within a series of waves, a wave interruption is one wave step relative to an adjacent parallel wave interruption. offset by

The secondary sealing membrane here is produced by means of Invar bands with raised edges, eg 500 or 600 mm in size. The raised edges of two adjacent bands of Invar ^® are welded in pairs to weld supports fixed to the secondary insulating barrier forming the supporting surface upon which the Invar ^® band rests.

The secondary insulating barrier includes a plurality of secondary insulating blocks secured to the bearing wall by retaining devices. The primary thermal insulation barrier includes a plurality of primary thermal insulation blocks secured to the bearing wall by means of couplers through secondary thermal insulation barriers. The primary and secondary insulating blocks generally have a parallelepipedal shape and are arranged in parallel rows. The rows of primary insulating blocks can be aligned in the thickness direction of the wall with the rows of secondary insulating blocks or, on the other hand, can be offset from the latter. In the latter case, a primary coupler fixed to the secondary insulating block may be used to hold the primary insulating block thereon.

The primary and/or secondary insulating block can be produced according to different structures.

The primary or secondary insulating block comprises a bottom plate, a cover plate and a bearing web extending between the bottom plate and the cover plate in the thickness direction of the tank wall, and a plurality of compartments filled with an insulating lining such as perlite, glass or stone wool. can be produced in the form of a caisson that confines The sole plate, cover plate and bearing web may be made of plywood or composite material. Such general structures are described, for example, in WO2012/127141 or WO2017/103500.

The primary or secondary insulating block may also comprise a base plate, a cover plate and possibly an intermediate plate, for example made of plywood. The primary or secondary insulating block also includes one or more insulating polymer foam layers sandwiched and glued between the base plate, the cover plate and possibly the middle plate. The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam optionally reinforced with fibers. Such a general structure is described for example in WO2017/006044.

The primary and secondary sealing membranes are secured on the bearing structure using connecting rings at the corners of the tank. The connecting ring is composed of a plurality of connecting beams (1).

The connecting beam 1 consists of a plurality of sections 2 fixed to each other. As shown in Figure 1, each section consists of flat metal sheets 4 welded together to form:

- a hollow central core (3) with a cross-section in the form of a parallelogram consisting of four flat metal sheets (4);

- two primary fixations protruding outwardly from the central core 3 from the first corner 5 of the central core 3 at the extensions of the two sides of the central core 3 intersecting at the first corner. wings (9),

2 protruding outwardly from the central core 3 from the second corner 6 of the central core 3 at the extension of the two sides of the central core 3 intersecting at said second corner 6; the second fixed wing of the dog (12),

- from the central core 3 at the extension of the two sides of the central core 3 in the opposite direction to the secondary stator blades 12 relative to the central core 3 and also intersecting at said second corner 6 two secondary connecting wings 10 protruding outward, and

- from the central core 3 at the extension of the two sides of the central core 3 in the opposite direction to the primary stator blade 9 relative to the central core 3 and also intersecting at said first corner 5; Two primary stator blades (11) protruding outward.

In the embodiment presented in FIG. 1 , the two metal sheets 4 forming the central core 3 have an offset edge 7 at one of their longitudinal ends. The offset edge 7 makes it possible to create a window 8 which allows the sections 2 of the connecting beam 1 to be more easily welded together.

The primary stator blade 11 and the secondary stator blade 12 are fixed to the bearing structure of the ship 70 so that the connecting beam 1 and the sealing membrane are fixed to the bearing structure.

The secondary thermal insulation barrier is located below the connecting beam 1 , ie closer to the outside of the tank than the connecting beam 1 . The secondary sealing membrane is located at the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core 3 forming the second corner 6 and thus continues to the secondary connecting vane 10 . The primary thermal insulation barrier is located between the two sealing membranes and inside the central core (3). The primary sealing membrane 20 is located on the extension of the parallelogram side of the central core forming the first corner and thus continues to the primary connecting vane 9 .

Indeed, as can be seen in FIG. 3 , the edge 24 of the primary sealing membrane 20 close to the corner of the tank ensures the continuity of the primary sealing membrane while maintaining the integrity of the primary sealing membrane 20 to the bearing structure. It is welded to the primary connecting wing 9 to ensure fixation. Similarly, the edge of the secondary sealing membrane close to the corner of the tank is welded to the secondary connecting vane 10 .

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the primary connecting vane 9 includes a cutout 14 which allows the corrugation 21 of the primary sealing membrane 20 to more easily fit into the primary connecting vane. can do.

2 shows section 2 of connecting beam 1 provided with coupling elements 15 and connecting plate 19 enabling sections 2 to be fastened together to form connecting beam 1 .

The connecting plate 19 is welded on the one hand to the metal sheet 4 forming the central core 3 of the first section 2 and on the other hand to the second section adjacent to the first section 2 ( 2) is a flat metal sheet welded to the metal sheet 4 forming the central core 3.

The coupling element 15 is obtained by folding or stamping a metal sheet. It is preferably made of the same material as the sealing membrane 20 or the corrugated metal plate constituting the wings 9 . The metal plate of the coupling element 15 or connecting plate 19 is in particular stainless steel, aluminum, Invar ^® : an alloy of iron and nickel with an expansion coefficient typically between 1.2×10 ^-6 and 2×10 ^-6 K ^-1 . , or an alloy of iron with a high manganese content with an expansion coefficient of approximately 7×10 ^-6 K ^-1 . However, other metals or alloys are also possible. As an example, the metal sheet has a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm. Other thicknesses may be considered, bearing in mind that thicker metal sheets increase cost and generally increase wavy stiffness.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the coupling element 15 comprises a continuous wave 18, a first wing 16 and a second wing 17 on either side of the wave 18. . Each wing 16, 17 includes a first wing portion 33 and a second wing portion 34 that are inclined relative to each other and meet at an edge 35. The protruding corner formed between the two parts of the wings 33 and 34 is about 90° in the illustrated embodiment. However, in general, the angle formed between the two parts of the wings 33 and 34 may be between 90° inclusive and 180° exclusive. Each portion of the wings 33 and 34 has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and thus includes two opposing parallel lateral edges and one end edge opposite the other portion of the wings 33 and 34 .

The undulations 18 of the coupling elements 15 impart flexibility to the coupling elements so that they can be deformed under the influence of thermal and mechanical stresses produced by the liquefied natural gas stored in the tank. The undulations 18 extend longitudinally intersecting the edge 35 from one end of the coupling element 15 to the other. The undulations 18 thus extend parallel to the opposite lateral edges of the portions of the wings 33 and 34 . The corrugation 18 thus allows the coupling element to be deformed in a transverse direction parallel to the edge 35 . Like the corrugation 7 of the metal plate, the corrugation 18 is on the inner side of the coupling element 15, ie towards the inside of the corner formed between the two parts of the wings 33, 34 of the coupling element 15. stick out Thus, the corrugations 18 protrude towards the inside of the tank when the coupling element 15 is placed in the tank.

The first blade 16 of the coupling element 15 is welded to the primary stator blade 9 of the first section 2. In practice, the first wing portion 33 of the first wing 16 is welded to one of the primary fixed blades 9 of the first section 2 and the second wing portion 34 of the first wing 16 is welded to the other one of the primary stator blades 9 of the first section 2.

The second wing 16 of the coupling element 15 is welded to the primary stator wing 9 of the second section 2 adjacent to the first section 2 . In practice, the first wing portion 33 of the second wing 17 is welded to one of the primary fixed blades 9 of the second section 2 and the second wing portion 34 of the second wing 17 is welded to the other one of the primary anchoring wings (9) of the second section (2).

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the tank wall close to the tank corner. As can be seen in FIG. 3 , the edge 24 of the primary sealing membrane 20 is positioned in section 2 such that the edge 13 of the primary connecting vane 9 is disposed below the primary sealing membrane 20 . It is disposed on the primary connecting wing 9 of In this position, the primary sealing membrane 20 is welded to the primary connecting vane 9 to form a continuous surface. The sealing membrane 20 is thus fastened to all sections 2 of the connecting beams 1 located in the corner regions of the tank.

To fix the adjacent sections 2 together and also to extend the primary sealing membrane 20 between the two sections 2, a coupling element 15 is provided on each primary connecting wing on the two adjacent sections 2. It is welded over (9). Edge 32 of coupling element 15 is also arranged on edge 24 of primary sealing membrane 20 at the junction between two adjacent sections 2 . The edge 32 of the coupling element 15 is also connected to the primary sealing membrane (so that the coupling element 15, the primary sealing membrane 20 and the primary connecting vanes 9 of the two adjacent sections form a continuous sealing surface). 20) is welded.

The corrugation 21 extends from one edge of the primary sealing membrane 20 to the opposite edge. At the corners of the tank, the corrugations 21 are blocked by end elements, which will be called caps 25. With this cap 25, the corrugation 21 ensures the seal-tightness of the primary sealing membrane 20 in the corner area of the tank and in the connection between the primary connecting vane 9 and the coupling element 15. hermetically sealed to

The corrugations 18 of the coupling element 15 are arranged between the two corrugations 21 of the primary sealing membrane 20 . If the distance between two ripples 21 is considered a step, the ripples 18 are preferably offset with respect to the ripples 21 by half a step. Finally, like the corrugation 21, the corrugation 18 is sealed with the cap 28 to ensure the sealing tightness of the coupling element 15.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the primary sealing membrane 20 may include a cutout 40 that allows the corrugation 18 of the coupling element 15 to more easily engage the primary sealing membrane 20 . have.

In order to ensure the continuity of load absorption and the continuity of sealing, in the joint area between the primary connecting vane 9 and the primary sealing membrane 20, each cap 25 is placed on the edge 24 of the primary sealing membrane. Extends the wavy shape (21) beyond. To this end, the cab 25 comprises a peripheral sole plate 31 closely following and contacting the primary connecting vanes 9 . The peripheral bottom plate 31 also spans the flat part 23 of the primary sealing membrane 20 . Further, the cap 25 closely follows the corrugation 21 of the primary sealing membrane 20 on one side and in the direction from the primary sealing membrane 20 towards the primary connecting vane 9 on the other side. It includes part of the undulations 26 that taper down to the perimeter deck 31 . This end of cap 25 forms a kind of dome 27 . As a variant, other types of ends may be employed, such as flat cut end ends.

Like the caps 25 , each cap 28 extends a corrugation 18 beyond the edge 32 of the coupling element 15 .

Cap 28 will now be described with reference to FIG. 4 . The cab 28 comprises a peripheral floor plate 31 which rests on both sides of the overlap zone 29 on the primary connecting vane 9 on the one hand and on the primary membrane 20 on the other hand. The cap 28 is part of the corrugation 26 matching the corrugation 18 of the coupling element 15 and reducing to the peripheral base plate 21 to form a terminal crown 27, also called a dome, arch or cupola. includes In the same way as the cap 25 , the peripheral bottom plate 31 of the cap 28 closely follows and contacts the primary sealing membrane 20 . In addition, the peripheral bottom plate also contacts the vanes 16 and 17 of the coupling element 15 on both sides of the corrugation 15 .

As can be seen in FIG. 4 , the coupling element 15 comprises a cutout 30 close to the overlap area 29 which makes it possible to compensate for the thickness of the primary sealing membrane 20 .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the edge 32 of the coupling element 15 is included between the edge 24 of the primary sealing membrane 20 and the edge 13 of the primary connecting vane 9 . As a variant, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the edge 32 of the coupling element 15 extends beyond the edge 13 of the primary connecting vane 9 .

5 shows a coupling element 15 according to a second embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the wavy shape 18 has an extreme first portion 36 formed on the first wing portion 33, an extreme second portion 37 formed on the second wing portion 34, and an edge ( 35) and is divided into three parts: a central part 38 extending at an extension between the first and second extreme parts 36, 37.

The extreme first portion 36 extends from the edge 32 toward the edge 35 of the first wing portion 33 . Symmetrically, the extreme second portion 37 extends from the edge 32 toward the edge 35 of the second wing portion 34 . The first and second extreme parts 36, 37 have a substantially semi-elliptical or triangular profile shape. An undulating central portion 38 spans the edge 35 and extends between the two wing portions 33 , 34 at extensions of the first and second extreme portions 36 , 37 . The central portion 38 also has a substantially half-ellipse or triangular profile. The extreme parts 36 , 37 have a depression 39 so that the central part 38 penetrates into the extreme parts 36 , 37 of the corrugation 18 , in the area where they meet the central part 38 . Also, the extreme portions 36 and 37 of the undulation 18 extend on both sides of the central portion 38 so as to approximate the edge 35 .

Referring to Fig. 6, a cut-away view of a methane tanker 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71, generally prismatic, mounted in the double hull 72 of the vessel. The walls of the tank 71 include a primary sealing barrier intended to come into contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and a primary sealing barrier and a secondary sealing barrier. It includes two insulating barriers respectively disposed between the sealing barrier and the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull (72).

As is known, a loading/unloading pipeline 73 arranged on the upper deck of the vessel can be connected to a sea or port terminal by suitable connectors to transfer LNG cargo to and from the tank 71 .

6 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75 , a subsea line 76 and an onshore installation 77 . The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation comprising a movable arm 74 and a riser 78 supporting it. The moving arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 which can be connected to a loading/unloading pipeline 73. The steerable travel arm 74 adapts to all methane tanker templates. A connecting line, not shown, extends into the riser 78 . A loading and unloading station 75 allows the methane tanker 70 to be loaded and unloaded from or to an onshore facility 77 . The latter includes a connected liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting line 81 connected to a loading or unloading station 75 by a subsea line 76. The subsea line 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the shore facility 77 over long distances, for example 5 km, which allows the methane tanker 70 to perform loading and unloading operations. while keeping it at a great distance from the shore.

In order to produce the pressure required for the transfer of the liquefied gas, a pump built into the ship 70 and/or a pump installed in the shore installation 77 and/or the unloading station 75 is implemented.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a few particular embodiments, it is clear that all technical equivalents of the described means are not limited thereto in any way, and combinations thereof provided later are included within the context of the present invention.

Use of the verb "comprise" or "have" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those specified in the claims.

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

Claims (18)

A sealed tank comprising at least two walls forming an angle between themselves and meeting at an edge region, the sealed tank comprising:
- a connecting beam (1) fixed to a bearing structure in the edge region, said connecting beam (1) comprising a central core and a plurality of sections (2) each comprising a hollow central core (3) having a section in the form of a parallelogram; From the extension of the two side surfaces of the central core 3 intersecting at the corner 5 of (3) to the two connecting wings 9 protruding outward from the central core 3 from said corner 5. a connecting beam (1), wherein the corner (5) of the central core (3) is the same as the corner between the walls;
- a corrugated sealing membrane (20) comprising corrugations (21) perpendicular to the edge region, said sealing membrane (20) being located on at least two walls, of the sealing membrane (20) parallel to the edge region. Edge 24 is welded to the connecting vane 9 of each section 2 parallel to the sealing membrane 20, the corrugated sealing membrane 20;
- a corrugated coupling element (15) comprising at least one corrugation (18), which corrugated coupling element (15) connects the connecting vanes (9) together and fixes the sections (2) to each other. fixed over the connecting vanes 9 of two adjacent sections 2, the undulations 18 of the coupling element 15 being parallel to and located between the undulations 21 of the sealing membrane 20; , wavy coupling element (15)
Including, sealed tank. According to claim 1,
The coupling element 15 comprises a first wing 16 and a second wing 17 on either side of the corrugation 18, the first wing 16 being one of two adjacent sections 2 and the second wing (17) is welded to the other connecting wing (9) of the two adjacent sections (2). According to claim 1 or 2,
Sealing tank, wherein one of the connecting wings (9) comprises a cut-out (14) overlapping the corrugation (21) of the sealing membrane (20). According to claim 1 or 2,
The edge 32 of the coupling element 15 overlaps the edge 32 of the sealing membrane 20, the sealing membrane 20 comprising a cutout 40 at the edge 32 of the coupling element 15 , sealed tank. According to claim 1 or 2,
The sealing membrane 20 consists of a plurality of metal plates welded together, the dimension of the edges 24 of the metal plates parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connecting beam 1 is equal to that of one of the sections 2 of the connecting beam 1 A sealed tank that is an integral multiple of its longitudinal dimension. According to claim 1 or 2,
The corrugated shape (18) of the coupling element (15) is produced by stamping or folding. According to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the sealing membrane (20) is produced by stamping or folding. According to claim 1 or 2,
The sealing membrane 20 is produced by folding, and the tank is firmly fixed to the end of the corrugation 21 of the sealing membrane 20, and the end corrugated part 27 in the shape of a dome so as to approach the corrugation 21. ), wherein a part (31) of the cap (28) is secured to one of the connecting vanes (9). According to claim 1 or 2,
The corrugation 18 of the coupling element 15 is produced by folding, and the tank is rigidly fixed to the end of the corrugation 18 of the coupling element 15 and shaped like a dome so as to approximate the corrugation 18. A sealed tank comprising a cap (28) with a distal corrugated portion (27), wherein a portion (31) of the cap (28) is fixed to the sealing membrane (20).
According to claim 1 or 2,
The corrugated sealing membrane 20 is the primary sealing membrane 20, the corner 5 of the central core 3 is the first corner 5, and the central core 3 is the first corner ( and a second corner 6 opposite to 5),
The tank, in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank:
- a secondary thermal insulation barrier located below the connecting beam (1);
- a secondary sealing membrane located on the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core (3) forming a second corner (6) opposite to the first corner (5);
- a primary thermal insulation barrier located between the secondary sealing membrane and the primary sealing membrane (20);
- a sealed tank, comprising a primary sealing membrane (20) located at the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core (3) forming said first corner (5). According to claim 1 or 2,
The connecting wing 9 is a primary connecting wing 9 and the corner 5 of the central core 3 is a first corner 5, each section 2 of the connecting beam 1 is:
- the central core 3 from the second corner 6 of the central core 3 at the extension of the two sides of the central core 3 intersecting at the second corner 6 opposite the first corner 5; Two secondary fixed wings 10 protruding outward from,
- a central core (3) in the extension of the two sides of the central core (3) opposite to the secondary stator blades (12) with respect to the central core (3) and also intersecting at the second corner (6). Two secondary connecting wings 10 protruding outward from, and
- a central core (3) at the extension of the two sides of the central core (3) in a direction opposite to the primary connecting wing (9) with respect to the central core (3) and also intersecting at the first corner (5). It includes two primary fixed wings 11 protruding outward from
The sealing tank according to claim 1, wherein the connecting beam (1) is fixed to the bearing structure using a secondary stator blade (12) and a primary stator blade (11). According to claim 11,
The corrugated sealing membrane 20 is the primary sealing membrane 20, the corner 5 of the central core 3 is the first corner 5, and the central core 3 is the first corner ( and a second corner 6 opposite to 5),
The tank, in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank:
- a secondary thermal insulation barrier located below the connecting beam (1);
- a secondary sealing membrane located on the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core (3) forming a second corner (6) opposite to the first corner (5);
- a primary thermal insulation barrier located between the secondary sealing membrane and the primary sealing membrane (20);
- a primary sealing membrane (20) located on the extension of the sides of the parallelogram of the central core (3) forming said first corner (5),
The edge of the secondary sealing membrane parallel to the edge region is welded to the secondary connecting vane (10) of each section (2) parallel to the secondary sealing membrane. According to claim 1 or 2,
The tank comprises at least one connecting plate (19), the connecting plate (19) being fixed over the central core (3) of two adjacent sections (2). According to claim 13,
The tank comprises three connecting plates (19) fixed across three different sides of the parallelogram of the central core (3). According to claim 10,
The secondary sealing membrane includes a metal band extending in the longitudinal direction and having a raised longitudinal edge, and the raised edges of two adjacent metal bands are welded in pairs to form an expansion bellows to form an expansion bellows in the longitudinal direction. A sealed tank that allows deformation of the secondary sealing membrane in a direction perpendicular to the As a vessel 70 for transporting fluid,
A vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to claim 1 or 2 disposed within the double hull. As a method of loading or unloading on a vessel (70) according to claim 16,
Fluid passes through insulated pipelines (73, 79, 76, 81) from the floating or land storage facility (77) to the tank of the ship (71) or from the tank of the ship (71) to the floating or land storage facility (77). ), which is carried by the method. 17. A fluid transport system comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 16, comprising:
Insulated pipelines 73, 79, 76, 81 configured to connect the tank 71 installed in the hull of the ship to the floating or land storage facility 77 and the insulated pipeline from the floating or land storage facility to the ship A fluid transfer system comprising a pump for moving fluid to a tank of a ship or from a tank of a vessel to a floating or land storage facility.

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