KR102501626B1 - sealed and insulated tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sealed and insulated tank, wherein the insulating barrier comprises a row of corner structures (30), said corner structure comprising a two-sided insulating block (31) and a metal angle section (32), wherein the two successive corner structures in the row are arranged so that there is a space (38) between them, which space is at least partially covered by the protruding part (53) of the metal angle section;
The support surface supports the fixing member 45 disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures, and the cutout 54 formed in the protruding part of the metal angle section forms an access route to the fixing member 45. do.

Description

sealed and insulated tank

The present invention relates to the field of sealed and insulated membrane tanks for storing and/or transporting fluids such as cryogenic fluids.

Sealed and insulated tanks are used to store liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is stored at atmospheric pressure of about -162°C. These tanks can be installed on land or floating structures. In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be for carrying liquefied natural gas or for receiving liquefied natural gas used as fuel to propel the floating structure.

For drying a sealed and insulated membrane tank having a substantially polyhedral inner surface and integrated in a load bearing structure comprising a secondary thermal insulation barrier, a secondary sealing barrier, a primary thermal insulation barrier and a primary sealing barrier continuously in the thickness direction. Different techniques are known.

Tank walls are known, for example, from WO-A-2014167214 or WO-A-2017006044, in which the secondary thermal insulation barrier essentially consists of secondary thermal insulation blocks juxtaposed on the polyhedral inner surface of the load-bearing structure, with a secondary seal The barrier consists of a corrugated metal membrane disposed on the inner surface of the secondary insulating blocks, the primary insulating barrier being essentially juxtaposed on the secondary metal membrane and secured by fixing members supported by the secondary insulating blocks. It consists of primary insulating blocks fixed to the insulating barrier, and the primary sealing barrier consists of a corrugated metal membrane disposed on the inner surface of the primary insulating blocks. The primary and secondary insulating blocks along the edges of the load-bearing structure consist of prefabricated corner structures.

One idea behind the present invention is to propose a sealed and insulated multi-layer tank which makes it easier to achieve at least some of the constraints mentioned above. Another idea behind the present invention is to provide a sealed and insulated multi-layer structure that is easy to manufacture on a large surface.

Several aspects of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . Figure 1 shows an insulating barrier partially made up of juxtaposed insulating blocks on a polyhedral bearing surface 1 with two flat areas 2, 3 essentially meeting at an edge 4 forming an angle therebetween. are showing Insulation blocks are each a corner structure 5 having two faces parallel to each of the two flat areas 2 and 3 and disposed along the corner, and the flat areas of the support surface on both sides of the corner structure 5 and flat insulating panels 6 disposed thereon.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , if the flat insulating panels 6 are assembled first, space problems may arise where the corner structure 5 is not positioned along the corner as indicated by the arrow 7 . As a result, it may be desirable to dry the insulating barrier by completing a flat region. However, once the corner structure 5 is positioned along the corner, the entire area of the bearing surface near the corner 4 is no longer accessible.

In addition to this, it is desirable to make the insulating barrier with standardized insulating blocks as much as possible in order to reduce the manufacturing cost. However, the construction of large load-bearing structures, such as ship hulls, tends to have large size tolerances, eg of several centimeters, which prevents the tank from being fully sized prior to its construction. As a result, it may be necessary to build at least some of the insulating blocks to a size corresponding to the actual size of the load bearing structure.

For the above object, the present invention provides a sealed and insulated tank for storing a fluid, the sealed and insulated tank comprising a thermal insulation barrier and a sealing barrier disposed on an inner surface of the thermal insulation barrier, the thermal insulation barrier being fixed. disposed on a support surface for supporting members and held on the support surface by the fixing members, the support surface having at least two flat areas forming an angle therebetween and meeting at a corner area;

the thermal insulation barrier comprises a row of corner structures disposed along the edge of the supporting surface and flat insulating panels disposed on flat areas of the supporting surface on both sides of the row of corner structures;

At least one of the corner structures is:

- a two-sided insulating block having two faces respectively parallel to the flat regions and forming an angle therebetween, said faces having a flat outer surface pressing against a corresponding flat region of the bearing surface, and said corresponding A two-sided insulating block comprising a flat inner surface parallel to a flat region and spaced apart from the flat outer surface in the thickness direction, and

- a metal angle section fixed to the flat inner surface of the two-sided insulating block to form said sealing barrier aligned with the corner region of the supporting surface, with a protruding part projecting against the two-sided insulating block along the direction of the corner region. one metal angle section

Including,

The two consecutive corner structures in the row are arranged so that there is a space along the direction of the corner area between the two-sided insulation blocks, and the space is the protrusion of the metal angle section of at least one of the two successive corner structures. at least partially covered by a portion,

The support surface supports the one fixing member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures.

The fastening member can thus be used to hold an element of the insulating barrier on a supporting surface, for example a flat insulating panel adjacent to a row of corner structures or a two-sided insulating block of a row of corner structures.

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

According to one embodiment, said at least one of two successive corner structures is a protruding part of a metal angle section aligned with said fixing member arranged between two-sided insulating blocks to form an access to said fixing member. Provide a cutout made in

By means of this cut-out, the fixing member disposed between the two two-sided insulating blocks has a protruding part of one or both of the metal angle sections at least partially covering the space between the two two-sided insulating blocks. Notwithstanding, it remains accessible after the row of corner structures has been positioned. This accessibility makes it possible to easily influence on the fastening member from the inner side of the angle section, for example by means of a screw tool.

The protruding part of the metal angle sections makes it possible to limit the space between the metal angle sections of successive corner structures, which facilitates the sealed closure of the sealing barrier by means of the closing parts, which as a whole and improves the seating of the sealing membrane. The metal angle section may have a protruding portion at a single end or two protruding portions at its two opposite ends along the direction of the corner region. The cutout made in alignment with the fastening member may extend from the protruding portion of a single metal angle section or from two opposing protruding portions of two successive metal angle sections.

According to one embodiment, the space is partially covered by two mutually opposing protruding parts belonging to metal angle sections of the two consecutive corner structures respectively, each of the two mutually opposing protruding parts includes a cutout made aligned with the fixing member. By this feature, a satisfactorily sized access can be made using a cutout with a relatively small cross-section in each of the two protruding parts, which is a testament to the mechanical strength of these cutouts of the metal angle sections. limit the impact

According to one embodiment, the metal angle section of the corner structure has two protruding parts projecting against the two-sided insulating block at two opposite ends of the metal angle section along the direction of the corner area. By this feature, the corner structures can be built identically, which reduces manufacturing costs.

According to one embodiment, the or each cutout is made at an end edge of the protruding portion oriented across a corner region. This feature facilitates the manufacture of cutouts.

According to one embodiment, the metal angle section connects two faces of the two-sided insulating block to each other.

According to one embodiment, a fixing member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of two consecutive corner structures is engaged with the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures to hold the two-sided insulating blocks on the supporting surface. all.

In this case, the fixing member is:

A stud fixed to the support surface and protruding inward from the space between the two-sided insulation blocks,

a pressure bar fitted on the stud and having two lateral parts respectively engaged with the two two-sided insulating blocks; and

A nut screwed onto the stud to press the pressure bar towards the support surface.

can include

According to one embodiment, the pressure bar has a slot through which the stud passes so that the pressure bar crosses the corner area when the nut is not pressing the pressure bar.

- a stowed position in which a pressing bar is accommodated in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks of two successive corner structures, in order to leave the position of the flat insulating panel free; and

- an extended position in which the second part protrudes past the two-sided insulating blocks in a direction opposite to the corner region for engagement with the flat insulating panel;

can slide between

The nut can stop the sliding of the pressure bar by pressing the pressure bar toward the support surface.

According to one embodiment, a fixing member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of two successive corner structures engages a flat insulating panel adjacent to a row of corner structures and holds the flat insulating panel on a supporting surface.

With this feature, it is possible to fix a flat insulating panel adjacent to a row of corner structures by means of one or more fixing members placed between successive corner structures. This arrangement simplifies the implementation and positioning of the fixing elements, especially when the flat insulating panels adjacent to the row of corner structures must be made to size and therefore cannot be standardized.

If the bearing surface is then provided by the secondary corner structures and the secondary barrier constituting the secondary flat insulation panel, this arrangement also places these fixing members relatively close to the corner region, in particular on the secondary corner structures. It has the advantage of being able to do it. Since the secondary flat insulating panels adjacent to the secondary corner structures do not need to support these fixing members for the primary flat insulating panels, these secondary flat insulating panels can be made to size more easily.

In this case, the fixing member is:

A stud fixed to the support surface and protruding inward from the space between the two-sided insulation blocks,

A pressing bar having a first part facing towards the corner area fitted on the stud and a second part projecting past the two-sided insulating blocks in a direction opposite to the corner area engaged with the flat insulating panel, and

It may include a nut screwed onto the stud to press the pressure bar towards the support surface.

According to one embodiment, a flat insulating panel adjacent to a row of corner structures comprises a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid floor sheet and a rigid cover sheet, the rigid cover sheet and the insulating polymer foam layer comprising an inner surface of the rigid floor sheet. with a recess made in the thickness of the insulation panel so as not to cover the bearing area on the top, the recess being parallel to the corner area and exposed on the edge of the flat insulation panel facing towards the row of corner structures, the fixing member, in particular the pressing bar The second part engages the bearing area of the bottom sheet.

According to one embodiment, the recess formed in the thickness of the insulating panel is a notch oriented perpendicular to said edge of the flat insulating panel. These notches can be formed in various places, for example at the end of the edge of the flat insulating panel facing towards the row of corner structures and/or in the central part of this edge of the flat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the flat insulating panel is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and recesses are made in the corners of the flat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, a bearing surface is disposed between two two-sided insulating blocks of respectively successive corner structures distributed along the corner region and adjacent each row of corner structures to hold the flat insulating panel on the bearing surface. A plurality of fixing members engaged with each region of the flat insulating panel are supported.

According to one embodiment, the supporting surface comprises at one end of the corner region a third flat region crossing the corner region, and the last corner structure of the row of corner structures is parallel to the third flat region in addition to the two-sided insulating block. and a third surface forming an angle with the two surfaces of the two-sided insulation block,

The metal angle section of the last corner structure extends on the flat inner surface of the third surface to align with the end of the corner region of the support surface to form the sealing barrier, and the metal angle section is attached to the two-sided insulating block to the third surface. Connecting the faces, the protruding part of the metal angle section projects towards the second corner structure at the end of the row of corner structures in a direction opposite to the third face.

According to one embodiment, the two-sided insulating block of the second-to-last corner structure of the row of corner structures has a larger size along the direction of the corner area than the corner structures lying along the central portion of the corner area, and The metal angle section of the second corner structure consists of two angle segments juxtaposed along the direction of the corner area and fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the double-sided insulation block.

According to one embodiment, the first angle segment of the penultimate corner structure has an orifice for passage of fixing members contributing to fixing the two-sided insulating block on the support surface, and the end of the corner region The second angle segment of the penultimate corner structure lying on the side of has a continuous surface.

This feature allows the penultimate corner structure to be adjusted very easily to the size of the support structure along the direction of the corner area to allow manufacturing tolerances on the support structure.

According to one embodiment, a block of insulating material is disposed in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks between the protruding part of the metal angle section and the supporting surface. According to one embodiment, a block of insulating material has a passage between the cutouts formed in the protruding portion of the metal angle section, and the fixing member is disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks. By means of this passage, access to the fixing element is possibly maintained even after positioning of the block of insulating material, which facilitates the assembly of the tank wall.

According to one embodiment, the sealing barrier comprises a finishing part disposed over the metal angle sections of two consecutive corner structures so that they provide a sealed connection between the metal angle sections of the two corner structures;

The finishing part covers the gap lying between the metal angle sections and the cutout of the or each protruding part covering the space between the two-sided insulation blocks.

According to one embodiment, the sealing barrier aligned with one or each flat region of the bearing surface has corrugations parallel to the corner regions and corrugations perpendicular to the corner regions and flat regions lying between the corrugations. a metal membrane, wherein one edge of the metal membrane parallel to the corner region is welded to the metal angle sections of successive corner structures, and the corrugations perpendicular to the corner region lie between the metal angle sections of the successive corner structures. aligned with the gap.

According to one embodiment, the finishing part comprises a corrugation perpendicular to the corner region aligned with the corrugation of the metal membrane, and two flat parts placed on both sides of the corrugation and welded to the metal angle sections of the two corner structures, respectively. include

The aforementioned features can be utilized for the construction of an insulating barrier built directly on a load-bearing structure providing a supporting surface or a primary insulating barrier built on a pre-existing secondary barrier providing the supporting surface. there is.

According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier is a primary thermal insulation barrier, the sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, and the tank is covered by a secondary sealing barrier and has a substantially polyhedral inner surface defining the support surface. A second insulation barrier is also included.

Such tanks may form part of an onshore storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or may be incorporated into shore or offshore floating structures, in particular methane carriers, floating storage regasification units (FSRUs), floating manufacturing storage and offloading units (FPSOs) or Can be installed on other structures.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting a cooling liquid product comprises a double hull and the aforementioned tank disposed in the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, wherein fluid is passed through insulated pipes from a floating or onshore storage facility to a vessel's tank, or from a vessel's tank to a floating or unloading vessel. delivered to an onshore storage facility.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a system for transporting fluid, comprising insulated pipes arranged to connect the aforementioned vessel, a tank installed on the hull of the vessel, to a floating or land storage facility. , and a pump for transferring fluid from the floating or land storage facility to the vessel's tank or from the vessel's tank to the floating or land storage facility through the insulated pipes.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the aforementioned sealed and insulated tank, the method comprising:

providing a support surface;

assembling the fixing member on the support surface;

assembling a row of corner structures along a corner region of the support surface, such that the fixing member is disposed between two-sided insulating blocks of two consecutive corner structures in the row;

accessing the fixing member through a cutout made in a protruding portion of a metal angle section aligned with the fixing member to place the fixing member in an engaged state in which the fixing member holds the element of the insulating barrier on the supporting surface. include

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more clearly understood and its additional objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following description of the invention, given by way of non-limiting description only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an insulating barrier of modular construction with generally parallelepiped modules on a polyhedral bearing surface at the corners.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wall of a tank sealed and insulated in the corner region of the tank, the primary sealing membrane being omitted;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but the primary corner structure is omitted, but the primary flat insulating panels adjacent to the primary corner structure are shown.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing rows of primary corner structures in a cross section for different angle values along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;
5 is a detailed enlarged perspective view of a row of primary corner structures.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a wall of a sealed and insulated tank in the corner region of the tank, showing the position of the flat insulating panels when the pressing bars are retracted.
7 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of secondary corner structures at the intersection between the three walls of the tank.
8 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of primary corner structures on the secondary corner structures of FIG. 7 .
9 is a perspective view of the tank at the intersection between the three walls of the tank, partially showing the primary sealing membrane and the primary flat insulating panel;
Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing the primary sealing membrane covering the primary flat insulating panel.
11 is a perspective view of a wall of a sealed and insulated tank according to another embodiment in the corner region of the tank and in which the sealing membrane is omitted;
12 is a schematic cutaway view of a methane transport tank and a terminal for loading/unloading the tank.

By convention, when referring to the interior and exterior of a tank, the terms 'outside' and 'inside' are used to define the location of one element relative to the other.

A multi-layer structure of a sealed and insulated tank for storing liquefied natural gas will be described below. Each wall of the tank is a secondary insulation barrier comprising juxtaposed secondary insulation elements fixed to the load-bearing structure by secondary fixing members from the outside toward the inside of the tank, and a secondary insulation barrier supported by the secondary insulation elements. A sealing membrane, a primary thermal insulation barrier comprising juxtaposed primary thermal insulation elements secured to secondary thermal insulation elements by primary fixing members 19, and a liquefied natural gas supported by the primary thermal insulation elements and contained in a tank. It includes a primary sealing membrane suitable for contact with gas.

The load-bearing structure may in particular be made of self-supporting metal sheets or more generally of any kind of rigid partition with suitable mechanical properties. The load-bearing structure may in particular be formed by a ship's hull or double hull. The load bearing structure includes a plurality of walls forming the overall shape of the tank, which is usually polyhedral in shape.

The flat areas of the tank can be made in various ways, for example according to WO-A-2016046487 or WO-A-2017006044. The corner region of the tank along the edge of the load bearing structure will be described more specifically below.

2 and 3 show the structure of the walls of the tank at the corner 10 between the first load-bearing wall 11 and the second load-bearing wall 12 .

The angle formed between the first load-bearing wall 11 and the second load-bearing wall 12 is about 90° in the illustrated embodiment. However, this angle may have any other value, such as approximately 135°.

The secondary thermal insulation barrier comprises a row of secondary corner structures disposed along an edge 10, with a single secondary corner structure 13 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The secondary sealing membrane 15 disposed on the secondary corner structure 13 and its inner side 14 can be made in various ways, for example according to WO-A-2017006044.

The secondary corner structure 13 here comprises a sandwich structure consisting of a layer of insulating polymer foam 16 sandwiched between two rigid sheets 17 , 18 made of, for example, plywood. The inner sheet 18 has a network of right-angled grooves 19 for accommodating the corrugations 24 of the secondary sealing membrane 15 . The corrugations 24 project outwardly of the tank towards the load bearing structure and are each received in a groove 19 .

In one variant not shown, the orientation of the corrugations of the secondary sealing membrane is towards the inside of the tank.

The inner sheet 18 is also provided with a plurality of metal plates 20 made of, for example, stainless steel or an alloy with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, in particular Invar ^® , for fixing the edges of the secondary sealing membrane. The metal plates 20 are fastened to recesses made in and fixed to the inner sheet 18 using, for example, screws, rivets or clips. Alternatively, the metal plates 20 are fixed directly on the insulating polymer foam layer 16, for example by gluing.

The inner sheet 18 is also provided with fixing plates 21 to fix the primary corner structures 30 to the secondary corner structures 13 . The fixing plates 21 are for example glued onto the inner sheet 18 and/or fixed thereto using, for example, screws, rivets or clips.

In addition to this, the secondary sealing membrane 15 has a plurality of orifices, through each of which the fixing members making it possible to fix the primary corner structures 30 pass. A cap nut 22 passes through each orifice and has a thread on its outer periphery that engages a threaded bore 23 formed in one of the fixing plates 21 . Also, the cap nut 22 has a threaded blind bore to receive a stud for securing the primary corner structures 30 . The cap nut 22 also includes a collar which makes it possible to sandwich the secondary sealing membrane 15 between the collar and the fixing plate 21 . The circumference of this collar is welded onto the secondary sealing membrane 15 to ensure its sealing.

The primary thermal insulation barrier includes a plurality of primary corner structures 30 along the edge 10 of the tank. The primary corner structure 30 is a pre-assembled assembly comprising a two-sided insulating block 31 and an angle section 32. The two-sided insulating block 31 has an inner side on which the angle section 32 rests, and an outer side on which the secondary sealing membrane 15 rests. The two-sided insulating block 31 has a composite structure comprising a layer of insulating polymer foam 33 sandwiched between two plywood sheets 34, 35 bonded to a polymer foam layer 33 within its thickness.

The angle sections 32 are metal angle sections made of, for example, stainless steel. The angle section 32 has two flanges lying against the inner side of the double-sided insulating block 31 . Each flange of the angle section (32) is welded to the outer surface of the flange to fix the angle section (32) to the two-sided insulation block (31) before the primary corner structure (30) is assembled to the tank. A stud, not shown, protrudes toward the inside.

Each flange of the angle section 32 also has a stud 36 projecting towards the inside of the tank on its inner side. The studs 36 make it possible to fix welding equipment during welding of the primary sealing membrane elements to the angle sections 32 .

As described in WO-A-2017006044, the angle section 32 is supported by plates 21 (not shown) to fix the primary corner structure 30 to the secondary corner structure 13. ) are provided, for example eight orifices 37 per angle section 32 , which make it possible to fit nuts onto the studs.

As can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4 , the primary corner structures 30 are arranged on the secondary corner structures 13 in the form of a row running along the edge 10 . Within this row, two consecutive primary corner structures 30 have a space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 . In general, insulated joint elements 39 are inserted in the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 to provide thermal insulation continuity.

In at least some of the spaces 38, a secondary corner structure 13 may support a fixing member to engage with the primary insulating element. This example will be more specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 . In Figure 4 the fixing element as a whole is cut along its symmetrical central plane, so that a half view is sufficient to understand its structure.

In this embodiment, the fixing member includes a plate 40 fixed to the inner surface of the secondary corner structure 13 between the two plates 21 . Like the plates 21, the plate 40 may be fixed to the secondary corner structure 13 in various ways. It has a threaded hole 41 for receiving a cap nut 42 shown in the half view of FIG. 4 . Plate 40 may be present in alignment with each space 38 or aligned with some of the spaces 38, for example one of three.

The cap nut 42 passes through an orifice of the secondary sealing membrane, not shown, and has a thread 43 around it that engages a threaded hole 41 made in the plate 40. In addition, the cap nut (42) has a threaded blind bore (44) to receive the stud (45). The cap nut 42 also includes a collar 46 that allows the secondary sealing membrane to be sandwiched between the collar and the plate 40 . The circumference of this collar is welded onto the secondary sealing membrane 15 to ensure its sealing.

As can be seen in FIG. 4 , the studs 45 protrude towards the inside of the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31, and the pressing bar 50 oriented perpendicular to the corner 10 contributes to fixing The pressing bar 50 here has a U-shaped cross-section, with its base facing towards the load bearing structure. When assembled as shown, the first part of the pressing bar 50 extends in the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 and has a slot 58 through which the stud 45 ) goes through. A nut 47 screwed into the stud 45 makes it possible to press the pressing bar 50 toward the inner surface of the secondary corner structure 13 .

The second portion 51 of the pressing bar 50 protrudes past the row of primary corner structures 30 to press the primary flat insulating panel 29 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 30 . The length of the slot 58 makes it possible to adjust the length of the second part 51 protruding past the row of primary corner structures 30 .

Preferably, the slot 58, the two ends 58a and 58b of which are shown in cross section in FIG. 4 , completely guides the pressing bar 50 into the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 . It is long enough to be able to tuck in. Before the nut 47 is tightened, this tucked-in position thus facilitates the installation of the primary flat insulating panel 29 by completely freeing the pressing bar 50, its position indicated by dashed lines with reference 99 It is possible to slide between (shown in FIG. 6) and the extended position shown in FIG. 4. The movement to extend the pressure bar 50 is indicated by arrow 98 in FIG. 6 .

In one embodiment, the length of the primary flat insulating panels 29 corresponds to 9 times the width of the primary corner structure 30, so that they are spaced apart from each other at a distance of 3 times the width of the primary corner structure 40. Four pressing bars engage the primary flat insulation panel 29 along its edge facing the corner. That is, the two pressing bars 50 are engaged at the two ends of this edge, that is, at the two corners of the primary flat insulating panel 29, and the two pressing bars are engaged at the edge of the primary flat insulating panel 29. interlocks in the central region of This central region is shown in FIG. 3 .

As partially shown in FIG. 3 , the primary flat insulating panel 29 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with longitudinal edges 26 parallel to corners 10 . The primary flat insulating panel 29 has a composite structure consisting of, for example, a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid cover sheet 25 and a rigid bottom sheet in which the uncovered areas 28 are visible. A notch 27 is formed in the rigid cover sheet 25 and the insulating polymer foam layer, aligned with the plate 20, extending perpendicular to the corner 10 and exposed on the longitudinal edge 26, to provide a covering of the rigid bottom sheet. It does not cover the area 28 that is not covered.

When assembled, the second portion 51 of the push bar 50 fits into the notch 27 and optionally presses against the uncovered area 28 of the rigid bottom sheet by means of shims 48. do. Another shim 49 may be inserted between the other end of the pressure bar 50 and the secondary membrane (not shown). These shims 48, 49 are sized to ensure that the pressure bar 50 and the primary flat insulating panel 29 are parallel to each other. These are made of a sufficiently soft material to avoid puncturing, marking or damaging the secondary sealing membrane 15. For example, they can be made of plywood, plastic or epoxy resin.

The pressure bar 50 assembled in this way provides several advantages: The second part 51 is the flat wall of the tank which presses the primary flat insulating panel 29 preferably away from the edge of this panel. is the length of a single beam substantially parallel to This thus makes it possible to hold the primary flat insulating panel 29 on the secondary membrane without the need for any complicated devices on the primary flat insulating panel 29: the flat part of the bottom sheet simply has to be uncovered. .

In addition to this, the second portion 51 can be easily adjusted by sliding the stud 45 within the length of the slot 58 . This arrangement can thus be easily adjusted for primary flat insulating panels with notches 27 of different sizes or lengths. The length of the notch 27 can be shortened in particular by cutting the edge 26 to reduce the width of the insulating panel 29 .

In addition, if the pressing bar 50 is fixed on the stud supported by the secondary corner structure 13, its position depends on the size of secondary flat insulation panels (not shown) adjacent to the secondary corner structure 13. not affected by This arrangement can therefore be readily adjusted for secondary flat insulation panels of various sizes.

As can be seen in FIG. 4 , each angle section 32 has two protruding two-sided insulating blocks 31 at two opposite ends of the angle section 32 along the direction of the corner 10 . It has protruding rims (53). The space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 is thus partially covered by two protruding rims 53 on either side thereof.

At least each of the two protruding rims (53) on either side of the fixation member are placed in alignment with the stud (45) and oriented across the edge (10) to maintain access to the fixation member disposed in the space (38). A cutout 54 formed in the end edge 55 is provided.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 2 , all protruding rims 53 of all angle sections 32 may have this cutout 54 for standardized manufacturing.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5 , the cutouts 54 are two protruding rims 53 for passage of a tightening tool 60 , for example a socket wrench or screwdriver with a cylindrical head 61 . ) contributes to forming a sufficient space between them. The depth of the cutout 54 in the direction of the corner 10 is thus such that between the bottoms of the two opposing cutouts 54 a distance D slightly greater than the diameter of the cylindrical head 61 is formed. size can be determined. The length of the cutout 54 along the end edge 55 may be substantially equal to this same distance D, for example about 30 mm.

The assembly sequence of the corner region of the tank will be briefly described.

- assembling the secondary thermal insulation barrier and the secondary sealing membrane (15) including cap nuts (42);

- positioning the pressure bars (50) in the retracted position, the slots (58) of the pressure bars being positioned in alignment with the cap nuts (42);

- inserting and screwing the stud (45) through the slot (58) of the pressure bar (50) into the cap nut (42);

- locating insulated joints 39 between the positions of the primary corner structures 30, where there is a pressing bar 50, the insulating joint 39 at its base pressing bar 50 The insulated joint 39 also has a cylindrical well 56 aligned with the cap nut 42 to receive the stud 45 and nut 47. ) is also provided,

- fixing the primary corner structures (30) onto the secondary corner structures (13) on both sides of the insulating joints (39);

- installing primary flat insulating panels 29 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 30;

- moving the pressure bars (50) into their extended position, the insulating joint (39) remaining immovable by means of studs (45) fitted into the cylindrical well (56);

- screw the nut 47 onto the stud 45 through the cutouts 54 of the angle sections 32 and the cylindrical well 56 of the insulating joint 39 to press the pressure bar 50 joining step,

- inserting a cylindrical plug (57) into the cylindrical well (56) to close the cylindrical well (56);

- positioning the primary sealing membrane.

The flat parts of the tank wall lying on either side of the corner can be built equally or differently and symmetrically or asymmetrically. Additionally, although only one corner of the tank is described above, the other corners of the tank may be equally or differently positioned.

Referring to Figures 7 to 10, the structure of the tank wall at one end of the corner 10, i.e. at the intersection between three flat walls, will be described. The three walls shown here form a bottom wall, an end wall and a lower inclined wall, respectively. The lower inclined wall forms an angle of 135° with the bottom wall. The lower inclined wall and the bottom wall are orthogonal to the end wall. This arrangement has, for example, an overall polyhedral shape and consists of eight walls, a horizontal floor wall, a horizontal ceiling wall, two vertical side walls, two upper inclined walls each connecting one of the side walls of the ceiling wall, and two octagonal end walls connected to each other by two lower inclined walls, each connecting one of the side walls of the bottom wall.

In this area, as shown in Fig. 7, the row of secondary corner structures 13 is the last secondary corner structure consisting of a set of three insulating panels each fixed to the load bearing structure of each of the three load bearing walls. It ends at (113). The three insulation panels of the last secondary corner structure 113 each have the same sandwich structure as that of the secondary corner structures 13 . That is, it consists of a layer of insulating polymer foam 116 sandwiched between two rigid sheets 117, 118 made, for example, of plywood.

In each of the three insulating panels of the last secondary corner structure 113, a rigid sheet 118 supports the fixing plates 121 and 140, the structure and function of which are described above with respect to the secondary corner structure 13. It is the same as that of the fixing plates 21 and 40 described. In particular, the fixing plates 121 make it possible to fix the last primary corner structure 130 ( FIG. 7 ) to the last secondary corner structure 113 .

The plate 40 makes it possible to fix the fixing member to the space between the last primary corner structure 130 of the row of primary corner structures and the penultimate primary corner structure 230 (FIG. 7). This fixing member includes a stud 145 fitted into a slot 158 of the push bar 150 visible in FIG. 9 .

Figure 8 is also a view of the end region of a corner, additionally showing the primary corner structures assembled on the secondary corner structures of Figure 7; The entirety of the secondary sealing membrane has been omitted to simplify the drawing.

As shown, the last primary corner structure 130 in the row consists of three insulating blocks each placed against each of the three insulating panels of the last secondary corner structure 113 . In addition to this, the insulation blocks of the last primary corner structure 130 each include an inner surface, on which a three-sided angle section 132 is placed, the overall structure of which is a third flange parallel to the lower inclined wall ( 100) is similar to the metal angle section 32 of the primary corner structure 30. The three-sided angle section 132 includes, inter alia, a stud 136, an orifice 137, and a rim 153, the structure and function of which are similar to those of the stud 36, orifice 37, and rim 53 described above. is similar to that of

The penultimate primary corner structure 230 is shown using reference symbols increased by 200 for elements similar or identical to those of the primary corner structure 30 . The two-sided insulating block 231 is longer than the two-sided insulating block 31 and supports two consecutive metal angle sections on its inner side in the direction of the corner. The metal angle section 232 is substantially the same as the metal angle section 32 of the primary corner structure 30, but since the two-sided insulation block 231 extends toward the last primary corner structure 130, It may have a longer dimension along the edge 10, and it extends only on one side (not shown) of the two-sided insulating block 231.

The metal angle section 65 is placed next to the metal angle section 232 with a small gap, and is fixed to the double-sided insulation block 231 in the same way as the metal angle section 32 of the primary corner structure 30. . The metal angle section 65 has a projecting rim 253 projecting against the two-sided insulating block 231 along the direction of the corner 10 above the space 138 . Space 138 is partially covered by two protruding rims 153, 253 on both sides thereof.

Protruding rim 153 and/or protruding rim 253 may include a cutout to facilitate access to a securing member disposed in space 138 . The cutout 254 here is present only on the protruding rim 253 .

In addition, the penultimate primary corner structure 230 is the farthest part from the last primary corner structure 130, that is, the penultimate secondary corner structure 13 placed on the base in the same manner as described above. It is fixed only to the secondary thermal insulation barrier on the part supporting the metal angle section 232 fixed to. For this purpose, the metal angle section 232 also has orifices 237 .

Conversely, the gap (66) between the second-to-last secondary corner structure (13) and the last secondary corner structure (113) is the part of the two-sided insulation block (231) facing toward the last primary corner structure (130). ) and extends on the last secondary corner structure 113 without being fixed there, the metal angle section 65 does not contain an orifice and can be continuous.

This arrangement has the advantage that it is independent of the exact size of the gap 66 of the secondary insulating barrier, which can be easily adjusted to compensate for manufacturing tolerances.

It is also possible to cut the penultimate primary corner structure 230 to size in order to adjust the primary thermal insulation barrier to fit manufacturing tolerances on the size of the load bearing structure. That is, it is possible to cut the end of the metal angle section 65 and the end of the two-sided insulation block 231 facing the last primary corner structure 130 . If there is nothing to secure this end part to the secondary thermal insulation barrier, this cutting will not result in any problems. In this case, the cutout 254 is added after the metal angle section 65 has been cut to the desired length.

FIG. 9 shows the same area of the tank as FIG. 8 , but the last primary flat insulation panel 129 is added adjacent to the penultimate primary corner structure 230 . This primary flat insulating panel 129 has recesses 127 aligned with the corner regions of a rigid bottom sheet (not shown) in a manner similar to the notches 27 of FIG. 3 to not cover the corner regions. Figure 9 also shows a pressure bar 150, which fits into the recess 127 and presses on the uncovered area as described above.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the structure of the primary sealing membrane at the corners of the tank will be described.

The primary sealing membrane is, for example, a membrane with two rows of corrugations orthogonal to each other. It can be made essentially as described in WO-A-2017006044. The metal sheets 67 of the primary sealing membrane bounding the corner are welded to the metal angle sections 32, 232, 65, 132 along their edge facing the corner. In addition, metal corner pieces 68, 168, 268 are welded across each interface between two consecutive metal angle sections 32, 232, 65, 132.

The corner pieces 68, 168, 268 cover the orifices 37, 137, 237, and the cutouts 54, 254 of the metal angle sections of the primary sealing membrane oriented perpendicular to the corner 10. Provides continuity of folds.

11 shows another embodiment of the tank wall along the corner 10 . The primary and secondary sealing membranes are omitted to simplify the drawing. Elements similar or identical to those of FIGS. 2 to 4 have the same reference numbers multiplied by 300 and will be described only to the extent that they differ from those of FIGS. 2 to 4 .

In this embodiment, the primary corner structure 330 is fixed to the secondary corner structure 313 by studs 345 disposed in each space 338 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 331. . For this purpose, the rigid sheet 334 is slightly wider than the polymer foam layer 333 so that the two lateral rims of the rigid sheet 334 are not covered.

The pressure bar 350 has a bore, which may be rectangular, through which the stud 345 passes, and the rigid sheet 334 of the two primary corner structures 330 between which the stud 345 is placed. ) compresses the lateral rims of Each primary corner structure 330 is thus held by two push bars 350 that engage the two lateral rims of its rigid sheet 334 . A nut, not shown, is screwed onto each stud 345 to press the push bar 350 toward the load bearing structure. Cutouts 354 at the edges of the metal angle sections 332 facilitate assembly of the stud 345 and positioning of the nut as previously described.

Due to this method of fixing the primary corner structures 330, orifices are not present on the metal angle section 332, so it can be continuous.

To fix the primary flat insulating panel 329 adjacent to the row of primary corner structures 330 on the secondary barrier, a row of studs 69 are provided on both sides of the row of primary corner structures 330. It can be. This may make it necessary to provide wider secondary corner structures 313 as shown.

In one embodiment, there is no secondary insulating barrier and no secondary sealing membrane, and the studs holding the primary insulating barrier are directly supported by the load bearing walls 11 , 12 .

The techniques described above for manufacturing sealed and insulated tanks for storing fluids can be used in various types of storage, such as to form LNG storage in land-based facilities or floating structures such as methane carriers or other vessels.

The technique described above in the context of a substantially polyhedral support surface where flat portions meet at corners can also be applied to an approximately polyhedral support surface with rounded portions forming connections between flat portions instead of corners. The term corner region is used in both contexts to refer to a junction between two flat portions, and may correspond to a real corner or to a rounded portion between two flat portions.

Referring to FIG. 12 , a cut-away view of a methane transport vessel 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 having a generally polyhedral shape assembled to the double hull 72 of the vessel. The wall of the tank 71 has a primary sealing barrier suitable for 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 thermal insulation barriers disposed respectively between the sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 .

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

12 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75 , a subsea pipeline 76 and an onshore installation 77 . The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation comprising a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the movable arm 74 . Movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated flexible hoses 79 which can be connected to load/unload pipes 73. The reversible movable arm 74 is suitable for methane carriers of all sizes. A connecting pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. Loading and unloading station 75 enables loading and unloading of methane carrier 70 to and from shore facility 77 . The latter includes liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting pipelines 81 connected by a subsea pipeline 76 to a loading or unloading station 75 . The subsea pipeline 76 makes it possible to transport liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77 over long distances, for example 5 km, which allows the methane carrier 70 to perform loading and unloading operations. It makes it possible to stay at a great distance from the coast in the process.

To create the pressure required to transport the liquefied gas, a pump aboard the vessel 70 and/or a pump provided at the shore installation 77 and/or a pump provided at the loading and unloading station 75 is used.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a few specific embodiments, it is clear that it is not limited thereto in any way, but includes all technical equivalents of the described means and any combinations thereof, provided that they fall within the scope of the present invention.

Use of the verbs 'comprise' or 'consist of' and their conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those set forth in the claims. The use of the indefinite article 'a' with respect to any element or step does not exclude the existence of a plural of that element or step, unless stated otherwise.

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

Claims (24)

A sealed and insulated tank for storing a fluid, the sealed and insulated tank comprising a thermal insulation barrier and a sealing barrier disposed on an inner surface of the thermal insulation barrier, the thermal insulation barrier disposed on a support surface supporting fixing members, It is held on a support surface by the fixing members, and the support surface has at least two flat areas forming an angle therebetween and meeting at a corner area (10),
The thermal insulation barrier includes a row of corner structures 30, 130, 230, 330 disposed along the edge of the support surface and flat insulating panels 29 disposed on flat areas of the support surface on both sides of the row of corner structures. 129, 329),
At least one of the corner structures is:
- a two-sided insulating block (31, 231, 331) with two faces, each of said two faces being respectively parallel to a corresponding flat region of said at least two flat regions, said two faces being between them forming an angle, wherein each of the two faces includes a flat outer surface pressing against a corresponding flat area of the support surface, and a flat inner surface parallel to the corresponding flat area and spaced apart from the flat outer surface in the thickness direction. a two-sided insulating block (31, 231, 331), and
- metal angle sections (32, 65, 132, 232, 332) fixed to the flat inner side of a two-sided insulating block to form said sealing barrier aligned with the corner region of the bearing surface, along the direction of the corner region 2 Metal angle section with protruding parts (53, 153, 253, 353) against the face insulation block
Including,
The two consecutive corner structures in the row are arranged so that there is a space (38, 138, 338) between the two-sided insulating blocks along the direction of the corner area, the space being at least one of the two continuous corner structures. at least partially covered by the protruding portions (53, 153, 253, 353) of one metal angle section;
The support surface supports the one fixing member (45, 145, 345) disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures, and the at least one of the two consecutive corner structures is the fixing member ( 45, 145, 345) with a cutout (54, 254, 354) made in the protruding portion of the metal angle section aligned with the fixing member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks and insulated tank. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the space is partially covered by two projecting parts (53, 153, 253, 353) facing each other and belonging respectively to the metal angle sections of the two successive corner structures, wherein the Each of the two protruding portions facing each other includes a cutout (54, 254, 354) made in alignment with the fixing member. 2. The tank according to claim 1, wherein said cutout (54, 254, 354) is formed at one end edge of said projecting portion oriented across a corner region. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fixing member (345, 350) disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks (331) of the two continuous corner structures (330) is A tank interlocking with the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures to hold the insulating blocks (331) on the support surface. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the anchoring member:
A stud 345 fixed to the support surface and protruding inward in the space between the two-sided insulation blocks,
A pressure bar 350 fitted on the stud and having two lateral parts respectively engaged with the two two-sided insulating blocks 331, and
A nut screwed onto the stud 345 to press the pressure bar 350 toward the support surface.
A tank containing a. 4. The fixing member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, arranged between the two-sided insulating blocks (31, 231) of two successive corner structures, the flat insulating panel (29, 29, 129) to hold the flat insulating panel on a support surface. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the anchoring member:
Studs (45, 145) fixed to the support surface and protruding inward from the space between the two-sided insulation blocks;
A first portion facing toward the corner region fitted on the stud, and a second portion protruding past the two-sided insulating blocks 31, 231 in a direction opposite to the corner region engaged with the flat insulating panel 29, 129. A compression bar (50, 150) with two parts (51), and
A nut 47 screwed onto the stud and capable of pressing the pressure bar 50, 150 towards the support surface.
A tank containing a. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pressure bar has a slot through which the stud passes so that the pressure bar crosses the edge area when the nut does not press the pressure bar.
- a tucked position in which a pressing bar is accommodated in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks (31, 231) of two successive corner structures to leave the position of the flat insulating panel (29, 129) free; and
- an extended position in which the second part 51 protrudes past the two-sided insulating blocks 31 , 231 in a direction opposite to the corner region for engagement with the flat insulating panel 29 , 129 .
A tank that can be slid between. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the flat insulating panel (29, 129) adjacent to the row of corner structures comprises a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid bottom sheet and a rigid cover sheet (25), the rigid cover sheet and the insulating polymer foam The layer has recesses (27, 127) made in the thickness of the insulating panels so as not to cover the bearing area (28) on the inner side of the rigid floor sheet, said recess being parallel to the corner area and facing towards the row of corner structures. Tanks where the view is exposed on the edge (26) of the flat insulating panel, and the fixing member engages the bearing area (28) of the bottom sheet. Tank according to claim 9, wherein the recess formed in the thickness of the insulating panel is a notch (27) oriented perpendicular to said edge (26) of the flat insulating panel. 10. The tank according to claim 9, wherein the flat insulating panels are in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and the recesses (127) are made in the corners of the flat insulating panels. 7. The flat insulation according to claim 6, wherein the bearing surface is distributed along the corner region (10) and is arranged between two two-sided insulating blocks of successive corner structures (30, 130, 230) respectively, on the bearing surface A tank supporting a plurality of fixing members (45, 145) engaged with respective regions of flat insulating panels (29, 129) adjacent to rows of corner structures, respectively, to hold the panel. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bearing surface comprises at one end of the corner region (10) a third flat region across the corner region, the last corner structure (130) of the row of corner structures In addition to the two-sided insulating block, includes a third face 100 parallel to the third flat region and forming an angle with the two faces of the two-sided insulating block 130,
The metal angle section 132 of the last corner structure 130 extends on the flat inner surface of the third surface so as to align with the end of the corner region of the support surface to form the sealing barrier, the metal angle section on the second surface Connecting the third surface to the insulation block, the protruding portion 153 of the metal angle section 132 is the second-to-last corner structure 230 of the row of corner structures in a direction opposite to the third surface 100 Tank protruding towards. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the two-sided insulating block (231) of the penultimate corner structure (230) of the row of corner structures has a larger size along the direction of the corner area than the corner structures lying along the central part of the corner area. With, the metal angle section of the penultimate corner structure is made of two angle segments (232, 65) juxtaposed along the direction of the corner area and fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the two-sided insulation block (231). Tank. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first angle segment (232) of the penultimate corner structure is an orifice (237) for passage of fixing members contributing to fixing the two-sided insulating block (231) on the support surface. ), wherein the second angle segment (65) of the penultimate corner structure lying on the side of the end of the corner region has a continuous surface. 4. The space between the two-sided insulating blocks according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the block (39) of insulating material is formed between the protruding part (53, 153, 253, 353) of the metal angle section and the supporting surface. (38, 138, 338), a block (39) of insulating material has a passage (56) between the cutouts (54, 254, 354) formed in the protruding part of the metal angle section, and the fixing member is a tank placed between two-sided insulation blocks. 4. The sealing barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a finishing part (68) disposed over the metal angle sections (32, 132, 232, 65) of the two successive corner structures so that they providing a sealed connection between the metal angle sections of these two corner structures;
The finishing part (68) covers the gap lying between the metal angle sections and the cutouts (54, 254, 354) of the protruding portion covering the space between the two-sided insulation blocks. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sealing barrier aligned with one or each flat region of the bearing surface has corrugations parallel to and perpendicular to the corner regions and corrugations comprising a metal membrane 67 with intervening flat areas, one edge of the metal membrane 67 being parallel to the corner area welded to the metal angle sections 32, 232, 65 of the successive corner structures; , the corrugations perpendicular to the corner region are aligned with the gaps lying between the metal angle sections of successive corner structures. According to claim 17,
A sealing barrier aligned with one or each flat region of the bearing surface comprises a metal membrane 67 having corrugations parallel to the corner regions and corrugations perpendicular to the corner regions and flat regions lying between the corrugations. and one edge of the metal membrane 67 parallel to the corner region is welded to the metal angle sections 32, 232, 65 of the continuous corner structures, and the corrugations perpendicular to the corner region are aligned with the gaps lying between the metal angle sections;
The finishing part 68, 168 comprises a corrugation perpendicular to the corner region aligned with the corrugation of the metal membrane, and two flat parts placed on both sides of the corrugation and welded to the metal angle sections of the two corner structures, respectively. tank to do. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thermal insulation barrier is a primary thermal insulation barrier, the sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, and the tank is covered by a secondary sealing barrier (15) and the bearing surface Tank also comprising a secondary thermal insulation barrier (13, 113, 213) having a substantially polyhedral inner surface forming a. A vessel (70) for transporting fluids, comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 disposed in the double hull. A system for transporting fluid, comprising insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the ship of claim 21, a tank (71) installed on the hull of the ship, to a floating or land storage facility (77) ); 21. A method for loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 21, wherein fluid is transferred from a floating or land storage facility (77) to a tank (71) of the vessel via insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81). , or from a ship's tank to a floating or land storage facility. A method for manufacturing the sealed and insulated tank of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
providing a support surface;
assembling the fixing member (45, 145, 345) on the support surface;
Assemble a row of corner structures (30, 130, 230, 330) along the corner region of the support surface, the fixing member (45, 145, 345) is a two-sided insulating block of two consecutive corner structures in the row. assembling to be placed between them;
Through a cut-out (54, 254, 354) made in the protruding portion of the metal angle section aligned with the fixing member, to place the fixing member in an engaged position in which the fixing member holds the element of the insulating barrier on the supporting surface. A method comprising accessing the fixation member (45, 145, 345).

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