KR102581424B1 - Fluid-tight vessel wall comprising a sealing membrane containing reinforced zones - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fluid-tight container wall for storing a fluid, comprising: - a flat support surface (11), - a metallic fluid-tight membrane carried by the support surface (11), the metallic fluid-tight membrane comprising a plurality of A course (21) of metal, the cross-section of which includes a flat central portion (22) lying on the support surface (11) and at least one raised side edge (23) protruding from the support surface (11). sealing membrane, - a plurality of metal welded supports carried by a support surface (11), the welded supports projecting above the support surface (11) between two rising edges (23) of two adjacent courses (21), 2 Each of the two rising edges 23 includes a plurality of metal weld supports welded by fluid-tight longitudinal welding to weld supports inserted between the rising edges 23 to form a weld assembly, the fluid-tight membrane comprising: The welded assembly includes a reinforcing zone having transverse bending strength to resist sloshing of fluid, wherein the thickness of the weld support is greater than or equal to the thickness of the course.

Description

Fluid-tight vessel wall comprising a sealing membrane containing reinforced zones

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

Sealed and insulated tanks are used in particular for the storage of liquefied gases, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stored at atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on shore or on floating structures.

Storage or transport tanks for low-temperature liquefied gases are known, for example, from WO2012072906 or FR3054872, in which the sealing membrane or individual sealing membranes, especially the primary sealing membrane in contact with the product contained in the tank, are connected to each other to ensure sealing of the tank. It consists of thin metal plates, so-called metal strakes, tightly connected.

Figure 2 shows a known method of fastening metal strakes to the insulating barrier in tanks of this type. In this FIG. 2 the top of the insulating barrier, the so-called support surface 101 , has a groove 102 running from the support surface 101 into the thickness of the insulating barrier. This groove 102 has a retaining area 103 that runs parallel to the support surface 101 , in the thickness of the insulating barrier. This holding area 103 continues the end of the groove 102 opposite the support surface 101 in the thickness of the insulating barrier. The groove 102 has an “L” shaped cross-section, and its base is formed by the holding area 103. A welded support 104 comprising a base and a branch connected to the base to form an L shape is inserted into the groove 102 in a sliding manner. The base 105 is received in the holding area 103 to hold the welded support 104 on the insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 101 . The branch 106 of the weld support 104 includes a bottom portion 107 adjacent the base 105 and an upper portion 108 protruding above the support surface 101 .

Two metal strakes 109 are disposed on both sides of the weld support 104. These metal strakes 109 each have a flat intermediate plane 110 that supports the support surface 101 (for readability of the drawing, the support surface 101 and the metal strakes 109 have a gap between them). and is shown in Figure 2). These metal strakes also have raised side edges, hereinafter referred to as raised edges 111. Each rising edge 111 of two adjacent metal strakes 109 is welded on both sides of the branch 106 of the weld support 104.

The rising edge 111 thus forms, together with the welded support 104, deformable bellows that can absorb the loads associated with the shrinkage of the sealed membrane, for example when cryogenic liquid is loaded into the tank. do.

Figure 3 also illustrates a known method for securing the metal strakes 109 on the insulating barrier in tanks of this type. This fixing method is distinguished from the fixing method of FIG. 2 by the shape of the welding support 104 and the shape of the groove 102. In fact, the base 105 of the weld support 104 is here rounded in shape and the groove 102 does not contain a holding area but includes an attachment 112 positioned in the groove 102 . Attachment 112 has a complementary round shape such that base 105 of weld support 104 and portion 113 of attachment 112 fit into each other and retain base 105 of weld support 104 within groove 102. It has a portion 113 of the shape. This is called J-shaped weld support 104.

Welded supports are generally thinner than strakes.

When transporting fluid in a sealed tank, especially if the tank is not completely filled, the fluid will agitate and move from one wall to another, a phenomenon also known as "sloshing." The resulting sloshing of the fluid puts pressure on the walls of the tank, especially those parts that protrude from the walls, such as the rising edges. In prior art tanks, pressure on the rising edge may cause the rising edge to bend. A bent rising edge no longer effectively forms a bellows, allowing it to absorb shrinkage of the membrane and can damage the membrane, compromising the seal of the tank.

One idea underlying the invention is to reduce or prevent the risk of bending of the rising edge in order to prevent deterioration of the sealed tank.

According to a first embodiment, the invention relates to a sealed tank wall for fluid storage,

- flat support surface,

- a metal sealing membrane supported by a support surface, the metal sealing membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each of which extends longitudinally and has a flat central section lying on the support surface and has at least one raised a metal sealing membrane, the side edges of which are profiled portions protruding from the support surface, and the metal strakes are arranged parallel to each other on the support surface;

- a plurality of metal welded supports supported by a support surface, the welded supports comprising a base held on the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and projecting above the support surface between the two rising edges of two adjacent strakes. comprising a longitudinally extending branch, each of the two rising edges having a weld support and the two rising edges being inserted between the rising edges to form a weld assembly to enable lateral movement of the strake relative to the weld support. , comprising a plurality of metal welded supports,

The sealing membrane includes a reinforced region having resistance to bending in the transverse direction to allow the weld assembly to withstand sloshing of fluid,

In the reinforcement zone, the thickness of the welded support is greater than or equal to the thickness of the strakes.

Therefore, the welded assembly exhibits greater bending stiffness due to the thickness of the weld support being equal to or greater than the thickness of the strakes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the weld support is greater than the thickness of the strakes.

Here, it should be noted that in the present invention, only one of the plurality of weld supports is set to cover the casing having a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the strakes. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, all weld supports have a thickness equal to or greater than the thickness of the strakes.

Due to this feature, the risk of bending of the raised edge due to sloshing of fluid in the reinforcement area is prevented or reduced.

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

According to one embodiment, in the reinforced area, the top edge of the weld support is substantially aligned with the top edge of the rising edge or slightly above the top edge of the rising edge, the difference being for example 0 to 5 mm.

Due to this feature, alignment of the top edge of the weld support with the top edge of the rising edge can prevent the weld support from having a portion protruding above the rising edge. The protruding portion increases the load on the weld assembly due to the lever arm effect which increases the risk of bending of the weld assembly. Therefore, the welded assembly has a width of at least three metal sheets over its entire height, which reduces this risk.

According to one embodiment, in the reinforced area, the thickness of the welded support is at least 1 mm and the thickness of the strakes is for example not more than 0.7 mm. The thickness of the weld support may be for example 0.7 to 2 mm, preferably 1 to 2 mm.

According to one embodiment, in the reinforcement zone, the base of the weld support comprises, for example, at least two elongated parts oriented transversely on either side of the branches of the weld support alternately.

According to one embodiment, in the reinforcement zone, the welded support comprises two elongated anchoring wings, each anchoring wing comprising a branch extending in the longitudinal direction and protruding above the support surface, the branches of the two anchoring wings having They are welded to each other by rigid intermediate welds extending longitudinally to form branches of the welded supports, the intermediate welds being positioned above the support surfaces.

Accordingly, the welded assembly has an additional metal sheet layer using two anchoring wings which increases the thickness of the welded assembly and thus increases the bending rigidity of the welded assembly.

According to one embodiment, each anchoring wing has a base held on the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and said longitudinally extending branches projecting above the support surface such that the branches of the anchoring wings form branches of the welded supports. wherein, for example, over the entire length of the weld support or part of the length of the weld support, the base of one anchoring wing is oriented transversely and the base of the other anchoring wing is oriented in the opposite transverse direction.

According to one embodiment, the intermediate weld is located at the same distance from the support surface as the two longitudinal welds.

Due to this feature, the weld assembly thus has all these welds transversely aligned and simplifies the production of these welds, for example by a single pass in an electrode-wheel welding machine.

According to a second embodiment, the invention relates to a sealed tank wall for fluid storage,

- flat support surface,

- a metal sealing membrane supported by a support surface, the metal sealing membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each of which extends longitudinally and has a flat central section lying on the support surface and has at least one raised a metal sealing membrane, the side edges of which are profiled portions protruding from the support surface, and the strakes are arranged parallel to each other on the support surface;

- a plurality of metal welded supports supported by a support surface, the welded supports comprising a base held on the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and projecting above the support surface between the two rising edges of two adjacent strakes. comprising a longitudinally extending branch, each of the two rising edges having a weld support and the two rising edges being inserted between the rising edges to form a weld assembly to enable lateral movement of the strake relative to the weld support. , comprising a plurality of metal welded supports,

The sealing membrane includes a reinforced region having resistance to bending in the transverse direction to allow the weld assembly to withstand sloshing of fluid,

In the reinforcement zone, the transition between the rising edge and the flat central part has a gradually rounded shape, for example a transition with a radius of curvature greater than 5 mm, especially greater than 10 mm.

According to one embodiment, in connection with the first and second embodiments described above, in the reinforcement zone, the metal sealing membrane comprises a choke located in the space formed between the rising edge and the branch of the weld support.

According to one embodiment, in conjunction with the first and second embodiments described above, in the reinforcement zone, the weld assembly includes a split rising edge, the split rising edge comprising:

- a first facet connected to the flat central part of the strakes and forming an angle of 10 to 80 degrees with the flat central part,

- a second facet connected to the first facet and substantially orthogonal to the flat central portion of the strakes,

Here the second facet of the divided rising edge is securely welded to the weld support by longitudinal welding.

Accordingly, the first facet of the rising edge makes it possible to create a brace that can increase the resistance to bending of the welded assembly.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first and second embodiments described above, in the reinforcement zone, the weld assembly comprises two split rising edges belonging to two adjacent strakes.

Due to this feature, the welded assembly includes two braces on either side of the welded support, which can symmetrically increase resistance to bending.

According to one embodiment, in connection with the first and second embodiments described above, in the reinforcement zone, the metal sealing membrane comprises a choke located in the space formed between the rising edge or split rising edge and the branch of the weld support. .

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first and second embodiments described above, the choke is located in the space formed between the first facet of the divided rising edge and the branch of the weld support to maintain the inclination of the first facet. there is.

Accordingly, the choke maintains the inclination of the rising edge or the first facet of the rising edge to maintain the bracing effect. Chalk also contributes to increasing resistance to bending.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first and second embodiments described above, the tank wall in the reinforcement zone of the metal sealing membrane comprises two chocks, the first chock having a first facet of the first divided rising edge. and the second choke is located in the space formed between the branch of the weld support and the first facet of the divided rising edge, the choke makes it possible to maintain the inclination of the first facet.

Accordingly, the chalk maintains the inclination of the first facet of the weld support to maintain the bracing effect. The choke also contributes to symmetrically increasing the resistance to bending.

Such chalk can be produced from a variety of materials, for example wood, metal or synthetic materials. In one embodiment, the chalk is made from a metal sheet folded back substantially parallel to the rising edge.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first and second embodiments described above, the bottom surface of one or each chalk lies on a support surface.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first and second embodiments described above, the bottom surface of one or each choke lies on the base of the weld support.

According to a third embodiment, the invention relates to a sealed tank wall for fluid storage,

- flat support surface,

- a metal sealing membrane supported by a support surface, the metal sealing membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each of which extends longitudinally and has a flat central section lying on the support surface and has at least one raised a metal sealing membrane, the side edges of which are profiled portions protruding from the support surface, and the strakes are arranged parallel to each other on the support surface;

- a plurality of metal welded supports supported by a support surface, the welded supports comprising a base held on the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and projecting above the support surface between the two rising edges of two adjacent strakes. comprising a longitudinally extending branch, each of the two rising edges having a weld support and the two rising edges being inserted between the rising edges to form a weld assembly to enable lateral movement of the strake relative to the weld support. , comprising a plurality of metal welded supports,

The sealing membrane includes a reinforced region having resistance to bending in the transverse direction to allow the weld assembly to withstand sloshing of fluid,

In the reinforcement zone, the tank wall includes a covering bar, the covering bar having a flat bottom surface resting on the flat central portion of the two strakes of the welded assembly, the covering bar including a recess extending from the bottom surface and the covering bar extending from the welded assembly. It accommodates the welded assembly in a covering manner.

Due to this feature, the welded assembly is protected by the covering bar and is no longer directly affected by the sloshing of the fluid. The covering bar therefore prevents sloshing from exerting stress on the welded assembly.

These covering bars can be produced from various materials such as wood, metal or synthetic materials.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the covering bar is fixed to the weld support of the weld assembly by means of fixing means.

Due to these features, the covering bar and weld assembly are secured together to form a whole that increases the resistance to bending of the weld assembly.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the fastening means is a rod, staple, stud, screw, clip or any other suitable means.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the recess of the covering bar comprises a flared portion that allows transverse movement of the strakes relative to the weld support.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the flared portions are all formed by chamfers created along the walls of the recess.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments mentioned above, the sealed tank wall comprises an insulating barrier comprising a top panel with a support surface, the top panel being in the thickness direction and thermally insulating. It has a groove running along the length of the barrier, and the base of the weld support portion of the weld assembly is held in the groove.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the groove has an input area extending in the thickness direction in the thickness of the insulating barrier. The groove is disposed below the input area and includes a retaining area running parallel to the support surface over a greater width than the input area, with the base of the weld support being received within the retaining area.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the holding zone runs parallel to the support surface on both sides of the input zone.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the groove comprises an attachment, which attachment is configured to retain the base of the weld support in the groove.

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the base of the welding support has a round shape, and the attachment has a complementary round part so that the base of the welding support and the round part of the attachment are aligned. has

According to one embodiment, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier and the sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane, wherein the sealing tank wall is a secondary insulating barrier and 1 It includes a secondary sealing membrane placed below the primary insulating barrier.

According to embodiments, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the reinforcement zone may extend over the entire length of the tank wall or over a part of the length, for example over half the length. .

According to embodiments, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, one or more welded assemblies may be positioned within the reinforcement zone.

According to embodiments, in relation to the first, second and third embodiments described above, the reinforcement zone may extend over all tank walls or parts of the tank walls.

Therefore, all rising edges of the tank walls have reinforcement to prevent bending due to sloshing.

Herein, the invention is not limited to features specific to the first, second and third embodiments, which are understood to be independent of each other as shown in the accompanying drawings, but to obtain implementations combining the features of two or three embodiments. It is possible to combine certain features of these three embodiments so that

According to one embodiment, the seal tank wall is comprised of a central portion and a periphery comprised of a plurality of wall edges, wherein the reinforcement zone extends over the wall edge, or over a plurality of wall edges, for example the reinforcement zone of the seal tank wall. extends throughout the entire periphery.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a plurality of sealed tank walls tightly secured to each other to form a polyhedral internal space for fluid storage, wherein one or more of the aforementioned sealed tank walls comprises: Includes the reinforcement zone described above.

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

According to embodiments, a tank may include one or more tank walls from the list below:

- ceiling walls,

- bottom wall,

- one or more side cofferdam walls connecting the floor wall to the ceiling wall,

- a side cofferdam wall or one or more side walls connecting walls,

- one or more chamfered bottom walls connecting the side walls or walls to the bottom wall, and

- One or more chamfered top walls connecting the side walls or walls to the ceiling wall.

One or more tank walls in the list may be tank walls that include the reinforcement zones described above.

These tanks can form part of an onshore storage facility, for example for LNG storage, or on floating structures, offshore or deep sea, especially methane tankers, floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), floating production and storage offshore units. (FPSO), etc. can be installed. These tanks can serve as fuel tanks on all types of ships.

According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a vessel for transporting liquid products, the vessel comprising a hull and a tank according to the invention arranged on the hull.

According to one embodiment, the reinforcement zone is located on a wall edge forming the upper transverse edge of a tank located forward of the vessel.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of loading or unloading such a vessel, wherein liquid products are conveyed via insulated pipelines from sealed tanks on the vessel to floating or onshore storage facilities or vice versa.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a transfer system for liquid products, the system comprising the above-described vessel, an insulated pipeline configured to connect a sealed tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or land storage facility, and the vessel's It includes a pump for driving a flow of cold liquid product through an insulated pipeline from a sealed tank to a floating or land storage facility or vice versa.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention, given in a purely illustrative and non-restrictive manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, and other objects, details, features and advantages of the invention. It will become clearer.
- Figure 1 is a partial and cut-away perspective view of a sealed and insulated tank wall on which a welded assembly can be used.
- Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art welded sealing metal membrane assembly anchored to a support surface.
- Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art welded sealing metal membrane assembly anchored to a support surface by another fastening method.
- Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly anchored to a support surface according to the first embodiment.
- Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly anchored to a support surface according to a second embodiment.
- Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly anchored to a support surface according to a third embodiment.
- Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to a fourth embodiment.
- Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to a fifth embodiment.
- Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to the sixth embodiment.
- Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to the seventh embodiment.
- Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to the eighth embodiment.
- Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to the ninth embodiment.
- Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to a tenth embodiment.
- Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly fixed to a support surface according to the 11th and 12th embodiments.
- Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of a welded assembly secured to a support surface according to the eleventh embodiment, in a cutaway plane including the fastening means.
- Figure 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a welded assembly secured to a support surface according to the twelfth embodiment, in a cutaway plane including the fastening means.
- Figure 17 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a first arrangement of reinforcement zones.
- Figure 18 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a second arrangement of reinforcement zones.
- Figure 19 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a third arrangement of reinforcement zones.
- Figure 20 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a fourth arrangement of reinforcement zones.
- Figure 21 is a cutaway schematic diagram of a vessel comprising sealed fluid storage tanks and terminals for loading/unloading these tanks.

In the description below, reference is made to sealing membranes in the context of sealed tanks. Such a tank comprises an internal space formed by a plurality of tank walls intended to be filled, for example, with a flammable or non-flammable gas. The gas may in particular be liquefied natural gas (LNG), i.e. mainly methane but also one or several other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, n-butane, i-butane, n-pentane, i-pentane, neopentane and nitrogen. Contains a small proportion of gas mixtures containing The gas may also be ethane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), i.e. essentially a mixture of hydrocarbons derived from the refining of oil, including propane and butane.

The sealing membrane lies on a support surface 11 formed by the thermal insulating barrier of the tank. These sealing membranes alternately consist of, on the one hand, steel sheet bands called strakes 21 disposed on the support surface 11 and, on the other hand, connected to the support surface 11 and of the length of the strakes 21. It has a repeating structure comprising a long welded support 15 extending at least partially above and parallel to the strakes 21. The strakes 21 comprise raised side edges 23 that are positioned and welded against adjacent welded supports 15 . This structure is used, for example, in methane tankers of the NO96 type sold by the applicant.

Referring to Figure 1, the main support structure of the vessel consists here of the inner wall 1 of the double hull of the vessel. As is known per se, the tank comprises a secondary insulating barrier fixed to the main support structure of the vessel. This secondary insulating barrier consists of a plurality of parallelepiped secondary insulating caissons (2) arranged side by side so as to cover substantially the inner surface of the main support structure.

Each secondary insulating caisson (2) is made of plywood, internally containing a bearing partition (3) and non-bearing partitions (4) just to ensure the relative position of the bearing partitions (3). Consisting of a parallelepiped box, the partition is inserted between a bottom panel (5) made of plywood and a top panel (6) made of plywood. The bottom wall 5 of the caisson 2 protrudes laterally on two small sides of the caisson, so that at each corner of the caisson a bracket 7 having the same thickness as the protrusion is fixed on each protrusion. As will be described later, the brackets 7 cooperate with members to secure the caisson 2 to the main support structure.

Each caisson (2) is filled with a specific insulating material such as perlite or glass wool. The bottom plate (5) of each caisson (2) is designed to prevent the resin of the adhesive sausage from sticking to the main support structure and thus to allow dynamic deformation of the main support structure without the caisson (2) being subjected to forces due to deformation. It is placed on a sausage of thermosetting resin (8) which is itself supported on the main support structure (1) via kraft paper (9). The purpose of the thermoset sausage 8 is to compensate for the difference between the theoretical surface planned for the host support structure and the imperfect surface due to manufacturing tolerances. The top panel 6 of the secondary insulating caisson 2 also comprises a pair of parallel grooves 12 in a substantially inverted L or T shape for receiving welded supports of L, T or J shape.

The weld support 15 protrudes to the top of the panel 6 and includes branches 18 through which the secondary sealing membrane can be anchored. The secondary sealing membrane consists of a plurality of metal strakes 21 with raised edges 23 having a thickness of the order of 0.7 mm. The rising edge 23 of each strake 21 is welded to the weld support 15 described above. The metal strakes 21 are made of a metal exhibiting a low coefficient of thermal expansion, for example an iron-nickel alloy with a coefficient of thermal expansion of 1.2 to 2.0×10 ^-6 K ^-1 or generally about 7.10 ^-6 K It may be an iron alloy with a high manganese content with an expansion coefficient of ^-1 .

On the secondary sealing membrane, a primary insulating barrier is mounted, consisting of a plurality of primary insulating caissons (10) with a similar structure to the secondary insulating caissons (2). Each primary insulating caisson consists of a rectangular parallelepiped box made of plywood at a lower height than the caisson (2), filled with granular material such as perlite or glass wool. The primary insulating caisson (10) also includes an internal partition supporting the bottom and top panels (11).

The panel comprises two longitudinal grooves (12) intended to receive weld supports (15) and the rising edges (23) of the secondary sealing membrane. The top panel (11) for that part has two grooves ( 12) Includes.

In the case of a welded support 15 of L or T shape, the groove 12 has a T-shaped cross-section, the base of which is formed by holding zones 14 located on both sides of the input zone 13 of the groove 12. . The weld support 15 has a base 17 received in a holding area 14 for holding the weld support 15 on the insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 11 . The welded support 15 also includes a branch 18 , a bottom part 19 adjacent to the base 17 and whose upper end 20 protrudes above the support surface 11 .

In the case of the J-shaped weld support 15, the groove 12 has an I or L-shaped cross-section. The groove 12 may include a holding area 14, but the latter is optional. The groove can therefore only contain the input area 13. The groove 12 includes an inverted J-shaped attachment 26 with a rounded portion 27 that complements the base 17 of the round welded support 15 to be secured to the rounded portion 27 of the attachment 26. This makes it possible to hold the welded support 15 on the insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 11 . The welded support 15 also includes a branch 18 whose bottom part is rounded and adjacent to the base 17 and whose upper part 20 protrudes above the support surface 11 .

4-15 illustrate multiple embodiments of a reinforced welded assembly formed by a welded support and two adjacent raised edges 23, wherein the reinforced welded assembly bends laterally to resist sloshing of fluid contained in the tank. has resistance to

Each of the different embodiments has a welded support 15 with a base 17 received in a retaining area 14 of a groove 12, for example visible in Figure 4, or a groove 15, visible for example in Figure 3. A welded support (15) with a round base (17) cooperating with a complementary round part (27) of the attachment (26) fixed to (12), or even of a groove (12) as can be seen for example in Figure 11. A welded support 15 having a round base 17 cooperating with a complementary round part 27 of an attachment 26 fixed to the holding area 14 may be used.

Figure 4 shows a first embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to a support surface 11 of a sealed tank wall. In this embodiment, the top edge 35 of the weld support 15 is aligned with the top edge 36 of the rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support 15. In this way, the upper part 20 of the weld support 15 no longer protrudes above the rising edge 23 . To facilitate mounting and fixing of the strake 21 on the weld support 15, the upper part 20 of the weld support 15 is subdivided after longitudinal welding.

Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. In this embodiment, the top edge 35 of the weld support 15 is also aligned with the top edge 36 of the rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support 15. Additionally, in the prior art, it was common to use a welded support 15 with a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the strakes 21, which is 0.7 mm, especially to limit costs. Here, the thickness of the welding support 15 is greater than the thickness of the strake 21, for example, 1 mm or 2 mm. This greater thickness of the weld support 15 makes it possible to increase the resistance to bending of the welded assembly.

Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of the welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. In this embodiment, the weld support 15 comprises two long anchoring wings 16 welded to each other and a longitudinally extending sealed intermediate weld 29. The intermediate weld 29 is located at the same distance from the support surface 11 as the two longitudinal welds 28 .

Figure 7 shows a fourth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The fourth embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the third embodiment, except that the thickness of each anchoring wing 16 of the weld support 15 is greater than the thickness of the strake 21, whereas the third embodiment of FIG. 6 The examples differ in that the thicknesses are substantially the same.

Figure 8 shows a fifth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The fifth embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the third embodiment, except that the top edge 35 of each anchoring wing 16 of the weld support 15 is positioned at the top of the rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support 15. It is different in that it is aligned with the edge 36. Indeed, in the third embodiment of FIG. 6 the upper part 20 of each anchoring wing 16 protrudes from a rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support 15 .

Figure 9 shows a sixth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The sixth embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the fourth embodiment, except that the top edge 35 of each anchoring wing 16 of the weld support 15 is positioned at the top edge 36 of the rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support. ) is different in that it is aligned with . Indeed, in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 7 the upper part 20 of each anchoring wing 16 protrudes from a rising edge 23 adjacent the weld support 15 .

Figure 10 shows a seventh embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The seventh embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the fifth embodiment, but the secondary weld portion 30 is positioned at the bottom of each anchoring wing 16 of the weld support 15 to increase the rigidity of the weld support 15. The difference is that (19) is fixed.

Figure 11 shows an eighth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. In this embodiment, the weld assembly includes two split rising edges 23, each split rising edge 23 connected to a flat central portion 22 and forming an angle of 10 to 80 degrees with the flat central portion. It includes a first facet (24) and a second facet (25) connected to the first facet (24) and substantially orthogonal to the flat central portion (22). The second facet 25 of the split rising edge 23 is hermetically welded to the weld support by a longitudinal weld 28 .

Figure 12 shows a ninth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The ninth embodiment of the weld assembly is similar to the eighth embodiment, except that chocks 37 are provided on the first facet 24 of each segmented rising edge 23, the branch 18 of the weld support 15. ) and the support surface 11. The choke 37 may have a surface that supports the base 17 of the weld support 15 . The choke 37 substantially takes the form of a beam with a polygonal cross-section, for example a triangle. Here, the angle formed by the first facet 24 with the flat central portion 22 is 60 to 70 degrees.

Figure 13 shows a tenth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The tenth embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the ninth embodiment, but differs in the shape of the choke 37 as well as the angle formed by the first facet 24 with a flat central portion 22. In fact, in the tenth embodiment the angle formed by the first facet 24 with the flat central part 22 is smaller, ie between 10 and 20 degrees. The shape of the chokes 37 therefore corresponds to this angle, i.e. they have the form of a beam with a cross-section L, and thus consist of two orthogonal branches, the thickness of which is similar to that of the welded support 15. One of the branches is inserted between the first facet 24 and the support surface 11 while the second branch is inserted between the second facet 25 and the weld support 15 . The choke 37 is formed, for example, by a folded metal sheet.

Figure 14 shows eleventh and twelfth embodiments of welded assemblies anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. In these embodiments, the seal tank wall includes a covering bar (31) positioned at the adjacent rising edge (23) of the welded assembly. Covering bar 31 includes a recess 32 that receives the weld assembly in such a way that covering bar 31 covers the weld assembly. The recess 32 of the covering bar 31 is flared in the form of a chamfer created around the entire wall of the recess 32, which allows the transverse movement of the strake 21 relative to the welded support 15. ) includes part 33.

The covering bar 31 may be fixed to the welding support 15 by means of fixing means 34 . 15 , which corresponds to the eleventh embodiment, the fastening means 34 is a rod, for example a screw-nut assembly, which has an orifice 97 transversely passing through the covering bar 31 and a welded support. It is inserted into the orifice 98 of the upper part 20 of (15). The covering bar 31 may include a plurality of fastening means 34 along its length. One surface of the covering bar 31 is placed in contact with the flat central part 22 of the strake 21 .

Figure 16 shows a twelfth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored to the support surface 11 of the sealed tank wall. The twelfth embodiment of the welded assembly is similar to the eleventh embodiment, except that the fastening means (34) extends over half the thickness of the covering bar (31) and is made of elastic material disposed in a vertical groove running from the orifice of the anchoring support (15). The difference is that it is a staple. The top branch of the staple has a notch 99 to receive the top edge of the orifice 98 which securely secures the staple to the orifice 98.

The reinforcement weld assembly described above may be used to form a reinforcement zone 50 in a metal seal membrane, on one or more seal tank walls.

Figures 17-20 show multiple embodiments of a sealed tank whose walls have rather large reinforcement zones.

The polyhedral sealed tank represented has a bottom wall 43, a ceiling wall 44, two side cofferdam walls 48 connecting the bottom wall 43 to the ceiling wall 44, and a side cofferdam wall 48. Two side walls (45) connecting, forming two chamfers connecting the side walls (45) to the bottom wall (43) and forming two chamfers connecting the bottom wall (47) and the side walls (45) to the ceiling wall (44). Includes wall 46. The sealed tank wall consists of a central portion 40 and a peripheral portion 41 consisting of a plurality of wall edges 42.

Figure 17 shows a first embodiment of the sealed tank 71. In this embodiment, only the bottom wall 43 has no reinforcement zone. All other walls 44, 45, 46, 47, 18 have reinforcement zones 50 extending above all tank walls. In fact, since the bottom wall 43 is permanently submerged, little or no fluid sloshing occurs and there is no need to reinforce the rising edge 23.

18 and 19 show the second and third embodiments of the sealed tank 71, respectively. In these embodiments, bottom wall 43 and chamfered bottom wall 47 do not have reinforcement zones 50. The side walls 45 have reinforcement zones 50 extending throughout these walls. The lateral cofferdam walls 48 have reinforcement zones 50 on the side and top wall edges 42 . The ceiling wall 44 and the chamfered top wall have a reinforcement zone 50 on their periphery 41 . Accordingly, only the walls subjected to the greatest force connected to the sloshing of the fluid have a reinforcement zone 50, the latter having a greater or lesser extent depending on the applied force.

Figure 20 shows a fourth embodiment of the sealed tank 71. In this embodiment, the bottom wall 43, the chamfered bottom wall 47, the side walls 45 and the lateral cofferdam walls located at the rear of the vessel 70 do not have a reinforcement zone 50. The ceiling wall 44, side cofferdam walls and chamfered top wall 46 located at the front of the vessel 70 have reinforcement zones 50. The reinforcement zone 50 of the sealed tank 71 is located on the wall edge 42 which forms the upper edge of the sealed tank 71 arranged at the front of the vessel 70 . Accordingly, reinforcement zones 50 are provided only where the loads on the rising edge 23 are the greatest, where the loads associated with sloshing of fluid are the greatest.

The above-described techniques for producing seal tank walls can be used in different types of tanks, for example to construct seal tank walls of LNG tanks of land-based installations or floating structures such as methane tankers, etc.

21, a cutaway view of a methane tanker 70 shows a generally prismatic sealed and insulated tank 71 mounted on the double hull 72 of the vessel. The walls of the tank 71 are comprised of a primary seal barrier intended to contact the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary seal barrier disposed between the ship's primary seal barrier and the double hull 72 and a secondary seal between the primary seal barrier and the secondary seal. It includes two insulating barriers disposed respectively between the barriers and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72.

As is known per se, the loading/unloading pipeline 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship is connected to the ship or port terminal via suitable connectors to transfer LNG cargo to and from the tank 71 . You can.

21 shows an example of a marine terminal including loading and unloading stations 75, underwater lines 76 and land facilities 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed marine facility comprising a movable arm 74 and a riser 78 supporting the movable arm. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading/unloading pipeline 73. The directional mobile arm 74 adapts to all methane tanker templates. Link lines, not shown, extend inside riser 78. Loading and unloading station 75 allows loading and unloading of methane tankers 70 to or from shore facilities 77. The latter comprises a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a link line 81 connected to a loading or unloading station 75 by a submersible line 76. The submersible line 76 makes it possible to transfer liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore installation 77 over long distances, for example 5 km, which can be used to transport methane tankers 70 for loading and unloading operations. It makes it possible to stay away from the coast for a long time.

In order to generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of liquefied gas, a pump built into the ship 70 and/or a pump equipped with an onshore installation 77 and/or a pump equipped with a loading and unloading station 75 are implemented.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several specific embodiments, it is clear that it is not limited thereto and that the invention includes all technical equivalents of the described means and combinations thereof provided hereinafter are within the context of the invention.

“Include” and its conjugations do not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those specified in the claims.

In the claims, reference numbers between parentheses should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the claims.

Claims (29)

A sealed tank wall for storage of a fluid, comprising:
- a flat support surface (11),
- a metal sealing membrane supported by the support surface (11), the metal sealing membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each of which extends longitudinally and has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the support surface ( 11) a profiled portion comprising a flat central portion 22 lying on top of which at least one raised side edge protrudes from the support surface 11 , the strakes 21 being parallel to each other on the support surface 11 a metal sealing membrane, disposed so as to
- a plurality of metal welded supports supported by the support surface (11), the welded supports (15) comprising a base (17) held on the support surface (11) in a direction perpendicular to the support surface (11), comprising said longitudinally extending branch (18) projecting above the support surface (11) between two rising edges (23) of two adjacent strakes (21), each of said two rising edges (23) A weld support (15) and two rising edges (23) are inserted between the rising edges (23) to form a weld assembly to enable transverse movement of the strake (21) relative to the weld support (15). Multiple metal welded supports
Including,
The sealing membrane includes a reinforcing zone (50) having resistance to transverse bending to allow the weld assembly to withstand sloshing of fluid,
In the reinforcement zone (50), the thickness of the welded support (15) is greater than or equal to the thickness of the strake (21). According to claim 1,
The sealed tank wall, in the reinforcement zone (50), the thickness of the welded support (15) is greater than or equal to 1 mm. According to claim 1,
In the reinforcement zone (50) the top edge (35) of the welded support (15) is aligned with the top edge (36) of the rising edge (23). According to claim 1,
In the reinforcement zone (50), the base (17) of the welded support (15) comprises at least two transversely oriented long sections on both sides of the branch (18) of the welded support (15). wall. According to claim 1,
In the reinforcement zone (50), the weld support (15) comprises two elongated anchoring wings (16), each anchoring wing (16) comprising a branch extending in the longitudinal direction and projecting above the support surface. , the branches of the two anchoring wings 16 are welded to each other by a sealed intermediate weld 29 extending longitudinally to form a branch 18 of the welded support 15, the intermediate weld 29 being connected to the support surface (11) Located above the seal tank wall. According to claim 5,
Each anchoring wing 16 also includes a base held on the support surface 11 in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 11, the base of the anchoring wing 16 being the base of the weld support 15 ( 17), wherein the base of one anchoring wing (16) is oriented transversely and the base of the other anchoring wing (16) is oriented in the opposite transverse direction. According to claim 5,
Sealed tank wall, wherein the intermediate weld (29) is located at the same distance from the support surface (11) as the two longitudinal welds (28). According to claim 1,
The sealed tank wall comprises an insulating barrier comprising a top panel with a support surface (11), the top panel extending in the thickness direction and longitudinal direction of the insulating barrier, the base of the weld support (15) of the welded assembly. (17) is a sealing tank wall held in a groove (12). According to claim 8,
The groove 12 has an input zone 13 running in the thickness direction of the insulating barrier and is arranged under the input zone in the longitudinal direction of the groove 12 and has a support surface 11 over a width greater than the input zone 13. A sealed tank wall comprising a holding section (14) running parallel to the wall, wherein the base (17) of the welded support (15) is received within the holding section (14). According to clause 9,
The holding zone (14) runs parallel to the support surface (11) on both sides of the input zone (13). According to claim 8,
The groove (12) includes an attachment (26), the attachment (26) being configured to retain the base (17) of the welded support (15) within the groove (12). According to claim 11,
The base 17 of the welding support 15 has a round shape, and the attachment 26 complements it so that the base 17 of the welding support 15 and the round part 27 of the attachment 26 engage with each other. Sealed tank wall with a rounded portion (27).
According to claim 8,
wherein the insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier and the sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane, and the sealing tank wall includes a secondary insulating barrier and a secondary sealing membrane disposed below the primary insulating barrier. . According to claim 1,
A sealed tank wall, wherein the reinforcement zone (50) extends over the entire length of the tank wall. According to claim 1,
A sealed tank wall in which several welded assemblies are located within the reinforcement zone (50). According to claim 1,
A sealed tank wall, wherein the reinforcement zone (50) extends over all tank walls. According to claim 1,
The sealed tank wall consists of a central portion (40) and a peripheral portion (41) consisting of a plurality of wall edges (42), the reinforcement zone (50) extending above the wall edges (42). According to claim 17,
A sealed tank wall, wherein the reinforcement zone (50) extends over a plurality of wall edges (42). According to claim 17,
A sealed tank wall, wherein the reinforcement zone (50) extends over the entire perimeter (41) of the sealed tank wall. A polyhedral sealed tank (71) comprising a plurality of sealed tank walls tightly secured to each other to form a polyhedral internal space for fluid storage, one of the sealed tank walls according to any one of claims 1 to 19. What is claimed is a polyhedral sealed tank. According to claim 20,
The tank has a bottom wall (43), a ceiling wall (44), two lateral cofferdam walls (48) connecting the bottom wall (43) to the ceiling wall (44) and said cofferdam walls (48). A polyhedral sealed tank comprising two side walls (45) connecting. According to claim 21,
A polyhedral sealed tank, wherein the ceiling wall (44) is as claimed in claim 1. According to claim 21,
A polyhedral sealed tank, wherein one or each side wall (45) is as claimed in claim 1. According to claim 21,
A polyhedral sealed tank, wherein one or each lateral cofferdam wall (48) is as claimed in claim 1. According to claim 21,
It also comprises two chamfered top walls (47) connecting the side walls (45) to the seal wall (44), one or each chamfered top wall (46) as claimed in claim 1. Phosphorus, polyhedral sealed tank. According to claim 21,
Polyhedral seal according to claim 1, comprising two chamfered bottom walls (46) connecting said side walls (45) to a bottom wall (43), one or each chamfered bottom wall (47) as claimed in claim 1. Tank. A vessel (70) for transporting liquid products, comprising:
Said vessel comprising a hull (72) and a sealed tank (71) as claimed in claim 20 arranged on the hull. A conveying system for a liquid product, comprising:
A ship (70) as claimed in claim 27, an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) configured to connect a sealed tank (71) installed on the hull of the ship to a floating or onshore storage facility (77) and a floating or A transfer system comprising a pump for driving the flow of liquid product through an insulated pipeline from an onshore storage facility to a sealed tank on a ship or vice versa. A method for loading or unloading a vessel (70) claimed in claim 27, comprising:
A method in which liquid product is transferred via insulated pipelines (73, 79, 76, 81) from a floating or land storage facility (77) to a sealed tank on a ship (71) or vice versa.