KR20150142032A - Insulating block for producing a sealed and insulated tank wall - Google Patents

Abstract

An insulating block 10 having a generally flat prismatic shape for making a sealed and insulated tank wall comprises:
A pad (1) of polymeric foam having a density greater than 100 kg / m < ³ >, said polymeric foam pad having a plurality of edge surfaces (2) each extending between two adjacent lateral surfaces A pad having cutouts for forming
A plurality of corner posts (5) secured to the polymer foam pads at the cutouts, the corner posts extending over the entire thickness of the heat block between the top surface and the bottom surface,
The edge posts 5 have a coefficient of thermal expansion between 75% and 125% of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the polymer foam constituting the pad and have an elastic limit in compression < RTI ID = 0.0 > ),
The corner post has an inner lateral surface (6) adhesively bonded to each of the corner surfaces (2).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an insulating block for producing a sealed and insulated tank wall,

The present invention relates to the technical field of sealed and adiabatic tanks disposed in a support structure for containing cold liquids, and more particularly to tanks with membranes for containing liquefied gases.

BACKGROUND ART Known sealed and adiabatic tanks are located in the hull of a ship for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) with a high content of methane. Such tanks are described, for example, in French patent FR-A-2867831. In this known tank, with the help of juxtaposed parallelepipedal wooden boxes, the main and minor barrier are constructed in a modular form. The boxes are filled with thermally insulating packing of expanded perlite or aerogel materials.

French patent FR-A-2978748 discloses another LNG tank arranged in the hull of a ship in which the sub-insulating barrier comprises heat insulating blocks arranged in a repeating pattern. The heat insulating block includes a generally flat parallelepiped pad of a high density polymer foam having cutouts extending in the thickness direction of the heat block at four corners of its upper and lower surfaces to form a plurality of flat cross- cut planes are formed, each of which extends between two adjacent lateral surfaces of the pad. A corner post is fixed to the polymer foam pad at each flat cut surface and is formed between the upper surface and the lower surface to reduce a portion of the compressive force to limit creep and squeeze of the foam, Lt; / RTI >

One idea on which the present invention is based is to provide heat insulating blocks suitable for making the main insulating barrier of a sealed and insulated tank with a long service life in a relatively simple manner.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a heat insulating block having an overall shape of a flat prismatic column for making a sealed and adiabatic tank wall, said heat insulating block having a pattern repeated in order to form an insulating barrier of said tank wall And the heat insulating block is intended to be arranged along the:

A pad of a polymer foam having a density of greater than 100 kg / m ³ , said pad comprising an overall rectangular polygonal upper surface, a plurality of pads extending parallel to said upper surface and extending in the thickness direction of said heat block from said upper surface And a plurality of lateral surfaces extending orthogonally to the upper surface and the lower surface between the upper surface and the lower surface,

Wherein the polymer foam pads have cutouts extending in the thickness direction of the heat block at a plurality of corners of the upper surface and the lower surface to form a plurality of edge surfaces, A pad extending between two adjacent lateral surfaces of the pad; And

A plurality of corner posts secured to the polymer foam pads at the cutouts, the plurality of corner posts extending over the entire thickness of the heat block between the upper surface and the lower surface, Columns,

The corner posts preferably have a coefficient of thermal expansion between 75% and 125% of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the polymer foam constituting the pad, in particular in the thickness direction of the heat-insulating block, in excess of 1.5 MPa at a temperature of 23 ° C Is made of a material having an elastic limit in compression of more than 3 MPa,

The corner posts each have an inner lateral surface that completely covers the corner surfaces of the polymer foam pads, and the inner lateral surfaces of the corner posts are secured to the edge surface and are, for example, adhesively bonded.

When the corner post is assembled with the foam pad at ambient temperature by adhesive bonding and thereafter the insulation block is used at much lower temperatures, for example, the insulation of the liquefied natural gas tank wall Differential thermal contraction in the barrier, and especially in the primary barrier of such tanks, is likely to create shear stresses at the bonded joint interface. Owing to the choice of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the corner post, it is thus possible to limit these stresses to improve the solidity and lifetime of the adhesively bonded assembly. Similar advantages are obtained when the assembly of the corner post with the pad is performed in a different manner, for example when performed using clamps.

In addition, the compressive elastic limit of the corner post is elastically absorbed by the creeping displacement of the column to an acceptable level, in particular by the fusing members which hold the heat block on the support structure of the tank wall to a level lower than the displacement that can be absorbed.

According to some embodiments, such an insulating block may have one or more of the following characteristics.

According to one embodiment, the polymer foam constituting the pad is a closed-cell polyurethane foam having a density equal to or greater than 130 kg / m < ³ >.

According to one example the material of the corner post is a polymer foam having a greater density such as 170kg / m ³ or less than, for example, 210kg / m ^3. Preferably in this case the corner post is a full solid structure.

According to one embodiment, the material of the corner posts is a polymeric resin. Preferably in this case the corner post is a hollow structure.

According to one embodiment, the material of the corner posts is a composite material that may comprise fibers embedded in a polymeric resin. Preferably in this case the corner post is a hollow structure.

According to one embodiment, the heat insulating block further comprises a plywood cover panel fixed on the upper surface of the polymer foam pad, the cover panel covering the upper surface of the corner posts at the corners The cover panel having an outline aligned with the lateral surfaces of the polymer foam pad and the lateral lateral surfaces of the corner posts secured to the pad.

According to one embodiment, the cover panel has a plurality of recesses disposed on each of the corner posts.

According to one embodiment, the insulating block further comprises a laminate bottom panel secured under the lower surface of the polymer foam pad, the bottom panel covering the lower surface of the corner posts at the edges, Has an outline aligned with the lateral surfaces of the polymer foam pad and the lateral lateral surfaces of the corner posts secured to the pad.

According to one embodiment, the corner posts each have a constant cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction, the cross-sectional shape being defined by the geometric shape of the two lateral surfaces of the pad adjacent to the fixed corner surface And an outer edge that is set back from a geometrical point of intersection.

According to one embodiment, the edge surface of the pad is planar, the cross-sectional shape of the column is trapezoidal, the trapezoid is a long base corresponding to the inner lateral surface of the column, A short base corresponding to the outer edge retracted from the geometric intersection of the pillars, and two hypotenuses each aligned with the two lateral surfaces of the pad adjacent to the corner surface on which the column is fixed.

According to one embodiment, the edge surface of the pad is rounded, the cross-sectional shape of the pillar is an angular sector of a disk, and the vertex of the angular sector is the two sides of the pad Wherein each of the two radial edges bounding the angled sector is cut along a straight line corresponding to the outer edge retracted from the geometric intersection of the direction surfaces, Aligned with the lateral surfaces.

According to one embodiment, the lower surface and the upper surface of the polymer foam pad are generally rectangular, and the heat insulating block has a rectangular parallelepiped overall shape.

According to one embodiment, said medial lateral surface comprises a hook element projecting transversely from said corner post toward said polymer foam pad, said hook element having a ratio of the total surface area of said medial lateral surface And a cross section having a small surface area is included in a plane parallel to the thickness of the heat insulating block.

By virtue of these properties, the surface area at which the corner post is anchored to the polymeric foam pad is increased to improve the technical properties and bond strength of the assembly.

According to one embodiment, the hook element extends over the entire length of the corner post and protrudes over a small portion of the periphery of the corner post.

According to one embodiment, the hook element extends over a small portion of the length of the corner post.

According to one embodiment, the medial lateral surface comprises a plurality of juxtaposed hook elements.

According to one embodiment, two successive hook elements of the plurality are spaced on the inner lateral surface.

According to one embodiment, at least two successive hook elements of the plurality are adjacent.

According to one embodiment, the column includes a support segment oriented along the thickness of the heat block and a hook element, the hook element being supported by the base of the hook element to support the edge post And is fixed on the segment.

According to one embodiment, the hook element comprises a toothed profile.

According to one embodiment, the hook element comprises a spherical portion.

According to one embodiment, the hook element comprises a cylindrical portion.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a sealed and adiabatic tank disposed in a support structure for containing a cool fluid, the wall of the tank comprising a primary sealing membrane intended to contact the fluid, a primary insulating barrier, A membrane, and a sub-adiabatic barrier disposed between the sub-sealing membrane and the support structure in a thickness direction, wherein the main insulating barrier comprises a juxtaposition surface to define a plane support surface for the main sealing membrane, Wherein said upper surface of said heat insulating blocks faces toward the interior of said tank and said wall of said tank comprises fusing members for holding said heat insulating blocks on said sub- anchoring members, wherein each of the anchoring members includes an anchoring member And a connecting element disposed between the juxtaposed adiabatic blocks and attached to the supporting element, wherein the connecting element extends from the supporting element to the upper surface of the heat insulating block, And extending in the direction of the support structure in the thickness direction, the connection element being attached to the sub-adiabatic barrier or the support structure to press the heat-insulating blocks onto the sub-seal membrane.

By virtue of these properties, the corner pillars help to reduce some of the compressive force to limit crushing and creep of the polymer foam during use.

Such tanks may form part of a land storage facility, such as a portion for storing LNG, or the tank may be a floating structure in coastal or deep water, particularly a methane tanker ship, a floating storage and regasification unit a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO), and the like.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting a cold liquid product includes 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, comprising the steps of passing through floating pipelines (insulated pipelines) from a floating storage or land storage facility to said tank of said vessel , Or from the tank of the vessel to a floating storage or land storage facility.

According to one embodiment, there is also provided a transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising a ship as described above, an insulation constructed to connect the tank installed in the hull of the ship to a floating storage facility or a land storage facility Pipelines, and cold liquid product from the floating storage facility or land storage facility to the tank of the vessel through the adiabatic pipelines, or from the tank of the vessel to the floating storage facility or the land- And a pump for driving the storage device.

Certain aspects of the present invention include, on the one hand, compressive stresses typically applied on the edges of the heat insulating block in the main insulating barrier of the membrane tank for methane carrier and, on the other hand, compression of the materials constituting the corner posts of such heat insulating block Based on the idea of providing relatively high safety margins between the elastic limits, e.g., 5 to 10 or more, safety margins.

Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the idea of increasing the strength of fastening undergoing thermal variations between the foam pads and the respective corner post. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the idea of increasing the surface area of the interface between the foam pad and the medial lateral surface of the corner post.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of various specific embodiments of the invention, given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, And advantages will become clearer.
Figure 1 is a three-quarter view in perspective of an insulating block according to one embodiment.
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 in which the foam pads of the heat block are shown.
3 is an enlarged perspective view of corner pillars of the heat insulating block of Fig. 1; Fig.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a corner post according to another embodiment.
Figure 5 is a top view of the heat insulating block according to another embodiment.
Figure 6 is a three fourth part perspective view of an insulating block according to another embodiment.
Figure 7 is a cutaway perspective view of a sealed and insulated wall of a storage tank for liquefied gas.
Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the primary element of the wall of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a top view of a corner post according to another embodiment.
10 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating block taken along the line AA in FIG.
11 is a side view of a corner post according to another embodiment.
Figure 12 is a top view of a corner post according to another embodiment.
Figure 13 is a partial model schematic of this tank and terminal for loading / unloading a methane carrier tank.

Referring to FIG. 1, the heat insulating block 10 has the overall shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped having flat cutting edges 12 at corners so that fastening members, which will be described below, can pass.

The core of the heat insulating block 10 is composed of the foam pads 1 represented in Fig. The foam pads 1 are made of high density polymer foams, such as glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane foams, which have a density of 130 kg / m ³ and a thermal expansion coefficient of about 6.10 ^-5 m / m / K. Each of the edges of the foam pad 1 between two adjacent lateral surfaces 3 is chamfered at 45 degrees so as to have a planar edge surface 2 interposed between the two lateral surfaces 3. [ )do.

The corner posts 5, which are laid out in Fig. 3, are each fixed on the edge surface 2 of the foam pad 1, for example by adhesive bonding. The corner post (5) has a prismatic shape with a trapezoidal base. The prismatic surface 6 corresponding to the long base of the trapezoid is the surface that comes into contact with the corner surface 2. The opposite surface 7, corresponding to the short base of the trapezoid, forms a flat cut surface 12 of the heat insulating block 10. The two inclined surfaces 8 are at right angles to each other and are aligned with the lateral surface 3 of the foam pad 1, respectively.

4 shows a modification of the corner post. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 3 have a number increased by 100 for the same reference number. In this modification, the corner post 105 has the shape of a prism having a bottom which is a quarter of a quarter cut. Thus, the surface 106, after being intended to contact the foam block 1, has the shape of a quarter cylinder. In this case, the edge surfaces 2 of the foam block 1 have to be changed in the same way. Thus, the surface area available for performing the adhesive bonding is larger in the case of the corner post 105.

9 shows a modification of the corner post. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 3 have a number increased by 400 for the same reference number. This modification is based on a prismatic shape with a trapezoidal bottom surface of the corner post 5. The rear surface 406 corresponds to the rear surface 6 and then protuberances 420 are added to the surface 406. The protrusions 420 are intended to protrude into the foam block 401. These protrusions 420 have the shape of a tongue oriented at right angles to the thickness direction of the heat insulating block. These protrusions 420 extend from one inclined surface 408 to another inclined surface over the entire width of the rear surface 406.

Fig. 10 shows a corner post 405 assembled with the heat insulating block taken along section A-A in Fig. The corner post 405 has two protrusions 420 separated by a connecting portion 422. 10 shows that the cross-section of the protrusions 420 in the shape of a tongue is rectangular. It is also shown that the surface area of the base 421 of the protrusions 420 is smaller than the total surface area of the rear surface 406.

Thanks to these protrusions 420, the corner post 405 has a posterior surface 406 which is in contact with the foam block 1 which is larger than the post 5. The interface between the rear surface 406 of the corner post 405 and the edge surfaces 2 of the foam block 1 is such that the edge surfaces 2 are in contact with the rear surface Gt; 406 < / RTI > The protrusions 420 are then embedded in the foam block 1. The increase in the posterior surface 406 increases the contact surface between the pillars 405 and the foam block 1. This increases the strength of the assembly, for example in the case of adhesive bonded assembly.

11 shows a modification of the corner post. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 9 have a number increased by 100 for the same reference number. In this variation, the corner post 505 includes three protrusions 520. They have a cross section corresponding to a circular portion.

As an alternative, the protrusions 520 or 420 may be localized, for example, on a portion of the width of the posterior surface 506 or 406 of the post 505 or 405.

12 shows a modification of the corner post. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 9 have a number increased by 200 for the same reference number. In this modification, the rear surface 606 of the corner post 605 includes five protrusions 620 oriented along the thickness direction of the heat insulating block 10. The protrusions 620 are adjacent to each other to form the rear surface 606.

In one variation of the embodiments of Figures 9-12, the protrusions 420, 520, or 620 may be localized, continuous, or combined.

The localized protrusions 420, 520 or 620 may be used to shape the posterior surfaces 406, 506 or 606 of the pillars 405, 505 or 605 as well as to shape the edges of the foam blocks 1, (2) is greatly simplified. The stresses are localized.

The use of continuous protrusions 420, 520 or 620 makes the implementation more complicated. Its use has the advantage of greatly increasing rear assembly surfaces 406, 506 or 606 and thus has the advantage of limiting the anchoring forces at the interface.

In an alternative embodiment, the protrusions 420, 520, or 620 are not fabricated in one piece with the corner posts 405, 505, or 605, To form the posterior surface (406, 506 or 606). They are then fixed, for example by adhesive bonding or clamping.

The corner post (5, 105, 405, 505 or 605) may be made of a glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam having a density of 210 kg / m ^{3 and} a compressive elastic limit of 3 MPa at 23 ° C. Like the foam 3, this material has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 60.10 ^-6 m / mK vs. thickness of the panel 1. One of the advantages of using polyurethane foams is the thermal conductivity of the material at 20 ° C between 0.030 and 0.035 W / mK.

Compressive elastic limits greater than 1.5 MPa at 23 ° C will be satisfactory in terms of two facts, two facts:

● The compressive elastic limit of the polymer foam prior to damage is increased by a proportional factor of about 2 between 23 ° C and -170 ° C when the temperature drops.

● The creep of the foam occurs over time, which is due to the tension of the retaining members at ambient temperature and to the use of the vessel when cold (primarily between -100 and -170 ° C) The power to suffer over a period of time can be attributed to both. For this reason both strength at ambient temperature and strength at cold are relevant in the selection of the insulating material.

As an alternative, the corner posts 5, 105, 405, 505 or 605 may be made of a polymeric resin or composite material in the form of a hollow tube, The upper and lower ends of the tube are open or closed. The presence of a closure surface on the end has the advantage of better distributing the compressive load received by the heat block 10 during use. As an example, a polyetherimide (PEI) having a stress of 110 MPa at 23 ° C and a thermal contraction coefficient of 45.10 ^-6 m / mK at 23 ° C, a tensile strength of 80 MPa at 23 ° C (Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), or weakly filled polyethylene (PE) having a heat stress of 65.10 ^-6 m / mK and a heat shrinkage coefficient of 65.10 ^-6 m / It is possible to have a stress at the compressive elastic limit which is much higher than the high density foam while reducing the coefficient to within the range of 45 to 75.10 ^-6 m / mK.

4, the heat insulating block 10 is provided with a cover panel 13 covering the upper surface 4 of the foam pad 1, and a cover panel 13 made of, for example, A lower panel 14 covering the surface is provided. It is also possible to omit the cover panel 13 and / or the lower panel 14 in some embodiments.

The lower panel 14 is made of, for example, 9 mm thick plywood. Such a panel allows better distribution of the compressive stresses and limits the local degradation of the foam. The compressive stress applied to the insulation is due to the static and dynamic pressure of the LNG in the tank. The lower panel 14 may be made of a composite material having flexion and shear resistance. The assembly between the lower panel 14 and the heat insulating block 10 is performed by adhesive bonding.

The cover panel 13 adhesively bonded to the upper portion of the heat block 10 can be made in the same way and is also optionally used to distribute compressive stresses.

The contour of the heat insulating block 10 is thus optimized to minimize the thermal paths present between the foam blocks. The only plays that are preferably present are the passages and mounting plays of the fastening members in the corners.

In Fig. 5, a modification of the heat insulating block 10 is shown. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 1 have a number increased by 100 for the same reference number. In this variant, the cover panel 113 has two additional elements,

- There is a recess 15 in the shape of a quarter disc at each edge to accommodate the plate of the fuser member described below without forming an excess thickness;

- It is also possible to use two (two) metal bands to accommodate the metal bands intended to weld the sealing membrane formed by the strakes with raised edges made of an alloy with a low coefficient of expansion according to known techniques Parallel grooves 16 are recessed in the cover panel 113.

In Fig. 6, another modification of the heat insulating block 10 is shown. Elements similar or identical to those of FIG. 1 have a number increased by 200 for the same reference number. The cover panel 213 retains a metal anchoring band 18 fixed in the recesses on its upper surface without forming excess thickness. This fixation band 18 makes it possible to weld the edges of a thin corrugated metal plate to form a sealing membrane according to other techniques. In this modification, the lid panel 213 may also include the recessed portions 15. The corner posts 205 may be similar to the posts 5 or 105.

Referring to Fig. 7, an exemplary embodiment of a sealed and adiabatic tank wall structure is shown in an internal model perspective view to show the structure of this wall, which will now be described. Such a structure can be used, for example, on extended surfaces having various orientations to cover the bottom, roof and sidewalls of a reservoir. Therefore, the orientation of FIG. 1 is not limited in this regard.

The tank wall is attached to the wall of the support structure (20). By convention, "above " will refer to a location closer to the interior of the reservoir," below "refers to the distance between the support structure 1, irrespective of the orientation of the tank wall relative to the earth's gravitational field, As shown in FIG.

The tank wall comprises a sub-insulating barrier 21, a sub-sealing barrier 22 held on top of the sub-insulating barrier 21, a main insulating barrier 23 held on the sub-sealing barrier 22, And a main sealing barrier (24) held on top of the main insulating barrier (23).

The sub-adiabatic barriers 21 are comprised of a plurality of parallelepipedic sub-adiabatic blocks disposed substantially side by side to substantially cover the inner surface of the support structure 20. The sub-adiabatic block has, for example, a length and a width of 3 m and 1 m, respectively. The block has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is composed of a polyurethane foam enclosed between two laminate plates. One of the plates extends beyond the periphery of the foam and is intended to be supported on the support wall 20 as an interposition of resin beads intended to compensate for local defects of the support wall 20 . The other plate of the sub-adiabatic block includes a metal connecting band 26 along two symmetry axes of the plate, the metal connecting band being secured by screws, rivets, clamps or adhesives. A crossover region of the bands 26 is provided with a continuous metal plate 28 (FIG. 8) projecting above the sub-adiabatic barrier 21 at the center of the intersection of the bands. plate 27 was placed. A gap 30 is formed between two adjacent sub-blocks.

7 is a sectional view of the metal plate (metal plate) constituting a part of the sub-sealing barrier 22 of the tank wall, starting from the uncovered sub-insulating block shown in the upper left of Fig. 7 and continuing in the oblique direction toward the right and downward a sub-adiabatic block partially covered with a metal sheet 31 is shown. The metal plate 31 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the metal plate includes creases 32a and 32b along two rectangle-shaped symmetry axes. The corrugations 32a and 32b form reliefs disposed in the direction of the support wall 20 and the corrugations are disposed in the gaps 30 of the subthermal barrier. The metal plates 31 are made of Invar (R), the coefficient of thermal expansion being typically between 1.5.10 ^-6 and 2.10 ^-6 K ^-1 . The metal plates have a thickness between about 0.7 mm and about 0.4 mm. The two adjacent metal plates 31 are welded together with an overlap, as described in FIG. The maintenance of the sub-adiabatic blocks of the metal plates 31 is carried out with the bands 26 on which at least two edges of each metal plate 31 are welded.

The region where the sub-sealing barrier 22 is covered with the main heat insulating block 23 of the tank wall is represented by the metal plates 31 of the sub-sealing barrier 22 and diagonally toward the right and downward thereof, . Preferably, the heat insulating block 23 is manufactured according to the heat insulating block 10 described above. The fastening of the heat insulating blocks 23 is performed by using the fins 8 as shown in Fig.

On the upper surface of the heat insulating block 23 there are two connecting bands 18; These connecting bands are made of metal and are arranged in grooves formed in the heat insulating block 23 to avoid any excess thickness on the insulating block. The two bands 18 are arranged parallel to the boundaries of the block 23 and are fixed in the grooves as described above.

Unlike the above-described heat insulating block 10, the heat insulating block 23 is cut on the upper surface of the heat insulating block by a square arrangement of relaxation slots 35 for limiting heat shrinkage stresses, The relief slots extend over a part of the thickness of the heat insulating block (23). However, depending on the properties of the material used to make the adiabatic blocks and the thermal stresses applied to the blocks, such relaxation slots are not always necessary.

Finally, in FIG. 7, the position of the metal plate 24 constituting the main sealing barrier of the tank is shown when moving obliquely downward and rightward from the block 23. The plate 24 may be made of stainless steel having a thickness of about 1.2 mm; The plate includes wrinkles disposed along axes parallel to the edges of the plate. The wrinkles may be in a relief toward the interior of the tank but may be in a relief on the side of the support wall 20; These wrinkles were marked 29. In Figs. 7 and 8, the pleats 29 are projected toward the inside of the tank.

8 shows the position of the main insulating blocks 23 in such a manner that the edges of the four main insulating blocks 23 extend around the pins 28, Is welded onto the plate (27) at the base and threaded at its upper end to cooperate with the tightening nut (39). The tightening nut 39 is disposed in the lower portion of the cup 38, wherein there is any optional interposition of the washers 37 and the peripheral border of the cup is located in the four main heat insulating blocks 23). ≪ / RTI > The pin 28, the cup 38 and the nut 39 are thus fixedly attached to the corner posts 5 of the main heat insulating blocks 23 in the direction of the support wall 20 .

The techniques described above for manufacturing sealed and adiabatic tank walls may be used for various types of reservoirs, such as the walls of LNG reservoirs in land-based equipment, or floating structures such as methane carrier lines, And the like. Figures 7 and 8 show a particular way of manufacturing a secondary element of the tank wall. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other structures may be utilized to create the sub-insulating and sub-sealing barriers.

In the embodiment of Figures 7 and 8, the fins 28 are attached to the sub-insulating barrier. In an alternative embodiment, the fusing members directly attached to the support wall extend through the entire secondary element to the top of the main heat-insulating blocks, and in a similar manner to retain the main heat- .

Referring to FIG. 13, an internal schematic of the methane carrier 70 shows a sealed, insulated tank 71 having a generally prismatic shape mounted within the double hull 72 of the methane carrier. The wall of the tank 71 has a primary sealing barrier intended to contact the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 of the carrier, And two insulating barriers disposed between the sub-sealing barrier and between the sub-sealing barrier and the double skin 72, respectively. Downstream pipeline 73 disposed on the upper deck of the vessel in a manner known per se for conveying LNG from or to the tank 71 May be connected to a maritime or port terminal by suitable connectors.

13, an example of a maritime terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, a submarine pipe 76 and a land installation 77 is illustrated. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation that includes a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 that supports the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 holds a bundle of insulating flexible tubes 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipelines 73. The movable arm 74 is fitted to all size gauges of methane carriers. A connecting pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables the loading and unloading of the methane carrier 70 from the land equipment 77 or the land equipment 77. The methane carrier includes liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connection pipes 81 whose connection pipes 81 are connected to the loading or unloading station 75 by the underside pipe 76 . The underside pipe 76 allows the liquefied gas to be transported over a long distance, for example 5 km, between the loading or unloading station 75 and the land equipment 77, Thereby allowing the methane carrier 70 to be maintained at a great distance from the shore during operation.

Pumps installed in the vessel 70 and / or pumps installed in the land equipment 77 and / or pumps installed in the loading and unloading station 75 to generate the pressure necessary to transfer the liquefied gas. Are used.

While the present invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto at all and that the technical equivalents of the means by which the invention is described, as well as combinations thereof, If you belong, it is clear that it covers it.

Use of the verb "to include", "includes" or "having" and uses thereof does not exclude the presence of other elements or other steps than the elements or steps recited in the claims. The use of the indefinite article "one" or "article" for an element or step does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements or steps, unless otherwise indicated.

Any reference between parentheses in a claim may not be construed as a limitation of the claim.

Claims (19)

A heat insulating block (10, 23) having the overall shape of a flat rectangular parallelepiped for making a sealed and insulated tank wall, said heat insulating block being intended to be arranged according to a repeated pattern to form a heat insulating barrier of said tank wall, The heat insulating block comprises:
A pad (1) of polymer foam having a density greater than 100 kg / m < ³ >, said pad having a generally rectangular polygonal upper surface (4) And a plurality of lateral surfaces (3) extending perpendicularly to the upper surface and the lower surface between the upper surface and the lower surface, , Wherein the lateral surfaces (3) define a rectangular geometrical envelope of the upper surface and the lower surface, the polymer foam pad having a plurality of edge surfaces (2) , Said plurality of edge surfaces (2) being arranged between two adjacent lateral surfaces (3) of the pad, respectively, Wherein the edge surfaces (2) are shorter than the adjacent lateral surfaces (3) of the pad and the edge surfaces (2) are in contact with the upper surface and the lower surface A pad formed by cutouts cutting the rectangular geometric sheath of the upper surface and the lower surface in the thickness direction of the heat insulating block at a plurality of corners of the rectangular geometric sheath; And
A plurality of corner posts (5, 105, 205, 405, 505, 605) secured to the polymer foam pads at the cutouts, the plurality of corner posts being disposed between the upper surface and the lower surface Wherein the corner pillars extend over the entire thickness of the insulating block and each of the corner pillars has an inner lateral surface (6, 106, 406, 506, 606) that completely covers the edge surface (2) ≪ / RTI >
Characterized in that the corner posts (5, 105, 205) have a thermal expansion coefficient between 75% and 125% of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the polymer foam constituting the pad and preferably greater than 1.5 MPa at a temperature of 23 [ Wherein the inner lateral surface of the corner post is adhesively bonded to the edge surface and the edge posts (5, 105, < RTI ID = 0.0 > 205) is selected from the group consisting of polymeric foams and polymeric resins having a density equal to or greater than 170 kg / m < ³ >. The heat insulating block according to claim 1, wherein the polymer foam constituting the pad (1) is a closed-cell polyurethane foam having a density equal to or greater than 130 kg / m ³ . ^{3. The} heat insulating block according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material of the corner posts (5, 105, 205) is a polymer foam having a density equal to or greater than 170 kg / m3. 3. The heat insulating block according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material of the corner posts (5, 105, 205) comprises a polymer resin. 5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat insulating block further comprises a plywood cover panel (13) fixed on the upper surface of the polymer foam pad, Said cover panel having an outline aligned with said lateral surfaces of said polymer foam pad and with an outer lateral surface of said corner posts secured to said pad, said cover panel covering an upper surface of said corner posts at corners, Insulating block. 6. The heat insulating block of claim 5, wherein the cover panel has a plurality of recesses (15) disposed on each of the corner posts. 7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat block further comprises a plywood lower panel (14) secured under the lower surface of the polymer foam pad, Wherein the lower panel has an outline aligned with the lateral surfaces of the polymer foam pad and the lateral lateral surfaces of the corner posts secured to the pad. 8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the corner posts (5, 105, 205) each have a constant cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction, Having an outer edge set back from a geometrical point of intersection of the two lateral surfaces of the pad adjacent the edge surface. 9. The column according to claim 8, characterized in that the edge surface (2) of the pad is flat and the cross-sectional shape of the column (5) is trapezoidal and the trapezoid is a long base A short base corresponding to the outer edge retracted from the geometric intersection of the two lateral surfaces of the pad, and a short base corresponding to the two lateral surfaces of the pad adjacent to the corner surface, Having two hypotenuses, which are arranged in a row. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the edge surface of the pad is rounded, the cross-sectional shape of the column (105) is an angular sector of a disk, Wherein each of the two radial edges bounding the angled sector is cut along a straight line corresponding to the outer edge retracted from the geometric intersection of the two lateral surfaces (3) Is aligned with the two lateral surfaces of the pad adjacent to the pad. 11. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner lateral surfaces (406, 506, 606) have hooks projecting laterally from the corner posts (405, 505, 605) toward the polymer foam pads Wherein the hook element comprises a hook element having a cross section with a small surface area relative to the total surface area of the inner lateral surface within a plane parallel to the thickness of the heat block, block. The heat insulating block according to claim 11, wherein the hook element (620) extends over the entire length of the corner post and protrudes over a small portion of a periphery of the corner post. 12. The heat insulating block of claim 11, wherein the hook element extends over a small portion of the length of the corner post. 14. Insulation block according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the inner lateral surface comprises a plurality of juxtaposed hook elements (420, 520, 620). 15. The thermal block of claim 14, wherein two successive ones of the plurality of hook elements (420, 520) are spaced (422, 522) on the inner lateral surface. A sealed and adiabatic tank disposed within a support structure for containing cold fluid, the wall of the tank having a primary sealing membrane (24) intended to contact the fluid, a primary insulating barrier (23), a secondary sealing membrane (22) And a subthermal barrier (21) disposed between the sub-sealing membrane and the support structure in a thickness direction, the main insulating barrier forming a plane support surface for the main sealing membrane Wherein the upper surface of the heat insulating blocks is facing towards the interior of the tank and the wall of the tank is in contact with the upper surface of the tank Further comprising anchoring members (28, 37, 38, 39) for holding the heat insulating blocks (23) on the sub-sealing membrane, wherein each of the fusing members A support element (38) that engages the upper surface of the heat block at right angles to the pillars (5, 105, 205), and a coupling element (28) disposed between the juxtaposed heat block , Wherein the connecting element (28) extends from the supporting element in the direction of the supporting structure (20) in the thickness direction of the insulating blocks (23), and the connecting element is connected to the heat insulating blocks Is attached to said sub-insulating barrier (21, 20) or said support structure so as to press against said sub-sealing membrane (22). A vessel (70) for conveying a cold liquid product, the vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to claim 16 disposed in the double hull (72). A method for loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 17, comprising the steps of: passing the floating storage facility or land storage facility (77) via insulated pipelines (73, 79, 76, 81) To the tank (71) of the vessel or from the tank (71) of the vessel to a floating storage or land storage facility (77). A transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 17, an insulation constructed to connect the tank (71) provided in the hull of the vessel to a floating storage facility or a land storage facility Pipelines 73, 79, 76, 81 and the flow of cold liquid product from the floating storage facility or land storage facility through the insulated pipelines to the tank of the vessel or to the tank of the vessel To a floating storage facility or to a land storage facility.

Images