KR20190052617A - Sealed and thermally insulating tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sealing and thermally insulating tank for storing and transporting cold fluid, in which each tank wall includes a sealing membrane and a thermally insulating wall inserted between the sealing membrane and a support wall, wherein a floor support wall (2) provides a drain hole passing through a lower support wall, and has a protrusion flange (10) guiding flow of liquid to the drain hole. The protrusion flange extends along edges of the floor support wall (2) with a distance from the edges of the floor support wall while substantially continuing on the entire periphery portion of the floor support wall. The support wall can be configured by a hull of a ship.

Description

{SEALED AND THERMALLY INSULATING TANK}

The present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulating tanks with membranes. In particular, the invention relates to a process for the transport of liquefied petroleum gas (also referred to as LPG) at a temperature of, for example, -50 ° C to 0 ° C at atmospheric pressure, or for the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at approximately -162 ° C To airtight and adiabatic tanks for the storage and / or transport of cold fluids, such as tanks for transport. These tanks may be installed on land or on floating structures. In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be intended to accommodate liquefied natural gas used for transporting the liquefied gas or as fuel for propulsion of the floating structure.

In the description of membrane-type sealing and adiabatic tanks, the supporting structure, for example the hull of the vessel, provides a supporting wall whose inner surface is covered with a multi-layer structure forming the sealing and insulating walls of the tank, And one or more insulating barriers interposed between the sealing membranes and the supporting wall and the sealing membrane (s).

When the tank is filled with a low temperature fluid, thermal leaks present through the tank wall typically cause the interior surface of the support structure to be at a temperature below the ambient air temperature. This low temperature facilitates condensation and water runoff on the inner surface of the support structure if moist ambient air can enter the interior space of the support structure, especially between the support structure and the tank wall.

It is therefore desirable to provide a drainage system to prevent accumulation of water or other liquids on the bottom support walls.

KR-A-20150120701 discloses a membrane tank for an LNG in which the bottom support wall comprises a drain.

The idea on which the present invention is based is to increase the effectiveness of the drain by guiding the outflow or flow of liquid on the inner surface of the support structure towards the drain.

For this purpose, the invention provides a sealing and adiabatic tank for the storage or transport of cold fluids, the tank comprising support walls defining a support structure and tank walls attached on the inner surface of the support walls, The tank wall includes a sealing membrane and an insulating barrier sandwiched between the sealing membrane and the support wall,

The support structure includes a bottom support wall that presents one or more drains through the bottom support wall to allow for the drainage of the support structure,

The bottom support wall has a projecting flange for guiding the flow of the liquid to the drain port and the projecting flange extends continuously from the edges of the bottom support wall at substantially the entire periphery of the bottom support wall, And the projecting flange is covered by a thermal barrier of the tank wall attached on the bottom support wall.

With these features, the protruding flange can limit the liquid flowing downward along the sidewalls of the support structure to a boundary region located between the edges of the protruding flange and the bottom support wall, and thus the flow of this liquid towards the drain port .

In advantageous embodiments, such tanks may present one or more of the following features.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange is interrupted to allow the flow of liquid from the drain port or each drain port to pass through the drain port. Liquids, such as condensation water, flowing into the boundary region of the bottom support wall located on the outside of the projecting flange, due to the break (s) in the projecting flange at the drain hole (s) The liquid flowing into the central region of the bottom support wall located on the inside of the projecting flange can also reach the drain, whatever its position, i.e. in the central region, in the boundary region or across the central region and boundary region.

In alternate embodiments, the projecting flanges may be continuous and separate drains may be provided on both sides of the projecting flange.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange is close to the edge of the bottom support wall at a distance from the edges of the bottom support wall, for example less than one tenth of the dimension of the bottom support wall in a direction perpendicular to the corresponding edge of the support wall . In one embodiment, the distance between the projecting flange and the edge of the bottom support wall is less than one meter.

Because of these features, the boundary region is much smaller than the central region of the support wall. Thus, for example, in the case of inflow of seawater due to problems with the watertightness of the side support walls of the ship, for example as a result of impacts or welding defects during manufacture, And facilitates the detection of the presence of water. In one embodiment, the drain is equipped with a water presence sensor.

Numerous materials can be suitable for the production of extruded flanges. In one embodiment, the projecting flange includes a bead made of a polymer resin that is bonded onto a bottom support wall. Various polymeric resins, especially polyurethane resins and epoxy resins, can be used for this purpose. In one embodiment, the projecting flange comprises a series of metal portions welded on the bottom support wall. These metal parts may be bar or rod except for the drain (s), for example the end and the end are welded or overlap to form a continuous contour.

The metal parts may also be used in combination with the polymeric resin beads to form the projecting flange. In this case, the polymeric resin beads can be used to produce sealed joints, especially between metal parts, which prevents the need to make these sealed joints by welding.

The support structure may present a variety of geometries, preferably substantially spherical or prismatic, having a flat bottom support wall. In one embodiment, the support structure includes at least one side support wall, vertically or bevelled, connected to the edge of the bottom support wall on a ridge of the support structure, wherein the projecting flange is positioned parallel to the ridge. The angle between the two support walls forming the ridges may have various values, e.g. 90, 135 or other values.

In one embodiment, the insulating barrier of the tank wall is modularly fabricated using insulating blocks juxtaposed on each support wall, in particular the bottom support wall, to substantially cover the inner surface of the bottom support wall. These insulating blocks may in particular include corner structures and / or flat insulating blocks. This modular fabrication offers the advantage of leaving gaps between the juxtaposed insulating blocks. In areas where the flow of liquids needs to be facilitated, this spacing can be arranged into the flow channels, for example by leaving free spaces or by using porous insulating materials in this gap.

In one embodiment, the insulating barrier of the tank wall attached on the bottom support wall comprises a plurality of corner structures arranged along the ridge of the support structure, each corner structure having a first wing and a second wing, And a second wing that is inclined with respect to the first wing and covers the border area of the side support wall. The angle of inclination between the two blades is typically equal to the angle between the two support walls forming the ridge. With these features, the manufacture of a thermal barrier on the ridge (s) of the support structure can be performed in a simple manner using corner structures, which can be prefabricated.

The projecting flange can be positioned in various ways for the insulating barrier. In one embodiment, the projecting flange is positioned, for example, under the first wing of the corner structures along the outside of the first wing of the corner structures away from the ridge of the support structure. In another embodiment, the projecting flange is positioned under the flat insulating blocks attached on the bottom support wall. With these features, the protruding flange, especially when made of a polymeric resin, can be used between planar theoretical surfaces that simultaneously guide the flow, support the insulating barrier and serve as a positional reference for the inner surface of the bottom wall and the insulating barrier As a shim to compensate for the difference between the two.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange includes a bead made of a polymeric resin deposited and adhered onto the face of the corner structures designed to face the support structure.

Such polymeric resin beads can be formed into one piece, for example, by depositing on a support wall. Alternatively, it may be formed by successive interconnected sections. In this case, the corner structures may be positioned along the ridge of the support structure in the form of heat comprising intermediate spaces, and the blocks of insulation material are inserted into the intermediate spaces between the corner structures of the row. In this case, the projecting flange is a polymer deposited and adhered on the faces of blocks of insulating material designed to face bead sections and bead sections made of polymeric resin deposited and adhered on the faces of the corner structures designed to face the support structure Includes connection sections made of resin.

In one embodiment, a strip of flexible insulating filling material is inserted into the remainder of the intermediate space to limit heat transfer by convection.

In another embodiment, the projecting flange is located between the two rows of insulating blocks, e.g. between the first wing of the corner structures and the flat insulating blocks.

In one embodiment, the insulating barrier of the tank wall attached on the bottom support wall comprises a first edge that traverses the ridge of the support structure and that supports the bottom support wall, and a rigid portion that presents a second edge that supports the side support wall Wherein the projecting flange comprises a bead of polymoerisable resin sandwiched between the first edge of the rigid plate and the bottom support wall to adhere the first edge of the rigid plate to the bottom support wall by gluing, .

Preferably in this case the bead of the second discontinuous polymerizable resin is disposed between the second edge of the rigid plate and the side support wall to adhere the second edge of the rigid plate to the side support wall by adhesion.

Advantageously, the insulating barrier of the tank wall substantially covers the bottom surfaces of the bottom support walls and the side support walls, including flat insulation blocks attached to the bottom support wall and the side support walls, And the flexible insulating material is also held between the rows of flat insulating blocks attached on the bottom support walls and on the side support walls of the flat insulating blocks attached on the bottom support walls And is sandwiched between rows of attached flat insulating blocks.

The drain (s) can be positioned in various ways on the bottom support wall and on the projecting flange. In one embodiment, the drain port is aligned with the protruding flange, and the protruding flange is blocked at the edge of the drain port.

In one embodiment, the edges of the bottom support wall are located on the outside of the protruding flange and the drain port is located on the inside of the outwardly facing protruding flange.

Preferably in this case the insulating barrier of the tank wall comprises flat insulating blocks attached on the bottom support wall on the inside of the projecting flange and a flat insulating block positioned between the brakes in the projecting flange, And a flow channel extending transversely to the projecting flange.

In embodiments, the bottom support wall is flat and in particular presents a rectangular or trapezoidal shape in the front tank of the vessel.

The tanks described above may be used in various types of equipment such as offshore installations or in floating structures such as LNG carriers or other vessels. In one embodiment, the support structure is the hull of the vessel and the drain port is located near the edge of the bottom support wall located toward the rear of the vessel.

The present invention also provides a vessel for transporting a cold liquid product, wherein the vessel comprises the vessel described above wherein the vessel and supporting structure are comprised of the vessel's hull.

The present invention also provides a process for loading or unloading such vessels, wherein the cold liquid product is pumped into the tank of the ship or from the tank through pipes insulated from the floating or coast-based storage facility or to the facility .

The present invention also provides a delivery system for a cold liquid product, wherein the system comprises a vessel as described above, wherein the insulated pipes are inserted to connect a tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or coast-based storage facility, Resulting in the flow of cold liquid products through pipes insulated to or from the tank or from floating or coast-based storage facilities.

Are presented herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of certain specific embodiments of the invention given by way of illustration and in a non- Will become clearer.
1 is a perspective view of a prismatic support structure in which a sealing and adiabatic tank can be made.
2 is a cross-sectional view of the tank wall according to the first embodiment along line II-II in Fig.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the tank wall according to the first embodiment along line III-III in Fig.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a tank wall according to a second embodiment.
5 is a cross-sectional view of the tank wall according to the second embodiment along line VV in Fig.
6 is an enlarged perspective view of a region VI of FIG. 1 showing a tank wall according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the tank wall according to the third embodiment along line VII-VII in FIG. 6;
8 is a cross-sectional view of the tank wall according to the third embodiment along line VIII-VIII in Fig.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tank wall according to a modification of the third embodiment, showing a drain channel and a flow channel formed in the lower surface of the insulating housing. FIG.
Figure 10 is a schematic cut away view of a loading / unloading terminal for LNG carriers and ships.
11 is a detailed perspective view of the tank wall according to the second embodiment.
12 is another detailed perspective view of the tank wall according to the second embodiment.
13 is a perspective view of an insert that can be used for a tank wall according to the second embodiment.

1 is a perspective view of a generally prismatic support structure 1, which can be formed by the hull of a liquefied gas carrier, and which is designed to receive a multi-layered modular lid on its internal surface to form a sealed and adiabatic tank.

The supporting structure 1 comprises metal supporting walls, in this case a flat bottom wall 2, a flat ceiling wall 3 parallel to the bottom wall 2, two flat transverse end walls perpendicular to the axis of the ship, I.e. by means of the front transverse wall 4 and the rear transverse wall 5 and the three flat portions, namely the lower bevel portion 6, the vertical portion 7 and the upper bevel portion 8, And includes two opposing longitudinal walls to be formed. The bevel portions are inclined, for example at an angle of 45 degrees, about the longitudinal axis of the vessel. The support walls are bonded at the ridges 9 shown in solid lines or dotted lines in Fig. 1, depending on whether they are visible or hidden.

The projecting flange 10 is formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 2, which in this case is rectangular. The protruding flange 10 extends along four corners of the bottom wall 2 at short distances from the edges to define a boundary region 15 in which water flowing down along the transverse end walls or longitudinal walls can be restricted do.

The projecting flange 10 is cut off at only two drains 11, which is located in the vicinity of the rear transverse wall 5 in the example shown. In other words, the projecting flange 10 comprises a straight section 101 which extends continuously along the front edge of the bottom wall 2, a straight section 101 which continuously extends along each of the two side edges of the bottom wall 2, Two straight sections 102 and 103 connected in a continuous manner to two ends of the straight section 101 and a straight section 104 extending along the rear edge of the bottom wall 2, The two ends are connected in a continuous manner to the rear ends of the two straight sections 102, 103. The straight section 104 is interrupted twice in this example.

In Fig. 1, the projecting flange 10 has the overall shape of a rectangular frame. This shape can be modified, in particular, into rounded sections at the corners of the bottom wall 2. The main function of the projecting flange 10 is to guide the flow of water in the boundary region 15 to the drain ports 11 to prevent this flow of water from moving to the center section of the bottom wall 2. [

Each drain 11 is opened into a drain pipe 12 which passes through the thickness of the bottom wall 2 and carries the liquid drained towards the drain system (not shown). The projecting flange 10 is then blocked on the edges of the two drains 11 in this case. Each drain 11 can thus collect liquids from the boundary region 15 and from the central region 14 of the bottom wall 2 located on the other side of the projecting flange 10.

In the case of a marine tank, following the unloading of the cargo from the tank, the marine ballast tanks can be filled in such a way that the hull of the marine vessel inclines obliquely toward the rear, So that the liquid is allowed to flow by gravity toward the drains 11 located in the rear section of the tank.

A description will now be given of some embodiments of the protruding flange 10 and some embodiments of the multi-layered modular cover forming the tank wall. The combinations disclosed below are not limiting and each embodiment of the protruding flange can be used with various embodiments of a multi-layer modular cover.

The first embodiment is shown in Figs. The projecting flange 10 is formed by the elongated metal parts 20 welded on the bottom wall 2 in this case. The metal portion 20 can be seen in cross section in Fig. The metal portion 20 is not cut in Fig. 3, but its end face located at the edge of the hole 11 is visible.

The tank walls consist of pre-fabricated modular insulation blocks, juxtaposed on the support walls. These modular insulation blocks include flat insulation blocks 21 for covering flat areas and corner insulation blocks 22 for covering the ridge areas. The insulating block 21 or 22 comprises a secondary insulating barrier element 23, a secondary sealing barrier element 24 and a primary insulating barrier element 25 each time. The insulating blocks 21, 22 can be attached on the support structure in a variety of ways by means of gluing and / or mechanical attachments, for example bolts and nuts.

The corner insulation block 22 has an angle of 135 degrees between the bottom wall 2 and the adjacent side walls, i.e., at the ridge 29 between the bottom wall 2 and the bottom bevel portion 6 of Fig. 2, And two wings bent at an angle equal to 90 [deg.] In the ridge 28 between the front transverse wall 2 and the rear transverse wall 5.

The protruding flange 10 is provided with flat insulating blocks 21 raised on the bottom wall 2 adjacent to the row of corner insulating blocks 22 and the row of corner insulating blocks 22 covering the ridges 28, ). ≪ / RTI > The metal portions 20 thus provide a positional stop relative to the end face of the wing of the corner insulating block 22 placed on the bottom wall 2 and facilitate the installation of the corner insulating blocks 22. [ The beads 27 of the polymerizable resin, for example epoxy putty, are directed toward the corner insulating blocks 22 to precisely adjust the position of the corner insulating blocks 22 relative to the metal portions 20 May be disposed along the side of the oriented metal portions 20. The beads 27 of the polymerizable resin can seal the joint between two successive metal parts 20, especially if these parts are not welded together. 2, the bead 27 of the polymerizable resin also has a corner insulating block 22 placed on the bottom wall 2 to serve as a shim to compensate for the non-uniformity of the support structure. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > wings < / RTI >

For example, a glass-wool or other heat-insulating lining 31 is placed between two rows of insulation blocks on the projecting flange 10 to minimize void spaces in the secondary insulation barrier do.

The primary sealing membrane 26 is located on the upper surface of the insulating blocks 21, 22 and can be produced in a variety of ways. Other details regarding embodiments of sealed membranes and insulating blocks can be found in publications FR-A-2691520, US-A-5586513 and US-A-6035795.

The second embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 will now be described. Like reference numerals denote similar or identical elements to those of FIGS. 2 and 3 and will not be described again.

In the second embodiment, the projecting flange 10 is formed solely by the beads 30 of the polymerizable resin.

The bead 30 of the polymerizable resin is disposed under the wing of the corner insulating block 22 lying on the bottom wall 2 at the end of the wall remote from the ridge 28 or 29. Here again, the beads 30 of the polymerizable resin may serve as a shim to compensate for the non-uniformity of the support structure, in addition to limiting the flow.

The beads 30 of the polymerizable resin may be epoxy putty. The putty is a pasty material composed of an epoxy resin and a hardener which hardens the putty after application. The putty is applied on the faces of the insulating blocks designed to oppose the support structure. Before the putty is cured, insulation blocks are installed. Putty is crushed in this installation. The rigid shims, designated 34 in Figure 11, can be placed on the support walls to control the final thickness of the putty and to ensure the flatness of the surfaces of the insulating blocks disposed on the same support wall.

As can be seen in Figures 4, 5 and 11, the corner structure 22 has two portions attached together: the main portion 32 and the outer surface of the main portion 32 oriented in the direction opposite to the ridge The additional portion 33 takes the form of a long, elongated parallelepiped block of the same thickness as the main portion 32 and is formed by the outer portion 33 of the main portion 32, Or by other means. The width of it can be customized in view of the dimensional tolerances of the support walls.

In this case, the polymerizable resin beads 30 can be sandwiched under additional portions 33 of the corner structures 22. This facilitates the fitting of the polymerizable beads 30. More precisely, the assembly of the corner structures 22 begins with the installation of the main parts 32, without additional parts 33. The corner structures 22 are located in the form of rows along the ridges. Additional portions 33 are provided in the second stage and are pre-covered with successive portions of polymerizable resin beads 30 on the inner surface. The additional portions 33 are thus simultaneously bonded to the bottom wall 2 and to the major portions 32 of the corner structures 22.

As can be seen in FIG. 12, when the row of corner structures 22 present intermediate spaces 35, this is desirable to facilitate the assembly of the tank wall, and the continuous corner structures 22 ) Are not necessarily sufficient to form a continuous flange. For example, the intermediate space 35 may be 10 to 50 mm wide, especially about 30 mm. To connect the bead sections 36, also connection sections 37 made of polymerizable resin beads 30 are used. Bead sections 36 and connection sections 37 form in this case cavity 38 of polymerizable resin beads.

Since the height of the polymerizable resin beads 30 and especially the connection sections 37 is not necessarily sufficient to perform the flow drain function without any risk of overflowing the insert 38 at this point, Is used in the intermediate space 35 between the two corner structures 22 to elevate the two corner structures. The insert 38 is preferably bonded to the bottom wall 2 via additional portions 33 of the corner structures 22 and the connecting section 37 of polymerizable resin beads by its sides. It reaches, for example, about 50 mm in height.

As can be seen in Fig. 13, the insert 38 is arranged in a similar manner to the corner structures 22, for example, a rigid bottom plate 39 made of plywood and an insulating polymer foam 46 assembled by gluing And a cover layer. The connecting section 37 of polymerizable resin beads is initially deposited on the side of the bottom plate 39 designed to face the support structure.

Preferably, a strip of flexible insulating filler material, for example a glass wool, is inserted into the spaces between the corner structures 22 and the flat insulating blocks 21 and the remainder of the intermediate space 35, Lt; / RTI > The combination of the flexible strips in the remaining part of the intermediate space 35 and the insert 38 in the lower part of the intermediate space 35, between the two cornering structures 22, Leaving the possibility of the corner structures 22 moving or being slightly deformed in the intermediate space 35, in particular in response to deformation of the bottom wall 2 in the sea.

The primary hermetic membrane is omitted in Figures 5 and 5. Other details regarding embodiments of the sealing membranes and insulating blocks can be found in publications WO-A-2014167214 and WO-A-2017006044.

A third embodiment will now be described with reference to Figs. Like reference numerals designate like or similar elements to those of FIGS. 1 through 5 and will not be described again.

Figure 6 shows the ridges 28,29 bonded to the corners of the support structure. Along each edge 28, 29, the tank wall comprises a series of rigid plates 40, for example plywood. The rigid plate 40 traverses the ridge 28 or 29 of the support structure and is joined to the bead 42 of the polymerizable resin by a first edge glued on the bottom wall 2 by the bead 41 of polymerizable resin To the lower bevel portion 6 or to the transverse wall 4 or 5. The beads 41 of the polymerizable resin are continuous and constitute the projecting flange 10. The beads 42 of the polymerizable resin are discontinuous and do not prevent water from flowing out to the bottom wall 2.

The insulating barrier of the tank wall consists of insulating housings 43, for example of wood, in this case, filled with an insulating material such as glass wool, perlite or other material. Insulating housings 43 are juxtaposed on the support walls to substantially cover the interior surface of the support structure. In Figures 7 and 8, the rigid plate 40 comprises an insulating housing (not shown) attached to the heat and transverse walls 4 or 5 or longitudinal walls of the insulative housings 43 attached on the bottom wall 2 43). For example, a thermal insulation lining 45 of glass wool or another flexible insulating material is also fitted on the rigid plate 40 between two rows of insulating housings 43.

Figure 9 shows an insulative housing 50 that can be placed on the bottom wall 2 at the drain port when the drain is far away from the projecting flange where it is bonded to the bead 41 of polymerizable resin under the rigid plate 40, . Here, the drain hole 11 is offset toward the central region 14 of the bottom wall 2. Other insulating housings are omitted in this figure for reasons of readability.

The insulative housing 50 includes a recess in its lower plate defining a flow channel 51 positioned between the rigid plate 40 and the drain 11 and having a rectangular section passing through the entire width of the insulative housing 50 . The flow channel (51) extends across the bead (41) of the polymerizable resin. The bead 41 of the polymerizable resin is located on the side of the flow channel 51 oriented toward the rigid plate 40 in order to allow water or liquid to flow out of the interface 15 into the drain 11 via the flow channel 51. [ A brake (not shown) is presented at one end.

Figure 6 also shows anchor plates 60 welded on the bottom wall 2 and bevel portion 6 for attaching a ring for connection of hermetic membranes, in accordance with known techniques.

The rigid plates 40 and the beads 41 of the polymerizable resin below them are cut off on each anchor plate 60 but the beads 41 of the polymerizable resin are pressed against the two Lt; / RTI > In addition, in the ridge 29, it can be seen that the anchor plates 60 present openings 61 for creating a passage for the liquid.

The sealed membranes are omitted in Figures 7 and 8. Other details regarding embodiments of the sealing membranes and the insulating housings can be found in publications FR-A-2867831 and FR-A-2798358.

As can be seen in FIG. 9, the drain or each drain 11 is preferably covered with a grille 55 to filter possible solid wastes and prevent entry into the drain system.

10, a cutaway view of an LNG carrier 70 illustrates a generally prismatic enclosure and insulation tank 71 mounted within a double hull 72 of a ship. The walls of the tank 71 comprise a primary sealing barrier designed to contact the liquefied gas contained in the tank, a primary sealing barrier and a secondary sealing barrier sandwiched between the ship's double hull 72 and a primary sealing barrier and a secondary And two insulating barriers sandwiched between the sealing barriers and between the secondary sealing barriers and the double hull 72, respectively. In the simplified version, the vessel includes a single hull.

In conventional manner, the loading / unloading pipes 73 located on the upper deck of the vessel are connected to the maritime or harbor terminal by suitable connectors for transferring liquefied gas from the tank 71 or to the tank .

Figure 10 illustrates an example of a maritime terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, a seabed pipeline 76 and a coastal facility 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation that includes a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 that supports the mobile arm 74. The mobile arm 74 has a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipes 73. The adjustable mobile arm 74 is suitable for all LNG wire sizes. A connecting pipe (not shown) extends within the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables loading and unloading of LNG carriers from the offshore facility 77 or to offshore facilities. The installation includes connection pipes 81 connected to loading or unloading station 75 by liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and undersea pipeline 76. The undersea pipeline 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between a long haul, for example a 5 km long loading or unloading station 75 and an offshore facility 77, and the LNG line 70 is used for loading and unloading operations To remain long-distance from the coast.

Pumps equipped with pumps and / or offshore facilities 77 and / or loading and unloading stations 75 are used to generate the pressure required to deliver the liquefied gas .

The use of the terms " comprise, " " comprise, " or " include ", and combinations thereof, does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those specified in a claim. The use of an incorrect article "a" or "an" for an element or step does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements or steps, unless otherwise specified.

In the claims, any reference signs in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

1: support structure
10: projecting flange
101: Straight section
11: Drain
12: drain pipe
14: central region
15: boundary area
2: bottom wall
3: Ceiling wall
4: front transverse wall
5: rear lateral wall
6: Bevel section
7: vertical portion
8: upper bevel portion
9: Ridge

Claims (13)

In enclosed and adiabatic tanks for the storage or transport of cold fluids,
Said tank comprising support walls defining support structure (1) and tank walls attached on the inner surface of said support walls, each tank wall comprising a sealing membrane and an insulating barrier sandwiched between said sealing membrane and said supporting wall ≪ / RTI &
The support structure includes a bottom support wall (2) that presents a drain opening (11) through the bottom support wall to enable drainage of the support structure,
Wherein the bottom support wall has a projecting flange (10) for guiding the flow of liquid to the drain port, the projecting flange extending continuously from the edges of the bottom support wall on substantially the entire periphery of the bottom support wall Wherein the projecting flange (10) is covered by the insulating barrier of the tank wall attached on the bottom support wall,
Characterized in that the support structure comprises at least one side support wall (4, 5, 6), vertical or oblique, connected to the edge of the bottom support wall (2) on the ridges (28, 29) of the support structure, The flange is positioned parallel to the ridge,
Wherein the insulating barrier of the tank wall attached on the bottom support wall comprises a plurality of corner structures (22) sandwiched along the ridge of the support structure, each corner structure (22) , And a second wing which is inclined with respect to the first wing and covers a border area of the side support walls (4, 5, 6)
The projecting flange is located under the first wing of the corner structures (22) along the outside of the first wing of the corner structures away from the ridges (28, 29) of the support structure,
Wherein the projecting flange (10) comprises a bead made of a polymeric resin deposited and adhered on the face of the corner structures (22) designed to face the support structure.
The method according to claim 1,
The beads (41, 30, 27) made of a polymer resin are also adhered on the bottom support wall (2).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the projecting flange (10) comprises a series of metal parts (20) welded on the bottom support wall (2).
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The corner structures 22 are located along the ridge of the support structure in the form of heat comprising intermediate spaces 35 and the blocks of the insulation material 38 are located between the corner structures 22 of the row Is inserted into the intermediate spaces 35,
The projecting flange 10 comprises bead sections 36 made of the polymeric resin deposited on the face of the corner structures 22 designed to face the support structure and an insulating material 36 designed to face the support structure Wherein the connection sections (37) connect the bead sections (36) to each other, including connection sections (37) made of the polymeric resin deposited and adhered on the faces of the blocks of the tank (38).
5. The method of claim 4,
A strip of flexible insulating filler material is inserted into the remaining portion of the intermediate space (35) to limit heat transfer by convection.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the projecting flange is blocked at the drain port (11) to allow a flow of liquid to pass through the drain port.

The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the drain port (11) is located in a line with the protruding flange (10), the protruding flange being blocked at the edge of the drain port.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the support structure is a hull of a ship (70) and the drain port is located in the vicinity of a corner of the bottom support wall (2) positioned toward the rear (5) of the ship.
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Wherein the projecting flange (10) has a distance from an edge of the bottom support wall (2) less than one tenth of the dimension of the bottom support wall in a direction perpendicular to the edge of the bottom support wall.
10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Wherein the drain is mounted with a water presence sensor.
In a vessel (70) for transporting a cold liquid product,
The ship comprises a tank and a hull (72) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the support structure comprises the hull (72) of the ship.
In the loading or unloading process of the ship (70) according to claim 11,
Loading or unloading in which cold liquid products are transferred to or through the tank 71 of the vessel from the floating or coast-based storage facility 77 or through the insulated pipes 73, 79, 76, 81 to the facility fair.
In a delivery system for a cold liquid product,
The system comprises a vessel (70) according to claim 11 wherein the insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) are fitted so that the tank (71) installed in the hull of the vessel is suspended or coast- To a storage facility (77) and the pump is for a cold liquid product which causes the flow of cold liquid product through said insulated pipes from or to said tank of said vessel or from said floating or coast-based storage facility or facility Delivery system.

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