KR20200088360A - Sealed and insulated tank - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

Sealed and insulated tank

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

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

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

The tank wall is known, for example, from WO-A-2014167214 or WO-A-2017006044, where the secondary insulating barrier consists essentially of secondary insulating blocks juxtaposed on the polyhedral inner surface of a load-bearing structure, and secondary sealed The barrier consists of a corrugated metal membrane disposed on the inner surface of the secondary insulating blocks, and the primary insulating barrier is essentially secondary by fixing members juxtaposed on the secondary metal membrane and supported by the secondary insulating blocks. It consists of a primary insulating block fixed to an insulating barrier, and the primary sealing barrier consists of a corrugated metal membrane disposed on the inner surface of the primary insulating blocks. The primary and secondary insulating blocks along the edges of the load bearing structure consist of prefabricated corner structures.

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

Several aspects of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 partly shows an insulating barrier consisting of insulating blocks juxtaposed on a polyhedral support surface 1 with two flat areas 2 and 3 meeting essentially at the corners 4 forming an angle therebetween. City. The insulating blocks have two faces, each parallel to each of the two flat areas 2, 3, and a corner structure 5 disposed along the edge and flat areas of the support surface on both sides of the corner structure 5 And flat insulating panels 6 disposed thereon.

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

In addition, it is desirable to make an insulating barrier with as standardized insulating blocks as possible to reduce manufacturing costs. However, drying a large load-bearing structure, such as a ship's hull, has a large size tolerance of, for example, a few centimeters, which prevents the tank's size from being planned prior to its construction. As a result, it may be necessary to dry at least some of the insulating blocks to a size corresponding to the actual size of the load bearing structure.

For the above object, the present invention is a sealed and insulated tank for storing fluid, wherein the sealed and insulated tank includes an insulating barrier and a sealing barrier disposed on the inner side of the insulating barrier, and the insulating barrier is fixed Disposed on a support surface supporting the members and held on the support surface by the fastening members, the support surface having at least an angle between them and having two flat areas meeting at the corner area,

The insulating barrier includes a row of corner structures disposed along the edge of the support surface, and flat insulation panels disposed on flat areas of the support surface on both sides of the row of corner structures,

The at least one corner structure is:

A two-sided insulating block having two faces each parallel to the flat areas and forming an angle between them, the face being flat outer surfaces pressing against the corresponding flat areas of the support surface, and the corresponding A two-sided insulating block parallel to the flat area and comprising a flat inner surface spaced apart from the flat outer surface in a thickness direction, and

-A metal angle section fixed to the flat inner surface of the two-sided insulating block to form the sealing barrier aligned with the edge area of the support surface, with a protruding portion protruding to the two-sided insulating block along the direction of the edge area One metal angle section

It includes,

The two successive corner structures in the row are arranged such that there is a space along the direction of the corner area between the two-sided insulating blocks, the space protruding a metal angle section of at least one of the two successive corner structures. At least partially covered by the part,

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

The fastening member can thus be used to hold the elements of the insulating barrier on a support surface, eg a flat insulating panel adjacent to a row of corner structures or a two-sided insulating block of rows of corner structures.

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

According to one embodiment, said at least one of the two successive corner structures is a protruding portion of a metal angle section aligned with said fastening member disposed between two-sided insulating blocks to form an access path to said fastening member. It has a cutout made on it.

By means of this cutout, the fastening member disposed between the two two-sided insulating blocks is the presence of a protruding part of one or both of the metal angle sections at least partially covering the space between the two two-sided insulating blocks. Nevertheless, the rows of corner structures remain accessible even after positioning. This accessibility makes it possible to easily influence on the fastening member from the inner side of the angle section, for example by means of a screw tool.

The protruding part of the metal angle sections makes it possible to limit the space between the metal angle sections of successive corner structures, which facilitates the sealed closing of the sealing barrier by the closing parts, and overall these closing parts And improves the positioning of the sealing membrane. The metal angle section can have a single end at its two opposite ends along the direction of the corner area or a protruding part at the two protruding parts. The cutout made in alignment with the fastening member may extend in the protruding part of a single metal angle section, or in two protruding parts of two consecutive metal angle sections facing each other.

According to one embodiment, the space is partly covered by two protruding parts facing each other and belonging to metal angle sections of the two successive corner structures, respectively, each of the two protruding parts facing each other Includes a cutout made in alignment with the fixing member. By this feature, an access passage of a satisfactory size can be made using a cutout having a relatively small cross section in each of the two projecting portions, which of these cutouts for the mechanical strength of the metal angle sections. Limit impact.

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

According to one embodiment, the or each cutout is made at the end edge of the protrusion oriented across the edge area. With this feature, the manufacture of cutouts is facilitated.

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

According to one embodiment, the fastening member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two successive corner structures engages the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures to keep the two-sided insulating blocks on the support surface. All.

In this case, the fixing member is:

Stud fixed to the supporting surface and projecting inward in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks,

A compression bar fitted on the stud and having two lateral portions each engaged with the two two-sided insulating blocks, and

Nut screwed onto the stud to press the pressure bar towards the support surface

It may include.

According to one embodiment, the pressure bar is provided with a slot through which the stud passes so that when the nut does not press the pressure bar, the pressure bar crosses the edge area.

-A recessed position in which the compression bar is accommodated in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks of two successive corner structures to freely leave the position of the flat insulating panel, and

-An extended position in which the second part protrudes past the two-sided insulating blocks in a direction opposite to the edge area to engage the flat insulating panel

Can be slid between

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

According to one embodiment, the fastening member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two successive corner structures engages the flat insulating panel adjacent to the rows of corner structures to hold the flat insulating panel on the support surface.

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

If the support surface is then provided by the secondary barriers that make up the secondary corner structures and the secondary flat insulating panel, this arrangement also places these fastening members relatively close to the corner area, in particular on the secondary corner structures. It has the advantage of making it possible. Since the secondary flat insulating panels adjacent to the secondary corner structures do not need to support these fixing members with respect to the primary flat insulating panels, these secondary flat insulating panels can be made to be more easily sized.

In this case, the fixing member is:

Stud fixed to the supporting surface and projecting inward in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks,

A pressure bar having a first portion looking toward an edge region fitted on the stud, and a second portion protruding past two-sided insulating blocks in a direction opposite to the edge region engaged with the flat insulating panel, and

It may include a nut threaded on the stud to press the pressure bar towards the support surface.

According to one embodiment, the flat insulating panel adjacent to the row of corner structures comprises a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid floor sheet and a rigid cover sheet, and the rigid cover sheet and insulating polymer foam layer are inner surfaces of the rigid floor sheet. A recess made in the thickness of the insulating panel so as not to cover the bearing area on the top, the recess being parallel to the edge area and exposed on the edge of the flat insulating panel facing towards the rows of corner structures, the fixing member, in particular of the pressure bar The second portion engages the bearing area of the floor seat.

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

According to one embodiment, the flat heat insulating panel is rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, and the recess is made at the corner of the flat heat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the support surfaces are distributed along the edge area and are respectively disposed between two two-sided insulating blocks of successive corner structures and adjacent to each row of corner structures to maintain the flat insulation panel on the support surface. Supporting a plurality of fixing members engaging each area of the flat heat insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, the support surface comprises a third flat region that crosses the edge region at one end of the edge region, and the last of the row of corner structures is parallel to the third flat region in addition to the two-sided insulating block. And a third surface forming an angle with the two surfaces of the two-sided insulating block,

The metal angle section of the last corner structure extends on the flat inner side of the third side to align with the end of the edge region of the support surface to form the sealing barrier, and the metal angle section is a third side to the two side heat insulating block. Connecting the faces, the projecting portion of the metal angle section protrudes toward the second corner structure at the end of the row of corner structures in a direction opposite to the third face.

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

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

With this feature, the second corner structure at the end can be very easily adjusted to the size of the support structure along the direction of the corner area to allow manufacturing tolerances on the support structure.

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

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

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

According to one embodiment, the sealing barrier aligned with one or each flat area of the support surface has wrinkles parallel to the edge area and wrinkles perpendicular to the edge area and flat areas lying between the wrinkles. One edge of the metal membrane comprising a metal membrane and parallel to the edge region is welded to the metal angle sections of successive corner structures, and the corrugations perpendicular to the edge region are placed between the metal angle sections of successive corner structures. It is aligned with the gap.

According to one embodiment, the finishing part has a corrugated and aligned corner area and a vertical corrugation of the metal membrane, and two flat portions placed on both sides of the corrugation and welded to the metal angle sections of the two corner structures, respectively Includes.

The aforementioned features can be utilized for drying of an insulating barrier that dries directly on a load bearing structure that provides a support surface or drying of a primary insulating barrier that dries on a pre-existing secondary barrier that provides the support surface. have.

According to one embodiment, the insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier, the sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, and the tank is provided with a substantially polyhedral inner surface that is covered by a secondary sealing barrier and forms the support surface. It also includes one secondary insulating barrier.

Such tanks form part of an on-shore storage facility for storing LNG, for example, or offshore or offshore floating structures, especially methane transport, floating storage regasification units (FSRU), floating manufacturing storage and unloading units (FPSO), or It can be installed on other structures.

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

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a ship, wherein the fluid is suspended from the floating or on-shore storage facility to the ship's tank via insulated pipes, or from the ship's tank or It is delivered to the onshore storage facility.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a system for transporting fluid, which is insulated pipes arranged to connect the aforementioned vessel, a tank installed on the ship's hull, to a floating or onshore storage facility. And a pump for transferring fluid from the floating or on-shore storage facility to the vessel's tank, or from the vessel's tank to the floating or on-shore storage facility through the insulated pipes.

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

Providing a support surface,

Assembling the fixing member on the support surface,

Assembling a row of corner structures along the edge region of the support surface, the assembly being such that the fastening member is disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of two successive corner structures in the row,

Accessing the fixation member through a cutout made in a protruding portion of a metal angle section aligned with the fixation member, in order to place the fixation member in an engaged state holding the element of the insulating barrier on the support surface Includes.

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

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

By convention, referring to the inside and outside of the tank, the terms'outside' and'inside' are used to define the position of one element relative to the other.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a variant, not shown, the orientation of the folds of the secondary sealing membrane is towards the interior of the tank.

The inner sheet 18, the second plurality of metal plate 20 made of a particular alloy Invar (Invar) ^® with the addition, for example stainless steel or a low coefficient of thermal expansion to hold the edges of the sealing membrane is provided. The metal plates 20 are made on the inner sheet 18 using, for example, screws, rivets or clips and fixed to recesses fixed therein. Alternatively, the metal plates 20 are fixed directly on the insulating polymer foam layer 16, for example by adhesion.

The inner seat 18 is also provided with fixing plates 21 for fixing the primary corner structures 30 relative to the secondary corner structure 13. The fixing plates 21 are adhered to the inner sheet 18, for example, and/or are fixed there using, for example, screws, rivets or clips.

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

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

The angle section 32 is, for example, metal angle sections made of stainless steel. The angle section 32 has two flanges laid against the inner side of the two-sided insulating block 31. Each flange of the angle section 32 is welded to the outer surface of the flange to secure the angle section 32 to the two-side insulating block 31 before the primary corner structure 30 is assembled to the tank, and It has a stud (not shown) protruding toward the inside.

Each flange of the angle section 32 also has a stud 36 projecting toward the inside of the tank on its inner side. Studs 36 enable fixing of welding equipment in the process of welding primary sealing membrane elements to angle sections 32.

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

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

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

In this embodiment, the fastening member comprises a plate 40 fixed to the inner surface of the secondary corner structure 13 between the two plates 21. The plate 40 can be fixed to the secondary corner structure 13 in a variety of ways, like the plates 21. It has a threaded hole 41 for receiving the cap nut 42 shown in the half view of FIG. 4. The plate 40 may be present aligned with each space 38, or may be present aligned with some of the spaces 38, such as one of three.

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

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the stud 45 protrudes toward the interior of the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31, and the compression bar 50 oriented perpendicular to the edge 10 Contributes to fixing. The pressure bar 50 here has a U-shaped cross section, the base of which faces the load bearing structure. When assembled as shown, the first portion of the pressure bar 50 extends in the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 and has a slot 58 through which the stud 45 ) Passes. The nut 47 screwed to the stud 45 makes it possible to press the pressure bar 50 towards the inner side of the secondary corner structure 13.

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

Preferably, the slot 58 whose two ends 58a, 58b are cross-sectioned in FIG. 4 completely moves the pressure bar 50 into the space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31. It's long enough to fit in. This enclosed position facilitates the installation of the primary flat insulation panel 29 by completely freeing the pressure bar 50 before the nut 47 is tightened, and thus the position indicated by the dashed line with reference numeral 99. It is possible to slide between the extended positions (shown in FIG. 6) and FIG. 4. The movement for extending the pressure bar 50 is indicated by arrow 98 in FIG. 6.

In one embodiment, the length of the primary flat insulating panel 29 corresponds to 9 times the width of the primary corner structure 30, spaced apart from each other at intervals of 3 times the width of the primary corner structure 40 Four compression bars engage the primary flat insulating panel 29 along its edge facing the edge. That is, two compression bars 50 engage at two ends of this edge, ie at two corners of the primary flat insulation panel 29, and the two compression bars are at the edge of the primary flat insulation panel 29 Interlocks in the central area. This central region is shown in FIG. 3.

3, the primary flat insulating panel 29 has a generally parallel parallelepiped shape with the longitudinal edges 26 parallel to the edges 10. As shown in FIG. The primary flat insulating panel 29 has a composite structure made of, for example, a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid bottom sheet and a rigid cover sheet 25 whose uncovered areas 28 are visible. A notch 27 is formed on the rigid cover sheet 25 and the insulating polymer foam layer, aligned with the plate 20 and extending perpendicular to the edge 10 and exposed on the longitudinal edge 26 to cover the rigid floor sheet The non-area 28 is not covered.

When assembled, the second portion 51 of the compression bar 50 fits into the notch 27 and optionally compresses the uncovered area 28 of the rigid floor sheet by a shim 48 do. Another shim 49 can be inserted between the other end of the compression bar 50 and a secondary membrane (not shown). These shims 48, 49 are sized to ensure that the compression bar 50 and the primary flat thermal insulation panel 29 are parallel to each other. These are made of a material that is sufficiently soft to prevent puncturing, leaving, or damaging the secondary sealing membrane 15. For example, they can be made of plywood, plastic or epoxy resin.

The pressure bar 50 assembled in this way provides several advantages: the second portion 51 is a flat wall of the tank that presses the primary flat heat insulating panel 29 away from the edge of the panel, preferably. It is a single beam length substantially parallel to. Thus this makes it possible to hold the primary flat thermal insulation panel 29 on the secondary membrane without the need for any complicated devices on the primary flat thermal insulation panel 29: the flat portion of the floor sheet should simply not be covered. .

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

In addition, if the compression bar 50 is secured on the stud supported by the secondary corner structure 13, its position is dependent on the size of the secondary flat insulating panels (not shown) adjacent to the secondary corner structure 13. Not affected by This arrangement can thus be easily adjusted for secondary flat insulating panels of various sizes.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, each angle section 32 protrudes against the two-sided insulating block 31 at two opposing ends of the angle section 32 along the direction of the edge 10. It has protruding rims 53. The space 38 between the two two-sided insulating blocks 31 is thus partially covered by two protruding rims 53 on both sides.

To maintain access to the securing member disposed in the space 38, at least each of the two protruding rims 53 on either side of the securing member is aligned with the stud 45 and oriented across the edge 10 A cutout 54 formed at the end edge 55 is provided.

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

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5, the cutouts 54 are provided with two protruding rims 53 for passage of a tightening tool 60 such as a socket wrench or screwdriver with a cylindrical head 61, for example. ) To form a sufficient space between. The depth of the cutout 54 in the direction of the edge 10 is thus to form a distance D slightly larger than the diameter of the cylindrical head 61 between the bottoms of the two opposing cutouts 54. It can be sized. The length of the cutout 54 along the end edge 55 can be substantially equal to this same distance D, for example about 30 mm.

The order of assembly of the corner areas of the tank will be briefly described.

-Assembling the secondary insulating barrier and the secondary sealing membrane 15, including the cap nuts 42,

-Positioning the pressure bars 50 to the put-in position, the slot 58 of the pressure bar is positioned in alignment with the cap nut 42,

-Step of inserting and screwing the stud 45 through the slot 58 of the pressure bar 50 into the cap nut 42,

-A step of placing the insulating joints 39 between the positions of the primary corner structures 30, wherein the pressing bar 50 is present, and the insulating joint 39 is the pressing bar 50 at its base. With a post inserted into the hollow U-shaped cross section of the, the insulating joint 39 is also aligned with the cap nut 42 to accommodate the stud 45 and the nut 47, a cylindrical well 56 ) Is also provided,

-Fixing the primary corner structures 30 onto the secondary corner structures 13 on both sides of the insulating joints 39,

-Installing the primary flat insulating panels 29 adjacent to the rows of the primary corner structures 30,

-Moving the compression bars 50 to their extended position, the insulating joint 39 being kept immovable by the stud 45 fitted in the cylindrical well 56,

-Screw the nut (47) onto the stud (45) through the cut-outs (54) of the angle sections (32) and the cylindrical well (56) of the adiabatic joint (39) to press the pressure bar (50). Joining steps,

-Inserting the cylindrical plug (57) into the cylindrical well (56) to close the cylindrical well (56),

-Positioning the primary sealing membrane.

The flat parts of the tank wall placed on either side of the edge can be dried equally or differently and symmetrically or asymmetrically. In addition to this, only one corner of the tank has been described above, but other corners of the tank may be arranged the same or differently.

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

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

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

The plate 40 makes it possible to fix the fastening member in the space between the last primary corner structure 130 and the second primary corner structure 230 (FIG. 7) from the end of the row of primary corner structures. This fastening member includes a stud 145 fitted in the slot 158 of the compression bar 150 as seen in FIG. 9.

8 is also a view of the edge region of the corner, further showing the primary corner structures assembled on the secondary corner structures of FIG. 7. The entire secondary sealing membrane has been omitted to simplify the drawing.

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

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

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

The protruding rim 153 and/or the protruding rim 253 may include cutouts to facilitate access to the securing member placed in the space 138. Here, the cutout 254 is present only on the protruding rim 253.

In addition to this, the second primary corner structure 230 at the end is the part farthest from the last primary corner structure 130, ie the second secondary corner structure 13 at the base end in the same manner as described above. It is fixed only to the secondary insulating barrier on the portion supporting the metal angle section 232 fixed to the. For this purpose, the metal angle section 232 also has orifices 237.

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

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

In addition, it is possible to cut the second primary corner structure 230 from the end to size in order to adjust the primary insulating barrier to fit manufacturing tolerances on the size of the load bearing structure. That is, it is possible to cut the end of the metal angle section 65 and the end of the two-sided insulating block 231 looking towards the last primary corner structure 130. If there is nothing to fix this end portion to the secondary insulating barrier, this cut will not result in any problems. In this case, the cutout 254 is added after the metal angle section 65 is cut to the desired length.

9 shows the same tank area as in FIG. 8, but the last primary flat thermal insulation panel 129 is added adjacent to the second primary corner structure 230 from the end. This primary flat insulating panel 129 has a recess 127 aligned with the corner area of the rigid floor sheet (not shown) in a manner similar to the notch 27 of FIG. 3 to not cover the corner area. 9 also shows a compression bar 150, which fits into the recess 127 and compresses the uncovered area as described above.

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

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

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

11 shows another embodiment of the tank wall along the edge 10. Primary and secondary sealing membranes have been omitted to simplify the drawing. Elements similar or identical to those in FIGS. 2-4 have the same reference sign increased by 300 and will be described only in other limits than those in FIGS. 2-4.

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

The pressure bar 350 has a bore, which can be rectangular, through which the stud 345 passes, and between them the rigid sheet 334 of two primary corner structures 330 in which the stud 345 is disposed. ) Lateral rims. Each primary corner structure 330 is thus held by two compression bars 350 engaging two lateral rims of its rigid seat 334. A nut, not shown, is screwed onto each stud 345 to press the pressure bar 350 towards the load bearing structure. The cutouts 354 at the edges of the metal angle sections 332 facilitate assembly of the stud 345 and positioning of the nut as described above.

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

In order to secure the primary flat heat insulating panel 329 adjacent to the rows of primary corner structures 330 on the secondary barrier, the rows of studs 69 are provided on both sides of the rows of primary corner structures 330 Can be. This may make it necessary to provide a wider secondary corner structure 313 as shown.

In one embodiment, the secondary insulating barrier and the secondary sealing membrane are not present, and the studs securing the primary insulating barrier are directly supported by load bearing walls 11 and 12.

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

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

Referring to FIG. 12, a cut-away view of the methane transport ship 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 having an overall polyhedral shape assembled to the ship's double hull 72. The wall of the tank 71 includes a primary sealing barrier suitable for contact with LNG contained in the tank, a primary sealing barrier and a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the ship's double hull 72, and a primary sealing barrier and secondary And two insulating barriers disposed between the sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72, respectively.

In a manner known per se, the loading/unloading pipes 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship are either marine or port terminals by means of suitable connectors for transporting LNG cargo from or to the tank 71. Can be connected to.

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

To create the pressure required to transport the liquefied gas, a pump mounted on the ship 70 and/or a pump provided on the land facility 77 and/or a pump provided on the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific embodiments, it is clear that it is not limited in any way, but includes all technical equivalents of the described means and any combinations thereof, if it falls within the scope of the invention.

The use of the verbs'comprise' or'consist of' and its conjugations do not exclude the existence of elements or steps other than those set out in the claims. The use of the indefinite article'one' for an element or step does not preclude the existence of multiple elements or steps unless stated otherwise.

In the claims, reference signs in parentheses cannot be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims (24)

A sealed and insulated tank for storing fluid, wherein the sealed and insulated tank includes an insulating barrier and a sealing barrier disposed on the inner side of the insulating barrier, the insulating barrier being disposed on a support surface supporting the fixing members Retaining on the support surface by the fixing members, the support surface is provided with at least two flat areas that form an angle between them and meet at the edge area 10,
The heat insulating barrier comprises flat heat insulating panels 29 disposed on flat areas of the support surface on both sides of the row of corner structures 30, 130, 230, and 330 arranged along the edge of the support surface, 129, 329),
The at least one corner structure is:
-A two-sided insulating block (31, 231, 331) having two faces each parallel to the flat areas and forming an angle between them, the face being flat against the corresponding flat area of the support surface A two-sided insulating block (31, 231, 331) comprising an outer surface and a flat inner surface spaced apart from the flat outer surface in a thickness direction parallel to the corresponding flat area, and
A metal angle section (32, 65, 132, 232, 332) fixed to the flat inner surface of the two-sided insulating block to form the sealing barrier aligned with the edge area of the support surface, along the direction of the edge area 2 Metal angle section with protruding parts (53, 153, 253, 353) protruding against the face insulation block
It includes,
The two successive corner structures in the row are arranged such that there are spaces 38, 138, 338 along the direction of the corner area between the two-sided insulating blocks, and the space is at least one of the two successive corner structures. At least partially covered by the protruding portions 53, 153, 253, 353 of one metal angle section,
A support surface supports the one fixing member 45, 145, 345 disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks of the two corner structures, and at least one of the two successive corner structures has the fixing member ( 45, 145, 345 sealed with cutouts 54, 254, 354 made on the protruding portion of the metal angle section aligned with the fastening member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks to form an access to Insulated tank. 2. The space according to claim 1, wherein the space is partially covered by two protruding parts (53, 153, 253, 353), which each belong to metal angle sections of the two successive corner structures and face each other, the Each of the two protruding parts facing each other includes a cutout 54, 254, 354 made in alignment with the fixing member. The tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cut-outs (54, 254, 354) are formed at one end edge of the projecting portion oriented across an edge region. The fixing member (345, 350) disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks (331) of the two consecutive corner structures (330) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the two-sided A tank that engages two-sided insulating blocks of two corner structures to keep the insulating blocks 331 on the support surface. The fixing member according to claim 4, wherein:
Stud 345 fixed to the support surface and projecting inward in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks,
A press bar 350 fitted on the stud and having two lateral portions each engaged with the two two-sided insulating blocks 331, and
Nut screwed onto the stud 345 to press the pressure bar 350 towards the support surface
Tank containing a. The flat insulation panel (29) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fixing member disposed between the two-sided insulating blocks (31, 231) of two successive corner structures is adjacent to a row of corner structures. 129) to keep the flat heat insulating panel on the support surface. The fixing member according to claim 6, wherein:
Studs 45 and 145 fixed to the support surface and projecting inward in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks,
A first portion looking toward an edge region fitted on the stud, and protruding past two-sided insulating blocks 31, 231 in a direction opposite to the edge region engaged with the flat insulating panels 29, 129 Compression bars 50, 150 with two parts 51, and
A nut (47) that is screwed onto the stud and that can press the pressure bars (50, 150) towards the support
Tank containing a. 8. The pressure bar of claim 7, wherein the pressure bar has a slot and the stud passes through it so that the pressure bar crosses the edge area when the nut does not squeeze the pressure bar.
-A squeezed position in which the pressure bar is accommodated in the space between the two-sided insulating blocks 31, 231 of two successive corner structures to freely leave the position of the flat insulating panels 29, 129, and
-An extended position in which the second portion 51 protrudes past the two-sided insulating blocks 31 and 231 in a direction opposite to the corner area to engage the flat insulating panels 29 and 129
A tank that can slide between. 9. A flat insulating panel (29, 129) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, adjacent to a row of corner structures, comprises a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between a rigid floor sheet and a rigid cover sheet (25). , Rigid cover sheet and insulating polymer foam layer have recesses 27 and 127 made within the thickness of the insulating panel so as not to cover the bearing area 28 on the inner side of the rigid floor sheet, the recesses being parallel to the edge area And the tank, which is exposed on the edge 26 of the flat heat insulating panel facing toward the row of corner structures, the fastening member engaging the bearing area 28 of the floor seat. 10. The tank according to claim 9, wherein the recess formed in the thickness of the heat insulating panel is a notch (27) oriented perpendicular to the edge (26) of the flat heat insulating panel. The tank according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the flat heat insulating panel has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the recess (127) is made at the corner of the flat heat insulating panel. 12. The method according to any one of claims 6-11, wherein the support surface is distributed along the edge area (10) and between two two-sided insulating blocks of successive corner structures (30, 130, 230), respectively. A tank that is arranged and supports a plurality of fastening members (45, 145) that engage each area of the flat heat insulating panels (29, 129) adjacent to the rows of corner structures, respectively, to maintain the flat heat insulating panels on a support surface. 13. The last corner structure (130) of claim 1, wherein the support surface comprises a third flat area across the corner area at one end of the corner area (10 ). In addition to the two-side insulation block, the third surface 100 is parallel to the third flat area and forms an angle with the two surfaces of the two-side insulation block 130,
The metal angle section 132 of the last corner structure 130 extends on the flat inner side of the third side to align with the end of the edge region of the support surface to form the sealing barrier, and the metal angle section has two sides Connect the third surface to an insulating block, and the protruding portion 153 of the metal angle section 132 is the second corner structure 230 at the end of the row of corner structures in a direction opposite to the third surface 100 Tank protruding towards. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the two-sided insulating block (231) of the second corner structure (230) at the end of the row of corner structures is larger in size along the direction of the corner area than the corner structures laid along the central portion of the corner area. With, the metal angle section of the second corner structure at the end is made up of two angle segments 232, 65 juxtaposed along the direction of the corner area and fixed to the flat inner surfaces of the two-sided insulating block 231 Tank. The orifice (237) according to claim 14, wherein a first angle segment (232) of the second corner structure at the end contributes to securing the two-sided insulating block (231) on a support surface. ), wherein the second angle segment 65 of the second corner structure at the end, which lies on the side of the end of the corner area, has a continuous surface. 16. The space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the block (39) of insulating material is between the projecting parts (53, 153, 253, 353) of the metal angle section and the supporting surface. Arranged at (38, 138, 338), a block 39 of insulating material is provided with a passageway 56 between the cutouts 54, 254, 354 formed in the protruding portion of the metal angle section, and the fixing member Is a tank placed between two-sided insulating blocks. 17. The sealing barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the sealing barrier comprises a finishing part (68) disposed over the metal angle sections (32, 132, 232, 65) of two successive corner structures. Providing a sealed connection between the metal angle sections of these two corner structures,
The finishing part 68 is a tank covering the gap between the metal angle sections and the cutouts 54, 254, 354 of the or each projecting portion covering the space between the two-sided insulating blocks. 18. The sealing barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the sealing barrier aligned with one or each flat area of the support surface includes wrinkles parallel to the edge area and wrinkles perpendicular to the edge area and the wrinkles. A metal membrane 67 with flat regions interposed therebetween, and one edge of the metal membrane 67 parallel to the edge region is welded to the metal angle sections 32, 232, 65 of successive corner structures. , The pleats perpendicular to the corner area are aligned with the gaps placed between the metal angle sections of successive corner structures. 18. The finished parts (68, 168) of the corrugated metal and the corrugated areas and vertical corrugations aligned with the corrugations of the metal membrane, and on each side of the corrugations, each of the two corner structures. A tank comprising two flat parts welded to metal angle sections. 20. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier, the sealing barrier is a primary sealing barrier, and the tank is covered by a secondary sealing barrier (15) and the support surface. The tank also includes a secondary insulating barrier (13, 113, 213) having a substantially polyhedral inner surface forming a. A ship (70) for transporting fluid, comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) of any one of claims 1 to 20 disposed on the double hull. A system for transporting fluid, comprising the insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the vessel of claim 21, the tank (71) installed on the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage facility (77). ), and a pump for transferring fluid from the floating or on-shore storage facility to the vessel's tank, or from the vessel's tank to the floating or on-shore storage facility through the insulated pipes. A method for loading or unloading the vessel (70) of claim 21, wherein the fluid is insulated through floating pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) from the floating or onshore storage facility (77) to the vessel's tank (71). Or, from the ship's tank to a floating or on-shore storage facility. A method for manufacturing a sealed and insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 20,
Providing a support surface,
Assembling the fixing member (45, 145, 345) on the support surface,
Assemble the rows of corner structures 30, 130, 230, 330 along the edge area of the support surface, wherein the fastening members 45, 145, 345 are two-sided insulating blocks of two successive corner structures in the row Assembling to be placed between the fields,
Through the cutouts 54, 254, 354 made in the protruding part of the metal angle section aligned with the fastening member, in order to place the fastening member in an engaged state in which the fastening member retains the element of the insulating barrier on the support surface. And accessing the securing members (45, 145, 345).

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