KR20210097126A - sealed and insulated tanks - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sealed insulating tank, wherein the sealing membrane of the end wall (102) is parallel to the second wall (104, 106) and spaced apart by a first pitch (y) of a first series of corrugations (118) and a second a second series of corrugations 120 perpendicular to the wall and spaced apart by a first pitch y, the sealing membrane of each longitudinal wall comprising a plurality of longitudinal corrugations; 126 is spaced apart by a second pitch z greater than the first pitch y and is continuously connected by an angular arrangement to one of the first and second series of corrugations 120 , 118 of the end wall, the first The angle 130 , 132 between the plane of the wall 108 and the plane of the second wall 104 , 106 and the ratio of the first pitch y and the second pitch z are defined with respect to each other.

Description

sealed and insulated tanks

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

Sealed insulated membrane tanks are especially used to store liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is stored at atmospheric pressure of about -163°C. Such tanks may be installed onshore or on floating structures. For floating structures, tanks can be used to transport the liquefied natural gas or to contain liquefied natural gas used as fuel to power the floating structures.

Document WO-A-89/09909 specifically describes a secondary insulating barrier fixed to a load-bearing structure (from the outside of the tank to the inside of the tank), a secondary sealing membrane supported by the secondary insulating barrier, a secondary sealing membrane A seal for liquefied natural gas disposed in a load-bearing structure comprising a primary insulating barrier supported by Disclosed is an adiabatic storage tank. The primary insulating barrier comprises an assembly of steel plates secured using weld supports of secondary sealing membranes.

In one embodiment, the primary sealing membrane is formed by an assembly of rectangular sheets having two orthogonal corrugations, the sheets being welded to each other and the edges of the sheets being along the edges of the plates of the primary insulating barrier. It is welded to a metal strip secured with a rabbet.

One idea at the heart of the present invention is a secondary membrane formed by parallel strakes, which has proven robust, accidental indentation and e.g. heat shrinkage, movement of cargo and/or deformation of ship girders at sea. and providing a tank wall that combines the advantages of a corrugated primary membrane that can provide very good strength against other stresses caused by

Another idea at the heart of the present invention involves providing a tank wall that is relatively simple to manufacture and can use various types of pleated sealing membranes as primary membranes.

A key, or another idea, of the present invention involves providing a tank that enables the continuity of corrugations between adjacent walls while allowing the use of the same or similar insulating panels of various tank walls.

For this purpose, the present invention proposes a sealed and insulated tank embedded in a load-bearing structure, in particular a polyhedral load-bearing structure, wherein the tank is at least one fixed to at least one load-bearing wall of at least one load-bearing structure. a tank wall.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall has a transverse end wall and a plurality of longitudinal walls connected to the end walls, the plurality of walls having a first wall connected to the end wall at a first edge. a wall and a second wall connected to the end wall at a second edge and adjacent the first wall;

each longitudinal wall and end wall having a sealing membrane designed to contact the product contained in the tank and an insulating barrier disposed between the sealing membrane and the load-bearing structure;

The longitudinal wall insulating barrier comprises rows of insulating panels juxtaposed along a longitudinally oriented and repeating pattern, the end wall insulating barrier oriented in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the second wall and juxtaposed along a repeating pattern. Including the heat of the heat-insulated panel,

The sealing membrane of the end wall has a first series of pleats parallel to the second wall and spaced a first pitch y and a second series of pleats perpendicular to the second wall and spaced a first pitch y apart. provided,

the sealing membrane of each longitudinal wall has a plurality of longitudinal corrugations, wherein the longitudinal corrugations of the second wall are spaced apart by the first pitch y and are continuously connected at a second edge to a second series of corrugations of the end wall; wherein the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are spaced apart by a second pitch z greater than the first pitch y and are continuously connected to one of the first and second series of corrugations of the end wall by an angular arrangement at the first edge; Includes a plurality of deviation corrugation (deviation corrugation),

The angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall and the ratio between the first pitch y and the second pitch z are defined with respect to each other.

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

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the second pitch z and the first pitch y is equal to the sine or cosine of the angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall.

According to one embodiment, the repeating pattern of the row of thermal insulation panels of the end wall and the repeating pattern of the row of thermal insulation panels of the first wall share a predetermined dimension;

The angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall is such that the dimension of the repeating pattern is first a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y and secondly a second integer multiple of the second pitch z (n2) (less than the first multiple (n1)),

The angle is a function of the arc cosine or arc sine of the ratio between the second integer multiple n2 and the first integer multiple n1. For example, n2/n1 = 2/3. This angular arrangement allows a single dimension of a repeating pattern to be obtained, while being a multiple of the pitch for any wall of the tank. One advantage of this arrangement is to provide a tank in which the same insulating panels can be used for the second wall as well as the first and end walls. Another advantage of this arrangement is to obtain a simpler tank that is less expensive to manufacture.

According to one embodiment, the row of panels of the end wall is perpendicular to the second wall and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the first series of end walls,

The angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall is equal to the arc cosine of the ratio between the second multiple n2 and the first multiple n1.

According to one embodiment, the rows of panels of the end wall are parallel to the second wall and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the second series of end walls,

The angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall is equal to the arc sine of the ratio between the second multiple n2 and the first multiple n1.

Choosing the angle between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall whose cosine and sine are rational numbers n2/n1 may be a difficult requirement to meet in certain circumstances. According to another embodiment, which leaves a larger range for setting this angle, for example a value of 45° or any other value, the dimensions of the repeating pattern of the row of insulating panels of the end wall are the same as the dimensions of the row of insulating panels of the first wall. It is different from the dimension of the pattern, especially larger than this.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the rows of insulating panels of the end wall is an integer multiple of the first pitch y.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the rows of insulating panels of the first wall is an integer multiple of the second pitch z.

According to one embodiment, the second wall is horizontal and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the first series of end walls.

In this case, the membrane in the first wall may also comprise at least one further longitudinal corrugation adjacent to the edge of the first wall which is continuously connected to one of the corrugations of the second series of end walls. Consequently, the maximum distance between two successive corrugations can be kept below a given threshold including the distance at the interface between two adjacent longitudinal walls.

According to one embodiment, the second wall is vertical and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the first series of end walls.

According to one embodiment, the deviation pleat has a first end extending longitudinal pleats and a second end extending one of the first series of pleats or the second series of pleats.

The tank wall may also have a single sealing membrane and a single insulating barrier, depending on the nature of the cargo being stored. The tank wall may also have several sealing membranes alternating with several insulating barriers. According to a corresponding embodiment, the sealing membrane is a primary membrane and the insulating barrier is a primary insulating barrier, each longitudinal wall and end wall further comprising a secondary sealing membrane disposed between the primary sealing membrane and the load-bearing structure; a secondary heat insulating barrier disposed between the secondary membrane and the load-bearing structure, wherein the secondary insulating barrier comprises a secondary row of insulating panels oriented in the same direction as the primary row of walls and juxtaposed in a repeating pattern; provided,

The secondary membrane comprises a plurality of strakes parallel to each other, each strake having a flat central portion supporting on the upper surface of the secondary panel and two protruding edges projecting toward the inside of the tank, the two protruding edges between the two edges. distance is the dimension of the strake,

the secondary rows and strakes of the end walls are horizontal and the secondary rows and strakes of the longitudinal walls are longitudinally oriented;

The dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row and the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row are the same at each longitudinal wall and end wall.

According to one embodiment, the secondary rows and strakes of the end walls are horizontal and the secondary rows and strakes of the longitudinal walls are longitudinally oriented.

According to one embodiment, the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row and the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row are the same at each longitudinal wall and end wall.

According to one embodiment, in the first wall, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary panel is an integer multiple of the dimension of the strake.

According to one embodiment, in the end wall and/or the second wall, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary panel is an integer multiple of the dimension of the strake.

According to an embodiment, in the first wall and/or the end wall and/or the second wall, the dimensions and the second pitch of the strakes are the same.

The present invention also provides a tank wall structure that can be used for each longitudinal wall and end wall or part of such tank wall.

According to a corresponding embodiment, the tank wall, in particular the first wall, the second wall and/or the end wall, is a primary sealing membrane designed to contact the product contained in the tank, arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the load-bearing wall a secondary sealing membrane, a primary insulating barrier disposed between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane, and a secondary insulating barrier disposed between the secondary sealing membrane and the load-bearing wall;

The secondary insulating barrier has a plurality of secondary rows parallel to a first direction, the secondary rows comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped secondary insulating panels, the secondary rows comprising a first direction in a repeating pattern juxtaposed in a second direction perpendicular to

The secondary sealing membrane is made of an alloy having a low coefficient of expansion and includes a plurality of strikes parallel to the first direction, the coefficient of expansion being less than or equal to, ^{for example, 7.10 -6} K ^{-1, wherein the strakes are the secondary insulating panel} having a flat central portion supporting on the upper surface of A fixing flange parallel to the first direction and fixed to the secondary thermal insulation panel is disposed between the juxtaposed strakes for securing the secondary sealing membrane to the secondary thermal insulation barrier,

the dimension of the repeating pattern in the secondary row is an integer multiple of the dimension of the strake in the second direction,

The load-bearing wall supports a secondary retaining member disposed at the interface between the secondary rows and cooperating with the secondary thermal insulation panel to secure the secondary thermal insulation panel to the load-bearing wall;

The primary insulating barrier has a plurality of primary rows parallel to a first direction, one or each primary row having a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped primary insulating panels, for example overlapping or at least two secondary rows , wherein the primary row is juxtaposed in a second direction in a repeating pattern, and the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row are the same as the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row in the second direction.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall is a longitudinal wall and the first direction is a longitudinal direction.

According to one embodiment, the tank wall is an end wall and the first direction is parallel or perpendicular to the second wall.

According to an embodiment, for example, a secondary retaining member or a primary retaining member supported by a secondary insulating panel is arranged at the interface between the primary rows and cooperates with the primary insulating panel to provide a secondary sealing membrane for primary insulation. Fix the panel.

According to one embodiment, the primary row is offset in the second direction relative to the secondary row by a portion, eg, half, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary row. This offset can limit or eliminate vertical alignment between the primary and secondary holding members, which limits the occurrence of heat bridges caused by such alignment.

Another advantage of offsetting the primary row in the first direction and/or the second direction is providing a more uniform distribution of the forces through the primary insulation and membrane affecting the secondary thermal insulation panel and load-bearing wall. will do Indeed, the pressing force applied to the primary insulating panel in this case is distributed over several, for example two or four, underlying secondary insulating panels.

According to one embodiment, the interface between the primary insulating panels in the primary row is offset in a first direction with respect to the interface between the secondary insulating panels in two secondary rows over which the primary row rests.

Preferably in this case, the primary retaining member is spaced apart from the edge of the secondary thermal insulation panel, eg supported by the secondary thermal insulation panel in the center of the secondary thermal insulation panel.

Such a primary holding member may be provided in all secondary holding members or in all secondary insulating panels, for example, when the primary insulating panel has the same dimensions as the secondary insulating panel, for example, the primary insulating panel is the secondary insulating panel. When longer than the insulation panel or the primary insulation panel is offset only in the first direction, it may be provided on a part of the secondary retaining member or a part of the secondary insulation panel.

According to one embodiment, the primary retaining member is attached to a plate fixed to the cover plate of the secondary insulating panel below the secondary sealing membrane and said plate being fixedly or in horizontal motion and sealing the secondary towards the primary insulating barrier. It has a rod that seals across the membrane.

According to one embodiment, the primary sealing membrane is a flat portion supported on the upper surface of the primary thermal insulation panel and positioned between the first pleats and the first pleats arranged in a pattern that is parallel to the first direction and repeated in the second direction. wherein the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row is an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the first corrugation, specifically, an integer multiple of the pitch (y or z), and the primary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of pieces parallel to the first direction. A plurality of rectangular sheets having a row of sheets, wherein the rows of sheets are sealed to each other in an edge region with or without overlapping each other, wherein the rows of sheets are juxtaposed in a second direction and welded to be sealed to each other. and the dimension of the row of sheets in the second direction is an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row.

The repeating pattern of the first pleats may be a repeating pattern including one pleat having a regular pitch or several pleats having an irregular pitch. A repeating pattern comprising a single pleat means that the first pleats are spaced apart by a first regular interval, ie, a pitch, in the second direction and the dimensions of the repeating pattern are equal to the first regular interval. In this case, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary column is an integer multiple of the first regular interval. A repeating pattern comprising several pleats means that the spacing between the pleats is not necessarily regular, but that every interval is repeated at regular intervals, referred to as the dimensions of the repeating pattern of pleats.

According to an embodiment, the rows of sheets are offset in a second direction with respect to the primary rows so that the weld joints between the rows of sheets are located at a distance from the interface between the primary rows, ie at a distance from the retaining member in particular.

This feature means that the weld joint between the rows of sheets of the primary sealing membrane is spaced from the edge of the primary insulating panel parallel to the first direction, thus essentially creating a surface with a high level of flatness. . As a result, there is less risk of local variations in the weld and higher membrane quality levels are obtained.

According to one embodiment, the primary row comprises a plurality of parallelepiped primary insulating panels juxtaposed in a repeating pattern, and the row of sheets of the primary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of rectangular sheets juxtaposed in a repeating pattern. and the dimension of the repeating pattern of the rectangular sheet is an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary thermal insulation panel in the first direction.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the rectangular sheet is offset in the first direction with respect to the edge of the primary insulation panel parallel to the second direction, so that the weld joint between the rectangular sheets is the edge of the primary insulation panel parallel to the second direction. It is located away from the edge.

According to one embodiment, the primary thermal insulation panel and/or the secondary thermal insulation panel have a square shape.

The repeating pattern in the primary column and/or the repeating pattern in the secondary column may, but need not, have an interstice in the second direction. If there is a gap between two rows, the dimensions of the repeating pattern are equal to the sum of the dimensions of the primary or secondary insulation panel and the dimensions of the gap.

Likewise, a repeating pattern of primary or secondary insulating panels in a primary or secondary row may, but need not, have gaps in the first direction. If there is a gap between two primary or secondary insulating panels, the dimensions of the repeating pattern are equal to the sum of the dimensions of the primary or secondary insulating panels and the dimensions of the gap.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the strake in the second direction is an integer multiple of the first regular spacing or pitch. This feature makes it possible to select the orientation of the strake according to local requirements in the desired application.

According to one embodiment, the primary sealing membrane also has second pleats parallel to the second direction and arranged in a repeating pattern in the first direction, the flat portions being located between the first pleats and between the second pleats.

The repeating pattern of the second pleats may be a repeating pattern comprising one pleat or several pleats. A repeating pattern comprising a single pleat means that the second pleats are spaced apart by a second regular interval in the first direction. In this case, the second rule interval may be the same as or different from the first rule interval. A repeating pattern comprising several pleats means that the spacing between the pleats is not necessarily regular, but that every interval is repeated at regular intervals, referred to as the dimensions of the repeating pattern of pleats.

According to one embodiment, the first and second pleats may be continuous or discontinuous at the intersection between the first and second pleats. The continuous corrugation makes it possible, for example, to form a continuous channel through which an inert gas can flow between the primary sealing membrane and the primary insulating barrier. The discontinuous corrugation makes it easier to form the sheet by stamping.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary insulating panel is an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the second corrugation, for example an integer multiple of the second regular spacing.

According to one embodiment, the rectangular sheet of primary sealing membrane has a dimension in the first direction substantially equal to an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the second pleats or an integer multiple of the second regular spacing. There may be subtle differences between these two quantities that are less than the dimension of the overlap between two adjacent sheets.

The primary sealing membrane is secured to the primary insulating barrier by fastening means which may be made of a variety of materials.

According to one embodiment, the fastening means have a metal fastening strip fixed to the primary heat insulating panel at a position corresponding to the contour of the rectangular sheet, on which an edge region of the rectangular sheet can be welded. The primary insulating panel may in particular have a fastening strip for fastening the straight edges of one or more rectangular sheets or two intersecting fastening strips for fastening the corner areas of one or more rectangular sheets.

According to one embodiment, the fastening means have a metal insert, for example in the form of a disk, fixed to the primary insulating panel at a position corresponding to the edge region of the primary insulating panel spaced from the contour of the rectangular sheet, A central region of the rectangular sheet may be welded thereon.

According to one embodiment, the primary thermal insulation panel has a cross stress-relief slot in the thickness direction of the primary thermal insulation panel leading to the cover plate of the primary thermal insulation panel. According to embodiments, one or each metal securing strip may have several alignment segments fixed to the cover plate and separated by stress-relief slots and/or the metal insert may have a cover between the stress-relief slots. It can be fixed to the plate.

According to an embodiment, the at least one thermal insulation panel comprises a lower plate lying against a load-bearing structure or secondary sealing membrane, an intermediate plate arranged between the lower plate and the cover plate, an insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the lower plate and the intermediate plate. and a second layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the intermediate plate and the cover plate. This structure is advantageous in that it can limit the bending stress caused by the differential shrinkage of the material in the insulating panel.

According to one embodiment, a recess is formed in the second layer of insulating polymer foam, such that the intermediate plate protrudes beyond the second layer of insulating polymer foam to form one of the support areas for the secondary retaining member.

According to one embodiment, the first layer of insulating polymer foam has cutouts for receiving posts extending between the lower plate and the middle plate in each corner region of the insulating panel. This makes it possible to limit creep and fracture of the foam.

According to another embodiment, the at least one insulating panel comprises a bottom plate, a cover plate and a plurality of compartments extending in the thickness direction of the tank wall between the bottom plate and the cover plate and filled with an insulating packing such as perlite. and load-bearing bulkheads defining the negative portion.

According to one embodiment, the fluid is a liquefied gas, such as liquefied natural gas.

Such tanks may, for example, be part of an onshore storage facility for LNG storage, or offshore or deep-sea floating structures, in particular liquefied natural gas carriers, floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), floating It may be installed in a floating production storage and unloading unit (FPSO) and the like.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting cryogenic fluids has a double hull and a tank as described above arranged in the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the double hull has an inner hull forming the load-bearing structure of the tank.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method of loading or unloading such a vessel, wherein the fluid is passed through an insulated pipe from a floating or onshore storage facility to a tank of the vessel, or from a tank on a vessel to floating or onshore. transported to storage facilities.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a conveying system for a fluid, wherein the system comprises a vessel, a tank installed in the hull of the vessel, through an insulated pipe and an insulated pipe arranged to connect to a floating or onshore storage facility. pumps for driving fluid from a floating or onshore storage facility to a tank on a ship, or from a tank on a ship to a floating or onshore storage facility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages will become more apparent will be

1 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall;
2 is a perspective view of a secondary thermal insulation panel that may be used for a tank wall;
3 is a perspective view of a primary thermal insulation panel that may be used for a tank wall;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a retaining device capable of cooperating therewith for securing a primary insulating panel and a secondary insulating panel to a load-bearing structure;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the holding device of FIG. 4 ;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of region VI of FIG. 1 , also showing the means for fixing the primary membrane according to the first embodiment;
7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6 .
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 , but also showing the bridging elements of the primary insulating barrier.
9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8 .
Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing means for fixing the primary membrane according to a second embodiment;
11 is a cutaway schematic view of a tank of a liquefied natural gas carrier vessel and a terminal for loading/unloading into the tank;
12 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall according to another embodiment;
13 is an enlarged view of region XIII of FIG. 12 , and also shows a primary fixing member according to an exemplary embodiment.
14 is a perspective view of a tank wall according to another embodiment;
15 is a perspective view of a cross section of a polyhedral tank;
Fig. 16 is a partial projection view of a region XVI of Fig. 15 according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII of the end wall of Fig. 16 according to the first embodiment;
Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of the oblique wall of Fig. 16 according to the first embodiment;
19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII of the end wall of FIG. 16 according to a second embodiment of the tank;
Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of the oblique wall of Fig. 16 according to the second embodiment;
Fig. 21 is a perspective view of an oblique wall according to a third embodiment;

1 shows the multilayer structure of a wall 1 of a sealed insulated tank for storing a liquefied fluid such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Each wall (1) of the tank continues in the thickness direction, from the outside to the inside of the tank, supporting a secondary insulating barrier (2) fixed to the load-bearing wall (3), a secondary insulating barrier (2) It has a secondary sealing membrane (4), a primary insulating barrier (5) bearing against the secondary sealing membrane (4) and a primary sealing membrane (6) designed to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank. .

The load-bearing structure may in particular be formed from the hull or double hull of the ship. The load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of load-bearing walls 3 defining the general shape of the tank, generally a polyhedral shape.

The secondary insulating barrier 2 has a plurality of secondary insulating panels 7 which are fixed to the load-bearing wall 3 using a retaining device 98 which will be described in detail below. The secondary insulating panels 7 have a generally parallelepiped shape and are arranged in parallel rows. The three columns are denoted by the letters A, B and C. A mastic bead 99 is placed between the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 and the load-bearing wall 3 to fill the gap between the load-bearing wall 3 and the flat reference plane. A kraft paper is inserted between the mastic bead 99 and the load-bearing wall 3 to prevent the mastic bead 99 from adhering to the load-bearing wall 3 .

2 shows the structure of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 according to an embodiment. The secondary thermal insulation panel 7 in this case has three plates, in particular a lower plate 8 , an intermediate plate 9 and a cover plate 10 . The lower plate 8 , the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10 are made of, for example, plywood. The secondary thermal insulation panel 7 also has a first layer 11 of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the lower plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 and an insulating polymer sandwiched between the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10 . and a second layer (12) of foam. The first and second layers 11 and 12 of insulating polymer foam are adhered to the lower plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 and the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10, respectively. The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a foam based on polyurethane, optionally reinforced with fibers.

A first layer (11) of insulating polymer foam has cutouts in the corner area for receiving the corner posts (13). Corner posts 13 extend between the lower plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 in the area of four corners. The corner posts 13 are fixed to the lower plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 by, for example, staples or screws or adhesives. The corner posts 13 are made of, for example, plywood or plastic. The corner posts 13 help absorb some of the compressive load during use and limit creep and fracture of the foam. The coefficient of thermal contraction of these corner pillars 13 is different from the coefficient of thermal contraction of the first layer 11 of the insulating polymer foam. Also, when the tank is cooled, the deformation of the secondary insulation panel 7 may be smaller in the corner posts 13 than in other areas.

In addition, the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 is provided with recesses 14 and 54 in its corner area for receiving a retaining device 98, which will be described in detail below. The secondary insulating panel 7 has a first recess 14 through which the rod 15 of the retaining device 98 can pass from the lower plate 8 to the middle plate 9 . Above the intermediate plate 9 , the secondary insulating panel 7 is provided with a second recess 54 . The dimension of the second recess 54 is greater than the dimension of the first recess 14 , so that the intermediate plate 9 protrudes beyond the cover plate 10 and the second layer 12 of insulating polymer foam. . The intermediate plate 9 thus forms a supporting area 16 that can cooperate with the secondary supporting plate 17 of the retaining device 98 in the corner region of the secondary insulating panel 7 .

The cover plate 10 also has counterbores 18 in these four corner areas. Each counterbore 18 can receive the load distribution plate 19 of the retaining device 98 . The thickness of the counterbore 18 has a thickness substantially similar to that of the load distribution plate 19 such that the load distribution plate 19 is flush with the top surface of the cover plate 10 . The cover plate 10 also has a slot 20 for receiving a weld support.

The structure of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 is described above by way of example. Thus, in another embodiment, the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 may have another overall structure, for example a structure as described in document WO2012/127141. At this time, the secondary heat insulation panel 7 extends in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 between the lower plate, the cover plate and the lower plate and the cover plate, and is a heat insulating material such as pearlite, glass wool or rock wool. It is formed in the form of a box with load-bearing bulkheads defining a plurality of compartments filled with packing.

1 also shows that the secondary sealing membrane 4 has a continuous layer of metal strakes 21 with protruding edges. The strakes 21 are welded through their protruding edges 32 to parallel weld supports fixed to slots 20 formed in the cover plate 10 of the secondary insulating panel 7 . The strakes 21 are made of, for example, Invar®, ie an alloy of nickel and iron with a ^{coefficient of expansion generally between 1.2.10 -6 and 2.10 -6} K ^{-1 .} It is also possible to use an alloy of manganese and iron having an expansion coefficient of ^{about 7.10 -6} K ^{-1 in general.}

The primary insulating barrier 5 has a plurality of primary insulating panels 22 which are fixed to the load-bearing wall 3 by means of the aforementioned retaining devices 98 . The primary insulating panel 22 is generally in the form of a parallelepiped. Furthermore, the dimensions of the primary thermal insulation panel are identical to those of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 , except for a thickness in the thickness direction of the tub wall 1 , which may be different, in particular smaller. Each primary thermal insulation panel 22 is aligned with one of the secondary thermal insulation panels 7 in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 .

3 shows the structure of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 according to an embodiment. The primary thermal insulation panel 22 has a multilayer structure similar to the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 of FIG. 2 . Thus, the primary insulating panel 22 continues with a lower plate 23, a first layer 24 of insulating polymer foam, an intermediate plate 25, a second layer 26 of insulating polymer foam and a cover plate ( 27). The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a foam based on polyurethane, optionally reinforced with fibers.

The primary insulating panel 22 is provided with recesses 28 in the corner area, so that the lower plate 23 is a first layer 24 of insulating polymer foam, an intermediate plate 25 and a second layer of insulating polymer foam. (26) and the cover plate (27) is projected beyond. The lower plate 23 thus forms a supporting area 29 that can cooperate with the primary supporting plate 30 of the retaining device 98 in the corner area of the primary insulating panel 22 . A wedge may be added to the lower plate 23 , the shape of which is similar to that of the support area 20 and may cooperate with the primary support plate 30 of the holding device 98 .

The lower plate 23 has a slot 31 that can receive the protruding edge 32 of the strake 21 of the secondary sealing membrane 4 . The cover plate 27 may also have fixing means not shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 .

The structure of the primary insulating panel 22 is described above by way of example. Also, in another embodiment, the primary thermal insulation panel 22 may have another overall structure, for example as described in document WO2012/127141.

In another embodiment, the primary insulating barrier 5 has, depending on the installation area in the tank, at least two different types of structures, for example primary insulating panels 22 having the two structures described above.

Fig. 1 also shows that the primary sealing membrane 6 has successive layers of rectangular sheets 33 having two series of corrugations perpendicular to each other. The corrugations 55 of the first series extend perpendicular to the rows of insulating panels A, B, C and thus perpendicular to the protruding edges 32 of the strakes 21 and have regular spacing 57 . A second series of corrugations 56 extend parallel to the rows of insulating panels A, B, C, and thus parallel to the protruding edges 32 of the strakes 21 and have regular spacing 58 . Preferably, the pleats 55 of the first series are higher than the pleats 56 of the second series.

Rectangular sheets 33 are welded together, forming small overlapping areas 59 along the edges, according to known techniques.

The rectangular sheet 33 preferably has width and length dimensions that are integer multiples of the spacing between the corresponding corrugations and also integer multiples of the dimensions of the primary insulating panel 22 . 1 shows a rectangular sheet 33 measuring 4 times the spacing 57 x 12 times the spacing 58 . Preferably the spacings 57 and 58 are equal. Therefore, the orientation of the corrugations 55 and 56 in the tank can be easily adapted to the requirements of the application without involving significant modifications with respect to the production of the insulating barrier.

For example, in a variant embodiment, the primary sealing membrane 6 is rotated 90° so that the corrugations 55 of the first series are parallel to the rows of the insulating panels A, B, C, and thus the protrusions of the strakes 21 . It extends parallel to the edge 32 .

The primary thermal insulation panel 22 and the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 have the same dimensions in the width direction of the rows A, B and C. This dimension will conventionally be referred to as the length of the insulating panel. This row width is an integer multiple of the spacing between the corrugations in the same direction, in which case the spacing 58 , and an integer multiple of the width of the strakes 21 , form a pattern that repeats several times across substantially all load-bearing walls 3 . Forming facilitates the modular production of tank walls.

Preferably, the width of the strakes 21 is an integer multiple of the spacing between the corrugations in the same direction, for example twice.

In the longitudinal direction of rows A, B, C, the primary insulating panel 22 may be of the same dimension as the secondary insulating panel 7 or an integer multiple of this dimension. This dimension is an integer multiple of the spacing between the corrugations in the same direction, in which case the spacing 57 facilitates the modular production of the tank wall by forming a pattern that repeats several times over all the load-bearing walls 3 .

Preferably, the primary thermal insulation panel 22 and the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 are square in shape. Therefore, it is easy to adjust the relative orientation of the corrugations and strakes in the tank without requiring significant modifications to the design of the insulation panel.

Preferred Dimension Examples

Gap between pleats (57, 58): PO

Width of primary insulation panel (22) and secondary insulation panel (7): 4PO

Length of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 4PO (square)

Width of strake (21): 2PO

Length of sheet 33: 12PO (FIG. 1) or 8PO (not shown)

Width of sheet 33: 4PO

PO=300mm.

With this dimension, a good compromise can be achieved between the ease of fixing the parts constituting the tank wall and the number of parts that have to be assembled. This arrangement also simplifies the connection of the corrugation between the two walls of the tank.

Dimension example 2

Gap between pleats (58): PO

Spacing of pleats (57): GO

Width of primary insulation panel (22) and secondary insulation panel (7): 3GO

Length of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 4PO (rectangle)

Width of strake (21): 2PO

Length of sheet 33: 12PO

Width of sheet 33: 3GO

PO=300mm

GO=340mm

Example 3

The pleats 55 are not equidistant, and consecutive intervals are arranged according to a repeating pattern of four pleats 55 as follows:

340, 340, 340, 180 mm

Preferably, an interval of 180 mm is divided into two parts of 90 mm located on two opposite edges of the rectangular sheet 33 .

The dimension of the repeating pattern is therefore 1200 mm. For the rest, the dimensions of the first example are maintained.

Example 4

The pleats 55 are not equidistant, and consecutive intervals are arranged according to a repeating pattern of four pleats 55 as follows:

300, 400, 300, 200 mm

Preferably, an interval of 200 mm is divided into two parts of 100 mm located on two opposite edges of the rectangular sheet 33 .

The dimension of the repeating pattern is therefore 1200 mm. For the rest, the dimensions of the first example are maintained.

As shown in FIG. 1 , retaining devices 98 are located at the four corners of the primary insulating panel 22 and the secondary insulating panel 7 . Accordingly, each stack of secondary thermal insulation panels 7 and primary thermal insulation panels 22 is secured to the load-bearing wall 3 using a retaining device 98 . Accordingly, the holding device 98 in this case comprises a primary holding member overlying the secondary holding member. In addition, each retaining device 98 cooperates with the corners of four adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 and four adjacent primary insulating panels 22 .

4 and 5 show the structure of the holding device 98 according to an embodiment in more detail.

The retaining device 98 has a socket 34 , the base of which is welded to the load-bearing wall 3 at positions corresponding to the spacing of the corner areas of four adjacent secondary thermal insulation panels 7 . . As shown in FIG. 5 , the lower end of the rod 15 is screwed into a nut 35 which is seated in a socket 34 . Rods 15 run between adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 .

The rod 15 passes through a bore formed in the insulating plug 36 which can ensure continuous secondary insulation in the retaining device 98 . The insulating plug 36 has a cross-shaped portion defined by four branches in a plane orthogonal to the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 . Each of the four branches is inserted into a gap formed between two of the four adjacent secondary thermal insulation panels 7 .

The retaining device 98 also has a load-bearing wall 3 for a support area 16 formed in each of four adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 for fixing the panel to the load-bearing wall 3 . It is provided with a secondary support plate 17 for supporting toward the. In the embodiment shown, the secondary support plate 17 rests in the second recess 54 formed in the second layer 12 of insulating polymer foam of each secondary thermal insulation panel 7, the support area ( against the region of the intermediate plate 9 forming 16 ).

Nut 37 cooperates with a thread formed in the upper end of rod 15 to secure secondary support plate 17 to rod 15 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining device 98 also includes one or more Belleville spring washers 38 . A spring washer 38 can be threaded into the rod 15 between the nut 37 and the secondary support plate 17 to ensure the elastic fixation of the secondary insulation panel 7 to the load-bearing wall 3 . let it be Also advantageously, the locking member 39 is locally welded to the upper end of the rod 15 to secure the nut 37 in position on the rod 15 .

The retaining device 98 also has a spacer 41 secured to the secondary support plate 17 , a load distribution plate 19 and an upper plate 40 .

The load distribution plate 19 rests on each of the counterbores 18 formed in the cover plate 10 of the four adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 . The load distribution plate 19 is therefore positioned between the secondary sealing membrane 4 and the cover plate 10 of each of the four secondary insulating panels. The load distribution plate 19 can mitigate the occurrence of a height difference between the corners of adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 . In addition, the load distribution plate 19 makes it possible to distribute the stresses that may be applied to the primary insulating panel 22 and the secondary sealing membrane 4 in the corner region of the secondary insulating panel 7 . As a result, the load distribution plate 19 is formed by pinching of the lower plate 23 of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 and insulating polymer of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 in the corner region of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 . It makes it possible to limit the pinching and compression of the layers 24 and 26 of the foam.

The load distribution plate 19 is advantageously made of stainless steel, an alloy of nickel and iron such as Invar with a ^{coefficient of expansion generally between 1.2.10 -6} and 2.10 ^-6 K ^{-1 , an expansion coefficient of 2.10 -5} K ^-1 It consists of a metal selected from an alloy of manganese and iron less than, usually 7.10 ^-6 K ^-1. The load distribution plate 19 has a thickness of between 1 and 7 mm, preferably between 2 and 4 mm, for example about 3 mm. The load distribution plate 19 is advantageously square in shape and has a side length of between 100 and 250 mm, for example about 150 mm.

The top plate 40 is arranged below the load distribution plate 19 and has a smaller dimension than the load distribution plate 19 , so that the load distribution plate 19 completely covers the top plate 40 . The upper plate 40 is placed in a recess 15 formed in a corner region of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 that is parallel to the supporting region 16 , that is, the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 . It is seated in a recess 54 formed in the second layer of the insulating polymer foam 12 of the.

The top plate 40 has a threaded bore 42 to which the threaded base of a pin 43 capable of securing the primary insulating panel 22 is mounted. In order for the pin 43 to be secured to the top plate 40 , the load distribution plate 19 also has a bore formed to oppose the threaded bore of the top plate 40 , so that the pin 43 is Allow it to pass through the load distribution plate (19).

The top plate 40 comprises two opposite large faces parallel to the load-bearing wall 3 , four faces connecting the two large faces and extending parallel to the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 , In general, it has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. 4 and 5 , the four faces extending parallel to the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 are connected by a fillet 44 . This can further limit pinching of the lower plate 23 of the primary insulating panel 22 by eliminating any acute angles and limiting stress concentration.

In an embodiment not shown, the top plate 40 and the load distribution plate 19 may be formed as a single piece.

The spacer 41 may be disposed between the secondary support plate 17 and the upper plate, thus maintaining a gap between the secondary support plate 17 and the upper plate 40 . 4 and 5 , the spacer 41 has a bevel 45 so as to lie within the size of the top plate 40 when viewed in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 . That is, the upper plate 40 completely covers the spacer 41 .

The spacer 41 is made of wood which makes it possible to limit the thermal bridge to the load-bearing wall 3 in the retaining device 98 . The shape of the spacer 41 is an inverted “U” shape, thus forming a central seat 46 between the branches of the “U” shape. The center seat 46 receives the upper end of the rod 15 , the locking member 39 , the nut 37 and the spring washer 38 . The spacer 41 also rests in a recess 15 formed horizontally with the support surface 16 .

The locking member 39 is square or rectangular in shape, wherein the diagonal has a dimension longer than the dimension of the center sheet 46 between the two branches of the "U" shape, which is the rotation of the rod 15 relative to the spacer 39 . to prevent the rod 15 from loosening from the nut 35.

In order to fasten the load distribution plate 19 , the top plate 40 , the spacers 41 and the secondary support plate 17 to each other, each of the aforementioned elements is provided with two bores through which the screws 47 , 48 pass. do. Each of the bores formed in the secondary support plate 17 has a thread cooperating with one of the screws 47 , 48 to secure the aforementioned elements to each other.

Further, the pin 43 passes through a hole formed through the strake 21 of the secondary sealing membrane 4 . The pin 43 has a flange 49 that is welded around the hole to ensure sealing of the secondary sealing membrane 4 . The secondary sealing membrane is thus sandwiched between the flange 49 of the pin 43 and the load distribution plate 19 .

The retaining device 98 also has a load-bearing wall 3 for a support area 29 formed in each of four adjacent primary insulating panels 22 for fixing the panel to the load-bearing wall 3 . It is provided with a primary support plate 30 to support toward. In the embodiment shown, each support region 29 is formed by a projecting portion of the lower plate 23 of one of the primary insulating panels 22 . The primary support plate 30 is seated in a concave groove 28 formed in a corner region of the primary insulating panel 22 that is horizontal to the support region 29 .

The nut 50 cooperates with a thread formed at the upper end of the pin 43 to secure the primary support plate 30 to the pin 43 . In the embodiment shown, the retaining device 98 also includes one or more Belleville spring washers 51 , which are threaded to a pin 43 between the nut 50 and the primary support plate 30 to be load-bearing. It makes it possible to ensure an elastic fixation of the primary insulating panel 22 to the wall 3 .

Further, the insulating plug 52 shown in FIG. 5 is inserted over the holding device 98 in the recessed grooves 28 formed in the corner regions of the four adjacent primary insulating panels 22 and thus the holding device 98 is inserted. to ensure the continuity of the primary insulating barrier (5). Furthermore, the wooden closing plate 53 shown in FIG. 5 ensures the flatness of the supporting surface of the primary sealing membrane 6 . The closure plate 53 is received in a counterbore formed in the corner area of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 .

The fixing of the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary insulating panel 22 will be described below in several examples with reference to FIGS. 6 to 14 .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the metal fastening strips 60 are fastened to the cover plate 27 of the primary insulating panel 22 along the contour of the rectangular sheet 33 . The edge of the rectangular sheet 33 can therefore be fixed by welding along the fastening strip 60 . The fastening strip 60 is fixed to the cover plate 27 in the counterbore by any suitable means, such as screws or rivets.

6 and 7 also show the cover plate of the primary insulating panel 22 along the edge of the primary insulating panel 22 spaced apart from the contour of the rectangular sheet 33 at other locations to provide additional anchoring points. A metal plate 61 that can be fixed to 27 is shown. The metal plate 61 is fixed to the cover plate 27 in the counterbore by any suitable means, such as screws or rivets.

As more clearly shown in FIG. 7 , which is a cross-section at the interface 62 between the two primary insulating panels 22 , the flat area of the rectangular sheet 33 can be transparently welded to the metal plate 61 . there is.

8 and 9 show another embodiment of a primary thermal insulation panel 22 , wherein the edges of the primary thermal insulation panel have counterbore 63 for receiving a bridge plate 64 made of, for example, plywood. . The bridge plate 64 is fixed to the cover plate 27 of the two primary insulating panels 22 in order to prevent any gap between the two primary insulating panels 22 at the interface 62 , and thus the primary It improves the uniformity of the supporting surface on which the sealing membrane 6 rests.

6 and 8, the cover plate 27 and the layer 26 of insulating polymer foam have a cover plate 27 and a layer 26 of insulating polymer foam divided into several parts, thereby avoiding cracking when cooled. A stress-relief slot 65 is provided.

10 shows another embodiment of a primary thermal insulation panel 22 , wherein the stress-relief slot 65 is confined to the area adjacent to the fixing strip 60 , as described in publication FR-A-3001945 . .

A thermal protection strip 66 made of, for example, a composite material is aligned with the fixing strip 60 at certain portions of the contour of the rectangular sheet 33 to prevent damage to the cover plate 27 during welding.

In the tank wall 101 shown in FIG. 12 , one row of primary thermal insulation panels 22 overlaps one row of secondary thermal insulation panels 7 as well as spanning two rows of secondary thermal insulation panels 7 . Examples are shown. Elements identical to or similar to those in FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the differences thereof will be described below.

12 basically shows two modifications.

First, the primary retaining member 97 was disengaged and offset from the secondary retaining member. A secondary retaining member, not shown, may be manufactured in a variety of ways, such as retaining device 98 with all elements disposed over distribution plate 19 removed. In this case, the load distribution plate 19 and the counterbore 18 capable of receiving the plate can also be removed. Secondary retaining members, not shown, can be in a wide range of numbers, for example 2 to 5 per secondary insulating panel 7 , for example at a corner of the secondary panel and/or two in the first direction or in the second direction. It may be disposed in the gap between the secondary panels. Another embodiment of the secondary retaining member is described in WO-A-2013093262.

The primary retaining member 97 can be manufactured in various ways, for example as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 13 or as described in publication FR-A-2887010.

13 , the primary retaining member 97 has a plate 119 with, for example, a square or circular contour,

The plate is fixed in a counterbore formed in the surface of the cover plate 10 and faces the layer 11 of insulating polymer foam, for example by adhesion. The plate 119 has a threaded hole opening in the upper surface of the cover plate 10 into which the same pin 143 as the aforementioned pin 43 can be screwed.

In addition, all first steps of the tank wall, in particular the primary insulating barrier 5 and the primary sealing membrane 6 it supports, are offset in both directions of the plane by half the length of the secondary insulating panel 7 . there is. Thus, instead of being directly above the secondary holding member, the primary holding member 97 is at the center of the cover plate of the secondary insulating panel 7 .

Despite this offset, the secondary retaining member still cooperates with the corners of four adjacent secondary insulating panels 7 , and the primary retaining member 97 still cooperates with the corners of the four adjacent primary insulating panels 22 . cooperate The size of the offset may be different and the primary retaining member 97 may be at a different location on the cover plate of the secondary insulating panel 7 , but preferably spaced from and without interfering with the protruding edge 32 . The magnitude of the offset may be different in two directions of the plane.

The tank wall 201 schematically shown in FIG. 14 is a part of the length of the insulating panels, in this case half of that length, although the rows of primary insulating panels 22 lie above the rows of secondary insulating panels 7 . An embodiment is shown that is offset in the first direction by Thus, the primary insulating panels 22 of the first row span the two secondary insulating panels 7 of the underlying secondary row. Elements identical to or similar to those in FIGS. 1 to 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the differences thereof will be described below.

In the embodiment schematically shown in FIG. 14 , the primary thermal insulation panel 22 is fixed to the secondary sealing membrane, not shown, by a retaining member disposed in the middle of the sides of the primary thermal insulation panel 22 . Accordingly, the primary retaining member 97 disposed in the center of the cover plate of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 cooperates with the two primary thermal insulation panels 22 of the first row and is positioned intermediately along the width of the first row. Further, the secondary retaining member 92 is positioned at the corner of the secondary thermal insulation panel 7 as in the preceding embodiment. The secondary holding member 92 supports the primary holding member 91 . The secondary holding member 92 and the primary holding member 91 it supports may be made similar to or different from the holding device 98 . Unlike FIG. 1 , the primary holding member 91 cooperates only with the two primary insulating panels 22 at the center of the side of the primary insulating panel 22 in this case.

To facilitate access to the primary retaining member 91 , the shape of the primary insulating panel 22 may be designed to form an access shaft 93 . In this case, after the primary retaining member 91 is installed together with a polyurethane foam plug covered with a rigid plate made of, for example, a rigid plate, eg, plywood (not shown), the shaft 93 is blocked.

15 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the polyhedral tank 100 . The tank 100 has a polyhedral load-bearing structure 103 . The tank 100 has an end wall 102 transverse to the load-bearing structure 101 and a plurality of longitudinal walls 104 , 106 , 108 . Walls 104 are horizontal to the bottom and ceiling walls of the tank, respectively. Walls 106 are vertical walls, and walls 108 are slanted walls that connect horizontal walls 104 to vertical walls 106, respectively.

The structure described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14 to form the tank wall may be applied to one, all or part of the walls of the polyhedral tank 100 . The connection area between the beveled wall 108 and the end wall 102 will be described in detail below.

FIG. 16 is a partial flat projection of region XVI of FIG. 15 according to an embodiment. The end wall 102 is connected first to the beveled wall 108 at a first edge 110 and secondly to the horizontal wall 104 at a second edge 112 .

Each tank wall may have a multi-layered structure similar to the structure shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 12 . FIG. 16 shows the outline of the pleats (shown by dashed-dotted lines) of the primary membrane 6 and some of the square primary insulating panels 22 . The panels are composed of primary rows 116 in end walls 102 , primary 117 in horizontal walls 104 , primary 119 in vertical walls 106 and primary in slanted walls 108 . A column 121 is formed.

A related secondary barrier is shown in cross-section in FIGS. 17 and 18 in an exemplary embodiment.

At the end wall 102 , the primary sealing membrane 6 is spaced apart by a first pitch y and spaced apart by a first pitch y and a first series of corrugations 118 parallel to the horizontal wall 104 and horizontal walls. A second series of pleats 120 perpendicular to 104 are provided.

In the horizontal wall 104 , the primary membrane 6 has a first series of longitudinal pleats 122 , each pleat being continuously connected at an edge 112 with one of the second series of pleats 120 . .

The primary membrane of the beveled wall 108 is longitudinally formed by the wall 108 and the pleats 126 spaced apart by a second pitch z and continuously connected at the edge 110 to the first series of pleats 118 . a series of longitudinal corrugations, including corrugations 127 disposed along the directional upper edge and continuously connected with one of the corrugations 120 of the second series of end walls 102 .

Additional pleats 127 are optional depending on the width of the beveled wall 108 . This corrugation 127 is added if the distance between the last corrugation 126 and the edge of the wall is greater than a certain distance. Consequently, the maximum distance between two successive corrugations is kept below a given threshold including the distance at the interface between two adjacent longitudinal walls. Thus, adding additional corrugations 127 may adjust the width of the beveled walls 108 and provide greater tolerance to the dimensions of the tank during construction.

The longitudinal pleats 126 are first formed by deflection pleats 128 forming an elbow between a first end connected to the first series of pleats 118 and a second end connected to the longitudinal pleats 126 . connected to one of the pleats 118 in the series.

The repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of end walls 102 and the repeating pattern of the primary row 121 of the beveled walls 108 share a predetermined dimension L. This may be the same dimension as the repeating pattern of the primary row 117 of horizontal walls 104 and the repeating pattern of the primary row 119 of vertical walls 106 . For example, this dimension may be between 1000 mm and 1500 mm. Thus, the primary insulating panel 22 can have the same width in all of these walls. Although not shown in the drawings, the repeating pattern may include gaps between the primary insulating panels 22, and the width of the gaps is preferably 50 mm or less. In this case, the gaps between the panels are covered with an insulating material, such as glass wool, low-density polyurethane foam or any other insulating material.

In FIG. 16 , an angle 130 is defined between the plane of the beveled wall 108 and the plane of the horizontal wall 104 , and an angle 132 is defined between the plane of the vertical wall 106 and the plane of the beveled wall 108 . is defined in Angles 130 and 132 are complementary. The angle between the two planes is between 0° and 90°.

The angle 130 is such that the dimension L is first a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y and secondly a second integer multiple n2 (less than the first integer multiple n1) of the second pitch z. ), that is, L=n1*y=n2*z. To this end, the angle 130 is the arc cosine of the ratio n2/n1.

In the example shown, n1=3 and n2=2. The angle 130 is thus arccos(2/3)=48.19°. Angle 131 is thus complementary, or arcsin(2/3)=41.81°.

The primary membrane 6 has a series of longitudinal corrugations 124 on a vertical wall 106 . Each pleat 124 is connected continuously at an edge 114 to one of the pleats 118 of the first series.

In alternative embodiments, the primary row 116 may be oriented parallel to the vertical wall 106 .

17 and 18 show, respectively, a cross-section of the end wall 102 along the line XVII-XVII and a cross-section of the oblique wall 108 along the line XVIII- XVIII according to the first embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the end wall 102 has a plurality of secondary rows 216 parallel to the primary row 116 , and a plurality of strakes 218 parallel to the first series of corrugations 118 . It has a secondary membrane comprising a. The first wall 108 also has a secondary membrane comprising a plurality of secondary rows 221 parallel to the primary row 121 and a plurality of strakes 226 parallel to the longitudinal pleats 126 . . In this embodiment, all primary insulation panels 22 and all secondary insulation panels 7 may have the same width at least in end walls 102 and bevel walls 108, but potentially all other walls as well. can

Dimension example

In an exemplary embodiment:

- the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of the end walls 102 is 1200 mm, and is a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y, in particular the first integer multiple is 3 and thus the second 1 pitch is 400 mm.

- the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 121 of the beveled walls 108 is also 1200 mm, a second integer multiple n2 of the second pitch z, in particular the second integer multiple is 2 and thus The second pitch is 600 mm.

- the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary row 216 of the end wall 102 and the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary row 221 of the first wall 108 are, respectively, also 1200 mm.

- the width of the strakes 218 of the end wall 102 and the width of the strakes 226 of the beveled wall 108 is this dimension divided by an integer, in this case 600 mm.

Thus, in this example, the width of the strakes 226 is equal to the pitch z of the beveled walls 108 .

19 and 20 are views similar to those of FIGS. 17 and 18 according to the second embodiment, in which the angle 130 does not satisfy the above-mentioned condition. In this case, the angle 130 is set to, for example, 45°. The ratio between the pitches is thus y/z = cos(45°) = 0.707.

In this second embodiment, the dimensions of the primary insulating panel 22 may not be the same in the end wall 102 and the beveled wall 108 . In practice, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of the end walls 102 is an integer multiple n1 of the pitch y (n1=3 in this case), and the primary row 121 of the beveled walls 108 is ) is an integer multiple (n2) of the pitch (z) (n2=2 in this case). It is impossible to select two integers that are sufficiently small to satisfy n2/n1 to cos (45°) while the primary insulation panel 22 is easy to handle. In this case, therefore, in the construction of the tank, at least in the slanted wall, heat-insulating panels of different dimensions are used. The multiples n1 and n2 may be chosen such that this difference is limited, for example less than 10%.

Dimension example 1

The dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of the end walls 102 is 1200 mm and is a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y, specifically the first integer multiple is 3 and thus the first The pitch is 400 mm.

The second pitch z will be chosen as a function of the cosine of the angle 130 to ensure continuity of the first series of pleats 118 of the end wall 102 and the longitudinal pleats 126 of the beveled wall 108 . can The second pitch z is 566 mm. The dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 121 of the beveled walls 108 is a second integer multiple n2 that is specifically two, which is the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of the end walls 102 . is chosen to obtain a different but relatively close dimension to . The dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 121 of the first wall 108 is 1132 mm.

Also, at the end wall 102 , the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row 216 are the same as the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row 116 . In the first wall 108 , the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row 221 are equal to the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row 121 . Also, the dimension of the strakes 226 of the first wall 108 is equal to the second pitch z.

Dimension example 2

- the dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 116 of the end walls 102 is 1020 mm, a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y, in particular the first integer multiple is 3 and thus the second 1 pitch is 340 mm.

- The second pitch (z) is 480.8 mm. The dimension of the repeating pattern of the primary row 121 of the beveled walls 108 is 961.6 mm, which is a second integer multiple n2 of the pitch z, specifically, the second integer multiple is two.

21 is a perspective view of a beveled wall 108 according to one embodiment. In contrast to FIG. 16 , the outline of the rectangular sheet 33 is shown in this case.

A primary sealing membrane in which the pleats are continuous in the gap between the two series of pleats was described above. The primary sealing membrane may also have two mutually perpendicular series of pleats, with some pleats discontinuous in the gap between the two series. In this case, the middle portions are distributed alternately in the first series of pleats and the second series of pleats, and within a given series of pleats, the middle portions of the pleats are offset with respect to the stops of adjacent parallel pleats. This offset may be equal to the spacing between two parallel pleats.

Referring to FIG. 11 , a cutaway view of a liquefied natural gas transport vessel 70 shows a generally prismatic sealed and insulated tank 71 installed in the double hull 72 of the vessel. The wall of the tank 71 is a primary sealing barrier that can come into contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and the primary sealing barrier and the secondary and two insulating barriers respectively disposed between the sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72 .

In a known manner, the loading/unloading pipes 73 arranged on the upper deck of the vessel may be connected by suitable connectors to a sea or port terminal for transporting LNG cargoes from or to the tanks 71 .

11 shows an example of an offshore terminal comprising a loading and unloading point 75 , an underwater line 76 and an onshore facility 77 . The loading and unloading point 75 is a fixed offshore installation comprising a movable arm 74 and a column 78 supporting the movable arm 74 . A movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated hoses 79 that can be connected to a loading/unloading pipe 73 . The steerable movable arm 74 can be adapted to any size liquefied natural gas carrier vessel. A connecting line, not shown, extends into the interior of the post 78 . The loading and unloading point 75 allows the liquefied natural gas carrier shipment 70 to be loaded or unloaded from or to the onshore facility 77 . The installation has a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting line 81 connected to the loading/unloading point 75 by a submersible line 76 . The subsea line 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading/unloading point 75 and the onshore facility 77 over long distances, eg, 5 km, which transports liquefied natural gas vessels 70 during loading and unloading operations. to be at a great distance from the shore.

In order to generate the pressure required for the transport of the liquefied gas, a pump mounted on the vessel 70 and/or a pump mounted on the shore installation 77 and/or a pump mounted on the loading/unloading point 75 is used. do.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several specific embodiments, it is evident that the present invention is not limited thereto and includes all technically equivalent means and combinations thereof which fall within the scope of the present invention.

The use of the verb "comprise" and its associated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps other than those disclosed in a claim.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limitations on the claim.

Claims (17)

A sealed insulated tank (100) embedded in a polyhedral load-bearing structure, the tank comprising a tank wall secured to a load-bearing wall of the load-bearing structure, the tank wall having a transverse end wall (102) and an end wall a plurality of longitudinal walls (104, 106, 108) connected to a first wall (108) and a second edge (112, 114) connected to the end wall at a first edge (110); a second wall (104, 106) connected to the end wall and adjacent the first wall;
Each longitudinal wall and end wall comprises a sealing membrane (6) capable of contacting the product contained in the tank and an insulating barrier (5) disposed between the sealing membrane and the load-bearing structure,
The longitudinal wall insulating barrier comprises rows 117 , 119 , 121 of insulating panels juxtaposed according to a longitudinally oriented and repeating pattern, the end wall insulating barrier parallel or perpendicular to the second wall 104 , 106 . a row of thermal insulation panels (116) oriented in one direction and juxtaposed according to a repeating pattern;
The sealing membrane of the end wall has a first series of pleats 118 , 120 parallel to the second wall and spaced a first pitch y and a second series perpendicular to the second wall and spaced a first pitch y. including the folds 118 and 120 of
The sealing membrane of each longitudinal wall comprises a plurality of longitudinal corrugations, wherein the second wall longitudinals 122, 124 are spaced apart by said first pitch y and at a second edge a second series of corrugations ( Continuously connected to 118 , 120 , the longitudinal corrugations 126 of the first wall 108 are spaced apart by a second pitch z greater than the first pitch y and are in an angular arrangement at the first edge 110 . continuously connected to one of the first and second series of corrugations (120, 118) of the end wall by means of a plurality of deviation corrugations (128);
The angle (130, 132) between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall and the ratio between the first pitch (y) and the second pitch (z) are defined with respect to each other. According to claim 1,
The repeating pattern of rows of thermal insulation panels of the end wall 102 and the repeating pattern of rows of thermal insulation panels of the first wall 108 share a predetermined dimension,
The angle 130 , 132 between the plane of the first wall 108 and the plane of the second wall 104 , 106 is such that the dimension of the repeating pattern is first a first integer multiple n1 of the first pitch y , second is a second integer multiple (n2) of the second pitch (z), the second integer multiple is smaller than the first integer multiple (n1),
wherein the angle (130, 132) is a function of the arc cosine or arc sine of the ratio of a second integer multiple (n2) to a first integer multiple (n1). 3. The method of claim 2,
the rows of panels of the end wall are perpendicular to the second wall and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the first series of end walls,
The angle (130, 132) between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall is equal to the arc cosine of the ratio of the second multiple (n2) to the first multiple (n1). 3. The method of claim 2,
the rows of panels of the end wall are parallel to the second wall and the longitudinal corrugations of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations of the second series of end walls,
The angle (130, 132) between the plane of the first wall and the plane of the second wall is equal to the arc sine of the ratio of the second multiple (n2) to the first multiple (n1). 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
wherein the ratio of the second pitch (z) to the first pitch (y) is equal to the cosine of the angle between the plane of the first wall (108) and the plane of the second wall (104, 106). 6. The method of claim 1 or 5,
The dimensions of the repeating pattern of the insulating panel rows of the end walls 102 are different, and in particular larger, of the dimensions of the repeating pattern of the insulating panel rows of the first walls 108 . 7. The method of claim 6,
The dimension of the repeating pattern of the rows of insulating panels of the end walls (102) is an integer multiple of the first pitch (y). 8. The method of claim 6 or 7,
The dimension of the repeating pattern of the rows of insulating panels of the first wall (108) is an integer multiple of the second pitch (z). 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The second wall (104) is horizontal and the longitudinal corrugations (126) of the first wall are continuously connected to the corrugations (118) of the first series of end walls. 10. The method of claim 9,
The sealing membrane in the first wall 108 also has at least one additional longitudinal corrugation 127 adjacent the edge of the first wall continuously connected to one of the corrugations 120 of the second series of corrugations 120 of the end wall 102 . Containing, sealed insulated tank. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The second wall (106) is vertical and the longitudinal corrugation of the first wall is continuously connected to the corrugation (118) of the second series of end walls. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
the sealing membrane is the primary membrane (6) and the insulating barrier is the primary insulating barrier (5),
Each longitudinal wall and end wall also has a secondary sealing membrane 4 disposed between the primary sealing membrane and the load-bearing structure and a secondary insulating barrier 2 disposed between the secondary membrane and the load-bearing structure. wherein the secondary insulating barrier comprises secondary rows (216, 221) of insulating panels juxtaposed in a repeating pattern and oriented in the same direction as the primary row of walls;
The secondary membrane comprises a plurality of strakes (218, 226) parallel to each other, each strake comprising a flat central portion supporting at the upper surface of the secondary panel and two protruding edges projecting towards the inside of the tank, , the distance between the two edges is the dimension of the strake,
the secondary rows 216 and strakes 218 of the end walls 102 are horizontal and the secondary rows 221 and strakes 226 of the longitudinal walls are longitudinally oriented;
and the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the primary row and the dimensions of the repeating pattern in the secondary row are the same at each longitudinal wall and end wall. 13. The method of claim 12,
In the first wall and/or the end wall and/or the second wall, the dimension of the repeating pattern of the secondary panel is an integer multiple of the dimension of the strake. 14. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 13,
In the first wall and/or the end wall and/or the second wall, the dimensions and the second pitch of the strakes are the same. A vessel (70) used to transport a fluid, the vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71, 100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 arranged inside the double hull (72) A vessel used to transport fluids. 16. A system for conveying fluids, the system comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 15, a tank (71, 100) installed in the hull of the vessel, insulated pipes (73, 79) arranged to connect to a floating or onshore storage facility (77). , 76, 81) and a pump for driving the fluid from a floating or onshore storage facility to a tank on a ship, or from a tank on a ship to a floating or onshore storage facility through an insulated pipe. 16. A method of loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 15, wherein the fluid is passed from a floating or onshore storage facility (77) via an insulated pipe (73, 79, 76, 81) to a tank (71) on the vessel; or from a tank on a ship to a floating or onshore storage facility.

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