KR20220025753A - Manufacturing method of corner structure for tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a corner structure (1) for the construction of a sealed insulating tank, said method comprising: a first panel (5) and a second panel (5) having an inner surface (7) and an outer surface (8) respectively 2 providing a panel (6); - the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 in a first position in which the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 extend in a common plane; placing; - the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 are flexible over the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 when in the first position adhering on the sealing sheet 13 in a sealing manner; - in a second position in which the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 is inclined with respect to the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed. disposing the first panel (5) and the second panel (6).

Description

Manufacturing method of corner structure for tank

The present invention relates to the field of sealed insulating membrane tanks, in particular to the construction of corner structures of such tanks. In particular, the present invention relates to a tank for transport of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) having, for example, a temperature between 50 °C and 0 °C (inclusive), liquefied natural gas (LNG) at about -162 °C at atmospheric pressure; It relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks for storage and/or transport of liquefied gases at such low temperatures. These tanks can be installed on land or on water structures. In the case of a floating structure the tank may be intended for the transport of the liquefied gas or may be intended to contain the liquefied gas serving as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure.

Publication FR2691520 describes a corner structure comprising two beveled panels which are intended to form the edge of a secondary thermal insulation barrier and are brought into contact with each other via a beveled edge. To produce the secondary sealing membrane, each of the two secondary panels at the corner structure level is covered with a rigid sealing sheet composed of a laminated composite material comprising an aluminum layer between two layers of fiberglass and resin. Also, in order to create a joint between the rigid sealing sheets of the two panels, when the slanted panels contact each other and the inner faces of the two slanted panels form different angles corresponding to the corner sections to be constructed, the two slanted panels A flexible sealing sheet is adhered over the rigid sealing sheet.

With this type of method, it is particularly difficult to adhere the flexible sealing sheet to a non-planar surface, requiring a large number of operations and taking a long time. Further, the gluing operation is performed manually as it cannot be performed with the aid of an automatic gluing machine using a flexible sealing sheet applicator roller.

One idea behind the present invention is to facilitate the construction of corner structures for sealed, insulated tanks.

Another idea of the present invention is to improve the construction method to shorten the production time, limit the number of workers and/or reduce the amount of raw material used.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a corner structure for the construction of a sealed insulating tank comprising at least one insulating barrier and a sealing membrane adhered to the insulating barrier, the method comprising:

- providing a first panel and a second panel each having an inner surface and an outer surface;

- placing the first panel and the second panel in a first position in which the inner surface of the first panel and the inner surface of the second panel extend in a common plane;

- sealingly bonding a flexible sealing sheet spanning the inner surface of the first panel and the inner surface of the second panel when the first panel and the second panel are in the first position; and

- placing the first panel and the second panel in a second position in which the inner surface of the first panel is inclined at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed and insulated tank to be constructed with respect to the inner surface of the second panel; step; includes.

Due to this feature, the step of adhering to the flexible sealing sheet is performed on a planar or substantially planar surface formed by the inner surfaces of the first panel and the second panel, thereby facilitating the performance of this step during construction, Accordingly, the latter (construction) is improved, particularly by reducing the manufacturing time. Indeed, in contrast to the prior art, the gluing step is carried out before the step of disposing the first panel and the second panel in a second position inclined with respect to each other. Accordingly, this bonding is performed without restrictions related to the inclination of the area to be bonded.

The expression gluing in a sealing manner means bonding which is carried out in a continuous manner such that a continuous sealed surface is formed between the elements which are attached to each other.

Accordingly, during the bonding step, the flexible sealing sheet covers in a sealing manner the space remaining empty between the rigid sealing sheet of the first panel and the rigid sealing sheet of the second panel.

Embodiments of such methods may include one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the angle of the tank is an angle of 90° or an angle of 135°.

According to one embodiment, the sealed insulating tank to be installed comprises at least one insulating barrier and one sealing membrane adhered to said insulating barrier.

According to one embodiment, the first panel and the second panel are in the shape of a parallelepiped, preferably a cuboid.

According to one embodiment, in the second position, an interpanel space is formed between a side edge of the first panel and a side edge of the second panel, the method comprising:

- arranging at least one insulating block adapted to fill the inter-panel space in the inter-panel space;

According to one embodiment, the inter-panel space is filled by a plurality of insulating blocks.

According to one embodiment, the insulating block(s) has a density of at least 30 kg/m ³ , advantageously at least 60 kg/m ³ , in particular when the corner structures are pre-assembled before being placed in the corners of the tank. to have structural rigid functions.

According to another embodiment, the insulating block has no structural strength function.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises:

- disposing at least one insulating block between the first panel and the second panel arranged in a second position, said insulating block comprising of the first side and the second panel arranged in the plane of the outer surface of the first panel; and disposing an insulating block having a second face disposed in the plane of the outer face.

Accordingly, after the insulating block is disposed in the second position, the insulation of the corner structure is completed by filling the space formed between the first panel and the second panel.

According to one embodiment, the insulating block is made of an insulating foam, preferably a fiber-reinforced insulating foam, for example a polyurethane foam reinforced with glass fibers.

According to another embodiment, the insulating block comprises a box and an insulating packing positioned inside the box. The insulating packing may be, for example, glass wool, rock wool or perlite.

According to one embodiment, the insulating block is adhered to the side edge of the first panel and the side edge of the second panel.

According to one embodiment, the step of gluing to the flexible sealing sheet is performed by an automatic gluing machine.

Because the gluing step is performed on a flat surface, an automatic gluing machine can be used to perform this step faster and with fewer operators.

According to one embodiment, the adhesive used during the bonding step consists of a polymer adhesive, preferably a polyurethane adhesive.

According to one embodiment, the self-adhesive machine is one or more adhesive applicators, one or more flexible sealing sheet dispensing rollers, a heating device for polymerizing the adhesive after applying the flexible sealing sheet, a chassis, driving the movement of the machine. devices for doing so.

According to one embodiment, the first panel and/or the second panel comprises an insulating foam layer, a top plate adhered to the insulating foam layer and a rigid sealing sheet adhered to the top plate, the interior of the first panel and/or the second panel. and an upper surface of the rigid sealing sheet defining a face.

According to one embodiment, the first panel and/or the second panel further comprises a lower plate bonded to a layer of insulating foam.

According to one embodiment, the lower plate and/or the upper plate are made of wood, plywood or a composite material.

According to one embodiment, the insulating foam layer of the first panel, the insulating foam layer of the second panel and the insulating block form an insulating barrier in the corner region of the sealed insulating tank to be installed, the rigid sealing sheet of the first panel, the second The rigid sealing sheet and the flexible sealing sheet of the panel form a sealing membrane in the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed.

Thus, by adhering the flexible sealing sheet to the rigid sealing sheet of the first panel and the second panel in a sealed manner, the continuity of the sealing in the corner region of the sealing membrane is ensured.

According to one embodiment, the hard seal sheet of the first panel and the hard seal sheet of the second panel are made of a laminated composite material comprising an aluminum layer between two layers of fiberglass and resin. The rigid sealing sheet of the first panel or the second panel may equally be made of any other sealing material, such as, for example, a metal layer between two layers of fiber and resin.

According to one embodiment, the insulating foam layer of the first panel, the insulating foam layer and/or the insulating foam block of the second panel is or is made of a fiber-reinforced foam, preferably a polyurethane foam reinforced with glass fibers.

According to one embodiment, the first panel and/or the second panel comprises an insulating foam layer(s) reinforced by fibers.

According to one embodiment, the flexible sealing sheet is made of a laminated composite material comprising an aluminum layer between two layers of fiberglass. The flexible sealing sheet may equally be made from any other sealing material, such as, for example, a metal layer between two fibrous layers.

According to one embodiment, the step of placing the first panel and the second panel in the second position comprises:

- providing a support device comprising a first support surface and a second support surface, the first support surface and the second support surface forming an angle equal to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be constructed; providing a support device;

- placing said first panel, for example an outer face of the first panel, against a first support surface;

- placing said second panel, for example an outer surface of the second panel, against a second support surface.

According to one embodiment, the support device is formed by a support structure of the tank to be constructed, the first support surface is formed by a first support wall, the second support surface is formed by a second support wall, and , the method includes securing the first panel and the second panel to a support structure.

According to one embodiment, disposing the first panel and the second panel in the first position comprises:

- providing a support device comprising a first support surface and a second support surface extending in a common plane;

- placing the first panel, for example the outer surface of the first panel, against the first support surface;

- placing the second panel, for example the outer surface of the first panel, against the second support surface;

According to one embodiment, the second support surface engages the first support surface along an edge of the support device.

According to one embodiment, the support device comprises a rotation device for causing the first support surface and/or the second support surface to rotate, and during the step of placing the first panel and the second panel in the second position, the method silver,

- a first support from an initial position to a rotated position with the aid of said rotating device so that the inner face of the first panel is inclined with respect to the inner face of the second panel at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed; moving the surface and/or the second support surface.

The support device thus makes it possible not only to support the two panels during the step of placing in the first position and during the step of gluing, but also to move the two panels to the second position with the aid of the rotating device.

According to an embodiment, the rotating device is configured such that the first supporting surface and/or the second supporting surface rotates about an axis corresponding to an edge of the supporting device.

According to an embodiment, the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane and the thermal insulation barrier is a secondary thermal insulation barrier, and the sealed thermal insulation tank to be constructed comprises a primary thermal insulation barrier and a primary sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, after placing the first panel and the second panel in a second position, the method comprises:

- providing a first block, a second block and an angle-iron, the first block and the second block each having an inner surface and an outer surface, the angle iron on the inner surface of the first block providing, comprising a first fixed portion and a second portion connected to the first portion and secured to the inner surface of the second block;

- fixing the first block to a part of a flexible sealing sheet disposed on the inner surface of the first panel and/or directly on the inner surface of the first panel, and placing the second block on the inner surface of the second panel; and/or securing to another portion of the flexible sealing sheet disposed directly on the inner surface of the second panel.

Accordingly, the first and second blocks and the angle iron make it possible to maintain the inclination between the first panel and the second panel.

According to one embodiment, the first block is fixed to the inner surface of the first panel by adhesion, and the second block is fixed to the inner surface of the second panel by adhesion.

According to one embodiment, the first block and the second block have a parallelepiped shape, preferably a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

According to one embodiment, the first part of the angle iron is inclined with respect to the second part of the angle iron at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed.

According to one embodiment, after fixing the first block and the second block, the method comprises:

- moving the corner assembly from the supporting device to a corner of the supporting structure of the sealed insulated tank to be constructed such that the outer face of the first panel and the outer face of the second panel are positioned against the supporting structure;

- fixing the first panel and the second panel to the support structure;

According to one embodiment, after placing the first panel and the second panel in the second position, the method comprises:

- providing a block of insulating foam;

- disposing a block of insulating foam between the first panel and the second panel, wherein the block of insulating foam is disposed in the plane of the outer face of the first panel and in the plane of the outer face of the second panel and disposing a block of insulating foam, having a second face disposed on the .

According to one embodiment, the step of disposing the insulating block is performed after the step of fixing the first panel and the second panel to the support structure.

According to one embodiment, the step of disposing the insulating block is carried out after the step of moving the first panel and the second panel on the support device.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a corner structure for the construction of a sealed insulating tank, wherein the corner structure is obtained by the following construction method, the corner structure,

- a first panel and a second panel each having an inner face and an outer face, the inner face of the first panel being on the inner face of the second panel at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed; a first panel and a second panel inclined with respect to;

- attached to the inner surface of the first panel and the inner surface of the second panel by an adhesive having a use time before full curing at room temperature of less than 75 minutes, preferably less than 60 minutes, more preferably 25 to 50 minutes or less, and a flexible sealing sheet over it.

For example, one of the adhesives used may be a two-component polyurethane adhesive having the product reference XPU 18411 A3n/B.

Before complete curing refers to the amount of time that can be used before the adhesive is completely cured, starting from the moment when two components of the adhesive are mixed and a chemical reaction occurs or after exposure to the atmosphere. This time is calculated for 100 cm ³ of adhesive at 23°C and is commonly referred to as the pot life or period of use before full cure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects, details and advantages of the present invention will become better understood and apparent from the following description of several embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a schematic exploded view of a first panel and a second panel, particularly in a first position, with a flexible sealing sheet adhered according to an embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of a first panel and a second panel, in particular in a first position, with a flexible sealing sheet adhered according to an embodiment;
3 is a schematic front view of a first panel and a second panel arranged on a support device according to a first embodiment, in particular in a second position;
4 is a schematic perspective view of a first panel and a second panel in a particularly second position according to a first embodiment;
5 is a schematic exploded view of a primary corner arrangement according to an embodiment;
6 is a schematic front view of a primary corner arrangement, in particular secured to a secondary corner arrangement, arranged entirely on a support arrangement according to an embodiment;
7 is a schematic front view of a first panel and a second panel arranged in a support device according to a second embodiment, in particular from a first position to a second position;

In general, "above" and "upper side" indicate a position closer to the interior of the tank to be constructed, and "below" or "bottom" indicates a position closer to the supporting structure of the tank to be constructed. It doesn't matter what the orientation of the tank wall is with respect to the ground gravitational field. In the same way, "upper" or "inside" refers to an element closer to the interior of the tank to be constructed and "lower" or "outer" refers to an element located closer to the supporting structure of the tank to be constructed.

A construction method of a corner structure for construction of a sealed insulating tank will be described below. The sealed insulating tank includes a plurality of walls each formed of at least one insulating barrier and at least one sealing membrane. At the corner of the sealed insulating tank at the junction between the two walls, a corner structure 1 is arranged to ensure the continuity of the insulating barrier and the sealing membrane of the two walls. In the embodiment to be described, the tank wall comprises a secondary insulating barrier 2 , a secondary sealing membrane 3 supported by the secondary insulating barrier 2 , a primary insulating barrier fixed to the secondary sealing membrane 3 . (4) and the primary insulating barrier (4) supported by the primary sealing membrane.

Accordingly, the corner structure 1 comprises elements forming part of the secondary insulating barrier 2 of the tank to be installed, elements forming part of the secondary sealing membrane 3 of the tank to be installed, and, if applicable, at least an element forming part of the primary insulating barrier 4 of the tank to be manufactured. As a result, the corner structure is formed of various insulating barriers and sealing membranes at the junction between the first tank wall and the second tank wall inclined at a certain angle with respect to the first tank wall, for example at an angle of 90° or 135°. continuity can be guaranteed.

1 to 6 illustrate a method of this kind for the construction of a corner structure 1 at various stages of the construction process.

1 and 2 show a first step of constructing a corner structure 1 of this kind.

1 shows that the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 is flush with the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 and the outer face 8 of the first panel and the outer face 7 of the second panel ( It is shown providing the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 in a first position arranged edge-to-edge so that 8) is in the same plane.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 comprise a lower plate 9 , an upper plate 11 and if applicable an intermediate plate made for example of plywood. . The first panel 5 and the second panel 6 also comprise one or more layers of insulating foam 10 sandwiched and glued between the lower plate 9 , the upper plate 10 and if applicable an intermediate plate. The insulating foam may in particular be a polymer foam based on polyurethane optionally reinforced by fibers.

The lower plate 9, the insulating layer or layers 10 and the upper plate 11 of the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 form part of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 of the tank to be installed. constituting the elements of the corner structure. Thus, this combination is described as a secondary adiabatic edge arrangement.

The first panel 5 and the second panel 6 also each comprise a rigid sealing sheet 12 adhered to the top plate 11 . The hard sealing sheet 12 is such that the hard sealing sheet 12 of the first panel 5 forms a continuation to the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 of the first tank wall at the level of the corner structure 1, and the second Secondary thermal insulation barrier (2) of the wall of the tank to be installed so that the rigid sealing sheet (12) of the panel (6) is continuous with the secondary thermal insulation barrier (2) of the secondary tank wall at the level of the corner structure (1) made of the same material as

For sealingly connecting the rigid sealing sheet 12 of the first panel 5 and the rigid sealing sheet 12 of the second panel 6, the method is a flexible sealing sheet 13 shown in FIG. ) and adhering to the

As can be seen in FIG. 2 , the gluing step is performed while the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 are in the first position, ie the inner surfaces 7 of the panels 5 and 6 are identical. It is carried out when it is on a plane, so that the adhesion of the flexible sealing sheet 13 is carried out on the plane surface.

Indeed, during the gluing step, the flexible sealing sheet 13 is adhered in a sealed manner over the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 . To this end, one or more adhesive beads 14 are placed on the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner face of the second panel 6 and then on the flat surface to which the flexible sealing sheet 13 will adhere. placed on an adhesive bead placed on the

Thus, during the bonding step, the flexible sealing sheet 13 fills the space remaining between the rigid sealing sheet 12 of the first panel 5 and the rigid sealing sheet 12 of the second panel 6 . covered in a hermetic manner.

This gluing step is facilitated by the fact that the surface to be glued is planar, which makes it possible to carry out the gluing much more effectively and quickly, either manually or preferably with the aid of an automatic gluing machine.

This kind of automatic gluing machine consists of one or more adhesive applicators, one or more rollers for dispensing the flexible sealing sheet, a heating device for polymerizing the adhesive after applying the flexible sealing sheet, and the movement of the chassis and machine including all of the above elements. device that drives it. Accordingly, the gluing machine is moved along the bonding area between the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 . During movement, the self-adhesive machine first adheres the adhesive bead 14 with the aid of an adhesive applicator, and then with the aid of a calibration roller a flexible sealing sheet dispensing roller on top of the adhesive bead 14 onto the bonding area. A flexible sealing sheet 13 is attached. The adhesives used are two-component polymer adhesives based on polyurethanes having a specific polymerization rate at room temperature. For example, the adhesive used may have a full use time of between about 25 and 50 minutes before curing, ie, the maximum time the adhesive can be applied to the components to be bonded together. After applying the flexible sealing sheet 13 , a heating plate of a heating device is applied on top of the flexible sealing sheet 13 to accelerate polymerization.

The rigid sealing sheet 12 of the first panel 5 , the rigid sealing sheet 12 of the second panel 6 and the flexible sealing sheet 13 form part of the secondary sealing membrane 2 of the tank to be constructed. to constitute the elements of the corner structure (1). The rigid sealing sheet 12 is made of a laminated composite material comprising an aluminum layer between two layers of fiberglass and resin, known as a rigid secondary barrier (RSB). The flexible sealing sheet 13 is made of a laminated composite material comprising a layer of aluminum between two layers of fiberglass, known as a flexible secondary barrier (FSB).

After the gluing step, the method of manufacturing the corner structure comprises placing the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) in a second position. This step is illustrated in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3 .

During this step, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 3 , the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 , each outer face 8 , becomes the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 , each It is inclined with respect to the outer face (8) at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed and insulated tank to be installed. Due to the flexibility of the flexible sealing sheet 13, the sealing sheet is bent to follow the angle formed by the first and second panels 5, 6 and the second position.

In the second position, in particular as shown in FIG. 3 , an interpanel space 33 is formed between the side edge 32 of the first panel 5 and the side edge of the second panel 6 .

The panels 5 , 6 are arranged on the support device 16 so that the combination formed in this way can be held in the second position while ensuring that the angle formed corresponds to the required angle of the tank.

The support device 16 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 comprises in particular two fastening flaps defining a first support surface 17 and a second support surface 18 . The first support surface 17 and the second support surface 18 form an angle equal to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulated tank to be installed. Thus, the method arranges the outer surface 8 of the first panel 5 against a first support surface 17 and a second support surface 18 against a second support surface 18, as can be seen in FIG. 3 . disposing the outer surface (8) of the panel (6).

7 shows a second embodiment of the support device 16 . In its embodiment, the support device 16 comprises a stationary flap 28 comprising a first support surface 17 and a moving flap 29 comprising a second support surface 18 . Thus, the first support surface 17 and the second support surface 18 of the support device 16 are positioned between the first support surface 17 and the second support surface 18 in a first position with the rotation device ( 30) inclined with respect to each other, said first support surface 17 and second support surface 18 being a sealed insulation on which the first support surface 17 and the second support surface 18 are to be installed. in the same plane and second position forming an angle equal to the angle of the corner section of the tank. Accordingly, in this embodiment the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 are placed on the support device 16 directly in the step of being placed in the first position. Thus, the positioning step in the second position is carried out here with the aid of a rotating device which allows the support surfaces 17 , 18 to pass from the first position to the second position.

Accordingly, the movement 31 from the first position to the second position is illustrated in FIG. 7 by the first panel 5 in dashed lines when in the first position and solid lines when in the second position. The rotating device 30 may be, for example, one or more cylinders, one or more motors, or a lifting device. In another embodiment, not shown, the support device 16 comprises two mobile flaps moving towards each other.

3 and 4, after placing the panels 5, 6 in the second position of the support device 16, the construction method is performed under the flexible sealing sheet 13 and in the interpanel space ( 33) ie disposing the insulating block 15 between the side edge 32 of the first panel 5 and the side edge 32 of the second panel 6 . The insulating block 15 is thus, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 3 , the first side opposite the side edge 32 of the first panel 5 and the side edge of the second panel 6 ( 32) has a second face disposed opposite to the second face.

Indeed, as mentioned above, by rotating the panels 5 and 6 from the first position to the second position, the non-insulated space, i.e. the interpanel space 33, is created between the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 ) is formed between In order to maintain the continuity of the secondary insulating barrier 2 in the corner structure 1 , the insulating block 15 fills the interpanel space 33 and thus the secondary insulating barrier 2 placed on the corner structure 1 . ) is placed in this interpanel space 33 to complete a part of it.

In another embodiment, disposing the insulating block 15 under the flexible sealing sheet 13 and between the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 comprises the outer surface of the first panel 5 ( 8) and the outer face 8 of the second panel 6 are carried out after moving the corner assembly to the height of the corner of the supporting structure of the sealed insulated tank to be installed to be placed against the supporting structure, so that if applicable the first This is done after fixing the panel 5 and the second panel 6 to the support structure.

Further, the second flexible sealing sheet 13 is equally fixed to the outer face 8 of the first panel 5 and the outer face 8 of the second panel 6, so that the The first of the insulating blocks 15 is brought to be arranged with respect to the first face of the insulating block 15 arranged in the plane of the outer face 8 and arranged in the plane of the outer face 8 of the second panel 6 . They come in the same way so that they are placed against two sides. This second flexible sealing sheet 13 has a higher structural structure in the resulting assembly in particular by holding the insulating block 15 in place and participating in maintaining the position of the first panel 5 relative to the second panel 6 . It makes it possible to impart strength. The second flexible sealing sheet (13) is to be secured to the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) before or after disposing the insulating block between the first panel (5) and the second panel (6). can

Different variants of the insulating block 15 can be created. In fact, it can consist of an insulating foam block reinforced with fibers, such as polyurethane foam reinforced with glass fibers, which also allows the insulating block 15 to also have a structural strength function. The insulating block 15 can equally be constructed from a non-fibre-reinforced insulating foam block or, optionally, from a material such as glass wool or perlite in a wooden crate. The heat insulating block 15 may include a metal angle iron fixed equally to the surface of the first panel 5 and the surface of the second panel 6 .

5 and 6 illustrate different steps of the method for manufacturing the corner structure 1 relating to the fastening of the main corner arrangement 19 to the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 .

The primary corner device 19 includes a first block 20 , a second block 21 and an angle iron 22 as shown in FIG. 5 . The first block 20 and the second block 21 have an inner surface and an outer surface, respectively. The angle iron 22 includes a first portion 23 fixed to the outer surface of the first block 20, and a second portion connected to the first portion 23 and fixed to the outer surface of the second block 21 ( 24). The first block 20 and the second block 21 include a fixed orifice 27 which is open to the outer surface of these blocks 20 , 21 . The first part 23 and the second part 24 of the angle iron 22 include a fixing device 26 projecting on the surface facing the blocks 20 and 21 . The fixing device 26 is configured to be fixed inside the fixing orifice 27 to lock the blocks 20 , 21 to the angle iron 22 .

The primary corner arrangement 19 also comprises a main block of insulating foam 25 between the first block 20 and the second block 21 . The primary block of insulating foam 25 has a first face disposed in the plane of the outer face of the first block 20 and a second face disposed in the plane of the outer face of the second block 21 .

As can be seen in FIG. 6 , the construction method comprises fixing the primary corner device 19 on the auxiliary corner device formed by the first panel 5 , the second panel 6 and the insulating block 15 . includes steps. For this purpose, the first block 20 of the primary corner arrangement 19 is fixed, for example glued, to a part of the flexible sealing sheet 13 arranged on the outer surface 8 of the first panel 5 . . The second block 21 of the primary corner arrangement 19 is fixed, for example glued, to another part of the flexible sealing sheet 13 disposed on the outer surface 8 of the second panel 6 . Thus, the primary corner arrangement 19 makes it possible to preserve the slope between the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 in the second position even after removal of the corner structure 1 from the support arrangement 16 . do.

The techniques described above for manufacturing the corner structure 1 can be used in various types of tanks to construct the corner structure 1 of an LNG tank, for example in a floating structure such as an onshore installation or a methane tanker or other vessel. .

While the present invention has been described in connection with a plurality of specific embodiments, it is in no way limited thereto and it is to be understood that the described means and combinations thereof cover all technical equivalents provided they fall within the scope of the invention.

Use of the verbs "comprise" or "comprise" and their conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those specified in a claim.

Reference signs between parentheses in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims.

1. Corner structure
5: first panel
6: second panel
7: Inner side
8: outer surface
15: insulation block
32: side edge
33: space between panels

Claims (14)

A method for manufacturing a corner structure (1) for the construction of a sealed insulated tank, said method comprising:
- providing a first panel (5) and a second panel (6) each having an inner surface (7) and an outer surface (8);
- the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 in a first position in which the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 extend in a common plane; placing;
- flexibility over the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 when the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 are in the first position adhering on the sealing sheet 13 in a sealing manner;
- in a second position in which the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 is inclined with respect to the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed. A method for manufacturing a corner structure, comprising: disposing a first panel (5) and a second panel (6). The method of claim 1,
In the second position, an interpanel space (33) is formed between the side edge (32) of the first panel (5) and the side edge (32) of the second panel (6), the method comprising:
- disposing at least one insulating block (15) in the interpanel space (33), said at least one insulating block (15) being configured to fill the interpanel space (33) ; Construction method of a corner structure comprising a. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A method for constructing a corner structure, characterized in that the step of gluing to the flexible sealing sheet (13) is performed by an automatic gluing machine. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first panel 5 and/or the second panel 6 has a layer of insulating foam 10 , a top plate 11 adhered to the side of the insulating foam 10 , a rigid seal adhered to the top plate 11 . A method of constructing a corner structure, characterized in that it comprises an upper surface of a rigid sealing sheet forming an inner surface (7) of the seat (12), the first panel (5) and/or the second panel (6). 5. The method of claim 4,
The hard seal sheet 12 of the first panel 5 and the hard seal sheet 12 of the second panel 6 are formed of a laminated composite material comprising a layer of aluminum between two layers of fiberglass and resin. Construction method of a corner structure, characterized in that. 6. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
It is found that the layer of insulating foam 10 of the first panel 5 and the layer of insulating foam 10 of the second panel 6 are made of a fiber-reinforced foam, preferably a polyurethane foam reinforced with glass fibers. A construction method of a corner structure, characterized in that it. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A method of constructing a corner structure, characterized in that the flexible sealing sheet (13) is made of a laminated composite material comprising an aluminum layer between two layers of fiberglass. 8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein disposing the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) in a second position comprises:
- providing a support device (16) comprising a first support surface (17) and a second support surface (18), wherein the first support surface (17) and the second support surface (18) are sealed to be installed providing a support device that forms an angle equal to the angle of the corner section of the insulated tank;
- placing the first panel (5) against the first supporting surface (17);
- placing a second panel (6) against a second supporting surface (18); 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Placing the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) in a first position comprises:
- providing a support device (16) comprising a first support surface (17) and a second support surface (18) extending in a common plane;
- placing the first panel (5) against the first supporting surface (17);
- placing a second panel (6) against a second supporting surface (18); 10. The method of claim 9,
The support device 16 comprises a rotation device adapted to rotate the first support surface and/or the second support surface 18 , placing the first panel 5 and the second panel 6 in the second position. During the step, the method comprises:
- with the aid of a rotating device so that the inner face 7 of the first panel 5 is inclined with respect to the inner face 7 of the second panel 6 at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be installed; moving the first support surface (17) and/or the second support surface (18) from the initial position to the rotated position with a 11. The method according to claim 8 or 10,
After placing the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) in the second position, the method comprises:
- providing a first block 20, a second block 21 and an angle-iron 22, the first block 20 and the second block 21 each having an inner surface 7 and an outer surface (8), the angle iron (22) having a first portion (23) fixed to the inner surface of the first block (20), and a second block (21) connected to the first portion (23) ) comprising a second portion (24) secured to the inner surface of the ;
- fixing the first block 20 to a part of the flexible sealing sheet 13 arranged on the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and placed on the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 and fixing the second block (21) to another part of the flexible sealing sheet to form a corner assembly. 12. The method of claim 11,
Corner, characterized in that the first part (23) of the angle iron (22) is inclined with respect to the second part (24) of the angle iron (22) at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed insulating tank to be constructed The construction method of the structure. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
After fixing the first block 20 and the second block 21, the method comprises:
- the corner assembly of the sealed insulated tank constructed from the supporting device 16, such that the outer face 8 of the first panel 5 and the outer face 8 of the second panel 6 are positioned against the supporting structure. moving to a corner of the support structure;
- fastening the first panel (5) and the second panel (6) to the supporting structure; A corner structure for the construction of a sealed insulated tank obtained by the construction method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the corner structure comprising:
- a first panel (5) and a second panel (6), each having an inner surface (7) and an outer surface (8), at an angle corresponding to the angle of the corner section of the sealed heat-insulating tank to be installed; (5) the first panel and the second panel, the inner surface (7) of which is inclined with respect to the inner surface (7) of the second panel (6);
- adhered on the inner surface 7 of the first panel 5 and the inner surface 7 of the second panel 6 by an adhesive having a use time of less than 75 minutes before fully cured at room temperature and spread over it; A corner structure comprising; a flexible sealing sheet (13).

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