KR20240035996A - Storage facilities for liquefied gas - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage facility (1) comprising a support structure (2) and a tank (71), the ceiling wall (4) being locally interrupted to define an opening (7), The primary insulation barrier 12 includes an edge primary insulation block 39 and a primary insulation panel, wherein the edge primary insulation block has a greater rigidity in the thickness direction than the primary insulation panel, and the storage facility is It includes at least two fixed supports 26, each fixed support 26 including a foot and a cap 29, and the edge primary insulation block is one of the fixed supports. is positioned in line with the first portion of and is secured to the cap by a first anchor device, wherein the primary insulating panel extends in line with the second portion of the fixed support, and the primary insulating panel is attached to a second anchor device. It is fixed to the cap by.

Description

Storage facilities for liquefied gas

The invention relates to the field of storage installation for liquefied gases, including sealed and insulated tanks with sealing membranes. The present invention particularly relates to tanks for transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at temperatures between, for example, -50°C and 0°C, or for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) at approximately -163°C at atmospheric pressure, It relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks for storing and/or transporting liquefied gases at low temperatures. These tanks can be installed on land or on floating structures. In the case of floating structures, the tanks may be intended to transport liquefied gas or to contain liquefied gas that serves as fuel for propulsion of the floating structure.

A sealed and insulated tank is known from the prior art, for example from WO2019234360, comprising a secondary insulating barrier, a secondary sealing membrane, a primary insulating barrier and a primary sealing membrane and integrated inside the support structure of the ship. The tank includes a plurality of tank walls assembled together. The secondary sealing membrane includes a plurality of parallel strakes. Each strake includes a planar central portion extending in a first direction and two raised edges disposed on respective opposing sides of the planar central portion and projecting toward the interior of the tank relative to the central portion. Accordingly, the strakes are juxtaposed in the second direction according to a repeating pattern and welded together at the level of the raised edges. Secondary sealing membranes of this type are generally referred to as taut membranes and, unlike corrugated membranes, do not have zones in the first direction where tensile and compressive forces can be absorbed.

In this type of structure, the secondary sealing membrane is interrupted at the level of the opening, for example to allow loading/unloading pipes to pass through. Accordingly, the secondary seal membrane is stopped at the level of these interruptions and in particular due to thermal shrinkage of the seal membranes, deformation of the hull associated with, for example, deflection of the hull girder, and the filling state of the tanks. It is directly connected to the support structure to absorb tensile and compressive forces.

Document KR20200144178 describes a tank wall at the level of this type of stop formed by a liquid dome.

One idea behind the invention is to design a support for the primary sealing membrane close to the opening.

Another idea within the present invention is to simplify the assembly of the primary insulating barrier.

According to one embodiment, the invention provides a storage facility for liquefied gas comprising a metal support structure and a sealed and insulated tank disposed within the support structure,

The tank comprises, in the thickness direction from the outside of the tank toward the inside, a secondary insulating barrier fixed to the support structure, a metallic secondary sealing membrane disposed on the secondary insulating barrier, and disposed on the secondary sealing membrane. a primary insulating barrier, and a primary sealing membrane disposed on the primary insulating barrier and intended to contact the liquefied gas,

The support structure includes an upper support wall,

The tank includes a ceiling wall secured to the upper support wall,

the ceiling wall is locally interrupted in such a way as to define a loading/offloading opening through which the loading/unloading pipes are intended to pass;

The secondary insulation barrier of the ceiling wall includes an edge secondary insulation block adjacent an edge of the loading/unloading opening and a secondary insulation panel juxtaposed to the edge secondary insulation block in a first direction, the unloading opening extends in a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction,

The primary insulation barrier of the ceiling wall includes an edge primary insulation block adjacent the edge of the loading/unloading opening, and a primary insulation panel juxtaposed to the edge primary insulation block in a first direction, wherein the edge The primary insulation block has greater rigidity than the primary insulation panel in the thickness direction,

The storage facility comprises a plurality of metal secondary fixing supports fixed to the upper support wall along the edge of the loading/unloading opening and positioned on opposite sides of the edge secondary insulating block in a second direction. Includes, each secondary fixed support includes a secondary foot having a seating length extending in a first direction, and a secondary cap fixed to the secondary foot, ,

The edge primary insulation block is positioned in line with a first portion of one of the secondary fixing supports and is fixed to the secondary cap of the secondary fixing support by a first anchor device, wherein the primary insulation A panel extends in line with a second portion of the secondary anchoring support, the second portion adjacent to the first portion in a first direction, and the primary insulating panel is secured to the secondary cap by a second anchor device. is fixed to

Thanks to these features, the primary sealing membrane is supported in such a way that the appearance of steps caused by differences in thermal contraction in the thickness direction between the various parts of the ceiling wall is limited. In practice, here both an edge primary insulation block and a primary insulation panel are mounted on the secondary fixed support, which is formed by a portion of the ceiling wall comprising only the insulation panels and a secondary fixed support on which the edge primary insulation block is mounted. It has different stiffnesses to form a transition zone between parts of the ceiling wall. Moreover, since the primary insulation panel is directly fixed to the secondary cap, fixation of the primary insulation panel is facilitated.

Embodiments of this type of storage facility may include one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the secondary insulating barrier includes a secondary stop plate disposed on the edge secondary insulating block, and an edge portion of the secondary sealing membrane is connected to the secondary stop plate. It is fixed.

According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane of the ceiling wall comprises a plurality of parallel strakes extending in a first direction, each strake having a planar central portion and the tank relative to the central portion. comprising two raised edges projecting inwardly, wherein the strakes are juxtaposed in a second direction according to a repeated pattern and welded together in a sealing manner at the level of the raised edges, wherein at least one of the strakes One is interrupted by the loading/unloading opening.

According to one embodiment, an edge portion of the interrupted strake is fixed to the secondary stop plate.

According to one embodiment, the edge primary insulation block includes a bottom plate, a cover plate parallel to the bottom plate, and support spacer plates maintaining the cover plate at a distance from the bottom plate. It takes the form of a box filled with insulating packing, such as perlite, pyrogenic silica, silica airgel, or glass wool.

According to one embodiment, the primary insulation panel includes at least one insulation foam layer and at least one rigid plate continuously in the thickness direction. For example, the primary insulating panel includes a layer of insulating foam between the bottom plate and the cover plate.

According to one embodiment, the insulating foam is a polymer foam, for example polyurethane foam. According to one embodiment, the insulating foam has a density greater than 100 kg/m ³ , preferably greater than 120 kg/m ³ , especially 130, 150 or 210 kg/m ³ .

According to one embodiment, the structural insulating foam is a foam reinforced by fibers, for example glass fibres.

According to one embodiment, the floor panel is a plywood panel or a composite panel containing glass fibers. According to one embodiment, the cover panel is a plywood panel or a composite panel including glass fibers.

According to one embodiment, the thermal contraction coefficient of the edge primary insulation block in the thickness direction is smaller than the thermal contraction coefficient of the primary insulation panel in the thickness direction.

According to one embodiment, the edge primary insulation block has a parallelepiped shape and includes two sides perpendicular to the second direction, at least one of the sides being fixed to the secondary anchoring support by the first anchor device. It is fixed to the secondary cap of.

According to one embodiment, the dimensions of the edge primary insulation block in the second direction are equal to the distance between two adjacent secondary anchoring supports, and the two sides of the edge primary insulation block are connected to two first anchors. They are respectively fixed to the secondary caps of the two secondary fixing supports by means of devices.

According to one embodiment, the edge primary insulation block includes a bearing surface, wherein the first anchor device includes a base fixed to the secondary cap, fixed to the base and extending in the thickness direction, and comprising: A stud passing in a sealing manner through an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane, and a bearing surface of the edge primary insulation block mounted on the stud in such a way as to retain the edge primary insulation block on the secondary fixed support. It includes a bearing member supported on the top.

According to one embodiment, at least one of the sides of the edge primary insulation block includes a protrusion, and the bearing surface is formed on the protrusion.

According to one embodiment, the primary insulating panel comprises a bearing surface, the second anchor device comprising: a base secured to the secondary cap, the base secured to the base and extending in the thickness direction and an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane. a stud passing therein in a sealing manner, and a support element mounted on the stud and supported on the bearing surface of the primary insulation panel in such a way as to retain the primary insulation panel on the secondary fixed support.

According to one embodiment, the bearing surface of the primary insulation panel is located at the level of or at a distance from the corner of the primary insulation panel.

According to one embodiment, the first anchor device and/or the second anchor device further comprises a flange forming an integral part of the stud, the flange projecting radially outward of the stud and the 2 It is fixed in a sealing manner to the secondary sealing membrane around an orifice in the primary sealing membrane.

According to one embodiment, the interface between the edge secondary insulation block and the secondary insulation panel is further from the edge of the loading/unloading opening in a first direction than the interface between the edge primary insulation block and the primary insulation panel. located at a greater distance.

According to one embodiment, the first anchor device and the second anchor device are formed in the same manner, and the first anchor device and the second anchor device are spaced apart from each other in the first direction.

According to one embodiment, the storage facility includes a connecting angle-iron extending in a second direction to sealingly separate the secondary insulating barrier from the loading/unloading opening, the connecting angle-iron The angle-steel includes a first flange and a second flange connected to the first flange, the first flange being secured to the secondary stop plate, and the second flange being an anchor plate secured to the upper support wall. is welded to

According to one embodiment, the secondary panel is spaced apart from the anchor plate in the first direction, preferably at a distance of 15 mm or more, more preferably at least 20 mm.

According to one embodiment, the secondary insulation barrier includes an edge secondary insulation block and secondary insulation panels, and the secondary insulation panel adjacent to the edge secondary insulation block in a first direction is, for example, another two It has a different structure from other secondary insulation panels so that it has greater rigidity in the thickness direction or a lower thermal contraction coefficient than secondary insulation panels.

According to one embodiment, a metal secondary fixing plate is fixed to the upper surface of the secondary stop plate,

The edge portion of the strake or each strake interrupted by the loading/unloading opening is welded to the metal secondary fixing plate.

According to one embodiment, the metal secondary fixing plate is made of an alloy of iron and nickel, for example Invar, or an alloy of iron and manganese or stainless steel.

According to one embodiment, a deformable seal includes a deformable bellows, the deformable bellows being hollow and extending axially around the stud and along the stud. The deformable bellows is made of stainless steel, for example.

According to one embodiment, the first anchor device and/or the second anchor device comprises a bell covering the deformable bellows, the bell having a cylindrical shape.

According to one embodiment, the base of the first anchor device and/or the second anchor device is screwed or welded to the secondary cap of the secondary anchoring support.

According to one embodiment, the seating length of the secondary fixing member in the first direction is 300 mm or more.

The primary sealing membrane can be manufactured in a variety of ways. According to one embodiment, the primary sealing membrane of the ceiling wall includes a plurality of corrugated metal plates juxtaposed and welded to each other in a first direction and a second direction, the primary sealing membrane comprising a series of corrugated metal plates extending in the first direction. It includes first wrinkles and a series of second wrinkles extending in a second direction.

According to one embodiment, the spacing between two adjacent secondary fixed supports in the second direction is equal to an integer multiple of the dimensions of the strakes in the second direction, for example equal to the dimensions of the strakes in the second direction.

According to one embodiment, the dimension of the strakes in the second direction is equal to 510 mm.

According to one embodiment, the strake or an edge portion of each strake welded to the metal secondary fixing plate has a thickness greater than the thickness of the strake at a distance from the loading/unloading opening.

The thickness is a dimension measured in the thickness direction, that is, perpendicular to the first and second directions.

According to one embodiment, the thickness of the edge portion is 1.5 mm or more. The thickness of the strakes at a distance from the edge may be less than 1 mm, for example between 0.7 and 1 mm.

According to one embodiment, the tank includes a cover disposed within the loading/unloading opening, the cover comprising a metal sealing wall and an insulating structure positioned between the ceiling wall and the upper support wall, the cover is fixed to the upper support wall, and the metallic sealing wall is connected in a sealing manner to the primary sealing membrane by a metallic connecting strip.

According to one embodiment, the insulation structure of the cover includes a plurality of cover insulation blocks, each cover insulation block comprising a cover plate, a bottom plate, and sides of the box held at a distance by support spacer plates. It takes the form of a box, and the box is filled with insulating packing.

According to one embodiment, the structure of the cover insulation blocks and the structure of the edge primary insulation blocks and/or the structure of the edge secondary insulation blocks are the same. For example, the primary insulation block covers each edge. The insulation blocks take the form of a laminated wooden box or a composite box with fiberglasses.

Accordingly, the thermal contraction in the thickness direction is similar or identical between the insulating blocks of the cover and the insulating blocks forming the periphery of the opening, thereby limiting the phenomenon of step differences in this area.

According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane, the ceiling wall of the cover and/or the connecting strip are made of a metal with a low coefficient of expansion, for example a coefficient of thermal expansion between 0.5x10 ^-6 and 2x10 ^-6 K ^-1 It is made of an alloy of iron and nickel. Additionally, alloys of iron and manganese with an expansion coefficient generally of the order of 7x10 ^-6 K ^-1 can also be used.

According to one embodiment, the secondary fixed support is made of steel, for example carbon steel or stainless steel.

According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane is made of stainless steel.

According to one embodiment, the support structure includes a rear cofferdam wall and a front cofferdam wall, respectively located on both sides of the tank in a direction, and the loading/unloading opening is one of the cofferdam walls. It is formed adjacent to one of the cofferdam walls, for example the rear cofferdam wall, and the secondary fixed support is arranged between the opening and the other cofferdam wall, for example the front cofferdam wall.

Accordingly, the secondary anchoring support and the secondary stop beam can absorb tensile and compressive forces in the larger portion of the secondary sealing membrane of the ceiling wall, i.e. in the portion extending between the opening and the front cofferdam wall.

According to one embodiment, the edge of the loading/unloading opening along which the secondary fixing supports are juxtaposed is located at a front longitudinal end of the loading/unloading opening located between the opening and the front cofferdam wall in the first direction. It is an edge.

These types of storage facilities can be, for example, onshore storage facilities to store LNG, or offshore or deep-sea floating structures, especially methane carriers, floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO). It may be a unit, etc. This type of installation can also serve as a fuel tank within any type of vessel.

According to one embodiment, the storage facility described above takes the form of a floating structure, wherein the support structure consists of a double hull of the floating structure, and the first direction is a longitudinal direction of the floating structure.

According to one embodiment, the floating structure is preferably a vessel for the transport of cold liquid products.

According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a transfer system for low-temperature liquid products, which system connects the above-described storage facility, a tank installed within the hull of the ship, to an external floating or land storage facility. arranged insulated pipes, and driving a flow of liquid product through the insulated pipes from the external floating or land storage facility to the vessel's tank or from the vessel's tank to the external floating or land storage facility. Includes pump for

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for loading or unloading a storage facility as described above, wherein cold liquid product is transported from an external floating or land storage facility through insulated pipes to or from a tank of the vessel. It is transferred from the ship's tank to the external floating or land storage facility.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, details and features of the invention will be better understood from the following description of a number of specific embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. and advantages will become clearer.
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vessel including storage facilities.
Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view from the inside of the ceiling wall according to the first embodiment in the area close to the loading/unloading opening of the tank, which corresponds to detail II of Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a partial side view of the ceiling wall close to the front longitudinal edge, in a second embodiment.
Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a secondary anchoring support including a first anchor device and a second anchor device.
5 is a partial perspective view of an anchor device according to another embodiment.
Figure 6 is a partial side view of the ceiling wall close to the edge at the front longitudinal end according to the third embodiment;
Figure 7 is a partial side view of the ceiling wall close to the edge at the front longitudinal end according to the fourth embodiment.
Figure 8 is a schematic cutaway view of a methane carrier tank and a terminal for loading/unloading the tank.

By convention, “on” or “above” or “upper” refers to a position closer to the interior of the tank, and “below” refers to a position closer to the interior of the tank, regardless of the orientation of the tank with respect to the gravitational field of the ground. “Under” or “below” or “lower” means a location closer to the support structure. Accordingly, Figures 2 to 7 are shown in an inverted orientation with respect to the actual location of the storage facility.

Figure 1 shows a methane transport vessel 70 for storage and transport of liquefied gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of vessel.

The vessel 70 shown in Figure 1 is a storage installation comprising four tanks 71 arranged within a support structure 2 formed by the inner hull of the vessel 70 and fixed to the inner hull. Includes (1). Each tank 71 has a polyhedral shape and is comprised of a plurality of tank walls assembled together to form an interior space 3, in particular a ceiling wall 4 and a rear cofferdam wall 5. , and the front cofferdam wall (6). The front cofferdam wall 6 and the rear cofferdam wall 5 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction L of the ship 70, and their upper portions are fixed to the ceiling wall 4. For loading and unloading these tanks 71, a loading/offloading opening 7 is provided formed in the ceiling wall 4 to allow loading/unloading pipes to pass through, which pipes are shown in the figure. It can be fixed to structures that are not installed. The ceiling wall (4) is fixed to the upper support wall (8) of the support structure (2). The upper support wall (8) is also provided with orifices that allow loading/unloading pipes to pass through the support structure (2).

The loading/unloading opening 7 provides various equipment for handling LNG, such as a filling line, an emergency pumping line, unloading lines connected to the unloading pumps, a spray line, a supply connected to the spray pump. It serves as a penetration point for lines, etc. The operation of these devices is known per se.

The loading/unloading opening (7) is provided in the ceiling wall (4) close to the rear cofferdam wall (5).

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the ceiling wall 4 from the inside of the tank according to the first embodiment in the area close to the loading/unloading opening 7.

The multi-layer structure of the ceiling wall 4 will be described in more detail below.

The multilayer structure of the ceiling wall 4 of a sealed and insulated tank 71 for storing liquefied natural gas (LNG) is continuous in the thickness direction from the outside of the tank toward the inside of the tank, and the upper support wall (8) a secondary insulating barrier (10) maintained on, a secondary sealing membrane (11) placed on the secondary insulating barrier (10), a primary insulating barrier (11) placed on the secondary sealing membrane (11) 12), and a primary sealing membrane 13 placed on the primary insulating barrier 12 and intended to contact the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank 71.

The secondary insulating barrier 10 comprises a plurality of secondary insulating panels 14 which are fixed to the upper support wall 8 by anchor devices 9 . The secondary insulation panels 14 have a general shape of a parallelepiped, for example, are arranged in parallel rows in the longitudinal direction (L) and in the transverse direction (T) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (L).

The secondary sealing membrane 11 of the ceiling wall 4 comprises a continuous layer of metal strakes with raised edges. The strakes comprise a planar central part that lies on the secondary insulating panels 14 of the secondary insulating barrier 10 and are arranged on respective opposite sides of the planar central part in the transverse direction (T), About the central part it has two raised edges projecting towards the interior of the tank. The strakes are welded to parallel weld supports held in grooves formed at the surface level of the secondary insulation panels 14, which are in contact with the secondary sealing membrane 11 by means of raised edges. The strakes are made, for example, of Invar®: an alloy of iron and nickel with an expansion coefficient generally between 1.2x10 ^-6 and 2.10 ^-6 K ^-1 .

In Figure 2, the primary insulating barrier 12 of the ceiling wall 4 comprises a plurality of primary insulating panels 18 fixed to secondary insulating panels 14 by anchor devices 9. You can see that it does. The primary insulation panels 18 have a general shape of a parallelepiped. Moreover, they may have dimensions that are substantially the same or different from the dimensions of the secondary insulating panels 14 . In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the primary insulating panels 18 are offset relative to the secondary insulating panels 14 in the longitudinal direction (L) and, optionally, also in the transverse direction (T). is placed as

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, in particular, the secondary insulation panels 14 and the primary insulation panels 18 include a bottom plate 15, a cover plate 16, and a bottom plate 15 and a cover plate ( 16) comprising one or more layers of insulating polymer foam 17 sandwiched between and glued thereto. The insulating polymer foam 17 may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam, optionally reinforced by fibers, in particular glass fibers.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the secondary insulating panels 14 of the secondary insulating barrier 10 are comprised of at least two different types of structures, for example the structures described above, a bottom plate 15 and a cover. Plate (16), and support spacer plates extending in the thickness direction between the bottom plate (15) and the cover plate (16) and defining a plurality of compartments filled with insulating packing such as perlite, glass wool or rock wool. It contains a box-shaped structure. These various structures are selected depending on their location within the tank. In an embodiment not shown, the primary insulating panels 18 may also include at least two different types of structures. Examples of this type of structure are provided in public document WO-A-2019077253.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the primary sealing membrane 13 includes a plurality of corrugated metal plates juxtaposed in the longitudinal direction (L) and the transverse direction (T) and welded to each other. The primary sealing membrane 13 includes a series of first wrinkles 27 extending in the longitudinal direction (L) and a series of second wrinkles 28 extending in the transverse direction (T).

In order to define the loading/unloading opening (7), the ceiling wall (4) is interrupted locally to allow loading/unloading pipes to pass through the opening (7). Accordingly, the sealing membranes 11, 13 and the insulating barriers 10, 12 are interrupted all around the loading/unloading opening 7 as shown in FIG. 2 .

At the level of the opening, in order to ensure continuity of sealing and insulation, the tank 71 includes a cover 19 which is placed within the loading/unloading opening 7 . The cover (19) comprises a metal sealing wall (20) and an insulating structure (21) located between the metal sealing wall (20) and the upper support wall (8). The cover (19) is fixed to the upper support wall (8). The metal sealing wall 20 ensures sealing continuity with the primary sealing membrane 13 of the ceiling wall 4, and the thermal insulation structure 21 ensures thermal insulation continuity.

The insulation structure 21 may include one or more cover insulation blocks 22, wherein the cover insulation block 22 includes, for example, a bottom plate, a cover plate, and a thickness direction between the bottom plate and the cover plate. and has the form of a box containing support spacer plates defining a plurality of compartments filled with insulating packing such as perlite, glass wool or rock wool. The cover insulation block or blocks 22 include through-holes (not shown) through which loading/unloading pipes can pass.

The sealing wall 20 of the cover 19 comprises, for example, a plurality of planar metal plates welded together. The sealing wall 20 further includes a plurality of cover orifices (not shown) through which loading/unloading pipes are intended to pass. The storage facility (1) is provided with a metal connection that allows for a seal-wise connection of the sealing wall (20) of the cover and the primary sealing membrane (13) of the ceiling wall (4), as can be seen in Figure 2. It further includes a strip (24).

If the primary sealing membrane (13) is connected to the sealing wall (20) of the cover (19) at the level of the loading/unloading opening (7), the secondary sealing membrane (11) has its part connected to the loading/unloading opening (7). ) and is directly connected in a sealing manner to the upper support wall (8) to seal the separation between the secondary insulating barrier (10) and the cover (19). This connection, as shown in particular in Figure 3, is a secondary connection angle comprising a first secondary flange 37 and a second secondary flange 38 connected to the first secondary flange 37. - made of steel (36), wherein the first secondary flange (37) is connected to the secondary sealing membrane (11) and the second secondary flange (38) is connected to the upper support wall (8). It is welded to a fixed anchor plate (69). Accordingly, several strakes of the secondary sealing membrane (11) are interrupted by the opening (7) and connected to the upper support wall (8).

At this level of connection to the upper support wall (8), the secondary sealing membrane (11) will transmit to the secondary connecting angle-steel (36) the compressive and tensile forces associated with the function of the secondary sealing membrane (11). You can. These forces are located at the edge ( It is especially large at the level of 25). In practice, due to the arrangement of the cover 19 close to the rear cofferdam wall 5, the longitudinal dimension of the secondary sealing membrane 11 between the cover 19 and the front cofferdam wall 6 is equal to that of the cover 19. and the aft cofferdam wall (5), which is much larger than the longitudinal dimension of the secondary sealing membrane (11), which creates greater forces at the level of the edge (25) at the forward longitudinal end when the hull deforms or thermally shrinks. bring about Moreover, these forces acting on the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end are particularly large due to the orientation of the secondary sealing membrane 11 . In practice, the secondary sealing membrane 11 is oriented so that the planar central part of the strakes extends in the longitudinal direction L of the vessel 70 . Therefore, no zone is provided in this direction where tensile and compressive forces can be absorbed.

In order to relieve the welding of the secondary connecting angle-steel 36 with the secondary sealing membrane 11, a specific support structure is provided along the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end extending in the transverse direction T. This will be explained in detail below.

Figures 2, 3, 6 and 7 show in particular the arrangement of this support structure at the level of the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end of the loading/unloading opening 7 according to various embodiments.

The storage facilities 1 are juxtaposed in the transverse direction T and extend along the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end of the loading/unloading opening 7 at a distance from each other, preferably at regular intervals. It includes a plurality of metal secondary fixing supports (26).

Each secondary fixed support 26 includes a secondary cap 29 welded to the secondary foot 30 and extending in the longitudinal direction L. The secondary footrest 30 is for example welded or screwed to the upper support wall 8 . Therefore, the secondary fixed support 26 has a seating length that is measured at the level at which the secondary scaffold 30 is fixed to the support structure and extends in the longitudinal direction (L) to prevent it from tilting or bending in that direction. length).

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the secondary footplate 30 takes the form of an H-section beam (cross-sectional shape in a plane orthogonal to the thickness direction). The secondary footrest 30 has a first branch 31 formed of a play, and a second branch 32 formed of a plate spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (L) by a connection plate 3 from the first branch 31. ) includes. The separation in the longitudinal direction L between the first branch 31 and the second branch 32 at the level of the upper support wall 8 corresponds to the seating length. Other cross-sectional shapes can equally be used for the secondary footrest 30 as long as they provide a sufficient moment of inertia in the longitudinal direction (L).

The secondary insulating barrier 10 includes edge secondary insulating blocks 34. Each edge secondary insulation block 34 is sandwiched between two adjacent fixed supports 26 in the transverse direction (T). On the upper surface of each edge secondary insulation block 34 a secondary stop plate 40 is for example glued, stapled or screwed.

The secondary sealing membrane (11) includes a metal secondary fixing plate (35) fixed to the upper surface of the secondary fixing plate (40). Therefore, as shown in particular in Figure 3, the first flange 37 of the connecting angle-iron 36 is welded to the first part of the metal secondary fixing plate 35 and is connected by the opening 7. The interrupted strakes are welded to the second part of the metal secondary fastening plate 35 .

The secondary stop plate 40 is fixed to the secondary cap 29 at each of its transverse edges by a fixing device 41, and the fixing device 41 holds the secondary stop plate 40. Pressure is applied to the secondary cap (29).

A device for blocking longitudinal (L) translational movement of the secondary stop plates 40 is also provided. For this purpose, the secondary fixing support 26 includes a stop device 42 fixed to the secondary cap 29. Accordingly, the secondary stop plate 40 is positioned longitudinally (L) on the one hand by the stop device 42 and on the other hand by the edge 43 of the first branch 31 of the secondary footrest 30. ), and the edge 43 protrudes from the secondary cap 29. Accordingly, the stop plate 40 is firmly supported by the fixed support 26 in the longitudinal direction L and the thickness direction, which makes it possible to absorb the tensile or compressive force that may be applied by the secondary membrane during operation. .

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the support plates 52, made of plywood, for example, have a second secondary structure of the angle-steel members to strengthen the angle-steel members and prevent buckling in the thickness direction of the angle-steel members. Located on each opposing side of the flange 38. Moreover, support plates 52 of this type are made of a material with a thermal contraction coefficient in the thickness direction close to that of the angle-steel material, so that they contract substantially the same and preserve their support function, for example, the angle-steel material. They are made of plywood when they are made of Invar®. To support the metal connecting strip 24, a support plate 52 is positioned over the space between the cover 19 and the connecting angle-steel members 26, 49. This space is filled with blocks of insulating packing 53, for example glass wool.

The primary insulating barrier 12 of the ceiling wall 4 has an edge primary adjacent to the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end of the loading/unloading opening 7 in the same way as the secondary insulating barrier 10. Includes an insulating block (39). The edge primary insulation block 39 is positioned in a straight line with the edge secondary insulation block 34. Accordingly, the primary and secondary edge insulation blocks 34 , 39 are aligned at the level of their edges facing the opening 7 .

The edge primary insulation block 39 is formed in the same straight line as the first part of the two secondary fixing supports 26, and the secondary fixing supports 26 are adjacent or not adjacent to each other. In fact, the longitudinal dimension of the edge primary insulation block 39 is smaller than the seating length of the secondary fixing support 26.

Fixing the primary insulating barrier 12 close to the edge 25 of the front longitudinal end will be described in more detail below.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the edge primary insulation block 39 includes two side walls perpendicular to the transverse direction T, each of which is a side wall of the edge primary insulation block 39. It includes a protuberance 44 formed on the lower part of.

The edge primary insulation block 39 is fixed to the secondary cap 29 by a first anchor device 45 at the level of each of these side walls. Moreover, the primary insulation panel 18 directly adjacent to the edge primary insulation block 39 is also fixed to the secondary cap 29 by a second anchor device 46.

Accordingly, the primary insulation panel 18 directly adjacent to the edge primary insulation block 39 is formed in a straight line with the second part of the secondary fixed support 26, and the second part is the edge primary insulation block ( 39) and is connected to part 1 located in a straight line. The second part of the secondary fixing support 26 corresponds to the edge part of the secondary cap 29 at the farthest distance from the opening 7 in the longitudinal direction L, thereby preventing the stop device 42 is located between the first anchor device 45 and the second anchor device 46.

In FIG. 6, the length of the edge primary insulation block 39 is shorter than the length of the edge secondary insulation block 34 in the longitudinal direction (L). Accordingly, the secondary insulation panels 14 and the primary insulation panels 18 are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction (L), which is the interface between the edge secondary insulation block 34 and the secondary insulation panel 14. This means that the edge is not aligned with the interface between the primary insulation block 39 and the primary insulation panel 18 in the first direction.

Figure 4 shows the first anchor device 45 and the second anchor device 46 according to the first embodiment in more detail with only the secondary anchoring support 26 on which they are fastened. The second anchor device 46 is shown cut away to show its interior.

The first anchor device 45 has a base 48 fixed to the secondary cap 29, is fixed to the base 48 and extends in the thickness direction and passes in a sealing manner through an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane 11. a stud (49), and an edge primary insulation block (39) mounted on the stud (49) in such a way as to maintain the edge primary insulation block (39) on the secondary fixed support (26). It includes a bearing element 50 supported on a bearing surface formed on the projection 44 of.

In the same way, the second anchor device 46 has a base 48 fixed to the secondary cap 29, is fixed to the base 48 and extends in the thickness direction and forms an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane 11. A method of fixing the studs (49) passing through the sealing method, and the primary insulation panel (18) mounted on the studs (49) and adjacent to the edge primary insulation block (39) to the secondary fixing support (26). and a support element 50 supported on a support surface formed on the primary insulating panel 18. The support element 50 takes the form of a plate, for example fastened to a stud 49 by means of a nut. The base 48 may be screwed to the secondary cap 29, as shown in FIG. 4, by fixing screws located on each side of the stud 49 in the transverse direction (T). The base 48 can be equally welded to the secondary cap 29.

In the case of the first anchor device 45, the orifice in the secondary sealing membrane 11 is formed to penetrate the metal primary fixing plate 35, while in the case of the second anchor device 46 , an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane (11) is formed to penetrate the edge portion of one of the strakes interrupted by the opening (7).

As shown in Figure 4, the first anchor device 45 and the second anchor device 46 are coupled over the studs 49 and around an orifice in the secondary seal membrane 11. a flange (54) sealingly fixed to the flange (54), and a deformable seal (54) sealingly connecting the flange (54) to the stud in a manner allowing relative movement between the flange (54) and the stud (49). Includes deformable seal (55).

The flange 54 is fixed in a sealing manner to the secondary sealing membrane 11 around the orifice of the secondary sealing membrane 11 . This sealing fastening is achieved, for example, by welding. Moreover, the stud 49 has an anchor shoulder 56 that protrudes radially toward the outside of the stud 49. Furthermore, the deformable seal 55 is sealingly welded on the one hand to the flange 54 and on the other hand to the anchor shoulder 56 of the stud, which passes through the second sealing membrane 11 ( 49) is sealed. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the deformable seal 55 is a bellows made of stainless steel, for example. Accordingly, the sealing connection between the secondary sealing membrane 11 and the studs 49 becomes flexible, which means that the primary insulation panel 18 adjacent to the edge primary insulation block 39 relative to the secondary sealing membrane 11 ) allows relative movement, thereby limiting the risk of deterioration of the sealing performance of the secondary sealing membrane 11.

In order to protect the deformable seal 55, the first anchor device 45 and the second anchor device 46 also include an orifice into which a stud 49 is inserted and secures the deformable seal 55. A covering bell (57) is mounted. The bell 57 has a general cylindrical shape.

Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the first anchor device 45 and the second anchor device 46. Only a portion of the base 48 is shown in this figure.

In contrast to the first embodiment of FIG. 4 , in this embodiment the anchor devices 45 , 46 comprise a flange 54 forming an integral part of the stud 49 . That is, the flange 54 is formed of the same mass as the stud 49 simultaneously with the remaining portion of the stud 49, so that they form one and the same part. Accordingly, the flange 54 protrudes radially outward of the stud 49 and is sealingly welded to the secondary sealing membrane 11 around the orifice of the secondary sealing membrane 11 . In this embodiment, the anchor devices 45, 46 do not include deformable seals and do not include bells or anchor shoulders.

Regarding the fixation of the primary insulation panel 18 adjacent to the edge primary insulation block 39, this fixation can be achieved in different ways, as shown in Figures 3 and 6 in the two embodiments. there is.

3 , the primary insulation panel 18 is comprised of foam 17 and a cover panel 16 at the level of the lower corner 58 of the primary insulation panel 18 adjacent to the edge primary insulation block. ) includes an opening formed in. A batten 59 is provided at the lower corner 58. Accordingly, the bearing element 50 of the second anchor device 45 rests on the bearing surface formed on the batten 59 .

In the embodiment of Figure 6, the primary insulation panel 18 includes an opening formed in the foam 17 and the cover panel 16 at the level of the side away from the lower corner 58. The side surface is perpendicular to the transverse direction (T). The battens 59 are fixed to the bottom panel 15 within the opening. Accordingly, the bearing element 50 of the second anchor device 45 rests on the bearing surface formed on the batten 59 . Accordingly, the portion of the primary insulation panel 18 located between the lower corner 58 and the batten 59 can serve as an adjustment zone for adjusting the longitudinal dimension of the primary insulation panel 18. In the secondary insulating barrier 10 , the secondary insulating panel 14 adjacent to the edge secondary insulating block 34 in the secondary insulating barrier 10 also serves as a conditioning zone. Moreover, as shown in Figure 6, the secondary insulation panel 14 may have a different structure from other secondary insulation panels 14 and the edge secondary insulation block 34, so that the edge secondary insulation block It may have a stiffness and/or thermal contraction coefficient in the thickness direction ranging from the rigidity and thermal contraction coefficient of (34) to the rigidity and thermal contraction coefficient of the other secondary insulation panels (14).

The embodiment of FIG. 7 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 6 in that the secondary footrest 30 is spaced apart from the anchor plate 69 by a greater distance in the longitudinal direction (L). In fact, in FIG. 6 the secondary footplate 30 is spaced apart from the anchor plate 69 by a distance of 10 mm, whereas in FIG. 7 this distance is increased to 20 mm to facilitate welding operations in this area. For this purpose, a plywood or resin plate may be added between the secondary footplate 30 and the second secondary flange 38. Additionally, the end 43 of the first branch 31 of the secondary footrest 30 is a plate offset and welded to the remainder of the first branch 31, as shown in Figure 7, or Alternatively, it may only be offset at its end with respect to the remainder of the second branch 31.

Referring to FIG. 8, a cutaway view of a methane transport vessel 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 of a generally prismatic shape mounted within the vessel's double hull 72. The walls of the tank 71 comprise a primary seal barrier intended to contact the LNG contained within the tank, a secondary seal barrier disposed between the primary seal barrier and the double hull 72 of the vessel, and the primary seal barrier. and two thermal insulating barriers disposed respectively between the secondary seal barrier and between the secondary seal barrier and the double hull 72.

In a manner known per se, loading/unloading pipes 73 arranged on the upper deck of the vessel are connected to the sea by suitable connectors for transferring the LNG cargo to and from the tank 71 . Alternatively, it may be connected to a port terminal.

Figure 8 shows an example of a marine terminal including loading and unloading stations 75, subsea pipes 76 and land facilities 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed marine installation comprising a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the mobile arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulating flexible tubes 79 that can be connected to a loading/unloading pipe 73. The steerable mobile arm 74 is adapted to the load gauges of all methane carriers. A connecting pipe, not shown, extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 enables loading and unloading of methane carriers 70 from or to an onshore facility 77. The onshore facility includes liquefied gas storage tanks (80) and connecting pipes (81), which are connected to a loading or unloading station (75) via a subsea pipe (76). The subsea pipe 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas over long distances, for example 5 km, between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77, which is connected to the methane carrier 70 during loading and unloading operations. can be maintained at a long distance from the coast.

The pumps on board the ship 70 and/or on land installations 77 and/or on the loading and unloading station 75 are used to generate the pressure required to transport the liquefied gas. .

Although the invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments, it is clear that the invention is not limited thereto and includes all technical equivalents of the described means and any combination thereof provided they fall within the scope of the invention. .

The use of the verb “comprise” or “comprise” and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in the claims.

In the claims, any reference signs between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims.

Claims (19)

A storage facility (1) for liquefied gas comprising a metal support structure (2) and a sealed and insulated tank (71) arranged within the support structure,
The tank comprises, in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary insulating barrier (10) fixed to the support structure (2), and a metallic secondary sealing membrane (11) disposed on the secondary insulating barrier. , a primary insulating barrier (12) disposed on the secondary sealing membrane (11), and a primary sealing membrane (13) disposed on the primary insulating barrier (12) and intended to contact the liquefied gas. And
The support structure comprises an upper support wall (8),
The tank (71) comprises a ceiling wall (4) fixed to the upper support wall (8),
The ceiling wall (4) is locally interrupted in such a way as to define a loading/offloading opening (7) through which the loading/unloading pipes are intended to pass,
The secondary insulation barrier 10 of the ceiling wall 4 has an edge secondary insulation block 34 adjacent to an edge 25 of the loading/unloading opening 7 and an edge secondary insulation block 34 adjacent to the edge 25 of the loading/unloading opening 7. a secondary insulating panel (14) juxtaposed to a block (34), wherein the loading/unloading opening extends in a second direction (T), the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction (T); ,
The primary insulating barrier 12 of the ceiling wall 4 is connected to an edge primary insulating block 39 adjacent to the edge of the loading/unloading opening 7 and to the edge primary in the first direction L. It includes a primary insulation panel (18) juxtaposed to an insulation block (39), wherein the edge primary insulation block (39) has greater rigidity than the primary insulation panel (18) in the thickness direction,
The storage facility is fixed to the upper support wall (8) along the edge of the loading/unloading opening (7) and on each opposite side of the edge secondary insulation block (34) in the second direction (T). A secondary footrest ( It includes a secondary foot (30) and a secondary cap (29) fixed to the secondary foot (30),
The edge primary insulation block 39 is located in line with the first part of one of the secondary fixing supports 26 and is attached to the secondary fixing support 26 by a first anchor device 45. is fixed to the secondary cap 29, and the primary insulation panel 18 extends in a straight line with the second part of the secondary fixing support 26, and the second part extends in the first direction (L). Adjacent to the first part, the primary insulating panel (18) is secured to the secondary cap (29) by a second anchor device (46). According to paragraph 1,
The secondary insulating barrier includes a secondary stop plate 40 disposed on the edge secondary insulating block 34, and an edge portion of the secondary sealing membrane is connected to the secondary stop plate ( 34), fixed to storage equipment. According to paragraph 2,
The secondary sealing membrane 11 of the ceiling wall 4 comprises a plurality of parallel strakes extending in the first direction L, each of which has a plane central portion and a comprising two raised edges protruding towards the interior of the tank, the strakes being juxtaposed in a second direction (T) according to a repeated pattern and welded together in a sealing manner at the level of the raised edges, At least one of the strakes is interrupted by the loading/unloading opening, and an edge portion of the interrupted strake is fixed to the secondary stop plate (40). According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The edge primary insulation block 39 is a box comprising a bottom plate, a cover plate parallel to the bottom plate, and support spacer plates holding the cover plate at a distance from the bottom plate. Storage equipment taking the form, wherein the box is filled with insulating packing. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The primary insulation panel (18) comprises at least one layer of insulating foam (17) and at least one rigid plate (15, 16) continuously in the thickness direction. According to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The edge primary insulation block 39 has a parallelepiped shape and includes two sides perpendicular to the second direction T, and at least one of the sides is connected to the second anchor device 45 by the first anchor device 45. A storage facility fixed to the secondary cap (29) of the primary fixing support (26). According to clause 6,
The dimensions of the edge primary insulation block 39 in the second direction are equal to the distance between two adjacent secondary fixed supports 26, and the two sides of the edge primary insulation block 39 are formed by two Storage equipment, each of which is fixed to the secondary caps (29) of the two secondary fixing supports (26) by means of first anchor devices (45). According to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The edge primary insulation block 39 comprises a bearing surface, the first anchor device 45 having a base 48 fixed to the secondary cap 29, the base having a thickness A stud (49) extending in the direction and passing through an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane (11) in a sealing manner, and mounted on the stud, attaching the edge primary insulation block to the secondary fixing support (26). A storage facility comprising a bearing member (50) supported on the bearing surface of the edge primary insulation block (39) in such a way as to hold it thereon. According to paragraphs 6 and 8,
At least one of the sides of the edge primary insulation block (39) comprises a protrusion (44), the bearing surface being formed on the protrusion. According to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The primary insulating panel 18 comprises a bearing surface, the secondary anchor device 46 comprising a base 48 fixed to the secondary cap 29, fixed to the base and extending in the thickness direction, the second anchor device 46 comprising: A stud (49) which passes in a sealing manner through an orifice in the secondary sealing membrane, and is mounted on the stud and retains the primary insulation panel on the secondary fixing support (26) of the primary insulation panel. A storage facility comprising a support element (50) supported on a support surface. According to clause 10,
The bearing surface of the primary insulation panel (18) is located at the level of or at a distance from the corner (58) of the primary insulation panel. According to any one of claims 8 to 11,
The first anchor device 45 and/or the second anchor device 46 further comprises a flange 54 forming an integral part of the stud, the flange projecting radially outward of the stud. and is sealingly secured to the secondary seal membrane about an orifice in the secondary seal membrane. According to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The interface between the edge secondary insulation block 34 and the secondary insulation panel 14 is loaded in a first direction than the interface between the edge primary insulation block 39 and the primary insulation panel 18. /Storage equipment located at a greater distance from the edge of the unloading opening (7). According to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The first anchor device (45) and the second anchor device (46) are formed in the same way, and the first anchor device and the second anchor device are spaced apart from each other in the first direction (L). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 combined with claim 2,
The storage facility includes a connecting angle-iron 36 extending in a second direction (T) to sealably separate the secondary insulating barrier from the loading/unloading opening, the connecting angle-iron 36 -The steel material includes a first flange (37) and a second flange (38) connected to the first flange, the first flange is fixed to the secondary stop plate (40), and the second flange is A storage facility welded to an anchor plate (69) fixed to the upper support wall. According to clause 15,
The secondary panel (30) is spaced apart from the anchor plate (69) in the first direction (L) by a distance of preferably at least 15 mm, more preferably at least 20 mm. According to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The storage facility 1 takes the form of a floating structure, the support structure is composed of a double hull 72 of the floating structure, and the first direction L is the longitudinal direction of the floating structure ( L), wherein the floating structure is preferably a vessel (70) for the transport of cold liquid products. A transfer system for low-temperature liquid products, the system is arranged in such a way that the storage facility according to paragraph 17, a tank 71 installed in the hull of the floating structure, is connected to an external floating or land storage facility 77. insulated pipes 73, 79, 76, 81, and through the insulated pipes from the external floating or land storage facility 77 to the tank of the floating structure or from the tank of the floating structure to the external A transfer system for cold liquid product, comprising a pump for driving the flow of liquid product to a floating or land-based storage facility. A method of loading or unloading a storage facility according to claim 17, wherein the cold liquid product is transferred from an external floating or land-based storage facility (77) via insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) into a tank of said floating structure. A method of loading or unloading a storage facility, wherein the storage facility is transferred to (71) or from a tank (71) of the floating structure to the external floating or land storage facility (77).