US20150291351A1

US20150291351A1 - Tanks and double-walled tanks and method of manufacturing the same

Info

Publication number: US20150291351A1
Application number: US14/251,343
Authority: US
Inventors: Bradley Keith Gemmer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-04-11
Filing date: 2014-04-11
Publication date: 2015-10-15

Abstract

A tank has a base, corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having a trough and a crest; the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest; and a roof plate above the tank interior, the roof plate being structurally mounted to the corrugated side walls opposite the base. An inner tank may be inserted into the tank, the inner tank having a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that are attached directly to adjacent panels to form a bottom wall and inner side walls of the inner tank.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates to a tank and a double-walled tank and a method of manufacturing the tanks.

BACKGROUND

Tanks, such as double-walled tanks, are often used to transport or store fluent materials, such as liquids, powders, pellets and the like. Double-walled tanks provide secondary containment against any leaks and also provide additional structural support to the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,908 (Dedmon) entitled “Container for Bulk Handling of Fluids,” is an example of a double-walled tank that has structural supports on an outer wall.

SUMMARY

There is provided a method of manufacturing a double-walled tank. An outer shell, the outer shell having a base and corrugated side walls structurally mounted to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upper opening that is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest. A plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels attached together to form an inner tank having a bottom wall and inner side walls. An inner tank inserted into the inner tank receptacle such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outer shell and the side walls engage the troughs of the corrugations, the inner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shell prior to being inserted into the receptacle.
In another aspect, a roof plate may be installed above the inner tank.
In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the inner tank and extend past the outer perimeter of the corrugated side walls.
In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the corrugated side walls after the inner tank is inserted into the outer tank.
In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise elongated structural reinforcement members.
In another aspect, the outer shell may comprise an outer wall.
In another aspect, the base of the outer shell may be a skid.
In another aspect, the inner tank may be formed without structural reinforcement members.
In another aspect, the rigid or semi-rigid panels may be sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls.
In another aspect, the inner tank may be supported with a support structure prior to inserting the inner tank into the inner tank receptacle of the outer tank.
There is provided a double walled tank with an inner tank having a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that are attached directly to adjacent panels to form a bottom wall and inner side walls of the inner tank. An outer shell having a base and corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upper opening that is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest, the inner tank being positioned within the inner tank receptacle such that the inner tank engages the troughs of the corrugated side walls and such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outer shell, the inner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shell and the outer shell being formed separately and distinctly from the inner tank.
In another aspect, the double walled tank may further comprise a roof plate above the inner tank.
In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the inner tank and extend past the outer perimeter of the corrugated sidewalls.
In another aspect, the roof plate may be attached to the corrugated side walls.
In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise elongated structural reinforcement members.
In another aspect, the outer shell may comprise an outer wall.
In another aspect, the base of the outer shell may be a skid.
In another aspect, the inner tank may be formed without structural reinforcement members.
In another aspect, the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls.
There is provided a corrugated tank with a base, corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest and a roof plate above the tank interior, the roof plate structurally mounted to the corrugated side walls opposite the base.
In another aspect, the roof plate may comprise have structural reinforcement members.
In another aspect, the base may be a skid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double walled tank.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an outer shell of a double walled tank.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an outer shell of a double walled tank.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an inner tank of a double walled tank.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of an inner tank of a double walled tank.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an outer shell of a double walled tank.

FIG. 7 is a top cross sectional view of an inner tank inside an outer tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A double-walled tank generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7.

Structure and Relationship of Parts

The tank described herein may have two tanks, an outer shell 12 and an inner tank 26, to be used in combination. However, depending on the needs of the use, outer shell 12 may also serve as a tank without the need for inner tank 26. The embodiment described below is that of the two tank system providing a double walled tank 10. It will be understood, however, that the outer shell 12 may be constructed using the principles described below and used as a tank without inserting an inner tank 26.
Referring FIG. 1, double walled tank 10 has an outer shell 12. Referring to FIG. 6, outer shell 12 has a base 14, corrugated side walls 16, and an upper opening 18. In the preferred embodiment, referring to FIG. 3, base 14 is a bottom wall 15 that may be reinforced by support members 17 and mounted to a skid 19. Support members 17 and/or base 14 may be formed as part of skid 19. Skid 19 provides support and makes double walled tank 10 easier to transport. It will be understood that there are various designs that may be used to create a base 14 that are sufficiently strong to support tank 10 and its contents. Together, base 14, corrugated side walls 16, and upper opening 18 define a tank, or as will be described below, an inner tank receptacle 20 that is used to receive an inner tank 26. If outer shell 12 is used as a tank, roof plate 32, which will be described below, is attached, such as by welding, to the top of outer shell 12 to form a tank. The walls of outer shell 12 are supported by the corrugated walls, such that additional support, such as welding stiffener bars, is not required. It will be understood that side walls 16 must be attached in such a way that the tank is able to support whatever is to be stored inside outer shell 12, such as a liquid, in which case outer shell 12 must be water tight and strong enough to withstand the fluid pressure.
Referring to FIG. 2, corrugated side walls have troughs 22 and crests 24, with troughs 22 extending into the middle of inner tank receptacle 20 relative to crests 24. Referring to FIG. 7, an inner tank 26 is to be placed within inner tank receptacle 20 of outer shell 12 though upper opening 18. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, inner tank 26 has a bottom wall 28 and inner side walls 30. Bottom wall 28 and inner side walls 30 are composed of rigid or semi-rigid panels. In the preferred embodiment, the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls. In certain embodiments, outer shell 12 may have an outer wall 31. In some embodiments, a roof plate 32 may be installed above or directly atop inner tank 26. While FIG. 5 shows roof plate 32 attached to inner tank 26, it may also be attached or mounted to outer shell 12. Referring to FIG. 1, roof plate 32 may extend past or at least level with the outer perimeter of corrugated side walls 16 and have elongated structural reinforcement members 34.
Referring to FIG. 1, in the depicted example, tank 10 has a series of vents 36 and manways 38 formed in roof plate 32. There may also be lifting lugs 40 provided for moving tank 10.
Referring to FIG. 6, corrugated side walls 16 are structurally mounted to base 14 to form outer shell 12 and define inner tank receptacle 20. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, inner tank 26 is formed by attaching together a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels such that inner tank 26 has a bottom wall 28, inner side walls 30, and roof plate 32. In the preferred embodiment, inner tank 26 is formed without structural reinforcement members on side walls 30. Prior to inserting inner tank 26 into inner tank receptacle 20 of outer shell 12, inner tank 16 may be supported by a support structure (not shown). This is to ensure inner tank 16 is properly supported until it is installed within receptacle 20, at which point outer shell 12 will structurally support inner tank 16. Referring to FIG. 1, when inner tank 26 is inserted into inner tank receptacle 20, bottom wall 28 will be on base 14 of outer shell 12 and side walls 16 will be engaged and supported by troughs 22 of corrugated side wall 16. The corrugated shape of side walls 16 provide the necessary structural strength to inner side walls 30 without having to weld, bolt, or otherwise attach inner side walls 30 to outer corrugated sidewalls 16. Corrugated side walls 16 are supported on the bottom by their connection to base 14 and at the top by their connection to roof plate 32.
Referring to FIG. 5, inner tank 26 is created in a series of steps. In the preferred embodiment, bottom wall 28 is constructed first. In this preferred embodiment, bottom wall 28 is made to be perfectly flat Inner side walls 30 are then attached to bottom wall 28 to form inner tank 26. In some embodiments, there is a roof plate 32 which extends past the perimeter of inner side walls 30. Roof plate 32 is reinforced, while side walls 30 are not. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, outer tank 12 is formed by providing bottom wall 15, preferably with reinforcing support members 17 attached below. Next, corrugated side walls 16 are attached to bottom wall 15. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, inner tank 26 may then be placed in outer shell 12, such that bottom wall 28 of inner tank 26 rests on bottom wall 15 of outer shell 12, and the roof plate 32 covers the outer shell 12, extending past the outer perimeter of corrugated side walls 16. Preferably, roof plate 32 is then attached to the outer shell 12 at the tops of corrugated side walls 16. This may be done using welding, or any other suitable technique known in the art. This allows for the outer shell 12 to be joined with the inner tank 26.
In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.
The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a double-walled tank, comprising the steps of:

providing an outer shell, the outer shell having a base and corrugated side walls structurally mounted to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upper opening that is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest;

attaching together a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels to form an inner tank having a bottom wall and inner side walls; and

inserting the inner tank into the inner tank receptacle such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outer shell and the side walls engage the troughs of the corrugations, the inner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shell prior to being inserted into the receptacle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of installing a roof plate above the inner tank.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the roof plate is attached to the inner tank and extends past the outer perimeter of the corrugated side walls.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the roof plate is attached to the corrugated side walls after the inner tank is inserted into the outer tank.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the roof plate comprises elongated structural reinforcement members.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the outer shell comprises an outer wall.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the base of the outer shell comprises a skid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the inner tank is formed without structural reinforcement members.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of supporting the inner tank with a support structure prior to inserting the inner tank into the inner tank receptacle of the outer shell.

11. A double-walled tank, comprising:

an inner tank comprising a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid panels that are attached directly to adjacent panels to form a bottom wall and inner side walls of the inner tank; and

an outer shell having a base and corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining an inner tank receptacle accessible through an upper opening that is vertically opposite the base, the corrugations of the corrugated side walls have a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest, the inner tank being positioned within the inner tank receptacle such that the inner tank engages the troughs of the corrugated side walls and such that the bottom wall rests on the base of the outer shell, the inner tank being formed separately and distinctly from the outer shell and the outer shell being formed separately and distinctly from the inner tank.

12. The double-walled tank of claim 11, further comprising a roof plate above the inner tank.

13. The double-walled tank of claim 12, wherein the roof plate is attached to the inner tank and extends past the outer perimeter of the corrugated side walls.

14. The double-walled tank of claim 13, wherein the roof plate is attached to the corrugated side walls.

15. The double-walled tank of claim 12, wherein the roof plate comprises elongated structural reinforcement members.

16. The double-walled tank of claim 11, wherein the outer shell comprises an outer wall.

17. The double-walled tank of claim 11, wherein the base of the outer shell is a skid.

18. The double-walled tank of claim 11, wherein the inner tank is formed without structural reinforcement members.

19. The double-walled tank of claim 11, wherein the rigid or semi-rigid panels are sufficiently rigid to withstand conforming to the corrugations of the corrugated side walls.

20. A tank, comprising:

a base;

corrugated side walls structurally mounted directly to the base, the corrugated side walls and the base defining a tank interior, the corrugated side walls having a trough and a crest, the trough being spaced within the inner tank receptacle relative to the crest; and

a roof plate above the tank interior, the roof plate being structurally mounted to the corrugated side walls opposite the base.

21. The tank of claim 20, wherein the roof plate comprises elongated structural reinforcement members.

22. The tank of claim 20, wherein the base comprises a skid.