US2229082A - Double-walled insulated tank car construction - Google Patents

Description

Jam 21, 1941. J. G. VAN VLET -wALLED INSULATED TANK CAR CONSTRUCTION DOUBLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l4 Filed Aug. 19, 1939 0 m Q \\N Rw Ns Q A Q; +B l `mN l S. mw m .NWN www D QW mwN n Q u WW mWN mw Q NM1 au Q www. bm, Nw Nw NQRWQ es. w. www

Jan. 21, 1941. J. G. VAN VLEET DOUBLE-WALLED INSULATED TANK CAR CQNSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 19, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mw Wwf/W i @MMM-M@ DNVENTOR atcutc'ddan'. 2l, 1941 NITED STATES l DOUBLE-wmp INSULATED TANK con coNs'rnUoTIoN I James Van Vleet,

Kenmore, N. Y., assigner to The Linde Air Products Company, 4New York, N. Y., a corporation of Ohio Application August 19, 1939, serial N. 299,973

s claims. (cl. 19a-3ssl 'This invention relates to a double-walled insulated tank car ior storing and/or transporting a liquefied gas. such as liquid oxygen, and more particularly to a construction for liquid baiiies in the inner cylin-A drical vessel of such tank cars, the space between the vessels being preferably lled with a suitable insulating powder and evacuated..

The invention has for its object generally `the provision of an improved construction for liquid A tamos in the inner vessel oi double-walled insulated tank' cars in o. manner which incorporates strength and imparts stiffness to the wall of the inner vessel, as well as reducing surging and m, splashing oi the liquid which -is being transported.

other object is to provide a liquid baille cony struction for the liquid containers of .vacuum inn sulated tank cars, which is secured in the liquid no container in a manner which braces the cylindrical walls of such containing vessels, and prevents excessive pressure on the end walls during surges.

Still another object is to it disposition for liquid battles character indicated which is adapted to control the surging and splashing of liquid within the containing vessel together wth an arrangement tor insuring both liquid and gaseous equilibrium ao at all times when the tank car is in service.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

rilie invention accordingly comprises the features. of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplined in the construction'hereinaiter set forth and thel scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and .w objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in coection with which:

Fig. i is a view m walled. insulated of a construction for doubletank cars,

section passing through the longitudinal axis of the car), which is adapted for storing and/or transporting liquid oxygen in accordance with to the invention;

ilg. 2 is a fragmentarysectional view showing the construction and position of the baille' means shown in Fig. 1; and

li'ig. 3 is a sectional view of the inner vessel taken on the line 3-3 ol Fig. 1, showing in end construction which is adapted4 provide a shape and in tank cars of the the accompanying drawings, in

partly in elevation 7 and partly in vertical section (the plane ot the elevation the construction oi the anti-splash baiiles employed in the inner vessel.

Referringnow to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. l and 2, i denotes an external frame, two or more of which may be provided for l supporting the cylindrical wall oi an inner vessel Il. The vessel Il also has end walls and is adapted to hold the liquefied gas that is to be placed or stored in the tank car either with 01 without the aid of a lining or basket (not shown). 10

- Outside of the vessel il and spaced therefrom is a second or' outer vessel l2 which is also supported from the frames provided, the :manner of support being hereinafter more fully explained. The space between the vessels is a closed space and has no communication with the outside except that provided through certain evacuating connections, hereinafter described. The cylindrical wall of the outer vessel l2 is preferably braced against collapse and to this end is shown 2o provided interorly with one or more stiffening A gas withdrawal or evaporation'connection I3 is provided leading from a point at one side of the car frame outside the outer vessel to a point within the inner vessel; a similar connection I3' being provided for the other side. the inner ends of these connections being preferably protected by suitable anti-splash baskets, as shown respectively at 1'30 and l30'. A liquid supply and 30 Withdrawal connection I4 is'also provided leading from a point near the bottom of the vessel Il to a suitable external point at one side; a similar connection i4 being preferably provided and arranged tol lead from the same point for the othr'side.` The common outlet opening is provided with a protected liquid con-trolling means, shown generally at l5. This controlling means when open permits communication with a header I9 to which the connections Il and -lll' 40 'are attached. The outerends of these connections when not in use may be protected if desired by removable plates.V When theend of a connection is open, or the plate removed. such 'connection maybe coupled to a filling. or dis- 45 charge conduit, as the case may be, at a filling or consuming plant. i f' Each of the conn'ections it, i3', I4, and Il is preferably provided, at the point where it passes through the wall ol the vessel l2, with a poor 50 heart4 conducting seal, for example, a relatively `long corneal Wall, as shown at i6, which may be welded or otherwise integrally attached to'the wall of outer vessel l2. as well as to the connection. The vessel H may be provided with auXiliary connections, for example, as shown at Ma and Mb, for one or more trycocks. Other standard accessories, such as a liquid level gauge, may

also be connected with the vessels.

The inner vessel II is here shown as provided additionally with an emergency liquid with-y drawal connection Il which has a, portion i8 depending into the vessel and reaching substantially to the bottom. From an elbow at the top, the connection leads down, to communicate with a horizontal passage in the header I 9 which is here shown as a multi-way device that has a vertical passage communicating with the controlling means I5 and additional horizontal side passages leading to the pair of oppositely extending connections I 4 and It'.

In tank cars of the character here provided, the inner and outer vessels are, of course, cylindrically shaped vessels and the frames ID which support the same are each constructed to be relatively narrow structures each made of one or more plate members with an open and cut-away central portion shaped to permit the snug passage of the outer vessel I2 through the same and its rigid attachment thereto, as by welding or the like. Each frame I0 is mounted on the car frame and disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car. The ear frame may, of course, be of any suitable form, but is here shown as consisting of a center sill that may include side sills (not shown), The car frame, as shown, is provided with theusual bolsters depicted at 2I, to which are pivotally connected the car trucks. To provide rm support for the frames I0 on the car frame, a corresponding number of auxiliary bolsters 22 are incorporated in the frame. 'I'hese may be adjacent to but displaced from the main holsters. A strengthening plate 23 is preferably interposed, as shown at the end of the car frame, between a bolster 22 and a frame I 0, as indicated. The strengthening plate 23 thus provided is made fast, by riveting or otherwise, to the sills and bolsters of the car frame.

In order to support the vessel II directly from a frame I and not from the surface of the walls of vessel I2, a girth member or sling 2li is passed about the under side of vessel II adjacent an end of the same, the upper ends of each sling being provided with brackets or lugs as shown at`25. Attached to each bracket is a sustaining rod or cable 2B of relatively low thermal conductivity which extends upwardly and outwardly and is secured at the upper end to the frame I0 in a suitable manner.

In order that the outer vessel l2 may be braced against end thrusts and otherwise aiordll additional support therefor, one or more web members, such as shown at 30, are interposed between the car frame and the outside wall of the vessel I2 at, suitable points, for example, adjacent the auxiliary bolster 22. Such web members are conveniently formed by taking an I-beam and cutting off the bottom ange and then bending over the web so as to provide an angle-portion that may be bolted to the plate 23 as indicated at 3l, the top flange 32 of the I-.beam being welded or otherwise arranged to make imperforate engagement with the outer wall of the vessel I2.

In order that the inner vessel I I may also be braced' against end thrusts and at the same time accommodate expansion and contraction of the same, the inner vessel I I is supported at each end from the adjacent end of vessel I2 by tension suspension means. Such means is here shown as comprising a plurality of horizontally disposed brackets or lugs 35 disposed circumferentially about and secured by welding adjacent each end of vessel II. Attached to each of the brackets is a tension rod or cable 36 which is anchored in a receptacle 39 in the end wall of vessel I2 Such rod or cable extends generally horizontally but flares outwardly toward the edge of the adjacent end of vessel I2, the outer end of the anchoring receptacle being closed in agas-tight manner, for example, by means of a closure cap 39.

In order that the vessel II may also be braced against side swaying, a third set of supporting and staying means is applied to the inner vessel. This third means, as shown in Fig, 1, comprises one or more brackets i5 made fast by brazing or welding to the end wall of vessel II. From each of the brackets I5 extends downwardly and outwardly a rod or cable 36 which is of a material of relatively low thermal conductivity and has its end anchored in a receptacle B8 in the end wall o vessel I2 and hermetically sealed.

The anchorage for the staying means, above described, may tend to an undesirable concentration of stress at certain points unless suitable stress redistributing means are employed, In the present invention, such means resolve the stresses andil redistribute the same. This is here accomplished in connection with the receptacles 39 by means of a truss-like structure on the end wall of vessel I2. As shown, this structure comprises a central ring 50 mounted on the end of vessel I2 and preferably concentric therewith, from which extend a plurality of radial members 5I distributed thereabout at points adapted to embrace the sides of each housing 39, the whole being made fast thereto by welding or brazing. A thrust member, as shown at 52, is also advantageously incorporated in this structure and completes a rigid triangular frame with the radial members that transmits the stress. By such means thc end bracing takes up and converts the compression stress transmitted to a cylindrical portion of the outer wall of vessel I2. The supporting means above described is no part of the present invention, the same being disclosed in copending applications filed respectively in the name of O, A. Hansen on August 19, 1939, Serial No. 290,970, and in the name of G. H. Zenner, et al. on August 19, 1939, Serial No. 290,971, Such suspending means, however, introduces stresses at certain points in the wall of the inner vessel.

In accordance with the present invention, liquid bailiing means are employed, preferably in the form of one or more baie plates 60 that are dished, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and disposed at desired intervals along the axis of the inner vessel, in order to reduce or eliminate splashing and surging of the liquid when the tank car is being transported, Such baiile plates each have a diameter adapted to t snugly against the inner wall of the vessel Il to which they are securely attached, as shown in Fig. 3, Each of these baille plates is also provided with one or more openings 6I .it the bottom which pass liquid, and with one or more openings at the top, such asshown at 62, for passing gas, in order that there may be equilibrium in the gas phase and in the liquid at all times in the several compartments into which the baie plates divide the vessel I I.

0 The liquid filling and withdrawal controlling 7 means shown is no part of the present invention..

That shown, however, is seen to have an interaaeaosa withdrawal'connection, such as shown at Il and oi the inner and outer vessels.

l covers are soft soldered or v being provided' at the it'. The internal valve is actuated by a valve rod itt passed downwardly through the Walls of vessel it and vessel Il respectively, a handwheel 15| top of the rod in order to udord manipulation of the valve member from a convenient point outside the vessel l2. Means are provided for eiecting passage of the valve rod its in a gas-tight manner without in any way interfering with the hermetic seal of the space between the walls of vessels Il and l2, To this end, an external packing gland |55 is shown about the valve rod at the top of vessel l2, which packing gland is disposed in a dome |56 that has a flange sealed in a suitable ring or collar |51, the latter being welded in the opening provided in the top oi vessel i2. An expansible bellows |158 extends from the base of the packing gland l55 to the top oi a second dome liB sealed in the wall of the inner vessel in substantially the same manner as the dome Ill-ib.

ll'he outer vessel l2 has one or more openings serving as manholes and through which access is had roi' the purpose of disposing a nlling'oi a substantially dry heat insulating material in comminuted form in the space between the walls One such manhole is shown at Mid in the top wall oi the outer vessel. Another is shown at Hil near the bottom oi the end wall of vessel l2. Such manhole brazed in place in order that the space between the inner and outer vessels may at all times be hermetically sealed.

'lhe hermetically sealed space between vessels il and it here provided is evacuated when the tanlr car is in service, this evacuation being conveniently accomplished by providing a connection in the wall oi the outer vessel through which a vacuum pulling means may be connected to the space between the walls. Any suitable vacuum pulling means for this purpose may be employed, 'lor example, a mechanical vacuum pump, which is preferably applied until a vacuum ot the order or 0.2i mm. of mercury is pulled.. rlihe :insulating material which nils the intervening space and the order or the vacuum pulled are no part or the present invention, the same being disclosed in copending application illed December 7, i939, in the name oi la. ll. Dana, Serial No. 307,945.

ln operation, the tanlr car oi the present invention is filled with liquefied gas at a production plant by connecting a connection at ld to a suit-n able source, such as a storage tanlr containing liquid oxygen, and a iilling of liquid lorced into the vessel il by means oi pressure provided in any lrnown manner. lis the vessel il is filled, gas is displaced trom the vessel through the connections id or it'. When liquid can be withdrawn through the proper' trycoch connection, such as that at idd, it is known that the vessel il is properly filled, and the iilled tanlr car is then moved from the source oi supply to a consumer installation for the delivery of a charge ci liquid onygen thereto.

ln transit, it is seen that the inner and outer vessels are braced against end thrusts and side swaying. Also, it is seen that the baille plates bd operate to divide the liquid charge into a plu-'- rality ot small bodies that are in huid communication at the bottom so that when in equilibrium all will be atl the saine liquid level in vessel il. These plates, by reason of their being dished have relatively great strength and operate to brealr up any longitudinal rush or liquid in the tion thereto, a plurality vessel and hence reduce surging and splashing of the liquid which might otherwise result in substantial loss or liquid. The plates 60 are at the same time seen to stifien the wall of vessel I I.

When it is desired to withdraw liquid from the vessel il, the handwheel i541 is normally manipulated and the valve at l5 opened and liquid permitted to pass out under the inuence of gravity through either connection i4 or il'. In the event that the valve should fail' to open, then pressure is generated in the vessel li by closing the gas connections i3 and i3. When sufficient pressure has been built up the gas forces liquid up the connection I8 until it passes the elbow, will now freely through the connection i8 into the header Il!! and thence delivered through either connection I4 or it. `Relatively large quantities of liquid oxygen may thus be sately shipped to and delivered at the consumer installation.

Since certain changes may be made in the above Iconstruction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing trom the scope thereoi, it is intended that all matter contained inthe above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent combination with an inner cylindrical vessel having end w Vlls and adapted for holding a liquened gas, or an outer cylindrical vessel having end walls surrounding and spaced from said inner vessel in a manner such that a closed space intervenes, a car trame ior carrying said vessels, supporting trames disposed on said car trarne at desired points and separately connected with each or said vessels, tension suspension means in said space connecting each end oi said inner vessel to the adjacent end wall oi said outer vessel whereby stresses are produced in the cylindrical wall or said inner vessel at the point oi connestion thereto, a plurality or transversely vertical battle plates disposed snugly in and securely attached to the inner wall or said inner vessel in a manner reacting against said stresses and imparting strength thereby permitting a-reduction in the ordinary ol said inner vessel, in said bane plates passages therein,

` 2. ln double-walled insulated tanlr cars, the combination with an innerI cylindrical vessel hav-u ing end walls and adapted for holding a llquened gas, oi an outer cylindrical vessel having end walls surrounding and spaced from said inner vessel in a manner such that a closed space intervenes, a car supporting trames disposed on said car :trame at and communicating means comprising upper and lower thiclmess oi thev cylindrical wall trarne :tor carrying said vessels,

where liquid s: l. ln double-walled insulated tanlr cars, the

desired points and separately connected with each ol said vessels, tension suspension means in said .space connecting each end ot said inner vessel to the adjacent end wall or said outer vessel whereby stresses are produced in the cylindrical wall-or inner vessel at the point or connecol substantially trans-4 versely vertical dish-shaped bade plates having dangers ntted against and securely attached to the inner wall of said inner vessel, at least certain ol' said blame plates being substantially at the points oi said localised stresses and imparting resistance to stress to the wall ol said inner vessel,

and communicating means for said baffle plates comprising upper and lower passages therein.

3. In double-walled insulated tank cars, the combination with an inner cylindrical vessel having end walls and adapted for holding a liqueed gas, of an outer cylindrical vessel having end walls surrounding and spaced from said inner vessel in a manner such that a closed space intervenes, a car frame for carrying said Vessels, supporting frames disposed on said car frame at desired points and separately connected with each of said vessels, tension suspension means in said space connecting each end of said inner vessel to the adjacent end wall of said outer vessel whereby stresses are produced in the cylindrical wall of said inner vessel at the point of connection thereto, a plurality of substantially transversely vertical dished baflie plates in equal numbers and symmetrically disposed in each end of said inner vessel, each of said baie plates having anges tting snugly against and. securely attached to the inner wall of said inner vessel, at least certain of said baiile plates being substantially at the points of said localized stresses and imparting resistance to stress to the Wall of said inner vessel, and communicating means for said baille plates comprising upper and lower openings therein.

JAMES G. VAN VLEET.

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