US3469731A

US3469731A - Large-capacity liquid storage tanks

Info

Publication number: US3469731A
Application number: US672758A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jacques Brucker
Original assignee: CONSTRUCTEURS ASSOCIES POUR
Current assignee: CONSTRUCTEURS ASSOCIES POUR
Priority date: 1966-10-25
Filing date: 1967-10-04
Publication date: 1969-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-30
Also published as: FR1504728A; NL6714192A; LU54559A1; BE704676A

Description

p 0, 1969 J. BRUCKER LARGE-CAPACITY LIQUID STORAGE TANKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 4, 1967 Sept. 30, 1969 J. BRUCKER 3,469,731

LARGE-CAPACITY LIQUID STORAGE TANKS Filed Oct. 4, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 30,1969 J. BRUCKER 3,469,731

LARGE-CAPACITY LIQUID STORAGE TANKS Filed on. 4. 1967 s Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent LARGE-CAPACITY LIQUID STORAGE TANKS Jacques Brucker, Paris, France, assignor to Constructeurs Associes Pour Le Montage dOuvrages Metalliques (C.A.M.O.M.) Societe Anonyme, Paris, France Filed Oct. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 672,758 Claims priority, application France, Oct. 25, 1966, 81,500, Patent 1,504,728 Int. Cl. B65d 87/18 US. Cl. 22026 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Large-capacity metal tank for the storage of liquids, which comprises a cylindrical vertical side wall of thin corrugated sheet made of a succession of adjacent channels opening toward the center of the tank and interconnected by semi-cylindrical sections of relatively small radius, an upper annular belt covering the side wall channels, an annular bottom belt made of radially disposed welded sheets, a fixed or floating roof having the same cross-sectional contour as the inner face of the vertical side wall, and a bottom made of thin sheets having Overlapping welded joints which is connected to said bottom belt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a large-capacity metal tank, notably for the storage of liquids, of which the side wall, the roof and the bottom, made of relatively thin light metal sheets, are arranged to withstand the considerable stress due to the liquid content.

Description of the prior art Two factors are now limiting the increase in the storage capacity of tanks:

(1) The thickness of the sheets constituting the lower hoops, which varies in proportion to the tank diameter and to the height of its casing or side wall;

(2) The tank height depending on the firmness of the soils underneath.

This invention relates to a large-capacity storage tank of which the side wall or casing and the roof are modified to permit the use of relatively thin and therefore light sheets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In this tank the side wall or casing consists of a series of curved elements, for example in the form of halfcylindrical sections having a relatively short radius of curvature which are calculated as shell beams adapted to transfer stress to the upper and lower annular belts.

The side Wall having a corrugated sheet-metal structure with small-radius connecting curves permits the use of relatively thin sheets, of which the thickness is independent of the tank radius.

By way of example, in the case of a tank having the following dimensions: height=33 feet, radius=16 /z ft., the casing or side wall can be constructed by using 6- mm. or A thick sheets.

The adjacent elements of the structure can be assembled by using a semi-cylindrical tube of relatively short radius, for example .4 m. or 13", this semi-cylindrical tube having the same thickness as the other parts of the casing.

The roof of the tank according to this invention may be of either the fixed or floating type.

The fixed roof may comprise:

(a) An upper annular belt also acting as a roof to the side wall channels.

3,469,731 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 ice The primary function of this upper annular belt is to transfer to a ring structure the stress directed to the tank top along the side wall thereof. This belt may consist for example of a horizontal sheet covering the complete series of side wall elements and of a pair of vertical sheets welded along the edges of the first sheet so as to provide a radial section having substantially the shape of a horizontal I. The dimensions of this belt are calculated as a function of the head stress and tank diameter.

(b) The roof proper which covers the inner portion of the tank and is constructed according to any known and conventional means, such as steel structural work or timber-work, and roofing elements.

Thus, for example, this roof may consist of a post or upright structure covered by relatively thin metal sheets, or of a non-radial light-weight ironwork covered by thin sheets and calculated to constitute a self-supporting vault.

The advantage resulting from this last solution resides in the fact that it provides a tubular structure adapted not only to support the sheets but also to constitute the main component elements of the piping system for distributing foam in case of fire, which must be specially calculated to permit the delivery of the requisite foam density within the shortest possible time.

The floating roof has the same horizontal cross-section as the inner face of the tank wall on which it is fitted, and by which it is guided.

Alternately, an inner wall in which a floating roof of conventional type is inserted may also be welded to the joints of the casing corrugations.

The tank bottom may also consist similarly of two different portions, namely:

(a) An external ring adapted not only to seal the inner space of the tank but also to receive the stress transmitted by the side wall to the base of the tank.

The dimensions of this external ring depend on the stress transmitted thereby and also on the tank diameter.

It may consist of a series of radially disposed sheets welded end to end.

(b) The tank bottom proper, covering the inner portion, constructed according to the conventional method with thin sheets having Welded overlapping joints.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Several typical examples of a tank construction according to this invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of the tank comprising a fixed roof in this example;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view and fragmentary horizontal section of the same structure, the section being taken upon the line II-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of a fixedroof tank having an annular belt;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section showing a tank wall element with a corrugated side wall and a floating roof;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken along the line VV of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a section taken along the line VIVI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a detail View;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section showing a tank wall element with a cylindrical portion internal;

FIGURE 9 is a vertical section taken along the line IXIX of FIGURE 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The cylindrical metal tank illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 consists essentially of a corrugated cylindrical vertical side wall, that is, a wall made of a series of adjacent semi-cylindrical sections 1 Opening to the inside and interconected by semi-cylindrical tubes 2 of relatively very small radius, so that the wall stresses are transferred to the upper and

bottom belts

3 and 4 respectively.

The upper belt 3 comprising horizontally-disposed sheet elements may have a horizontal section in the form of a horizontal I, with the horizontal web 7 of said belt covering the cell assembly 2.

The bottom belt 4 comprising welded sheet elements cooperates with the upper belt 3 to receive the stress transmitted from the side wall.

The tank bottom may consist in a conventional manner of sheets 5.

The fixed roof may be supported by a framework 10 supported in turn by posts or uprights 11 and receiving a sheet roofing structure 12.

This roof may consist of a cupola providing a selfsupporting roof structure.

If a floating roof 18 is desired, the cross-sectional contour thereof may be calculated to correspond to the internal cross-sectional contour of the tank bounded laterally by the corrugated side wall structure (FIGURES 4 and in this case, seals 13 must be provided between the roof edge and the bottom of the corrugations 1 (FIGURE 6) and guide means such as rollers 14 secured to the roof edge in alignment with the smaller half-tubes 2 interconnecting adjacent corrugations are provided.

A modified form of embodiment of the tank structure of this invention consists in welding an inner wall 15 to the tubular members or semi-cylindrical-tubes 2 of the side walls; this inner wall (see FIGURES 8 and 9) is notched or apertured at its bottom to permit the fluid communication between the cells formed thereby and the central tank space. Valve means 16 are provided in the upper belt 3 above each cell to permit the expansion of the gaseous content overlying the storage liquid 17 in the space provided between the side Wall corrugations 1 and the inner wall 15. This inner wall 15 is adapted to act as a guide to the floating roof 18.

It is clear that irrespective of the type of tank contemplated, as well as of its shape and cross-sectional dimensions, and of the type of floating or fixed roof, the use of a corrugated side wall secured between the top and bottom belts, with or without using an internal cylindrical wall, permits of transferring to said belts the stress re ceived by the side wall which may thus be relatively thin and light in weight, especially if it lies between two chambers receiving the same fluid pressure (FIGURES 8 and 9).

If a very high tank is contemplated, it is possible to superpose two side walls by welding to the top belt another series of corrugations to be subsequently covered in turn with another top belt.

Under these conditions, the tank side wall consists of:

A bottom belt,

A first side wall,

An intermediate belt, An upper side wall, A top belt,

each side wall consisting of course of corrugated sheets interconnected by half-cylinders of which the radius is dependent on the desired strength of the side wall.

The cells described and illustrated herein may have a semi-circular configuration in cross-section, or any other suitable curvature, and the side wall or inner wall proper may be cylindrical or of revolution.

What I claim is:

1. A large capacity metal tank for storage of liquid comprising, a generally cylindrical sidewall of lightweight corrugated sheet metal, the corrugations of said side wall defining vertically extending channels opening into the interior of said tank, an annular belt covering said sidewall comprising a metallic ring having in radial cross section the shape of a horizontally disposed I, said ring having its web portion overlying and covering the ends of said channels defined by the corrugations of said sidewall, a roof covering the interior of said tank, a bottom belt made of annularly disposed joined sheets supporting said sidewall and receiving in conjunction with said annular belt stresses exerted on said tank sidewall, and means defining a bottom on said tank.

2. A large capacity metal tank according to claim 1 in which said sidewall corrugations comprise cylindrical sections each having a substantially semi-circular cross section joining adjacent ones of said channel forming corrugations, and axially coextensive therewith, said cylindrical sections opening in a direction outwardly of said tank and each having a radius smaller than the individual radii of said corrugations defining said channels.

3. A large capacity metal tank according to claim 1, including a vertically extending cylindrical wall disposed Within said corrugated side wall and forming therewith vertically extending cells disposed radially outwardly of said cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall being provided with notches at its bottom edge allowing communication between the interior of the tank and said cells.

4. A large capacity metal tank according to claim 1, in which said roof comprises means defining a floating roof floatable on the liquid contents of said tank, and means guiding the floating roof on said sidewall for upward and downward travel when the level of said liquid contents varies upwardly and downwardly, and seal means providing a seal between said floating roof and said sidewall.

5. A large capacity metal tank according to claim 4, in which said means guiding the floating roof comprises a vertically extending cylindrical wall disposed within said corrugated side wall and forming therewith vertically extending cells disposed radially outwardly of said roof, said cylindrical wall being provided with notches at its bottom edge allowing communication between the interior of said tank and said cells, and valve means on said annular belt Web portion to allow venting of expanding gases overlying the liquid contents of said tank between said cylindrical wall and said corrugated side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 644,119 2/1900 Witt 220-72 775,894 11/1904 Chidister 220-71 786,338 4/ 1905 Zimmermann 220-72 1,011,209 12/1911 Killion 220-72 X 1,819,418 8/1931 Horton 220-26 1,864,931 6/1932 Pritchard 220-1 2,190,476 2/1940 Haupt et a1. 220-26 2,220,186 11/1940 Walker 220-1 X 2,598,160 5/ 1952 Gruenais 220-1 2,618,401 ll/1952 Wilkin 220-71 X 2,820,568 1/1958 Zick et al. 220-71 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,214,533 ll/1959 France.

520,044 4/ 1940 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner J. R. GARRETT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 220-71, 72