Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C3/00—Vessels not under pressure
  • F17C3/02—Vessels not under pressure with provision for thermal insulation
  • F17C3/025—Bulk storage in barges or on ships
  • F17C3/027—Wallpanels for so-called membrane tanks
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
  • F17C2201/01—Shape
  • F17C2201/0147—Shape complex
  • F17C2201/0157—Polygonal
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
  • F17C2201/05—Size
  • F17C2201/052—Size large (>1000 m3)
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2203/00—Vessel construction, in particular walls or details thereof
  • F17C2203/03—Thermal insulations
  • F17C2203/0304—Thermal insulations by solid means
  • F17C2203/0329—Foam
  • F17C2203/0333—Polyurethane
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2203/00—Vessel construction, in particular walls or details thereof
  • F17C2203/03—Thermal insulations
  • F17C2203/0304—Thermal insulations by solid means
  • F17C2203/0358—Thermal insulations by solid means in form of panels
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2221/00—Handled fluid, in particular type of fluid
  • F17C2221/03—Mixtures
  • F17C2221/032—Hydrocarbons
  • F17C2221/033—Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2223/00—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel
  • F17C2223/01—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel characterised by the phase
  • F17C2223/0146—Two-phase
  • F17C2223/0153—Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL
  • F17C2223/0161—Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2223/00—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel
  • F17C2223/03—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel characterised by the pressure level
  • F17C2223/033—Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2260/00—Purposes of gas storage and gas handling
  • F17C2260/03—Dealing with losses
  • F17C2260/031—Dealing with losses due to heat transfer
  • F17C2260/033—Dealing with losses due to heat transfer by enhancing insulation
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
  • F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
  • F17C2270/00—Applications
  • F17C2270/01—Applications for fluid transport or storage
  • F17C2270/0102—Applications for fluid transport or storage on or in the water
  • F17C2270/0105—Ships
  • F17C2270/0107—Wall panels

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of tanks, waterproof and thermally insulating membranes, for the storage and / or transport of a fluid, such as a cryogenic fluid.
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• Each wall of the vessel comprises a multilayer structure successively presenting, in the direction of the thickness, from the outside to the inside of the vessel, a secondary thermal insulation barrier comprising insulating panels retained to a supporting structure, a secondary sealing membrane resting against the secondary thermal insulation barrier, a primary thermal insulation barrier comprising insulating panels resting against the secondary waterproofing membrane and a primary waterproofing membrane resting against the primary thermal insulation barrier and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.
• Each insulation board of the primary thermal insulation barrier has cutouts along its edges and at its corners.
• These cuts define recesses in which are housed anchoring devices for fixing the insulating panels of the primary thermal insulation barrier on the insulating panels of the secondary thermal insulation barrier.
• Insulating plugs are intended to be housed in the recesses formed in the primary thermal insulation barrier in order to ensure continuity of the thermal insulation.
• the dimensional tolerances of the insulating plugs are low so that the insulating plugs are adjusted as closely as possible to the dimensions of the recesses. In particular, it is necessary that the dimensions of the insulating plugs and recesses in the thickness direction of the tank wall are adjusted to each other. Indeed, if this is not the case, the insulating plugs locally cause unevenness that affect the flatness of the support surface of the primary waterproofing membrane. However, such unevenness is likely to damage the primary waterproofing membrane.
• a second feature is that the recesses in the direction perpendicular to the thickness are the most limited possible, this in order to minimize gas movement phenomena that could affect the thermal performance.
• An idea underlying the invention is to propose a method for manufacturing a thermal insulation barrier, intended to define an internal support surface of a sealing membrane and having recesses and insulated plugs housed in said recess, which is simple to implement and which limits the presence of unevenness in the internal support surface of the sealing membrane to the right of the recesses.
• the invention provides a method of manufacturing a thermal insulation barrier for a wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank integrated into a carrier structure, said method comprising the following steps:
• anchoring a plurality of insulating panels directly or indirectly to the supporting structure by means of anchoring devices; said plurality of insulating panels defining an inner support surface of a sealing membrane and having at least one recess opening at said inner surface;
• insulating cap made of polymer foam intended to ensure a continuity of the thermal insulation at said recess, said insulating plug having an internal end;
• the initial dimension of the insulating plug in the direction of thickness of the tank wall is no longer critical since, when the insulating plug is pushed inside the recess, its dimension in the direction of The thickness of the wall is irreversibly reduced until the inner end of the insulating plug reaches the desired position.
• this method makes it possible to adjust the size of the insulating plug in the direction of thickness of the tank wall directly during the integration of the thermal insulation barrier on the supporting structure. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to simplify the manufacture of the insulating plugs by allowing an increase in its dimensional tolerances, and on the other hand, to limit the amplitude of the unevenness likely to form in the internal surface of the membrane support. sealing.
• such a method may have one or more of the following characteristics.
• the insulating cap is made of polymer foam having a density of between 20 and 60 kg / m 3 .
• foam can be easily deformed irreversibly, by hand without a dedicated tool.
• the insulating cap is made of polyurethane foam.
• the insulating plug is made of expanded polystyrene foam.
• one of the anchoring devices is housed inside the recess and said anchoring device includes the support member against which the insulating plug is pushed.
• said anchoring device housed inside said recess comprises a stud fixed directly or indirectly to the supporting structure and, during the anchoring of the plurality of insulating panels, it is mounted on the stud a retaining member so that it cooperates with a retaining zone of at least one of the insulating panels so as to retain said insulating panel towards the supporting structure, said stud forming the support member against which the insulating plug is pushed in such a way that said pin is inserted into said insulating plug when the insulating plug is pushed towards the supporting structure.
• the stud when the insulating plug is pushed towards the supporting structure, the stud is inserted into the mass of the insulating plug by a distance of between 5 and 30 mm, for example between 8 and 15 mm.
• one of the anchoring devices is housed inside the recess and the insulating plug has an outer end into which a housing opens; said anchoring device being at least partially housed in said housing when the inner end of the insulating plug reaches its predetermined position.
• the anchoring of the plurality of insulating panels it is mounted on a stud which is fixed directly or indirectly to the supporting structure:
• the nut and the at least one spring washer being housed in the housing opening at the outer end of the insulating plug when the inner end of the insulating plug reaches its predetermined position.
• the recess is bordered on the inner surface side by an adjacent edge surface and, in the predetermined position of the inner end of the insulating cap, said inner end is positioned minus 1 mm above said adjacent edge surface and less than 3 mm below.
• said inner end of the insulating plug is flush with the adjacent edge surface or is disposed less than 2 mm below.
• the adjacent edge surface extends in the plane of the inner surface of the plurality of insulating panels or forms the bottom of a counterbore in which there is a closure plate after the positioning of the cap insulation in the predetermined position.
• the insulating plug is irreversibly compressed in a thickness direction orthogonal to the supporting structure at its bearing against the support member when the insulating plug is pushed towards the supporting structure.
• the insulating cap has a larger section than the recess and is tightly mounted in said recess.
• the insulating plug has a periphery that is torn off during the insertion of the insulating plug inside the recess.
• the invention also relates to a thermal insulation barrier for a wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank integrated in a supporting structure comprising:
• a plurality of insulating panels anchored directly or indirectly to the support structure by means of anchoring devices; said plurality of insulating panels defining an inner support surface of a sealing membrane and having at least one recess opening at said inner surface;
• the invention also relates to a sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising a thermal insulation barrier and a sealing membrane resting against said thermal insulation barrier.
• a tank according to one of the aforementioned embodiments can be part of an onshore storage facility, for example to store LNG or be installed in a floating structure, coastal or deep water, including a tanker or LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO) and others.
• the tank may be intended to receive liquefied natural gas as a fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure.
• a vessel for transporting a fluid comprises a hull, such as a double hull, and a said tank disposed in the hull.
• the invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, in which a fluid is conveyed through isolated pipes from or to a floating or land storage facility to or from the tank of the vessel. ship.
• the invention also provides a transfer system for a fluid, the system comprising the abovementioned vessel, insulated pipes arranged to connect the vessel installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or ground storage facility. and a pump for driving fluid flow through the insulated pipelines from or to the floating or land storage facility to or from the vessel vessel.
• FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of a vessel wall according to a first embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an anchoring device for fixing primary insulating panels of the primary thermal insulation barrier on the secondary thermal insulation barrier which is housed in a recess formed between two primary insulating panels and an insulating plug inserted within said recess.
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the insulating plug of Figure 2.
• FIG. 4 is a top view of the primary insulating panels at a recess formed between two primary insulating panels, when the insulating cap is housed inside said recess and a closure plate covers said recess.
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating an anchoring device which is housed in a recess in four corner areas of four adjacent primary insulating panels.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an anchoring device housed in a recess of the primary thermal insulation barrier and an insulating plug, according to an embodiment variant, before it is inserted inside said recess.
• Figure 7 is a schematic view similar to that of Figure 6 during the insertion of the insulating cap inside the recess.
• FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating an anchoring device housed in a recess of the primary thermal insulation barrier and an insulating plug according to another embodiment during its insertion into the recess.
• FIG. 9 is a cutaway perspective view of a vessel wall according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an insulating plug of the primary thermal insulation barrier of the tank wall of FIG. 9.
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an insulating plug of the secondary thermal insulation barrier of the tank wall of FIG. 9.
• FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating in detail a device for anchoring the vessel wall of FIG. 9.
• FIG. 13 is a cutaway schematic representation of a vessel of a LNG carrier having walls as shown in FIG. 1 and a loading / unloading terminal of this vessel.
• FIG. 1 there is shown the multilayer structure of a wall 1 of a sealed and thermally insulating tank for storing a fluid, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• Each wall 1 of the tank comprises successively, in the direction of the thickness, from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 retained to the supporting structure 3, a secondary sealing membrane 4 resting against the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2, a primary thermal insulation barrier 5 resting against the secondary sealing membrane 4 and a primary sealing membrane 6 intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• the supporting structure 3 can in particular be formed by the hull or the double hull of a ship.
• the supporting structure 3 comprises a plurality of walls defining the general shape of the tank, usually a polyhedral shape.
• the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 comprises a plurality of secondary insulating panels 7 anchored to the supporting structure 3 by means of resin cords, not shown, and / or studs, not shown, welded to the supporting structure 3.
• the panels secondary insulators 7 each comprise a layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between an inner plate and an outer plate, rigid.
• the inner and outer plates are, for example, plywood boards bonded to said insulating polymeric foam layer.
• the insulating polymer foam may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam.
• the secondary sealing membrane 4 comprises a plurality of corrugated metal sheets 10.
• the adjacent corrugated metal sheets 10 are welded together.
• the corrugated metal sheets 10 are welded to metal plates 14 which are fixed to the inner plate of the secondary insulating panels 7.
• the corrugated metal sheets 10 comprise along their longitudinal edges and at their four corners cutouts for the passage of studs 15 which are fixed on the inner plates of the secondary insulating panels 7 and which are intended to ensure the fixing of the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 on the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2.
• the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 comprises a plurality of primary insulating panels 16 of substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
• Each primary insulating panel 16 has a layer of polymer foam 17 sandwiched between two rigid plates, namely an inner plate 18 and an outer plate 19.
• the inner 18 and outer 19 plates are for example plywood.
• the polymeric foam layer 17 is, for example, polyurethane foam, optionally reinforced with fibers, such as glass fibers.
• each primary insulating panel 16 is equipped with metal plates 20, 21 for anchoring the corrugated metal sheets 22 of the primary waterproofing membrane 6.
• the metal plates 20, 21 are fixed in countersinks formed in the internal plate 18 of the primary insulating panel 16 and fixed thereto by screws, rivets or staples, for example.
• the primary waterproofing membrane 6 is obtained by assembling a plurality of corrugated metal sheets 22.
• Each corrugated metal sheet 22 comprises between the corrugations, a plurality of flat surfaces 25 bearing against the inner plates 18 of the primary insulating panels In other words, the inner plates 18 of the primary insulating panels 16 form an internal support surface of the primary waterproofing membrane 6.
• corrugated metal sheets 22 of the primary waterproofing membrane 6 are arranged offset from the primary insulating panels 16 so that each of said corrugated metal sheets 22 extends jointly over four adjacent primary insulating panels 16.
• the corrugated metal sheets 22 are welded together and are furthermore welded along their edges on the metal plates 20, 21 which are fixed on the primary insulating panels 16.
• Each primary insulating panel 16 has one or more cutouts 35 along each of its two longitudinal edges and a cutout 36 from each of its corners. Each cutout 35, 36 passes through the inner plate 18 and extends over the entire thickness of the polymer foam layer 17. At each of the cutouts 35, 36, the outer plate 19 overflows with respect to the polymer foam layer 17 and the inner plate 18 so as to form a retention zone 37 cooperating with an anchoring device 38. Each cutout 35 formed in the edge of one of the primary insulating panels 16 is arranged facing a cutout 35. formed in the edge vis-à-vis an adjacent primary insulating panel 16.
• the cutouts 35 of two adjacent primary insulating panels 16 form, in pairs, a recess 43 in which an anchoring device 38 is housed.
• a single anchoring device 38 can cooperate with two retaining zones 37 respectively belonging to one and the other of the two adjacent primary insulating panels 16.
• each cutout 36 formed at one of the corners of the primary insulating panels 16 opens against the cutouts 36 formed at the adjacent corners of the three adjacent primary insulating panels 16.
• the four cutouts 36 together form a recess 39 in the shape of a cross. Therefore, a single anchoring device 38 can cooperate with the four contact surfaces 37 of the four adjacent primary insulating panels 16.
• a recess 43 formed at the cutouts 35 formed in the edge of two adjacent primary insulating panels 16 and an anchoring device 38 and an insulating plug 44 housed in said recess are observed. 43.
• the anchoring device 38 comprises a pin 15 which is fixed on the inner plate of the secondary insulating panels 7.
• the anchoring device 38 further comprises a retaining member 40 which is fixed on said stud 15.
• the retaining member 40 bears against the retaining zone 37 of the primary insulating panels 16, that is to say against the zone of the outer plate 19 projecting with respect to the inner plate 18 and to the layer of polymer foam 17.
• each holding zone 37 is sandwiched between the retaining member 40 and the secondary sealing membrane 4.
• the retaining member 40 is here an annular metal plate which has a bore threaded on the stud 15.
• a nut 41 cooperates with a thread of the stud 15 so as to ensure the fixing of the retaining member 40 on the stud 15.
• one or more washers resilient, such as Belleville washers 42 are threaded on the stud 15, between the nut 41 and the retaining member 40, which ensures a resilient anchoring of the primary insulating panels 16 on the secondary insulating panels 7.
• the insulating plug 44 is put in place in the recess 43 to ensure the continuity of the thermal insulation.
• the inner plates 18 of the primary insulating panels 16 have a countersink 45 whose bottom 46 borders the recess 43.
• the countersink 45 is intended to receive a closure plate 47, subsequent to the positioning the insulating plug 44 in the recess 43.
• the closure plate 47 has an inner surface that is flush with the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16 so as to ensure a flatness of the support surface of the primary waterproofing membrane 6.
• the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 is free of countersinks 45 and closure plates 47 above. Also, in such a case, it is the inner end 48 of the insulating cap 44 which is intended to be flush with the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16 so as to ensure a flatness of the support surface of the primary waterproofing membrane. 6.
• the insulating plug 44 is made of polymer foam.
• the insulating plug 44 may in particular be made of a polyurethane foam having a density of between 20 and 60 kg / m 3 and advantageously between 30 and 50 kg / m 3 .
• An insulating plug 44 having such characteristics is particularly advantageous in that it is able to deform irreversibly without the fact that the stress required to obtain irreversible deformation is too great.
• the insulating plug 44 may also be made of expanded polystyrene having a density of between 20 and 60 kg / m 3 and advantageously between 30 and 50 kg / m 3 .
• the insulating plug 44 has a section which is adjusted to that of the recess 43.
• the insulating cap 44 has a planar inner end 48.
• the insulating cap 44 also has an outer end 49 into which a housing 50 opens to receive at least partially the anchoring device 38.
• the housing 50 has two portions 51, 52 of different diameters.
• the first portion 51 has the largest diameter and opens at the outer end 49 of the insulating plug 44. This first portion 51 is intended to accommodate the spring washers 42 and the nut 41.
• the second portion 52 has a diameter lower and extends from the first portion 51 towards the inner end 48 of the insulating plug 44.
• the second portion 52 is intended to accommodate the end of the stud 15.
• the geometry of the housing 50 is adapted to the geometry of the anchoring device 38 to optimize the presence of insulating material in the recess 43.
• the insulating plug 45 has a dimension X 0, taken along the thickness direction of the wall 1 of the tank, between the bottom 53 of the housing 50 and the inner end 48 of the insulating plug 44.
• the dimension Xo is greater than the dimension Y, taken along the thickness direction of the wall 1 of the tank, between the end of the stud 15 and the plane an adjacent edge surface that borders the recess 43.
• the adjacent edge surface corresponds to the bottom 46 of the counterbore 45.
• the dimension Y here corresponds to the distance between the end of the stud 15 and the bottom 46 of the counterbore 45.
• the surface adjacent to the edge corresponds to the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16.
• the dimension Y corresponds here to the distance between the end of the stud 15 and the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16.
• X 0 Y + ⁇ with ⁇ of between 5 and 30 mm and preferably between 8 and 15 mm.
• the insulating plug 44 is inserted into the recess 43 and then pushed inside it in the direction of the carrier structure 3 to what said insulating plug 44, and more particularly the bottom 53 of the housing 50, comes to bear against a support member, here the end of the stud 15. Subsequently, the insulating plug 44 is pushed against the stud 15, such that the stud 15 penetrates the polymer foam of the insulating plug 44 and irreversibly damages it. In other words, in the area of the insulating plug 44 in contact with the stud 15, said insulating plug 44 is deformed beyond its elastic limit and undergoes plastic deformations and / or breaks.
• the dimension Xi of the insulating plug 44 taken in the direction of thickness of the wall 1 of the tank, between the bearing zone of the insulating plug 44 against the stud 15 and the inner end of the insulating plug 44 is less than the Xo dimension.
• the stud 15 is sinking into the mass of the insulating plug 44 by a distance of between 5 and 30 mm, for example between 8 and 15 mm.
• the predetermined position of the insulating plug 44 in the recess 43 corresponds to a position in which the inner end 48 of the insulating plug 44 is positioned relative to the adjacent edge surface, here the bottom 46 of the counterbore 45, less than 1 mm above said adjacent border surface and less than 3 mm below.
• said inner end 48 of the insulating plug 44 is flush with the adjacent edge surface or is disposed less than 2 mm below.
• the dimension Xi can be defined by the following inequalities:
• FIG. 5 illustrates an anchoring device 54 as well as the recess 55 formed at the corners of four adjacent primary insulating panels 16 and inside which said anchoring device 54 is housed.
• the retaining member 56 has an X-shape and has four lugs which are each housed inside a cutout 36 formed in one of the respective primary insulating panels 16.
• Five insulating plugs 57, 58, 59, 60 ensure the continuity of the thermal insulation.
• the insulating plugs 57, 58, 59, 60 are made of a material identical to that of the insulating plug 44 described in relation with FIGS. 2 to 4.
• the mounting of the insulating plugs 57, 58, 59, 60 in the recess 55 is detailed below.
• the four insulating plugs 57, 58, 59 are positioned in the respective cutout 36 of one of the primary insulating panels 16.
• the four insulating plugs 57, 58, 59 have dimensions according to the thickness direction of the vessel wall 1 which are adjusted to that of the recess so that it is not necessary to damage them irreversibly so that their inner end 61 is flush with the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16 adjacent.
• the four insulating plugs 57, 58, 59 have a dimension in the thickness direction of the tank which is greater than the dimension, taken in the thickness direction of the vessel wall 1, between the bearing surface of the retaining member 56 intended to receive the outer end of the insulating plugs and the plane of the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16.
• each insulating plug 57, 58, 59 is first inserted inside the recess 55 in the direction of the carrier structure 3 until said insulating plug 57, 58, 59 bears against a support member, here one of the legs of the retaining member 56.
• each insulating plug 57, 58, 59 is pushed against the retaining member 56 so that said insulating plug 57, 58, 59 is irreversibly compressed the.
• the dimension of each of the insulating plugs 57, 58, 59 irreversibly decreases until the inner end 61 of each insulating plug 57, 58, 59 reaches a predetermined position, in which the internal end 61 of each insulating plug 57, 58, 59 is substantially flush with the internal surface of the primary insulating panels 16.
• the central insulating plug 60 is inserted into the recess 55 between the four other insulating plugs 57, 58, 59 until it bears against the end of the stud 15. Thereafter, as in the embodiment Figures 2 to 4, the insulating cap 60 is pushed against the stud 15, so that the stud 15 penetrates the polymer foam of said insulating cap 60 and irreversibly damages it. The insulating plug 60 is deformed until the inner end 61 of said insulating plug 60 reaches a predetermined position.
• the predetermined positions of the insulating plugs 57, 58, 59, 60 each correspond to a position in which the inner end 61 of the respective plug 57, 58, 59, 60 is positioned less than 1 mm above the adjacent surface of the plug. border, here the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 16, and less than 3 mm and preferably less than 2 mm below.
• Figures 6 and 7 show schematically an insulating plug 62 according to another embodiment.
• This embodiment differs from the embodiment described above in relation to FIGS. 1 to 4 in that the insulating cap 62 has, in its initial state, a section of dimensions greater than those of the section of the recess. 43.
• the periphery 63 of the insulating plug 62 is at least partially torn off from the portion of the insulating plug 62 which fits into the Inside the recess 43.
• Such an arrangement makes it possible to avoid play, which may adversely affect the thermal insulation, between the insulating plug 62 and the walls of the recess 43.
• the insulating cap 62 and the recess 43 have a circular cross-section
• the insulating cap 62 has a diameter greater than 2 to 10 mm, and advantageously from 5 to 7 mm, to that of the recess 43.
• the insulating plug 62 has another shape, for example parallelepipedal, at least one of the dimensions of its section is greater than the corresponding dimension of the section of the recess 43.
• the periphery 63 of the insulating plug 62 may be pre-cut so as to facilitate its tearing during the insertion of the insulating plug 62 into the recess 43.
• FIG. 8 shows schematically an insulating plug 64 according to another embodiment.
• the insulating plug 64 has a section of dimensions greater than those of the section of the recess 43.
• the periphery of the insulating plug 64 is not torn off during the insertion of the insulating plug 64 inside the recess 43 and the insulating plug 64 is mounted tightly in the recess 43.
• the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 comprises a plurality of secondary insulating panels 65 juxtaposed.
• Each secondary insulating panel 65 consists of a parallelepipedal box, for example of plywood, which comprises a bottom plate, a cover plate and partitions which extend in the thickness direction of the wall 1 between the plate bottom and lid plate and which define compartments filled with an insulating gasket, such as perlite for example.
• the bottom plates protrude laterally on two opposite sides of the box so that in each corner of the box on this projecting portion are fixed cleats 68.
• the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 also comprises a plurality of primary insulating panels 66 juxtaposed.
• the primary insulating panels 66 have a structure substantially similar to that of the secondary insulating panels 65.
• the primary insulating panels 66 have dimensions identical to those of the secondary insulating panels 65 with the exception of their thickness in the direction of thickness of the tank which is likely to be smaller than that of the secondary insulating panels 65.
• the bottom plates of the primary insulating panels project laterally on two opposite sides of the box so that in each corner of the box on this projecting portion are fixed cleats 67.
• the secondary sealing membrane 4 comprises a continuous sheet of metal strakes with raised edges.
• the strakes are welded by their raised edges to parallel welding supports which are fixed in grooves provided on the cover plates of the secondary insulating panels 65.
• the primary waterproofing membrane 6 has a similar structure and comprises a sheet continuous metal strakes with raised edges. The strakes are welded by their raised edges to parallel weld supports which are secured in grooves on the cover plates of the primary insulating panels 66.
• the metal strakes are, for example, made of Invar ®: that is to say an alloy of iron and nickel whose expansion coefficient is typically between 1, 2.10 "6 and 2.10 6 K _1 .
• FIG. 12 illustrates an anchoring device 69 for anchoring the primary and secondary insulation panels 65 and 65.
• the anchoring device 69 comprises a socket 82 which is fixed on the supporting structure 3 at four corners of four secondary insulating panels 66 adjacent.
• Each bushing 82 houses a nut 83 into which is screwed the lower end of a stud 84.
• the anchoring device 69 further comprises a retaining member 85 fixed to the stud 84.
• the retaining member 85 comes into support against the cleats 68 so as to retain the secondary insulating panels 65 against the supporting structure 3.
• a nut 86 cooperates with a thread of the stud 84 so as to ensure the fixing of the retaining member 85 on the stud 84.
• the anchoring device 69 comprises spring washers 87 which are threaded onto the stud 84 between the nut 86 and the retaining member 85, which makes it possible to ensure elastic anchoring of the secondary insulating panels 65 on the supporting structure 3.
• the anchoring device further comprises a plate 88 which is fixed to the retaining member 85.
• a spacer element 89 for example made of wood, is disposed between the retaining member 85 and the plate 88. Spacer element 89 present a thickness such that the plate 88 is flush with the cover plate of the secondary insulating panels 65.
• the spacer element 89 comprises a central recess for receiving the upper end of the stud 84, the nut 86 and the spring washers 87
• the spacer element 89 also comprises bores intended to be traversed by screws 90 which make it possible to secure the plate 88 to the retaining member 85.
• the plate 88 has a central threaded bore which receives the threaded base of a stud 91.
• the stud 91 passes through a bore formed through a strake of the secondary sealing membrane 4.
• the stud 91 has a flange which is welded around its periphery around the bore to seal the secondary sealing membrane 4
• the stud 91 has a threaded upper end on which a nut 92 is aimed to ensure the clamping of a retaining member 93 against the cleats 67 of the primary insulating panels 66.
• the anchoring device 69 also comprises at least one spring washer 94 which is threaded on the stud 92 between the nut 92 and the retaining member 93 and which thus provides an elastic anchoring of the primary insulating panels 66 relative to the plate 88.
• the primary and secondary thermal insulation barriers 5 of a tank wall 1 having such a multilayer structure are also provided with insulating plugs 95, 96.
• FIG. 1 An insulating plug 95 of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 1.
• Each insulating plug 95 has a cross shape and has an internal bore through which the stud 84 of the anchoring device 69 is inserted.
• the insulating cap 95 is inserted into a recess at the corners of four secondary insulating panels 65 in such a manner that each of the four branches of said insulating plug 95 is inserted into a gap between two adjacent secondary insulating panels 65.
• the insulating plug 95 is made of a material identical to that of the insulating plug 44 described in connection with FIGS. 2 to 4.
• the mounting of the insulating plug 95 in the recess is as follows.
• the insulating cap 95 is positioned so that the stud 95 is opposite the stud 84 and is inserted into the recess in the direction of the carrier structure 3 until it bears against a support member Here, the bushing 82.
• the insulating plug 95 is pushed against the bushing 82 so that the insulating plug 95 irreversibly deforms until said insulating plug 95 reaches a predetermined position.
• the inner end of the insulating cap 95 is substantially flush with the surface of the cleats 68 against which the retaining member 85 bears.
• An insulating plug 96 of the primary thermal insulation barrier 5 is shown in detail in FIG. 10. Each insulating plug 96 is inserted into a recess at the corners of four adjacent primary insulating panels.
• the insulating plug 96 is made of a material identical to that of the insulating plug 44 described in connection with FIGS. 4.
• the mounting of the insulating cap 96 in the respective recess is as follows.
• the insulating plug 96 is positioned in the recess and pushed towards the supporting structure 3 until it bears against a support member, here the stud 91.
• the insulating plug 96 is pushed against the stud 91 so that the insulating plug 96 irreversibly deforms until said insulating plug 96 reaches a predetermined position.
• the inner end of the insulating cap 96 is substantially flush with the inner surface of the primary insulating panels 66.
• a broken view of a LNG tank 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 of generally prismatic shape mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship.
• the wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealing membrane intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing membrane arranged between the primary waterproofing membrane and the double hull 72 of the vessel, and two thermally insulating barriers respectively arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane and between the secondary sealing membrane and the double shell 72.
• loading / unloading lines 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship can be connected, by means of appropriate connectors, to a marine or port terminal to transfer a cargo of LNG from or to the tank 71.
• FIG. 13 represents an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipe 76 and an onshore installation 77.
• the loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed off-shore installation comprising an arm mobile 74 and a tower 78 which supports the movable arm 74.
• the movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can connect to the loading / unloading pipes 73.
• the movable arm 74 can be adapted to all gauges of LNG carriers .
• a connection pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78.
• the loading and unloading station 75 enables the loading and unloading of the LNG tank 70 from or to the shore facility 77.
• the underwater line 76 allows the transfer of the liquefied gas between the loading station and the loading station. unloading 75 and the onshore installation 77 over a large distance, for example 5 km, which makes it possible to keep the LNG ship 70 at a great distance from the coast during the loading and unloading operations.
• pumps on board the ship 70 and / or pumps equipping the shore installation 77 and / or pumps equipping the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
• Thermal Insulation (AREA)
• Casting Or Compression Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)

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• 2017
  • 2017-11-13 FR FR1760638A patent/FR3073600B1/fr active Active
• 2018
  • 2018-11-09 RU RU2020115178A patent/RU2741688C1/ru active
  • 2018-11-09 WO PCT/FR2018/052801 patent/WO2019092384A1/fr unknown
  • 2018-11-09 CN CN201880073660.9A patent/CN111406176B/zh active Active
  • 2018-11-09 KR KR1020207015678A patent/KR102580155B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2018-11-09 ES ES18819179T patent/ES2960534T3/es active Active
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