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
  • F17C13/00—Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels
  • F17C13/004—Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels for large storage vessels not under pressure
• • 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
  • F17C2203/0358—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
  • F17C2203/00—Vessel construction, in particular walls or details thereof
  • F17C2203/06—Materials for walls or layers thereof; Properties or structures of walls or their materials
  • F17C2203/0634—Materials for walls or layers thereof
  • F17C2203/0636—Metals
  • F17C2203/0648—Alloys or compositions of metals
  • F17C2203/0651—Invar
• • 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
  • F17C2260/01—Improving mechanical properties or manufacturing
  • F17C2260/011—Improving strength
• • 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

• Watertight tank wall comprising a waterproofing membrane comprising a reinforced zone
• the invention relates to the field of sealed tanks, in particular for the storage or transport of fluids, and in particular to sealed and thermally insulating tanks for liquefied gases at low temperatures.
• Sealed and thermally insulating tanks are used in particular for the storage of liquefied gas such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is stored at atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on the ground or on a floating structure.
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• LPG liquefied petroleum gas
• WO2012072906 or FR3054872 storage or transport tanks are known for low-temperature liquefied gases whose or each sealing membrane, in particular a primary sealing membrane in contact with the product contained in the tank, consists of thin metal sheets, called metal strakes, which are interconnected, sealingly to ensure the tightness of the tank.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a known method of fixing said metal strakes on the thermally insulating barrier in this type of tank.
• a so-called upper support surface 101 of the thermally insulating barrier has a groove 102 developing in the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier from the support surface 101.
• This groove 102 presents in the thickness of the barrier.
• thermally insulating a retaining zone 103 which develops parallel to the support surface 101.
• This retaining zone 103 develops at one end of the groove 102 opposite the support surface 101 in the thickness of the heat barrier insulating.
• the groove 102 then has an L-shaped cross-section whose base is formed by the retaining zone 103.
• a solder support 104 comprising a base and a branch connected to the base so as to form an L, is slidably inserted into the groove 102.
• the base 105 is housed in the retention zone 103 so as to to retain the solder support 104 on the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 101.
• the branch 106 of the solder support 104 comprises a lower portion 107 which is contiguous with the base 105 and an upper portion 108 which makes projecting above the support surface 101.
• Two metal strakes 109 are disposed on either side of the solder support 104. These metal strakes 109 each have a flat median portion 1 10 resting on the support surface 101 (for a question of readability of the figure, the surface 101 and the metal strakes 109 are shown in Figure 2 with a gap). These metal strakes furthermore have raised lateral edges, hereafter called raised edges 1 1 1. A raised edge 1 1 1 of each of the two adjacent metal strakes 109 is welded on either side of the branch 106 of the solder support 104.
• the raised edges 1 1 1 thus form with the welding support 104 deformable bellows to absorb the forces related to the contraction of the sealed membrane, for example during a cryogenic liquid loading into the tank.
• FIG. 3 also illustrates a known method of fixing said metal strakes 109 on the thermally insulating barrier in this type of tank.
• This method of fixing is distinguished from the fixing mode of FIG. 2 by the shape of the soldering support 104 and the shape of the groove 102.
• the base 105 of the soldering support 104 is here of rounded shape and the groove 102 does not comprise a retaining zone but a fastener January 12 located in the groove 102.
• the fastener January 12 has a portion 1 13 of complementary rounded shape so that the base 105 of the solder support 104 and the portion 13 of the fastener 1 12 fit one into the other so as to retain the base 105 of the solder support 104 in the groove 102.
• This is called weld support 104 in the form of J.
• the welding support is commonly of a thickness less than that of the strakes.
• An idea underlying the invention is to reduce or prevent the risk of sagging of the raised edges so as to avoid any degradation of the sealed tank.
• the invention provides a sealed tank wall, for storing a fluid, comprising:
• the metallic waterproof membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each strake being a profiled piece extending in a longitudinal direction and whose cross section comprises a flat medial portion resting on the a support surface and at least one raised lateral edge projecting from the support surface, the metal strakes being arranged parallel to each other on the support surface,
• a weld support carried by the support surface, a weld support having a base retained at the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and having a branch extending in said longitudinal direction protruding above the support surface between two raised edges of two adjacent strakes, each of the two raised edges being welded by a longitudinal weld to the weld support interposed between said raised edges so that the weld support and the two raised edges form a welded assembly allowing transverse movement of the strake relative to the welding support,
• the waterproofing membrane comprises a reinforced zone in which the welded assembly has a flexural strength in the transverse direction to withstand fluid sloshing
• the thickness of the welding support is greater than or equal to the thickness of the strake.
• the welded assembly has a stiffness in the greater bending due to the thickness of the weld support which is equal to or greater than the thickness of the strakes.
• the thickness of the welding support is greater than the thickness of the strakes.
• the invention intends to cover the case where only one of the welding supports, among the plurality of said welding supports, has a thickness equal to or greater than that of the strakes. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, all the welding supports have a thickness equal to or greater than that of the strakes.
• such a tank wall may have one or more of the following characteristics.
• a vertex edge of the solder support is substantially aligned with a vertex edge of the raised edges or slightly above a raised edge edge, the deviation being example between 0 and 5 mm.
• the welded assembly has at least three thicknesses of metal sheet in its width over its entire height which reduces this risk.
• the thickness of the solder support is greater than or equal to 1 mm, the thickness of the strakes being for example less than or equal to 0.7 mm.
• the thickness of the solder support may for example be between 0.7 and 2 mm, preferably between 1 and 2 mm.
• the base of the welding support comprises at least two length portions directed transversely on either side of the branch of the welding support, for example, alternately.
• the welding support comprises two elongated anchoring wings, each anchoring wing comprising a branch extending in said longitudinal direction and projecting above the surface of the anchor. support, and the branches of the two anchor wings are welded against each other by a sealing intermediate seal extending in the longitudinal direction so as to form the branch of the welding support, in which the intermediate welding is located above the support surface.
• the welded assembly has an additional sheet layer using the two anchor wings which increases the thickness of the welded assembly and thus the flexural stiffness of the welded assembly.
• each anchor wing comprises a base retained at the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and a branch extending in said longitudinal direction protruding above the support surface of the support surface. so that the branches of the anchor wings form the branch of the welding support and the bases of the anchor wings form the base of the welding support and in which the base of an anchor wing is directed in the transverse direction and the base of the other anchor wing is directed in the transverse direction in the opposite direction, for example over the entire length of the welding support or part of the length of the welding support.
• the intermediate weld is located at the same distance from the support surface as the two longitudinal welds. Thanks to these characteristics, the welded assembly therefore has all these welds aligned transversely which facilitates the realization of these welds, for example by means of a single pass of a welding machine with wheels.
• the present invention relates to a sealed tank wall, for storing a fluid, comprising:
• the metallic waterproof membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each strake being a profiled piece extending in a longitudinal direction and whose cross section comprises a flat medial portion resting on the support surface and at least one raised lateral edge projecting from the support surface, the strakes being arranged parallel to each other on the support surface,
• a weld support carried by the support surface, a weld support having a base retained at the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and having a branch extending in said longitudinal direction protruding above the support surface between two raised edges of two adjacent strakes, each of the two raised edges being welded by a longitudinal weld to the weld support interposed between said raised edges so that the weld support and the two raised edges form a welded assembly allowing transverse movement of the strake relative to the welding support,
• sealing membrane comprises a reinforced zone in which the welded assembly has a flexural strength in the transverse direction to withstand fluid sloshing
• the transition between a raised edge and a flat medial portion has a progressive rounded shape, for example the transition having a radius of curvature greater than 5mm, especially greater than 10mm.
• the metallic waterproof membrane comprises a shim located in a space formed between a raised edge and the branch of the welding support.
• the welded assembly comprises a segmented raised edge comprising:
• a first section connected to the flat median portion of the strake and forming an angle with the plane central portion, the angle being between 10 and 80 degrees
• a second panel connected to the first panel and being substantially orthogonal to the flat medial portion of the strake
• the first pan of the raised edge creates a strut to increase the bending strength of the welded assembly.
• the welded assembly in the reinforced zone, comprises two segmented raised edges belonging to the two adjacent strakes.
• the welded assembly comprises two legs of forces on either side of the welding support making it possible to increase the resistance to bending symmetrically.
• the metallic waterproof membrane in the reinforced zone, comprises a shim located in the space formed between a raised edge or a segmented raised edge and the support branch. Welding.
• said wedge in connection with the aforementioned first and second embodiments, can be located in the space formed between the first part of a segmented raised edge and the branch of the welding support to maintain the inclination from the first pan.
• the wedge makes it possible to maintain the inclination of the raised edge or the first part of the raised edge and thus to preserve the leg effect.
• the wedge also contributes to the increase in flexural strength.
• the vessel wall in the reinforced zone of the metallic waterproof membrane, comprises two shims, the first shim being located in the space formed between the first pan of a first segmented raised edge and the arm of the welding support and the second shim being located in the space formed between the first pan a second segmented raised edge and the branch of the welding support, the wedges to maintain the inclination of the first sections.
• the wedges make it possible to maintain the inclination of the first sections of the welding support and thus to preserve the leg effect.
• the wedges also contribute to the increase of flexural strength symmetrically.
• Such a wedge can be made can be made in various materials, for example wood, metal or synthetic materials.
• the shim is made of a folded metal sheet substantially parallel to the raised edge.
• a lower surface of one or each shim rests on the support surface.
• a lower surface of one or each shim rests on the base of the welding support.
• the present invention relates to a sealed tank wall, for storing a fluid, comprising:
• the metallic waterproof membrane comprising a plurality of strakes, each strake being a profiled piece extending in a longitudinal direction and whose cross section comprises a flat medial portion resting on the support surface and at least one raised lateral edge projecting from the support surface, the strakes being arranged parallel to each other on the support surface,
• a weld support carried by the support surface, a weld support comprising a base retained on the support surface in a direction perpendicular to the support surface and comprising a branch; extending in said longitudinal direction protruding above the support surface between two raised edges of two adjacent strakes, each of the two raised edges being welded by a longitudinal weld to the weld support interposed between said raised edges so that the welding support and the two raised edges form a welded assembly allowing transverse movement of the strake relative to the welding support,
• sealing membrane comprises a reinforced zone in which the welded assembly has a flexural strength in the transverse direction to withstand fluid sloshing
• the vessel wall comprises a cover bar, the cover bar having a flat lower surface resting on the flat medial portion of the two stretches of the welded assembly, the cover bar comprising a housing opening on the bottom surface and receiving a welded assembly so that the cover bar covers the welded assembly.
• the cover bar thus prevents the slug to exert a force on the welded assembly.
• Such a cover bar can be made can be made in various materials, for example wood, metal or synthetic materials.
• the cover bar is fixed to the weld support of the welded assembly by a fixing means.
• the cover bar and the welded assembly are attached to each other thereby forming a whole which increases the bending strength of the welded assembly.
• the fixing means is a rod, a clip, a stud, a screw, a clip or any other appropriate means.
• the housing of the cover bar comprises a flared portion allowing a transverse movement of the strake relative to the welding support.
• the flared portion is formed by a chamfer formed along a wall of the housing.
• the sealed tank wall comprises a thermally insulating barrier having a top panel having the support surface, the top panel having a developing groove. in a thickness direction and in a length direction of the thermally insulating barrier, the base of the solder support of the welded assembly being retained in the groove.
• the groove has in the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier an inlet zone which extends in the thickness direction the groove comprising a retaining zone disposed below the inlet zone and which develops parallel to the support surface over a wider width than the inlet zone, and wherein the base of the welding support is housed in the retaining zone.
• the retaining zone develops parallel to the support surface, on either side of the input zone.
• the groove comprises a fastener, the fastener being configured to retain the base of the welding support in the groove.
• the base of the welding support has a rounded shape and the fastener has a complementary rounded portion so that the base of the welding support and the rounded portion of the clip snap into each other.
• the thermally insulating barrier is a primary thermally insulating barrier and the waterproofing membrane is a primary waterproofing membrane, and in which the wall of sealed tank has a secondary heat-insulating barrier and a secondary waterproofing membrane disposed beneath the primary thermally insulating barrier.
• the reinforced zone may extend over the entire length of the vessel wall or over a portion of the length, for example on the half of the length.
• one or more welded assemblies may be in the reinforced zone.
• the reinforced zone may extend over the entire tank wall or a portion of the tank wall.
• the present invention is not limited to the eigenfeatures of the first, second and third embodiments, which are heard independently of each other, as illustrated in the appended figures, so that it is possible to combining the characteristics of these three embodiments to obtain an embodiment combining features of two or three of these embodiments.
• the sealed tank wall is composed of a central portion and a peripheral portion composed of a plurality of wall edges, and wherein the reinforced area extends on a wall edge, or on a plurality of wall edges, for example the reinforced zone extends over the entire peripheral portion of the sealed tank wall.
• the invention provides a polyhedral sealed tank comprising a plurality of sealed tank walls sealingly attached to each other to form a polyhedron interior for storing a fluid, wherein one or more of said aforementioned sealed tank walls comprises a reinforced zone mentioned above.
• such a tank may have one or more of the following characteristics.
• the vessel may include one or more of the vessel walls of the following list:
• One or more of the tank walls of the list may be a tank wall comprising a reinforced zone mentioned above.
• Such a tank can be part of a land storage facility, for example to store LNG or be installed in a floating structure, coastal or deep water, including a LNG tank, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) , a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO) and others.
• a tank can also serve as a fuel tank in any type of ship.
• the invention also provides a vessel for transporting a liquid product, the vessel comprising a hull and a vessel according to the invention disposed in the hull.
• the reinforced zone is located on wall edges forming an upper transverse edge of the tank placed at the front of the ship.
• the invention provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, in which a liquid product is conveyed through isolated pipes from or to a floating or land storage facility to or from the sealed tank. of the ship.
• the invention also provides a transfer system for a liquid product, the system comprising the abovementioned vessel, insulated pipes arranged to connect the sealed tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating storage facility. or terrestrial and a pump for driving a flow of cold liquid product through the insulated pipelines from or to the floating or land storage facility to or from the vessel's vessel.
• FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view and torn from a sealed and insulating tank wall in which welded assemblies can be used.
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a welded assembly of waterproof metal membrane of the prior art, said welded assembly being anchored in a support surface.
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a welded assembly of waterproof metal membrane of the prior art, said welded assembly being anchored in a support surface according to another mode of attachment.
• - Figure 4 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a first embodiment.
• - Figure 5 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a third embodiment.
• FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a fourth embodiment.
• FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a fifth embodiment.
• FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a sixth embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a seventh embodiment.
• FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to an eighth embodiment.
• FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a ninth embodiment.
• FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to a tenth embodiment.
• FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to eleventh and twelfth embodiments.
• FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to the eleventh embodiment, in a sectional plane comprising the fastening means.
• FIG. 16 is a partial sectional view of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface according to the twelfth embodiment, in a cutting plane comprising the fastening means.
• - Figure 17 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank having a first arrangement of the reinforced areas.
• - Figure 18 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank having a second arrangement of the reinforced areas.
• FIG. 19 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank having a third arrangement of the reinforced areas.
• FIG. 20 is an unfolded view of a polyhedral sealed tank having a fourth arrangement of the reinforced areas.
• FIG. 21 is a schematic cutaway representation of a vessel having a sealed fluid storage tank and a loading / unloading terminal of this vessel.
• a waterproofing membrane in the context of a sealed tank.
• a vessel has an internal space, formed by a plurality of tank walls, intended to be filled for example with combustible or non-combustible gas.
• the gas may in particular be a liquefied natural gas (LNG), that is to say a gaseous mixture comprising predominantly methane and one or more other hydrocarbons, such as ethane, propane, n-butane, i-butane, n-pentane, i-pentane, neopentane, and nitrogen in a small proportion.
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• the gas may also be ethane or a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), that is to say a mixture of hydrocarbons from petroleum refining comprising mainly propane and butane.
• the sealing membrane rests on a support surface January 1 formed by a thermally insulating barrier of the vessel.
• This waterproofing membrane has a repeated structure alternately comprising on the one hand sheet metal strips, called strakes 21, disposed on the support surface 11 and, on the other hand, elongated welding supports 15 linked to the support surface. 1 1 and extending parallel to the strakes 21 on at least a portion of the length of the strakes 21.
• the strakes 21 comprise raised side edges 23 arranged and welded against the adjacent welding supports 15.
• Such a structure is for example used in the CN096 LNG tanks marketed by the applicant. Referring to Figure 1, the carrier structure of a ship is here constituted by the inner wall 1 of a double hull of the ship.
• the vessel has a secondary heat-insulating barrier fixed to the carrier structure of the vessel.
• This secondary thermally insulating barrier consists of a plurality of parallelepipedic secondary insulating boxes 2 which are arranged side by side, so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the supporting structure.
• Each secondary insulating box 2 consists of a parallelepiped box made of plywood which internally comprises load-bearing partitions 3 and non-load-bearing partitions 4 which are only intended to ensure the relative positioning of the load-bearing partitions 3, said partitions being interposed between a bottom panel 5 in plywood and a top panel 6 in plywood.
• the bottom wall 5 of the boxes 2 protrudes laterally on the two short sides of the box, so that in each corner of the box, on this projecting portion, are fixed cleats 7 which have the thickness of said projecting portion. As explained below, the cleats 7 cooperate with fixing members of the boxes 2 to the supporting structure.
• Each box 2 is filled with a thermally insulating particulate material, for example perlite or glass wool.
• the bottom plate 5 of each box 2 rests on beads of polymerizable resin 8 which are themselves resting on the supporting structure 1, via a kraft paper 9 to prevent the resin of the bead of glue does not glue to the carrier structure and thus to allow dynamic deformation of the carrier structure without the caissons 2 are subjected to the forces due to said deformation.
• the purpose of the polymerizable resin rods 8 is to make up the differences between the theoretical surface provided for the carrier structure and the imperfect surface resulting from manufacturing tolerances.
• the top panels 6 of the secondary insulating boxes 2 further comprise a pair of parallel grooves 12 in the form of substantially L or T inverted to receive L, T or J-shaped welding supports.
• the weld supports 15 comprise a branch 18 which protrudes towards the top of the panels 6 and allows anchoring of the secondary sealing membrane.
• the secondary waterproofing membrane consists of a plurality of metal strakes 21 with raised edges 23, having a thickness of the order of 0.7 mm.
• the raised edges 23 of each strake 21 are welded to the aforementioned welding supports 15.
• the metal strakes 21 are made of a metal having a low coefficient of thermal expansion, for example this metal may be an iron-nickel alloy whose thermal expansion coefficient is between 1, 2 and 2.0 ⁇ 10 6 K 1 , or an iron alloy with a high manganese content whose expansion coefficient is typically of the order of 7 ⁇ 10 -6 K 1 .
• the primary thermally insulating barrier which is also constituted by a plurality of primary insulating boxes 10 having a structure similar to the secondary insulating boxes 2.
• Each primary insulating box consists of a rectangular parallelepiped box made plywood of a lower height to the box 2, which is filled with particulate matter, such as perlite or glass wool.
• the primary insulating boxes 10 also comprise internal partitions carrying a bottom panel and a top panel 1 1.
• the bottom panel has two longitudinal grooves 12 for receiving the welding supports 15 and the raised edges 23 of the secondary sealing membrane.
• the top panels 1 1 comprise, for their part, two grooves 12 in the form of substantially L or T inverted, to also receive a welding support 15 on which are welded the raised edges 23 strakes 21 of the primary waterproofing membrane .
• the groove 12 has a T-shaped cross-section whose base is formed by the retaining zone 14 located on either side of the inlet zone 13 of the groove 12.
• the welding support 15 has a base 17 housed in the holding zone 14 so as to retain the welding support 15 on the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 1 1.
• the welding support 15 further comprises a branch 18, a lower portion 19 is contiguous to the base 17 and an upper portion 20 protrudes above the support surface January 1.
• the groove 12 has an I-shaped or L-shaped section.
• the groove 12 may include a retaining zone 14, but this is optional.
• the groove can therefore only comprise an inlet zone 13.
• the groove 12 comprises an inverted J-shaped fastener 26 having a rounded portion 27 complementary to the base 17 of the weld support 15 which is also rounded, so as to be fixed in the rounded portion 27 of the the fastener 26 thus making it possible to retain the welding support 15 on the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 1 1.
• the welding support 15 further comprises a branch 18, a lower portion 19 of which is contiguous with the base 17 rounded and an upper portion 20 protrudes above the support surface 1 1.
• Figures 4 to 15 show a plurality of embodiments of a reinforced welded assembly formed by a weld support 15 and two adjacent raised edges 23, wherein the reinforced welded assembly exhibits flexural strength in the transverse direction to resist the sloshing of the fluid contained in the tank.
• Each of the various embodiments may use a welding support 15 with a base 17 housed in a retaining zone 14 of the visible groove 12, for example FIG. 4, or a welding support 15 with a rounded base 17 cooperating with a rounded portion 27 complementary to a fastener 26 fixed in the groove 12 visible for example Figure 3, or a solder support 15 with a rounded base 17 cooperating with a rounded portion 27 complementary to a fastener 26 fixed in the retaining zone 14 of the groove 12 visible for example Figure 1 1.
• FIG. 4 represents a first embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• a crown edge 35 of the solder support 15 is aligned with the crown edges 36 of the raised edges 23 adjacent to the solder support 15.
• the upper portion 20 of the solder support 15 does not more protruding above the raised edges 23.
• the upper portion 20 of the weld support 15 is cut after the longitudinal welding.
• FIG. 5 represents a second embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the crown edge 35 of the welding support 15 is also aligned with the top edges 36 of the raised edges 23 adjacent to the solder support 15.
• solder supports 15 of a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the strands 21 have been commonly used. which is 0.7 mm, in particular to limit costs.
• the thickness of the welding support 15 is greater than the thickness of a strake 21, for example a thickness of 1 mm or 2 mm. This greater thickness of the welding support 15 increases the bending strength of the welded assembly.
• FIG 6 shows a third embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the welding support 15 comprises two elongated anchoring flanges 16 welded against each other by an intermediate seal 29 sealing extending in the longitudinal direction.
• the intermediate weld 29 is situated the same distance from the support surface 11 as the two longitudinal welds 28.
• Figure 7 shows a fourth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the fourth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the third embodiment, however, it differs in that the thickness of each anchor wing 16 of the weld support 15 is greater than the thickness of a strake 21 while in the third embodiment of Figure 6 the thicknesses are substantially equal.
• FIG. 8 represents a fifth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the fifth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the third embodiment, however, it differs in that the apex edge 35 of each anchor wing 16 of the weld support 15 is aligned with the vertex edges 36. the raised edges 23 adjacent to the welding support 15.
• the upper part 20 of each anchoring wing 16 protrudes from the raised edges 23 adjacent to the welding support 15.
• Figure 9 shows a sixth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the sixth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the fourth embodiment, but it differs in that the apex edge 35 of each anchor wing 16 of the solder support 15 is aligned with the crown edges 36 of the raised edges 23 adjacent to the welding support 15. Indeed, in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 7, the upper part 20 of each anchoring wing 16 protrudes raised edges 23 adjacent to the solder support 15.
• Figure 10 shows a seventh embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the seventh embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the fifth embodiment, but it differs in that a secondary weld 30 fixes the lower portions 19 of each of the anchor wings 16 of the solder support 15 so as to increase the rigidity of the welding support 15.
• FIG. 11 represents an eighth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the welded assembly comprises two segmented raised edges 23, each segmented raised edge 23 having a first section 24 connected to the flat medial portion 22 and forming an angle with the planar middle portion 22, the angle being between 10 and 80 degrees, and a second panel 25 connected to the first panel 24 and being substantially orthogonal to the flat central portion 22.
• the second panel 25 of the segmented raised edge 23 is welded by the longitudinal weld 28 in a sealed manner to the welding support 15.
• FIG. 12 represents a ninth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the ninth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the eighth embodiment, however, it differs in that shims 37 are inserted into the spaces formed between the first section 24 of each segmented raised edge 23, the branch 18 of the support and a support surface 1 1.
• a shim 37 may have a surface that bears on the base 17 of the welding support 15.
• a shim 37 has substantially the shape of a polygonal section beam, for example triangular.
• the angle formed by the first panel 24 with the flat medial portion 22 is here between 60 and 70 degrees.
• Figure 13 shows a tenth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the tenth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the ninth embodiment, it differs, however, in that the shape of the shims 37 is different as well as the angle formed by the first panel 24 with the flat medial portion 22.
• the angle formed by the first panel 24 with the flat medial portion 22 is smaller to be between 10 and 20 degrees.
• the shape of the shims 37 is therefore adapted to this angle, namely they have the shape of L-section beams, thus consisting of two orthogonal branches, whose thickness is similar to the thickness of the welding support 15.
• One of branches is interposed between the first panel 24 and the support surface January 1 while the second branch is interposed between the second panel 25 and the welding support 15.
• the wedge 37 is for example formed of a folded metal sheet.
• Fig. 14 shows an eleventh and a twelfth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface 11 of a sealed tank wall.
• the sealed tank wall includes a cover bar 31 located at the adjacent raised edges 23 of a welded assembly.
• the cover bar 31 comprises a housing 32 receiving a welded assembly so that the cover bar 31 covers the welded assembly.
• the housing 32 of the cover bar 31 comprises a flared portion 33 which is in the form of a chamfer made all around the wall of the housing 32 allowing the transverse movement of the strake 21 relative to the welding support 15.
• the cover bar 31 can be fixed to the welding support 15 by a fixing means 34.
• the fixing means 34 is a rod, for example a screw assembly. nut which is inserted into a hole 97 laterally crossing the cover bar 31 and an orifice 98 of the upper part 20 of the welding support 15.
• the cover bar 31 may comprise along its length a plurality of fastening means 34. A surface of the cover bar 31 is located in contact with the flat medial portion 22 of a strake 21.
• FIG. 16 represents a twelfth embodiment of a welded assembly anchored in a support surface January 1 of a sealed tank wall.
• the twelfth embodiment of a welded assembly is similar to the eleventh embodiment, however it differs in that the fastening means 34 is an elastic clip placed in a vertical groove extending over half the thickness of the welded assembly. the cover bar 31 and passing inside an orifice of the anchoring support 15.
• An upper branch of the clip has a notch 99 for receiving the upper edge of the orifice 98 which fixes the clip of stably in the orifice 98.
• reinforced welded assemblies described above may be employed to form reinforced areas 50 in a metal sealing membrane on one or more sealed tank walls.
• FIGS. 17 to 20 show a plurality of embodiments of a sealed tank whose walls have reinforced areas of greater or lesser size.
• the polyhedric sealed tank shown comprises a bottom wall 43, a ceiling wall 44, two side walls of cofferdam 48 connecting the bottom wall 43 to the ceiling wall 44, two side walls 45 connecting the side walls of cofferdam 48, two chamfering lower walls 47 connecting the side walls 45 to the bottom wall 43 and two upper chamfer walls 46 connecting the side walls 45 to the ceiling wall 44.
• a sealed tank wall is composed of a central portion 40 and a a peripheral portion 41 composed of a plurality of wall edges 42.
• Figure 17 shows a first embodiment of a sealed tank 71.
• the bottom wall 43 does not have a reinforced zone.
• All the other walls 44, 45, 46, 47, 18 have a reinforced zone 50 extending over all of the tank walls.
• the bottom wall 43 does not undergo or very little fluid swirls because it is immersed permanently, so there is no need to strengthen the raised edges 23.
• FIGS. 18 and 19 respectively show second and third embodiments of a sealed tank 71.
• the bottom wall 43 and the lower chamfer walls 47 do not have a reinforced zone 50.
• the side walls 45 have a reinforced zone 50 extending over all of these walls.
• the cofferdam sidewalls 48 have a reinforced zone 50 at the side and top wall edges 42.
• the ceiling wall 44 and the upper walls forming chamfers have a reinforced zone 50 on their peripheral portion 41. Thus, only the walls undergoing the most stress related to fluid slumps have a reinforced zone 50 and it is more or less extended depending on the forces undergone.
• FIG. 20 shows a fourth embodiment of a sealed tank 71.
• the bottom wall 43, the lower chamfer walls 47, the side walls 45 and the cofferdam side wall located at the rear of the ship 70 do not have a reinforced zone 50.
• the ceiling wall 44, the cofferdam side wall located at the front of the ship 70 and the upper chamfer walls 46 have a reinforced zone 50.
• the reinforced zone 50 of the tank 71 is located on the edges of the walls 42 forming the upper edge of the sealed tank 71 placed at the front of the ship 70. Thus, only the place, where the forces undergone by the raised edges 23 related to the sloshing of the fluid are the most important, has a reinforced zone 50.
• the technique described above for producing a sealed tank wall can be used in various types of tanks, for example to form the sealed tank wall of an LNG tank in a land installation or in a floating structure such as a LNG tanker. Or other.
• a cutaway 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 sealed barrier intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealed barrier arranged between the primary waterproof barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and two insulating barriers arranged respectively between the primary watertight barrier and the secondary watertight barrier and between the secondary watertight barrier and the double hull 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. 21 shows an example of a marine terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipe 76 and an onshore installation 77.
• the loading and unloading station 75 is a off-shore fixed installation comprising a movable arm 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 be connected to the loading / unloading pipes 73.
• the movable arm 74 is adjustable. suitable for all models 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 or unloading station 75 and the onshore installation 77 over a large distance, for example 5 km, which makes it possible to keep the tanker vessel 70 at 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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• 2018
  • 2018-02-21 FR FR1851493A patent/FR3078136B1/fr active Active
• 2019
  • 2019-02-14 CN CN201980014523.2A patent/CN111742173B/zh active Active
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