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
  • F17C13/00—Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels
  • F17C13/001—Thermal insulation specially adapted for cryogenic vessels
• • 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
  • 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

• the invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulating tanks with membranes.
• the invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulating tanks for the storage and / or transport of liquefied gas at low temperature, such as tanks for the transport of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (also called LPG) exhibiting by for example a temperature between -50 ° C and 0 ° C, or for the transport of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at around -162 ° C at atmospheric pressure.
• LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas
• LNG Liquefied Natural Gas
• Document WO2014167227 describes a sealed and thermally insulating tank for storing liquefied gas in a structure which has a load-bearing wall.
• the tank has a tank wall fixed to the load-bearing wall and comprising a thermally insulating barrier made up of juxtaposed insulation blocks and a sealing membrane made up of corrugated sheets welded together in a leaktight manner.
• retaining elements in the form of rails are inserted in a groove formed in an insulating block of the thermally insulating barrier.
• the sheets forming the waterproofing membrane are then welded by their edges to the rail inserted in the groove at its edges.
• each sheet of the waterproofing membrane is fixed to the thermally insulating barrier so as to maintain mobility in translation in the length direction of the rail.
• the rail being slidably mounted in the groove, the sheets of the membrane retain the same mobility as the rails.
• the displacements of the edges of the sheets of the membrane are released to reduce the stresses in the membrane.
• the retaining elements of the document of the prior art have a plurality of drawbacks. Indeed, these are notably of design complex and expensive.
• the mechanical resistance of these elements is to be improved in order to take up the stresses undergone by the waterproofing membrane in a lasting manner.
• An idea underlying the invention is to improve the sliding fixing of the waterproofing membrane to the thermally insulating barrier while retaining sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the stresses exerted by the waterproofing membrane on the fixing.
• the invention provides a sealed and thermally insulating tank wall to form a sealed and thermally insulating tank for storing liquefied gas, the tank wall comprising:
• the waterproofing membrane intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank, the waterproofing membrane comprising a corrugated metal plate, a thermally insulating barrier forming a support surface for the waterproofing membrane and comprising a groove s 'extending in a longitudinal direction,
• weld support carried by the thermally insulating barrier, the weld support comprising a lower part retained in the groove of the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface, an upper part parallel to the support surface, an intermediate part connecting the lower part to the upper part, the intermediate part being arranged in the groove in a thickness direction of the thermally insulating barrier,
• the at least one weld support is mounted sliding in said groove in the longitudinal direction, and the corrugated metal plate is welded to the upper part of the weld support,
• the longitudinal direction is defined as being a direction parallel to one of the edges of the corrugated metal plate.
• the weld support makes it possible to fix the waterproofing membrane to the thermally insulating barrier while retaining a degree of freedom in the longitudinal direction due to the sliding mounting of the weld support in the groove.
• This degree of freedom allows small displacements of the edges of the metal plate relative to the thermally insulating barrier to take place during temperature variations, which limits the stress concentrations and improves the distribution of the forces and displacements undergone by the corrugated plate. in order to limit the fatigue of the waterproofing membrane.
• the upper part of the weld support rests in a counterbore made in the thermally insulating barrier which allows the weld support to be in continuity with the support surface of the thermally insulating barrier and therefore does not require d additional machining of the corrugated metal plate in order to limit the manufacturing cost of the assembly.
• the counterbore allows the upper part of the weld support to be supported by the thermally insulating barrier, which has the effect of postponing the mechanical forces of the upper part of the weld support, in particular the pressure stresses applied to the membrane. sealing in the thickness direction of the tank wall towards the thermally insulating barrier.
• such a tank wall may include one or more of the following characteristics.
• the welding support is an elongated element extending in the same direction as the groove.
• the tank wall comprises a plurality of weld supports retained in the groove.
• the weld supports can be spaced from each other or be arranged continuously in the groove.
• an edge of the corrugated metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction is welded to the upper part of the welding support.
• the groove is a longitudinal groove
• the edge is a first edge
• the weld support is a first weld support
• the thermally insulating barrier comprises a transverse groove extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, in which the wall comprises a second weld support, the lower part of which is retained in the transverse groove of the thermally insulating barrier, and in which a second edge of the corrugated metal plate extending in the transverse direction is welded to the upper part of the second welding support.
• said groove has in the thermally insulating barrier an entry zone which extends in the thickness direction, the groove comprising a retaining zone arranged under the entry zone and which develops in parallel to the support surface over a width greater than the entry zone, and in which the lower part of the weld support is housed in the retaining zone.
• the retaining zone makes it possible to improve the blocking in movement of the lower part of the weld support and therefore of the weld support as a whole in the thickness direction of the thermally insulating barrier.
• the retaining zone develops parallel to the support surface on either side of the entry zone
• said weld support comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment comprising a lower part retained in the retaining zone of the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface, an upper part parallel to the support surface and housed in the counterbore adjacent to the groove, so that the upper part of the first segment is located between the waterproofing membrane and the thermally insulating barrier and in the extension of the support surface, an intermediate part connecting the lower part of the first segment to the upper part of the first segment, the intermediate part being arranged in the groove in a thickness direction of the thermally insulating barrier
• the second segment comprises ant a lower part retained in the retaining zone of the thermally insulating barrier in a direction opposite to the direction of the part lower part of the first segment, and an intermediate part welded to the intermediate part of the first segment and in which the upper part of the first segment is welded to the corrugated metal plate.
• the first segment enables the waterproofing membrane to be slidably attached to the thermally insulating barrier.
• the second segment makes it possible to reinforce the weld support in particular at the level of the intermediate part and to limit the displacement of the weld support in the transverse direction, namely the direction of the lower part of the weld support.
• the second segment also makes it possible to increase the resistance to perpendicular loadings of the weld support by distributing the forces undergone by the corrugated metal plate over twice the surface of the thermally insulating barrier and the resistance to tearing of the weld support outside. of the groove.
• the counterbore is a first counterbore
• the thermally insulating barrier comprising a second counterbore
• the first counterbore and the second counterbore being located on either side of said groove
• the second segment comprises a part upper parallel to the support surface and housed in the second counterbore, so that the upper part of the second segment is located between the waterproofing membrane and the thermally insulating barrier and in the extension of the support surface, the part intermediate of the second segment connecting the lower part of the second segment to the upper part of the second segment.
• the upper part of the second segment rests in a second counterbore made in the thermally insulating barrier which allows the weld support to be in continuity with the support surface of the thermally insulating barrier and therefore not to need for additional machining of the corrugated metal plate in order to limit the manufacturing cost of the assembly.
• the second counterbore allows the upper part of the second segment to be supported by the thermally insulating barrier, which has the consequence of improving the resistance of the weld support, in particular during stresses applied to the waterproofing membrane in the thickness direction of the tank wall.
• said groove has in the thermally insulating barrier an entry zone which extends in the thickness direction, the entry zone comprising a fastener fixed to a wall of said groove, and in which the lower part of the welding support is slidably housed in the fastener.
• the fastener makes it possible to improve the blocking in movement of the lower part of the weld support and therefore of the weld support as a whole in the thickness direction of the thermally insulating barrier.
• the lower part comprises a hook and the fastener comprises a counter hook, the hook being housed in the counter hook.
• the fastener is a first fastener and the entry zone comprises a second fastener fixed to a wall of said groove opposite to the first fastener
• said weld support comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment comprising a lower part retained in the first attachment of the thermally insulating barrier in a direction perpendicular to the support surface, an upper part parallel to the support surface and housed in the counterbore adjacent to the groove, so that the upper part of the first segment is located between the waterproofing membrane and the thermally insulating barrier and in the extension of the support surface, an intermediate part of the first segment connecting the lower part to the upper part, the intermediate part being arranged in the entry area in a thickness direction of the thermal barrier t insulating, and the second segment comprising a lower part retained in the second attachment of the thermally insulating barrier, and an intermediate part of the second segment welded to the intermediate part of the first segment.
• the first segment enables the waterproofing membrane to be slidably attached to the thermally insulating barrier.
• the second segment makes it possible to reinforce the weld support in particular at the level of the intermediate part and also to limit the displacement of the weld support in the transverse direction, namely the direction of the lower part of the weld support.
• the counterbore is a first counterbore
• the thermally insulating barrier comprising a second counterbore
• the first counterbore and the second counterbore being located on either side of said groove
• the second segment comprises a part upper parallel to the support surface and housed in the second counterbore, so that the upper part of the second segment is located between the waterproofing membrane and the thermally insulating barrier and in the extension of the support surface, the part intermediate of the second segment connecting the lower part of the second segment to the upper part of the second segment.
• the metal plate welded to the upper part of the welding support is a first metal plate, in which the sealing membrane comprises a second corrugated metal plate comprising an offset portion welded above the first metal plate to form a tight overlap between the two metal plates and in which the weld between the upper part of the weld support and the first metal plate is located below the offset portion of the second metal plate.
• the thermally insulating barrier comprises a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal insulating panels, the lower part of the weld support being retained in an insulating panel of the thermally insulating barrier and the counterbore being formed in said insulating panel.
• the thermally insulating barrier comprises a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal insulating panels and in which said groove is located between two adjacent insulating panels of the thermally insulating barrier so that the entry area is an inter panel space .
• the entry area does not require the machining of an insulating panel but simply the placement of two panels at a certain distance.
• the thermally insulating barrier comprises a plurality of parallelepipedal insulating panels juxtaposed and in which said groove is located in the center of an insulating panel of the thermally insulating barrier.
• the thermally insulating barrier comprises a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal insulating panels and in which said groove is located near an edge of an insulating panel.
• near an edge of an insulating panel means that the element is located at a distance from an edge between 0 and 10% of a transverse dimension of an insulating panel.
• the groove is a first groove and the thermally insulating barrier comprises a second groove extending in the longitudinal direction at a distance from the first groove, the counterbore extending between the two grooves, the upper part of the support of welding being housed in the counterbore extending between the two grooves, and in which the lower part is a first lower part and the intermediate part is a first intermediate part, the welding support comprising a second lower part and a second intermediate part connecting the second lower part to the upper part of the welding support, so that the first lower part and the first intermediate part are located in the first groove and that the second lower part and the second intermediate part are located in the second separate groove of the first groove.
• the at least one of or each lower part is formed of a plurality of lower part portions spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction and the at least one of or each intermediate part is formed of a plurality of intermediate portion portions spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction so that each intermediate portion portion connects one of the lower portion portions to the upper portion.
• the upper part is a first upper part and the thermally insulating barrier has a third groove extending in the transverse direction and a fourth groove adjacent to the third groove and extending in the transverse direction, and in which the welding support comprises a second upper part being housed in a transverse counterbore extending between the third groove and the fourth groove, the third and fourth grooves crossing the first and second grooves.
• a third intermediate part is located in the third groove and connected to the second upper part, and a fourth intermediate part is located in the fourth groove and connected to the second upper part.
• the thermally insulating barrier is a primary thermally insulating barrier and the waterproofing membrane is a primary waterproofing membrane, and in which the vessel wall also comprises a secondary waterproofing membrane located under the barrier.
• primary thermally insulating and a secondary thermally insulating barrier located under the secondary waterproofing membrane and comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal insulating panels forming a support surface for the secondary waterproofing membrane.
• the secondary waterproofing membrane comprises a plurality of strakes parallel to the longitudinal direction, a strake comprising a flat central portion resting on an upper surface of the insulating panels of the secondary thermally insulating barrier and two raised edges projecting towards the primary waterproofing membrane with respect to the central portion, the strakes being juxtaposed in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in a repeated pattern and welded together in a leaktight manner at the raised edges, anchoring wings anchored to the insulating panels of the secondary thermally insulating barrier and parallel to the longitudinal direction being arranged between the juxtaposed strakes to retain the secondary sealing membrane on the secondary thermally insulating barrier.
• the secondary thermally insulating barrier comprises a plurality of secondary rows parallel to the longitudinal direction, a secondary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal secondary insulating panels, the secondary rows being juxtaposed in the transverse direction in a repeated pattern, in which the dimension of the pattern repeated secondary rows is an integer multiple of the size of a strake in the transverse direction.
• the primary insulating barrier comprises a plurality of primary rows parallel to the longitudinal direction, a primary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepipedal primary insulating panels and being superimposed on a secondary row, the primary rows being juxtaposed in the direction transverse according to a repeated pattern, the dimension of the repeated pattern of the primary rows being equal to the dimension of the repeated pattern of the secondary rows in the transverse direction.
• the primary waterproofing membrane has first corrugations parallel to the longitudinal direction and arranged in a pattern repeated in the transverse direction and flat portions located between the first corrugations and resting on an upper surface of the panels primary insulators
• the dimension of the repeated pattern of the primary rows is an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeated pattern of the first undulations
• the primary waterproofing membrane comprising a plurality of rows of sheets parallel to the longitudinal direction, a row of sheets comprising a plurality of rectangular sheets welded together in a sealed manner by edge zones, the rows of sheets being juxtaposed in the transverse direction and welded together in a leaktight manner, the dimension of a row of sheets in the transverse direction being equal to an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeated pattern of the primary rows,
• the rows of sheets being offset in the transverse direction with respect to the primary rows so that the welded junctions between the rows of sheets are located at a distance from the interfaces between the primary rows
• the invention also provides a sealed and thermally insulating tank arranged in a support structure, the tank comprising a plurality of walls fixed to each other in a sealed manner in order to form an interior space for the reception of a liquefied gas, in which at least one of the walls is a said wall.
• a tank can be part of a terrestrial storage installation, for example to store LNG or be installed in a floating structure, coastal or deep water, in particular an LNG tanker, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) , a floating remote production and storage unit (FPSO) and others.
• FSRU floating storage and regasification unit
• FPSO floating remote production and storage unit
• Such a tank can also serve as a fuel tank in any type of ship.
• a vessel for transporting a cold liquid product comprises a double hull and the above-mentioned tank placed in the double hull.
• the invention also provides a method of loading or unloading such a ship, in which a cold liquid product is conveyed through isolated pipes from or to a floating or land storage installation to or from the vessel of the ship.
• the invention also provides a transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising the aforementioned ship, isolated pipes arranged so as to connect the tank installed in the hull of the ship to a floating storage installation. or terrestrial and a pump to drive a flow of cold liquid product through the isolated pipes from or to the floating or terrestrial storage facility to or from the vessel of the ship.
• FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall according to one embodiment.
• FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of zone II of Figure 1.
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line III-III of Figure 1.
• - Figure 4 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3 showing a welding support fixing the primary sealing membrane to the primary thermally insulating barrier according to a first embodiment.
• - Figure 5 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3, showing a welding support according to a second embodiment.
• FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3, showing a welding support according to a third embodiment.
• FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3, showing a welding support according to a fourth embodiment.
• FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3, showing a welding support according to a fifth embodiment.
• FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of zone IV of Figure 3, showing a welding support according to a sixth embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a welding support according to a seventh embodiment.
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a welding support according to an eighth embodiment.
• FIG. 12 is a cutaway schematic representation of an LNG tank and a loading / unloading terminal of this tank
• FIG. 1 there is shown the multilayer structure of a wall 1 of a sealed and thermally insulating tank for the storage of a liquefied fluid, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
• a liquefied fluid such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
• LNG liquefied natural gas
• Each wall 1 of the tank successively comprises, in the thickness direction, from the outside towards the inside of the tank, a secondary thermally insulating barrier 3 retained at a load-bearing wall 2, a secondary sealing membrane 4 resting against the secondary thermally insulating barrier 2, a primary thermally insulating 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 can in particular be formed by the hull or the double hull of a ship.
• the support structure comprises a plurality of support walls 2 defining the general shape of the tank, usually a polyhedral shape.
• the secondary thermally insulating barrier 3 comprises a plurality of secondary insulating panels 7 which are anchored to the load-bearing wall 2 by means of retaining devices.
• the secondary insulating panels 7 have a generally parallelepiped shape and are arranged in parallel rows. Three rows are indicated by the letters A, B and C.
• Socks of mastic 99 are interposed between the secondary insulating panels 7 and the load-bearing wall 2 to make up for the deviations of the load-bearing wall 2 relative to a flat reference surface.
• Kraft paper is inserted between the mastic strands 99 and the carrier wall 2 to prevent adhesion of the mastic strands 99 on the carrier wall 2.
• the secondary insulating panels 7 comprise for example three plates, namely a bottom plate 8, an intermediate plate 9 and a cover plate 10.
• the bottom plates 8, intermediate 9 and cover 10 are for example made of plywood.
• the secondary insulating panel 7 also comprises a first layer of insulating polymeric foam 1 1 sandwiched between the bottom plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 and a second layer of insulating polymeric foam 12 sandwiched between the intermediate plate 9 and the plate cover 10.
• the secondary insulating panels 7 may have another general structure, for example that described in document WO2012 / 127141.
• the secondary insulating panels 7 are then produced in the form of a box comprising a bottom plate, a cover plate and bearing webs extending, in the thickness direction of the wall 1 of the tank, between the bottom plate and the cover plate and delimiting a plurality of compartments filled with an insulating lining, such as perlite, glass wool or rock wool
• the secondary waterproofing membrane 4 comprises a continuous sheet of strakes 13, metallic, with raised edges.
• the strakes 13 are welded by their raised edges 14 on parallel welding supports which are fixed in grooves formed on the cover plates 10 of the secondary insulating panels 7.
• the strakes 13 are, for example, made of Invar®: it that is to say an alloy of iron and nickel whose coefficient of expansion is typically between 1, 2.10 6 and 2.10 6 K 1 . It is also possible to use alloys of iron and manganese whose coefficient of expansion is typically of the order of 7.10 6 K 1 .
• the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 comprises a plurality of primary insulating panels 15 which are anchored to the load-bearing wall 2 by means of the retaining devices.
• the primary insulating panels 15 have a generally parallelepiped shape. In addition, as visible in FIG. 1, they have dimensions identical to those of the secondary insulating panels 7 with the exception of their thickness in the thickness direction of the wall 1 of the tank which is likely to be different, and especially weaker.
• Each of the primary insulating panels 15 is positioned in line with one of the secondary insulating panels 7, in alignment with the latter in the thickness direction of the wall 1 of the tank.
• the primary insulating panel 15 has a multilayer structure similar to that of the secondary insulating panel 7. Also, the primary insulating panel 15 successively comprises a bottom plate 16, a first layer of insulating polymer foam 17, an intermediate plate 18, a second layer of insulating polymer foam 19 and a cover plate 20.
• the insulating polymer foam can in particular be a polyurethane-based foam, optionally reinforced with fibers.
• the bottom plate 16 has grooves intended to receive the raised edges 14 of the strakes 13 of the secondary sealing membrane 4.
• the structure of the primary insulating panel 15 is described above by way of example. Also, in another embodiment, the primary insulating panels 15 may have another general structure, for example that described in document WO2012 / 127141.
• the vessel wall 1 includes welding supports 26 for anchoring the primary waterproof membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the welding supports 26 will be described below.
• FIG. 1 also shows that the primary sealing membrane 6 comprises a continuous sheet of corrugated metal plates 21 of rectangular shape and which have two series of mutually perpendicular undulations.
• the first series of corrugations 22 extends to the rows of insulating panels A, B, C and therefore perpendicular to the raised edges 14 of strakes 13 and has regular spacing 40.
• the second series of undulations 23 extends parallel to the rows of insulating panels A, B, C and therefore parallel to the edges 14 of strakes 13 and has regular spacing 41.
• the first series of corrugations 22 is higher than the second series of corrugations 23.
• the corrugated metal plates 21 are welded together by forming overlaps 24 along their visible edges in Figures 4 to 9, according to the known technique. Indeed, at the level of an overlap between two adjacent corrugated metal plates 21, one of the corrugated metal plates 21 comprises a offset portion 25 which is placed above the other of the corrugated metal plates 21.
• a corrugated metal plate 21 preferably has dimensions of width and length which are worth whole multiples of the spacing of the corresponding corrugations and also whole multiples of the dimensions of the primary insulating panels 15.
• Figure 1 shows a corrugated metal plate 21 which measures 4 times spacing 40 by 12 times spacing 41.
• the spacings 40 and 41 are equal.
• the primary sealing membrane 6 is rotated by 90 ° so that the second series of corrugations 23 extends parallel to the rows of insulating panels A, B, C and therefore parallel to the edges straps 14 from strakes 13.
• the primary insulating panels 15 and the secondary insulating panels 7 have the same dimension in the width direction of the rows A, B, C. This dimension will be called the length of the insulating panels by convention.
• This row width is an integer multiple of the spacing of the corrugations in the same direction, here the spacing 41, and an integer multiple of the width of the strakes 13, to facilitate the manufacture of the vessel wall in a modular fashion by forming patterns repeated a large number of times over substantially the entire load-bearing wall 2.
• the width of a strake 13 is an integer multiple of the spacing of the undulations in the same direction, for example double.
• a primary insulating panel 15 can have the same dimension as a secondary insulating panel 7 or an integer multiple of this dimension.
• This dimension is an integer multiple of the spacing of the corrugations in the same direction, here the spacing 40, to facilitate the fabrication of the vessel wall in a modular manner by forming patterns repeated a large number of times over the entire supporting wall. 2.
• the primary insulating panels 15 and the secondary insulating panels 7 are square in shape. This makes it easier to adapt the relative orientation of strakes and undulations in the tank without requiring significant modifications in the design of the insulating panels
• Width of primary insulating panel 15 and secondary insulating panel 7 4PO
• Length of primary insulating panel 15 and secondary insulating panel 7 4PO (square shape)
• Width of a corrugated metal plate 4IN
• Corrugation spacing 40 PO Ripple spacing 41: GO
• Width of primary insulation panel 15 and secondary insulation panel 7 3GB
• Length of primary insulating panel 15 and secondary insulating panel 7 4PO (rectangular shape)
• Width of a corrugated metal plate 21 3GO
• the undulations are not equidistant, but arranged in a repeated pattern of four undulations, the successive spacings of which are:
• the 180 mm gap is divided into two 90mm portions located on two opposite edges of the corrugated metal plate 21.
• the dimension of the repeated pattern is therefore 1200mm.
• the dimensions of the first example are preserved.
• the undulations are not equidistant, but arranged in a repeated pattern of four undulations, the successive spacings of which are:
• the 200mm gap is divided into two 100mm portions located on two opposite edges of the corrugated metal plate.
• FIG. 2 shows in detailed view the fixing of a metal plate 21 of the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier by solder supports 26.
• Each primary insulating panel 15 includes grooves 27 on the cover plate 20.
• the grooves 27 can be made continuously, generating intersections between the grooves 27, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.
• one groove can contain an anchoring support 26 which crosses the intersection continuously while the other groove can contain two anchoring supports 26 arranged on either side of the intersection.
• At least one edge of the metal plate 21 extending in the longitudinal direction is welded to a welding support 26 located in a groove 27 directed in the longitudinal direction and at least one edge of the metal plate 21 extending in the transverse direction is welded to a weld support 26 located in a groove 27 directed in the transverse direction.
• the welding supports 26, for example of metal, are slidably housed in the grooves 27 hollowed out in the cover plates 20 of the primary thermally insulating barrier 5. This degree of freedom allows only small displacements of the edges of the metal plates 21 relative the primary insulating panels 15 take place during temperature variations, which limits the stress concentrations and therefore the fatigue of the primary sealing membrane 6.
• the weld supports 26 are spaced in the grooves 27. These spaces formed between two weld supports 26 can vary from a few millimeters to a spacing slightly greater than a corrugation of the corrugated metal plate 21. The spaces formed between two welding supports 26 in a groove 27 can be filled with an insulating material.
• Figure 3 shows a tank wall 1 in section where we can distinguish the different layers forming said tank wall.
• Figures 4 to 9 show in detail the area of attachment of the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 in a plurality of embodiments.
• FIG. 4 A first embodiment for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 is illustrated in FIG. 4.
• the weld support 26 has a lower part 28 retained in the groove 27 of the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 in a direction perpendicular to the support surface 31, an upper part 30 parallel to the support surface 31 and located on the thermally insulating barrier 5, an intermediate part 29 connecting the lower part 28 to the upper part 30, the intermediate part 29 being disposed in the groove 27 in a thickness direction of the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the upper part 30 of the weld support 26 is housed in a counterbore 32 adjacent to the groove 27, the counterbore 32 being formed in a primary insulating panel 15 of the primary thermally insulating barrier 5, so that the upper part 30 of the weld support 26 is located between the primary sealing membrane 6 and the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 and in the extension of the support surface 31.
• the groove 27 has an entry zone 33 which extends in the thickness direction and a retaining zone 34 arranged under the entry zone 33 and which develops parallel to the support surface 31 over a greater width. as the entry zone 33.
• the lower part 28 of the weld support 26 is housed in the retaining zone 34 so that the weld support is retained in the groove 27.
• the retaining zone 34 is formed in one or more several cover plates 20 of the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the primary sealing membrane 6 is fixed to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 at the level of the fixing by overlapping of two adjacent metal plates 21 of the primary sealing membrane 6.
• a first metal plate 21 does not comprising no offset portion 25 on this edge is welded to the upper part 30 of the welding support 26 then a second metal plate 21 comprising a remote portion 25 on the edge to be welded covers the welding support 26 as well as the edge of the first metal plate 21.
• the offset portion 25 is then welded to the first metal plate so as to achieve a tight overlap, that is to say with a continuous weld bead along the edge of the metal plate 21, completely covering the welding support.
• FIG. 5 represents a second embodiment of weld support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the weld support 26 is inserted into two adjacent grooves 27 extending in the same direction.
• the counterbore 32 is here produced on the part of the cover plate 20 located between the two grooves 27.
• the upper part 30 of the weld support 26 is housed in the counterbore 32 extending between the two grooves.
• the weld support 26 comprises a first lower part 28 inserted in the retaining zone 34 of the first groove 27 and a second lower part 28 inserted in the retaining zone 34 of the second groove 27.
• the weld support 26 also comprises a first intermediate part 29 situated in the entry zone 33 of the first groove 27 and connecting the first lower part 28 to one end of the upper part 30 and a second intermediate part situated in the entry zone 33 of the second groove 27 and connecting the second lower part 28 to the other end of the upper part 30 of the weld support 26.
• the lower part 28 and the intermediate part 29 are formed continuously in the longitudinal direction.
• the cover plate 20 can be made of plywood or composite and have a thickness of between 9 and 24 mm.
• FIG. 6 represents a third embodiment of welding support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the retaining area 34 develops parallel to the support surface 31 on either side of the inlet area 33.
• the weld support 26 comprises a first segment 35 and a second segment 36.
• the first segment 35 comprises a lower part 28 housed in the retaining zone 34 of the groove 27, an upper part 30 parallel to the support surface and housed in the countersink 32 adjacent to the groove 27, so that the upper part 30 of the first segment 35 is located between the primary sealing membrane 6 and the primary thermally insulating barrier 5 and in the extension of the support surface 31, as in the first embodiment.
• the first segment 35 also comprises an intermediate part 29 connecting the lower part 28 of the first segment 35 to the upper part 30 of the first segment 35, the intermediate part 29 being disposed in the entry region 33 of the groove 27.
• the second segment 36 comprises a lower part 28 housed in the retaining zone 34 of the groove 27 in a direction opposite to the direction of the lower part 28 of the first segment 35, and an intermediate part 29 welded by a weld 98 to the intermediate part 29 of the first segment 35.
• FIG. 7 represents a fourth embodiment of weld support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the thermally insulating barrier 5 here comprises two countersinks 32 on either side of the groove 27, one of the counterbores housing the upper part 30 of the first segment 35.
• the second segment 36 comprises, in addition to the lower part 28 and the intermediate part 29, an upper part 30 parallel to the support surface 31 and housed in the other counterbores 32 so as to be oriented in a direction opposite to the direction of the upper part 30 of the first segment 35.
• the upper part 30 of the second segment 36 is thus also located between the primary sealing membrane 6 and the thermally insulating barrier primary 5.
• the intermediate part 29 of the second segment 36 connects, like that of the first segment 35, the lower part 28 of the second segment 36 to the upper part 30 of the second segment 36.
• the groove 27 of each of the previously described embodiments can be located in the center of a primary insulating panel 15 as illustrated in FIG. 1 or near an edge of a primary insulating panel 15.
• FIG. 8 shows a fifth embodiment of welding support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the fifth embodiment of Figure 8 is very similar to the first embodiment of Figure 4. This embodiment of Figure 8 differs however in the location of the groove 27. Indeed, as can be seen on FIG. 8, the entry area 33 of the groove 27 corresponds in this embodiment to an inter-panel space, that is to say that the groove 27 is located between two primary insulating panels 15 adjacent to the barrier primary thermally insulating 5. The retaining zone 34 is therefore produced in one direction in a first primary insulating panel 15 and in the opposite direction in a second primary insulating panel 15.
• FIG. 9 represents a sixth embodiment of welding support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• FIG. 9 The sixth embodiment of FIG. 9 is very similar to the embodiment of FIG. 8.
• the entry zone 33 of the groove 27 also corresponds to an inter-panel space.
• the retaining area 34 has been replaced by a fastener 37.
• the fastener 37 is fixed to a wall of the inlet area 33 corresponding to one side of a primary insulating panel 15.
• the lower part 28 of the weld support 26 is then slidably housed in the clip 36 so as to be retained in particular in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 and in the transverse direction for a groove 27 extending in the direction longitudinal.
• the lower part 28 comprises at its end a hook 38 having a shape complementary to a counter-hook 39 located on the fastener 37.
• the hook 38 of the lower part 28 is housed in the counter-hook 39 of the fastener 37 for carrying out the sliding fixing.
• This embodiment can also be used in the center of a primary insulating panel 15 or near an edge of a primary insulating panel 15.
• FIG. 10 represents a seventh embodiment of the welding support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the seventh embodiment of Figure 10 is very similar to the embodiment of Figure 5.
• the lower part 28 and the intermediate part 29 of the weld support are formed discontinuously in the direction longitudinal so as to form legs connected to the upper part 30 and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction.
• FIG. 11 represents an eighth embodiment of the weld support 26 for fixing the primary sealing membrane 6 to the primary thermally insulating barrier 5.
• the weld support 26 is inserted in the center of a primary insulation panel 15 in two adjacent grooves 27 extending in the longitudinal direction and in two grooves 97 (sketched in broken lines in FIG. 1 1) adjacent extending in the transverse direction crossing the two longitudinal grooves 27.
• the weld support 26 of this embodiment is produced by a portion 26A formed in the longitudinal direction and a portion 26B formed in the transverse direction, the portions 26A, 26B intersecting so as to form a cross.
• the upper part 30 extends in a first counterbore 32 formed between the two longitudinal grooves 27 and also in a second counterbore 32 formed between the two transverse grooves 97.
• the portion 26A therefore comprises the portion of the upper part 30 extending in the longitudinal direction and also comprises a first lower part 28 inserted in the retaining zone 34 of the first longitudinal groove 27 and a second lower part 28 inserted in the zone retaining 34 of the second longitudinal groove 27.
• the portion 26A also includes a first intermediate portion 29 located in the entry area 33 of the first longitudinal groove 27 and connecting the first lower part 28 to the upper part 30 and a second intermediate part 29 located in the entry region 33 of the second transverse groove 27 and connecting the second lower part 28 to the upper part 30.
• the portion 26B does not include a lower portion 28.
• the portion 26B is formed by the portion of the upper portion 30 extending in the transverse direction and also includes a first intermediate portion 29 located in the first groove 97 transverse and connected to the upper part 30 and a second intermediate part 29 located in the entry zone 33 of the second transverse groove 97 and connected to the upper part 30.
• the transverse grooves 97 have a large opening so as to ensure a sufficient clearance of the weld support 26 in the longitudinal direction.
• the weld support 26 keeps a sufficient degree of freedom in the longitudinal direction.
• the longitudinal grooves 27 can also have a large opening in this embodiment to allow play in the transverse direction.
• the weld support 26 is forcibly inserted into the intersection of the longitudinal 27 and transverse grooves 97.
• FIGS. 4 to 11 can be combined when the characteristics of these modes are compatible with one another.
• the embodiment described in FIG. 5 can include, in each of the grooves 27 instead of the retention zone 34, fasteners 36.
• the two lower parts 28 of the weld support 26 are then provided with hooks 38 which are housed in the counter hooks 39 of the fasteners 36.
• the embodiment described in FIG. 7 may include, in place of the retaining zone 34, fasteners 36, a first fastener 36 fixed to the wall of the groove 27 close to the first segment 35 and a second fastener 36 fixed to the wall of the groove 27 close to the second segment 36.
• the lower part 28 of the first segment 35 and the lower part 28 of the second segment 36 are provided with hooks 38 housed in a counter-hook 38 of each of the fasteners 36.
• the technique described above for producing a sealed vessel wall can be used in different types of tanks, for example to constitute the vessel wall of an LNG tank in a land installation or in a floating structure such as an LNG tanker or other.
• a cutaway view of an LNG tanker 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 waterproof barrier intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary waterproof barrier arranged between the primary waterproof barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and two insulating barriers arranged respectively between the primary waterproof barrier and the secondary waterproof barrier and between the secondary waterproof barrier 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 maritime or port terminal for transferring a cargo of LNG from or to the tank 71.
• FIG. 12 represents an example of a maritime terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipe 76 and a shore installation 77.
• the loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation comprising an arm mobile 74 and a tower 78 which supports the mobile arm 74.
• the mobile arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 which can be connected to the loading / unloading pipes 73.
• the mobile arm 74 can be adjusted to suit all LNG tankers' sizes .
• a connection pipe, not shown, extends inside the tower 78.
• the loading and unloading station 75 allows the loading and unloading of the LNG carrier 70 from or to the onshore installation 77.
• This comprises liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting pipes 81 connected by the subsea pipe 76 to the loading or unloading station 75.
• the subsea pipe 76 allows the transfer of the liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the shore installation 77 over a long distance, for example 5 km, which makes it possible to keep the LNG carrier 70 at a great distance from the coast during the loading and unloading operations.
• pumps on board the ship 70 and / or pumps fitted to the shore installation 77 and / or pumps fitted to the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

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• 2018
  • 2018-08-24 FR FR1857653A patent/FR3085199B1/fr active Active
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