KR20180133861A - Thermal sealing tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealed thermal storage tank comprising a vertical tank wall (8) supported by a support wall (11), said tank wall (8) comprising a series of parallel, elongated flexible zones Wherein the tank further comprises a plurality of pipes (4) extending vertically in the tank, the tank wall (8) being adapted to connect the pipes (4) to a vertical support wall 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fixation device (10) for securing the fixture to a support wall (11), the fixture comprising a series of supports extending into the tank through an opening (44) in the seal membrane Wherein the securing device further comprises an attachment beam (19) fixed to the support (18) and a plurality of guide flanges (20) fixed to the beam (19), each vertical pipe 4) are provided with respective guide flaps It is coupled in the support (20).

Description

Thermal sealing tank

The present invention relates to the field of thermally-insulating sealed tanks. In particular, the invention relates to a process for the transport of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) having a temperature between -50 ° C and 0 ° C, or for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) at about -162 ° C , ≪ / RTI > which relates to the storage or transport of cold liquids.

Liquid loading or unloading pipelines are provided for transferring liquid from or to the interior of the adiabatic sealing tank. These tubing extend along the vertical wall of the tank from the top wall of the tank to the bottom wall of the tank. Such a device is shown, for example, in document FR3019520 A1.

When the liquefied gas is loaded and unloaded, changes in temperature will cause thermal deformation, resulting in stresses in the tank's fluid-tight membranes and loading and unloading pipes. Likewise, during sea transport, the movement of the liquefied gas in the tank exerts a considerable amount of force on the walls and piping of the tank.

One idea of the present invention is based on providing an adiabatic sealing tank that includes a plurality of tubing extending vertically into the tank and being reliably and simply secured within the tank.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides an adiabatic sealing tank integrated within a carrying structure, said tank comprising a vertical tank wall supported by a vertical support wall of said support structure,

Wherein the tank wall includes a vertical insulating barrier secured to the support wall and defining a support surface parallel to the support wall, the tank wall having a metal fluid-bearing structure supported by the support surface formed by the vertical thermal barrier, The fluid-tight membrane of claim 1, further comprising a fluid-tight membrane, wherein the fluid-tight membrane comprises at least one series of parallel elongate flexible zones,

Wherein the tank further comprises a plurality of pipes, each pipe extending vertically in the tank in parallel to the vertical tank wall,

The tank wall further comprising an anchoring device for securing the tubing to the vertical support wall, the anchoring device comprising a series of support feet aligned along the vertical support wall,

Each support including a base secured to the support wall and extending through the thickness of the vertical insulation barrier from the support wall to the fluid-tight membrane, and one end of the base opposite the support wall, Wherein the fluid-tight membrane comprises an in-line opening with the metal sealing plate, the opening having a size smaller than the size of the metal sealing plate , The peripheral edges of the opening being welded to the metal seal plate over the entire contour of the opening, the metal seal plate having an opening in the fluid-seal membrane that is in contact with any elongated flexible section The two adjacent elongate flexible < RTI ID = 0.0 > Disposed between yeokdeul,

Each support further comprising a spacer extending from the metal sealing plate through the opening of the fluid-tight membrane toward the interior of the tank, wherein one end of the spacer, opposite the metal sealing plate, In addition,

The fixing device further includes a fixing beam fixed to the support plates supported by the supports of the series of supports and a plurality of guide flanges fixed to the surface of the beam opposite the vertical support walls Each guide flange being associated with one of the vertical pipes and each vertical pipe being coupled within the associated guide flange to be held in place with a vertical degree of freedom.

With these features, a plurality of piping extending vertically along the vertical tank wall can be secured to the vertical tank wall in a stable and simple manner. Also, securing the tubing in such a tank does not require the interruption of the elongated flexible zones of the fluid-tight membrane of the tank wall, whereby the fluid-tight membrane exhibits good stress resistance.

According to some embodiments, this type of tank may include one or more of the following features.

According to one embodiment, the fluid-tight membrane comprises a series of vertical elongate flexible zones, wherein the spacers of the at least one support comprise a vertical, elongate flexible < RTI ID = 0.0 > Is spaced apart from the opening of the fluid-tight membrane extending through the spacer so as to pass in line with one of the zones.

According to one embodiment, the elongate flexible regions have the form of wrinkles of the fluid-tight membrane. According to one embodiment, the elongated flexible zones may be formed in the form of bellows formed by the raised edges of elevated-edge streaks forming the fluid-tight membrane. I have.

According to these characteristics, piping arranged in line with the vertical elongated flexible section of the fluid-tight membrane of the vertical wall of the tank can be secured to the vertical wall of the tank without interruption to the elongate flexible section . Thus, this type of tank has a fluid-tight membrane with good deformability and good stress resistance.

According to one embodiment, the spacers of the at least one support have a flared form that is enlarged away from the support wall.

According to one embodiment, the spacers of the at least one support include a first tab extending perpendicularly to the metal sealing plate through the opening of the fluid-tight membrane toward the interior of the tank, A second tab extending obliquely with respect to the metal sealing plate toward the interior of the tank through an opening in the sealing membrane, the second tab being in line with the vertical elongated flexible section of the fluid- And the support plate is fixed to at least one end of the tabs opposite to the metal sealing plate.

According to these aspects, the tank has a support that provides good support to the beam while maintaining good deformation characteristics of the fluid-tight membrane.

According to one embodiment, the spacer includes two support plates, the first support plate is supported by the first tab, and the second support plate is supported by the second tab.

According to one embodiment, one of the plurality of piping extends in line with the vertical elongated flexible region of the fluid-tight membrane, and the spacer of the at least one support comprises a vertical elongated flexible Is spaced relative to the opening of the fluid-tight membrane extending through the spacer such that it passes in line with the vertical elongated flexible section of the fluid-tight membrane between the section and the vertical tubing.

According to one embodiment, each support is associated with one of the vertical pipes, and each guide flange is disposed in the beam at a side of the support plate opposite the support plate associated with the vertical pipe coupled within the guide flange.

According to one embodiment, each piping is centered at the center of one or more support plates of the support associated with the piping.

According to these characteristics, the fixing of the pipes in the tank has good strength properties.

According to one embodiment, at least one of the pipes is associated with a secondary pipeline extending perpendicularly to the vertical wall of the tank in the tank, and the guide flange associated with the pipe is anchoring wherein the secondary pipe has a vertical degree of freedom and is coupled into the fixed boss to be held in place in the tank.

With these features, it is possible to fix the piping and the secondary piping to one and the same guide flange at the same time.

According to one embodiment, each guide flange includes a collar of two parts surrounding the pipe associated with the guide flange.

According to one embodiment, the two parts of the collar of each guide flange are connected along an oblique connection plane with respect to the fluid-tight membrane of the vertical tank wall.

According to these characteristics, the collar is simple to close around the pipe associated with the guide flange, and the presence of a secondary pipe extending from the metallic fluid-tight membrane at the same distance as the pipe causes the collar to be closed Do not interfere.

According to one embodiment, the inner surface of each guide flange includes slide elements to provide a vertical degree of freedom in the pipe associated with the guide flange.

According to one embodiment, the base of each support has an H-shape, the first branch of H forming a fixed plate fixed to the vertical support wall, Wherein a middle portion of the H holds the first branch and the second branch spaced apart from each other, and spaces between the branches of the H are filled with a heat insulating material.

According to one embodiment, the base of each support comprises a first metal portion welded to the vertical support wall and a second metal portion forming the metal seal plate, a first metal portion welded to the vertical support wall, And a second adiabatic choke fixed to the second metal part within the thickness of the vertical adiabatic barrier, wherein the first adiabatic choke and the second adiabatic choke are in contact with the support Are fixed to one another by fastening elements to secure the first and second metal portions of the first metal part.

The adiabatic chokes may be made of a number of materials having sufficient mechanical strength to provide better insulation than metal but to fix the piping to the support wall. In one embodiment, the adiabatic chokes are made of wood. In one embodiment, the adiabatic chokes are made of a composite material. In one embodiment, the adiabatic chokes are made of polyurethane foam reinforced with glass fibers or other fibers.

With these features, the base forms a limited thermal bridge between the fluid-tight membrane and the support structure, and the insulating barrier maintains good thermal insulation properties.

According to one embodiment, the tank includes a plurality of anchoring devices spaced apart from one another in the height direction of the tank, each series of supports having a plurality of supports disposed at the same height in the tank .

According to one embodiment, the tubing extending in series with the vertical elongated flexible zone is associated with a plurality of supports, each of the plurality of supports belonging to a respective fixture, and the vertical three- The spacers of each support associated with the tubing extended to the tubing are connected to a vertical elongated flexible region of the fluid-tight membrane extending in line with the vertical tubing associated with the tubing, The spacer is offset relative to the opening of the fluid-tight membrane extending therethrough.

According to one embodiment, the tank further comprises a stiffener extending parallel to the metallic fluid-tight membrane and coupled to each of the pipes for connecting the pipes together.

According to these characteristics, the fixation of the pipes in the tank has good mechanical strength characteristics.

According to one embodiment, the tank further comprises a top wall supported by an upper support wall of the support structure, wherein the upper wall of the tank is provided with a plurality of parallelepiped- A top metal fluid-tight membrane formed of elements and secured to the upper support wall and comprising an upper insulating barrier defining an upper support surface, the upper wall of the tank being supported by the upper support surface, Wherein the piping continuously traverses the upper support wall and the upper tank wall to the interior of the tank, wherein each piping of the plurality of piping is positioned between the heat insulating elements of the two side-by-side parallelepipeds of the upper tank wall, And the upper fluid-tight membrane traverses the upper insulating barrier, the upper fluid-tight membrane having a plurality of fluid- It includes a rod connecting plates, and each passage hole is traversed by a pipe of individual, inner peripheral edge of each of the passage holes is welded seal around the tubing transverse to the passage hole. The expression " globally centered "means that the center of the pipe is located in or near the gap between the sides of the insulation elements of the two side-by-side parallelepipeds of the tank wall, Spaced apart from the corners of the parallelepiped insulating caissons defining the same.

These features limit the number of insulation elements of the upper insulation barrier that must be modified to allow passage of the pipes. This results in a good standardization of the insulating elements forming the upper insulating barrier, thus making it easier to manufacture the tank.

According to one embodiment, the piping is suspended from the upper support wall of the support structure.

According to one embodiment, the upper support wall further supports a pump body associated with at least one of the pipes, and a rotary pump tree coupled to the pump body is connected to a liquid Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > pipe < / RTI >

According to one embodiment, the space between the heat insulating elements of each of the upper insulating barriers and each of the pipes is filled with a heat insulating material.

According to these characteristics, the upper insulating barrier provides good adiabatic properties.

According to one embodiment, the secondary piping is disposed between two side-by-side heat insulation elements of the upper insulation barrier, and a piping associated with the secondary piping is disposed therebetween.

Such tanks may, for example, form part of a land-based storage facility for storing LNG, or may form part of a coastal or marine floating structure, in particular a methane transport, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production, Unit (FPSO), or the like.

According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting a low temperature fluid product includes a double hull and the aforementioned tank disposed within the double hull.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for loading or unloading a ship of this type, wherein the low temperature fluid product is passed from the floating or land storage facility through the insulation pipes to the tank of the vessel, To a floating or land storage facility.

According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a system for transporting a low temperature fluid product, said system comprising a vessel as described above, a thermal storage vessel disposed to connect a tank installed in the ship's hull to a floating or land storage facility And a pump for driving a stream of low temperature fluid product from said floating or land storage facility through said insulated piping to or from a tank of said vessel or said floating or terrestrial storage facility .

Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of securing a plurality of tubing in an adiabatic sealing tank. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of stably securing tubing in a tank without degrading the insulation of the tank walls. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of securing tubing in a tank where the fluid-tight membrane provides good resistance characteristics to deformation. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of not stopping the elongate flexible sections of the fluid-tight membrane to secure the piping. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of restricting modifications to the insulating barrier required for the passage of piping toward the interior of the tank. Certain aspects of the invention are based on the concept of providing a tank in which the insulation elements are standardized. Certain aspects of the present invention are based on the concept of allowing a good fixation of the tubing extending vertically in line with the vertical elongated flexible zone without interruption of the vertical elongated flexible zone of the fluid-tight membrane of the vertical tank wall .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention given without limitation and with reference to the accompanying drawings, And advantages of the invention will become more apparent.
1 is a schematic view of a number of pipes extending along the vertical wall of the tank from the top wall of the tank to the bottom wall of the tank in the tank;
2 is a schematic perspective view of a vertical tank wall with incised portions showing the supports traversing the insulation barrier of the vertical tank wall at different stages in the assembly of the tank;
3 is a schematic perspective view of a vertical tank wall showing the interaction between the fluid-tight membrane and the supports in the vertical tank wall at different stages in the assembly of the tank;
Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a tank wall comprising a plurality of piping fixed to a fixture.
5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the support base of FIG. 2;
6 is a schematic top perspective view of an upper tank wall showing the passage of tubing through the upper insulating barrier;
7 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the upper tank wall in the passage of the piping into the upper insulating barrier with incision portions;
8 is a bottom view of the upper tank wall showing the sealing connection between the upper fluid-tight membrane and the tubing traversing the upper fluid-tight membrane;
9 is a schematic perspective view of a piping in which a sealing collar is disposed;
10 is a schematic cut-away view of a tank for methane transport and a terminal for loading / unloading in the tank.

The following description relates to several elements disposed in a tank for storing and / or transporting LNG. The bottom wall of the tank is preferably a generally flat wall located at the bottom of the tank relative to the Earth's gravitational field. Conversely, the upper tank wall is preferably a generally flat wall located at the top of the tank with respect to the Earth's gravitational field. However, the overall geometry of the tank may be of a different type. The geometries of polyhedra are the most general. Cylindrical geometry or other geometries are possible.

The tank walls may be formed, for example, in a multi-layer structure that is secured to the support walls and includes two insulation barriers alternating with two fluid-tight membranes. The other tank walls are formed of a simple insulating barrier supported by the support wall and a fluid-tight membrane supported by the insulating barrier.

Considering that there are many known techniques for achieving this structure of adiabatic sealing tank walls, the following will be briefly described only for the tank walls including the simple insulating barrier and the fluid-tight membrane below, The structure of the elements interacting with each other will be described in more detail.

The vessel comprises a double hull forming a carrying structure 1, on which the walls of the tank are mounted. Each tank wall comprises an insulating barrier (2) fixed to said support structure and a fluid-tight membrane (3) supported by said insulating barrier (2).

A number of pipelines 4 extend vertically from the top tank wall 5 to the bottom tank wall 6. These pipes 4 are suspended on the upper support wall 7 of the support structure 1. [ The pipes 4 can be hung on the upper support wall 7 in a variety of ways, such as, for example, with the aid of a flange fixed to the upper support wall 7. The pipes 4 continuously traverse the upper support wall 7 and the upper tank wall 5 in the vicinity of the transverse tank wall 8. The transverse tank wall 8 extends vertically and connects the bottom tank wall 6 and the top tank wall 5. The pipes 4 preferably extend over the entire height of the tank to open into the interior of the tank as close as possible to the bottom tank wall 6. The pipes 4 are preferably centered substantially along the transverse tank wall 8 at the middle height of the ship.

The pipes 4 may be associated with pumps 9 for transferring liquid or gas from the interior of the tank or into the interior of the tank. Thus, the tank may comprise one or two pipes (4) designed for the unloading of liquid or gas from the tank, one or two pipes (4) designed for the loading of liquid or gas into the tank, A piping 4 designed for the recovery of the gas, a pipe 4 designed to supply the LNG to the engine or, optionally, to terminate the unloading of the tank with the aid of a reduced-power pump, etc. . The pumps 9 may be supported by the upper support wall 7 or, alternatively, may be integrated into the piping 4. In one embodiment, the pump 9 comprises a pump body which is supported by the deck of the vessel formed by the upper support wall 7. The pump body is connected to a shaft housed in a pipe (4). The shaft extends from the pump body to the bottom tank wall 6 within the pipe 4. A pumping screw is received in the pipe 4 at the bottom tank wall 6 and connected to the shaft.

In the case of loading or unloading LNG, or using LNG contained in the tank to supply gas to the engine of the ship, the pipes 4 are used to transport the LNG. In fact, due to the rolling motion caused by the sea on which the vessel sails or the operation of the pump 9, the pipelines 4 are subject to stress and vibration which can cause damage. This stress becomes greater when the tank and piping 4 are very high. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the pipes 4 can be maintained in place in a stable and reliable manner in the tank.

A number of anchoring devices 10 are secured to the transverse carrying wall 11 to ensure that the tubing is retained in the tank. This transverse support wall 11 extends substantially vertically. The transverse tank wall 8 is fixed to the transverse support wall 11. The fixing devices 10 are fixed to the transverse support wall 11 at regular intervals. For example, in a tank having a height of 30 m, the first anchor 10 is fixed at a height of about 10 m in the tank and the second anchor 10 is fixed at a height of about 20 m in the tank . The pipelines 4 are secured to the fastening devices 10 as described below to ensure that they are held in place in the tank.

Preferably, the piping 4 is connected together by stiffeners 12 to improve resistance to stress and stability in the tank. These stiffeners 12 are, for example, rigid metal rods connecting two adjacent pipes 4 in the tank. A plurality of stiffeners 12 may be disposed between the two adjacent pipes along the transverse tank wall 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, two adjacent pipes 4 may include a first stiffener 12 positioned between the upper tank wall 5 and the first anchoring device 10, Can be connected by a second stiffener 12 positioned between the first fixing device 10 and the second fixing device 10 and a third stiffener 12 disposed between the second fixing device 10 and the bottom tank wall 6. [ have.

2 is a schematic perspective view of a transverse tank wall 8 with incised portions, showing the securing device 10 traversing the insulating barrier 2 in different steps in the assembly of the tank.

The transverse tank wall 8 comprises a plurality of insulating caissons 13 in the form of a substantially parallelepiped arranged in a regular pattern.

The insulating casings 13 are made of, for example, plywood and contain a heat insulating material such as glass wool or pearlite. The insulating casings 13 are secured to the transverse support walls 11 with the aid of bolts (not shown) welded to the transverse support walls 11. The inner surface 14 of the insulating caissons 13 facing the interior of the tank includes two fixing bands 15 on which the corrugated sheet metal panels 16 (See Figs. 3, 4, 6 or 8). These fixing bands 15 are disposed at right angles to each other and extend over the central portion of the inner surface 14 of the insulating casings 13. The inner surface 14 of the insulating casings 13 is an extension of the fixing bands 15 and comprises thermal protection bands 17.

The fixation device comprises a plurality of support feet 18 secured to the transverse support wall 11 and traversing the tank wall, a beam 19 fixed to the plurality of supports, And a guide flange (20) fixed to the beam (19) for piping of the pipe.

The support 18 includes a base 21 and a spacer 22.

The base 21 is disposed between two opposing insulating casings 13. This position between the two adiabatic caissons 13 prevents the portion of the adiabatic caissons 13 that support the fixing bands 15 from changing and secures the fluid-sealing membrane to the adiabatic caissons 13 So that a good surface can be preserved.

Further, the base 21 is disposed at the center between the two sides of the opposed caissons 13. The two adiabatic casings 13 with the base 21 disposed therebetween have a clearance 23 located at the center of their opposing sides and these spacings 23 are respectively located on the base 21 ) And a complementary size. The intervals 23 are preferably rectangular. Placing the base 21 in the center of the sides of two adjacent adiabatic caissons 13 advantageously limits the number of adiabatic caissons 13 to be modified to provide sufficient space for the base 21, do. In addition, placing the base 21 in the center of the sides of two adjacent adiabatic caissons 13 does not require a correction of the corners of the adiabatic casings so that the adiabatic casings are located at the corners of the adiabatic caissons 13 Can interact normally with the securing devices of the thermal insulation caissons (13) on the upper support wall (7).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the base 21 has an H-profile. More specifically, the base 21 includes a fixed plate 24 forming a first branch of the H-profile, a spacing member 25 forming a central portion of the H-profile, And a sealing plate 26 forming a second branch of the H-profile. The base 21 is preferably a metal.

The fixing plate 24 is rectangular and made of a metal material. This fixed plate 24 extends parallel to the transverse support wall 11. [ The fastening plate 24 is secured to the transverse support wall 11 by any suitable means, for example welding.

The spacing member 25 extends through the insulation barrier of the transverse tank wall 8 at a right angle to the fixed plate 24. [ The spacing member 25 is secured to the fixed plate 24 by suitable means, for example welding. The spacing member 25 includes, for example, two mutually parallel plates 27, which are at right angles to the fixed plate 24. These two plates 27 are connected together by two mutually parallel second plates which are perpendicular to the plates 27 and the fixed plate 24.

The sealing plate 26 is preferably rectangular. The sealing plate 26 extends parallel to the transverse support wall 11. The sealing plate 26 is fixed to the end of the spacing member 25 opposite to the fixing plate 24. The sealing plate is coplanar with the inner surface (14) of the insulating casings (13).

The space between the base 21 and the adiabatic casings 13 is advantageously filled with a heat insulating material 28, such as block or injected polyurethane or glass wool. Such a heat insulating material 28 allows the heat insulating barrier to maintain a good heat insulating property despite the presence of the base 21. In addition, the H-profile of the base 21 may limit the formation of thermal bridges between the transverse support walls 11 and the fluid-tight membranes of the transverse tank walls 8.

The spacer 22 extends from the base 21 toward the inside of the tank. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 to 4, the spacer 22 includes a first tab 29 and a second tab 30. The first tab 29 extends at right angles to the sealing plate 26. The second tab 30 extends obliquely with respect to the sealing plate 26. The ends of the tabs 29 and 30 opposite to the sealing plate 26 have the support plate 31. [ The support plates 31 are parallel to the transverse support wall 11.

In one embodiment (not shown), a single support plate is made and supported by two tabs of the spacer 22 in a cavity.

In another embodiment (not shown), the spacer has only one tab. This single tab is formed in a trumpet shape so as to have a larger cross section at the end opposite to the sealing plate. Thus, the support plate may be additionally secured to the end of a flared tab of this type, or it may be integrally formed by the end of a trumpet-shaped tab.

The beam 19 is secured to support plates formed by a plurality of supports 18 located at one and the same height in the tank. The beam 19 is in the form of a parallelepipedal body. The guide flanges 20 are secured to the surface 32 of the beam 19 opposite the support 18. More specifically, a guide flange 20 is secured to the surface 32 of the beam 19 for each pipe 4 to be maintained in place in the tank. Each of the guide flanges 20 is provided in the middle of the support plates 31 of the support 18 as seen in the center support 18 shown in Figure 3 or the support 18 on the left side of the figure. Centered, or generally centered. In the case of a single support plate, the guide flange 20 is centered, or generally centrally, of the support plate.

The guide flange 20 comprises two half-collars which are associated with each other to surround the respective pipe 4. Each half-collar is semicircular. The two half-collars each include a joining rib 41. These two connecting ribs 41 are fixed together by any suitable means, for example with the aid of screws or nuts, or by welding, so that the two half-collars cooperate to form a collar < . Therefore, the guide flange 20 prevents the pipe 4 from horizontally moving in the tank. However, the inner surface of the collar opposite to the tubing 4 is provided with bands of sliding material, such as Teflon, which permit vertical sliding of the tubing 4 within the guide flange 20. [ . Therefore, the pipe 4 can slide in the guide flange to withstand the contraction / expansion stress of the pipe when loading / unloading liquid into / from the tank.

The beam 19 may be made of a material having a low coefficient of expansion to compensate for the length of the beam, for example, steel with high manganese or nickel content. In practice, the fixing of a large number of pipes 4 requires that the beam 19 be very long. For this reason, the contraction or expansion of the beam 19 can cause shear stress on the support 18 fixed to the beam 19. In addition, the beam 19 is made of a material having a low coefficient of expansion, so that the guide flanges 20 secured to the beam 19, including when there is a severe temperature change in the tank, .

The first half-collar 33 of the guide flange 20 includes a securing tab 34 extending from the outer surface of the first half-collar. The securing tab 34 is cylindrical, for example, of a circular cross section and extends at right angles to the surface 32 of the beam 19. One end of the fixing tab 34 on the opposite side of the first half-collar includes a fixing plate fixed to the surface 32 of the beam 19, for example by welding or bolting.

The first half-collar 33 also includes a reinforcing rib 35. This reinforcing rib 35 extends in a plane perpendicular to the surface 32 of the beam 19. This reinforcing rib 35 extends along the fixing tab 34 and across the entire outer surface of the first half-collar 33. The second half-collar 36, which is complementary to the first half-collar 33, includes an anchoring boss 37 on its outer surface. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixed boss 37 includes a first portion extending from the second half-collar 36 and having a first circular clearance 38. The second portion of the fixed boss 37 has a second circular gap 39 that is complementary to the first gap 38. The first portion and the second portion of the fixing boss 37 are fitted to each other so that the first gap 38 and the second gap 39 together form a guide hole for the secondary pipe 40. This secondary pipe 40 can be used for various functions, for example a sampling function or an optional diffusion function. The secondary piping 40 for sampling makes it possible, for example, to remove the small amount of liquid contained in the tank at different depths in the tank. The secondary piping 40 for diffusion makes it possible to remove the low temperature liquid from the bottom of the tank and to diffuse the liquid into the interior of the top of the tank, for example, to cool the top of the tank. This secondary pipe 40 has a cross section smaller than the cross section of the pipe 4 for unloading or loading liquid from the tank or into the tank. This secondary piping 40 is advantageously held in place in the tank with the aid of the fixed bosses 37. More specifically, such pipes are housed in the guide holes such that the guide flange 20 can be used to both open the primary pipe 4 with the aid of the collar and the secondary pipe 40 with the aid of the fixing bosses 37 And is held in place.

The fixing boss 37 advantageously extends in a plane which is distinct from the connecting plane defined by the connecting ribs 41. Therefore, when the two half-collars 33, 36 are assembled, the welding, screwing or other connection of the connecting ribs 4 is not disturbed by the presence of the fixing bosses 37.

The guide flange 20, which fixes both the primary pipe and the secondary pipe 40 to the support wall, can be offset with respect to the center of the support plate 31.

3 is a schematic perspective view of the transverse tank wall 8 showing the interaction between the fluid-tight membrane and the support 18 of the transverse tank wall 8 at different stages in the assembly of the tank.

The fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8 comprises a plurality of corrugated metal plates. These corrugated metal plates are made of, for example, steel and have a series of mutually parallel vertical corrugations 42 and a series of mutually parallel horizontal corrugations 43. These pleats 42, 43 allow the fluid-tight membrane to absorb the stresses associated with the contraction of the fluid-tight membrane when the LNG is loaded into the tank. This type of waveform fluid-tight membrane is described, for example, in document FR2861060.

The fluid-tight membrane includes an opening (44) in line with the sealing plates (26) of each support (18). This opening 44 allows the spacers 22 to extend through the fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8. The opening 44 has a size smaller than the size of the sealing plate 26. The inner peripheral edge of the opening (44) covers the sealing plate (26). In order to preserve the sealing of the fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8, the inner peripheral edge of each opening 44 is sealingly welded to the corresponding sealing plate 26.

Advantageously, the openings 44 are disposed in a fluid-tight membrane between two adjacent vertical corrugations 42. In addition, the openings 44 are disposed between two adjacent horizontal pleats 43. Thus, the openings 44 do not interrupt the corrugations 42, 43 of the fluid-tight membrane, and the fluid-tight membrane retains good deformation characteristics and good resistance to stresses associated with heat shrinkage.

5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the base 21 of the support 18. This variant embodiment is particularly advantageous because it further restricts the thermal bridge between the transverse support wall 11 and the fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8.

In this variant, the spacing member 25 is formed of two adiabatic chocks, for example the two chokes are made of wood or a composite material. The first adiabatic choke 45 is fixed to the fixed plate 24. Two threaded rods 46 are secured to the stationary plate 24, for example by welding. These two threaded rods extend at right angles to the fixed plate 24 within the thickness of the insulating barrier. The first adiabatic choke 45 comprises two housings 47 with perforated bottoms 48. The first adiabatic choke 45 is added to the fixed plate 24 such that each threaded rod 46 traverses one of the perforated bottoms 48 of the housings 47. Nuts 49 are mounted on threaded rods 46 to secure the perforated bottoms 48 of the housings 47 and thus the first adiabatic choke 45 against the securing plate 24 .

The second adiabatic chock 50 is made of, for example, wood or a composite material and is fixed to the sealing plate 26 in a manner similar to the manner in which the first adiabatic choke 45 is secured to the securing plate 24 do.

The first adiabatic choke 45 and the second adiabatic choke 50 include a third housing 51 on the opposite side of the two housings. The third housing 51 also includes a perforated bottom 52. A holding member having a threaded rod 53 and a head 54 is received in the third housing 51 of the second adiabatic choke 50 before the second adiabatic choke is assembled to the sealing plate 26 . The head 54 of the retaining member has a size such that the retaining member can not pass through the perforated bottom 52 of the third housing 51 of the second adiabatic choke 50. The retaining member is disposed within the third housing (51) such that the threaded rod (53) of the retaining member traverses the perforated bottom (52) of the third housing (51) of the second adiabatic choke . In a preferred embodiment, a block of insulating material 55, such as an insulating foam, is placed within the third housing 51 of the second adiabatic choke 50 to improve the adiabatic properties of the base 18 .

The first adiabatic choke 45 and the second adiabatic choke 50 are arranged such that the threaded rod 53 of the holding member is engaged with the first adiabatic choke 45 and the third adiabatic choke 50 of the second adiabatic choke 50 51 and the perforated bottoms 52 of the first and second openings 51, respectively. The fixing plate 24 includes a passage hole 56 for allowing the passage of the nut 57 on the opposite side of the third housing 51 of the first adiabatic choke 45. The nut 57 is screwed to the threaded rod 53 of the holding member to fixly hold the first adiabatic choke 45 and the second adiabatic choke 50, And the sealing plate 26 are fixed. For example, such a base 18, which includes an insulating spacing member 25 made primarily of wood or a composite material, prevents the occurrence of thermal bridges between the fixing plate 24 and the sealing plate 26 and provides good mechanical strength .

Figures 6 and 7 show the pipes in the upper insulation barrier.

In a manner similar to the insulating barrier of the transverse tank wall 8, the insulating barrier of the upper tank wall 5 is made of a plurality of parallelepipedal insulating caissons 13 arranged in a regular pattern.

In order not to infringe the fixing bands 15, the pipes 4 traverse the upper tank wall 5 between adjacent adiabatic caissons 13, that is to say the fixing bands 15 Traverses the upper tank wall 5 at a distance from the central portions of the supporting insulating casings 13. In order to limit the number of adiabatic caissons 13 that need to be modified in order to allow the passage of the pipes 4, the pipes 4 are arranged on opposite sides of the two adjacent adiabatic caissons 13, And traverses the upper tank wall 5 centering on the upper tank wall 5. The corners of the adiabatic caissons 13 are not modified and the outer surfaces of the adiabatic caissons 13 are not deformed by passing the pipe 4 centered on the opposite sides of the two adjacent adiabatic caissons 13. [ It can interact normally with the securing devices of the insulating casings 13 on the upper support wall 7 where the corners are located. The opposite sides of the two caissons are modified to have a clearance 58 that allows passage of the piping 4. The intervals 58 are preferably rectangular.

When the tank further includes secondary piping 40, these secondary piping 40 are also located between the opposing sides of the modified adiabatic caissons 13 for passage of the primary piping 4, Traverse the tank wall. The side surfaces of the adjacent adiabatic caissons 13 are modified to a lesser degree in a manner similar to that simulated for the passage of the pipes 4. Likewise, the secondary pipes 40 are preferably located at the center as far as possible between the opposing sides of the adjacent adiabatic caissons 13, or at least as far as the opposite sides of the adjacent adiabatic caissons 13 Traverse the upper tank wall at a position that does not cause the corners to undergo correction.

In order to preserve the adiabatic characteristic of the insulating barrier of the upper tank wall 5, the space of the gap included between the piping 4 and the adiabatic caissons 13 is filled with a heat insulating material such as glass wool or injected polyurethane (59).

However, in a tank comprising a metal fluid-tight membrane formed of a plurality of corrugated plates, the corrugations of the plates are offset relative to the edges of the corrugated plates. Depending on the distance between the two adjacent corrugations and the size of the pipes 4 the pipe 4 traversing the insulating barrier of the upper tank wall 5 is formed by the wrinkles of the fluid- Can be stopped. In addition, the vertical corrugations of the transverse tank wall 8 are generally arranged in a series of pleats of the upper tank wall 5. Thus, the pipe 4 may extend vertically in line with the vertical wrinkles of the fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8 over the entire height of the tank. The support 18 described above with reference to Figures 2 to 4 advantageously provides support for the beam 19 between the pipe 4 and the vertical corrugations arranged in line with the pipe 4 It is possible to arrange the one or more support plates so as not to interrupt the vertical wrinkles of the fluid-tight membrane of the transverse tank wall 8. The beam 19 is thus fixed to the support 18 in line with the vertical corrugations and provides a reliable and rigid fixation to the tubing 4 without interrupting vertical creases running in line with the tubing 4 do.

To ensure the sealing of the fluid-tight membrane of the upper tank wall, a metal connection plate (60) is supported by two insulating casings (13) through which the piping (4) passes. A plywood panel, which rests on a shoulder formed on the inner surface of the insulating casings 13, optionally provides a rigid, planar support surface for the metal connection plate 60 . This metal connection plate is coplanar with the inner surface of the heat insulating caissons 13. The metal connection plate (60), and optionally the plywood panel, includes a through hole (61) for passage of the pipe (4). The metal connection plate 60 and, optionally, the plywood panel is also provided with a secondary through hole 62 for passage of the secondary pipe 40.

The fluid-tight membrane of the upper tank wall (5) includes an upper opening (63). The upper opening 63 is smaller than the size of the metal connection plate 60 and the inner peripheral edge of the upper opening 63 covers the metal connection plate 60. 8, the inner peripheral edge of the upper opening 63 is sealed-welded to the metal connecting plate 63. As shown in Fig. The ends of the corrugations 64 are welded to the corrugations of the fluid-tight membrane of the metal connection plate 60 and the upper tank wall 5 to seally seal the pleats in the upper opening 63.

Sealing between the metal connection plate 60 and the pipe 4 is provided by the presence of a circular collar 65 surrounding the pipe 4 as shown in Fig. The cylindrical portion 66 of the collar 65 is sealed and welded to the pipe 4 surrounding the pipe 4. The annular portion 67 of the collar 65 is seated on the edge of the through hole 61 by being placed on the metal connecting plate 60. A similar but smaller secondary collar 68 is welded jointly to the metal connection plate 60 and the secondary pipe 40 at the edge of the secondary through hole 62. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the collar 65 is made in the form of two connected parts, a patch 69 (see FIG. 6) is applied to the junction of the two parts of the collar 65 to ensure sealing. Is welded. When the secondary collar 68 is made of two parts as shown in Fig. 8, a similar patch can be used.

The techniques described above for producing tanks can also be used in different types of reservoirs and can be used to manufacture tanks for LNG storage in floating facilities such as for example land vehicles or methane transport lines.

10, an exploded view of the methane transport line 70 shows a generally prismatic fluid-tight, adiabatic tank 71 mounted within the ship's double hull 72. The wall of the tank 71 includes a primary sealing barrier designed to contact the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the ship's double hull 72, And two insulation barriers disposed between the sealing barriers and between the secondary sealing barriers and the double hulls 72, respectively.

In a manner known per se, the loading / unloading piping 73 disposed on the upper deck of the vessel for transferring the LNG cargo from or to the tank 71 is connected by suitable connectors It may be connected to the marine or harbor terminal.

10 shows an example of a marine terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater piping 76 and a land equipment 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation that includes a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 that supports the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulating hoses 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipes 73. The directional movable arm 74 is suitable for all sizes of methane transport lines. A connection pipe (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station (75) enables loading and unloading of the methane transport line (70) from the land equipment (77) or to the land equipment (77). The land equipment 77 includes liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connection lines 81 which are connected to the loading or unloading station 75 via the underwater line 76, Lt; / RTI > The underwater piping 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the land equipment 77 over a long distance, for example 5 Km, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 70 < / RTI >

The pumps installed on the vessel 70 and / or the pumps installed on the land equipment 77 and / or the pumps installed on the loading and unloading station 75, for generating the pressure necessary for transferring the liquefied gas, Is used.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and all technical equivalents of the described means and their combinations It is clear that it includes.

Thus, any number of tubing can be secured in the tank with the aid of the anchoring device described above. Similarly, the fixation device may include any number of supports capable of securing the beam to the support wall in a stable manner. For example, it is possible for the four pipes to be fixed to the support walls by means of a fixture comprising three supports.

In addition, in one embodiment, the beams 19 may support a ladder that provides access to the tank in addition to the guide flanges 20. [

In addition, the descriptions relating to the figures have been provided in the context of a corrugated metal membrane with elongated flexible zones in the form of a series of parallel vertical wrinkles 42 and a series of parallel horizontal wrinkles 43. However, in an alternate embodiment (not shown), the tank walls may comprise a fluid-tight membrane made of INVAR strakes with raised edges. In this case, the parallel elongated flexible zones are comprised of bellows formed by elevated edges welded in pairs of two adjacent INVAR plates. Herein, INVAR is understood to mean a nickel steel alloy having a thermal expansion coefficient of 3 x 10 ^{-6 or less} at 20 ° C. Such tank walls are disclosed, for example, in document FR2517544.

The fixed piping may be of any type and includes, for example, two cargo pipelines, a charging piping, and optionally a diffusion piping, and optionally secondary piping attached to the large piping for sampling and diffusion.

The use of the terms "to contain", "to comprise" or "to include" and uses thereof does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The use of an indefinite article ("a" or "an") for an element or step does not exclude the presence of a number of elements or steps, unless otherwise specified.

In the claims, any reference signs between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims (23)

An adiabatic sealing tank integrated within a carrying structure,
Said tank comprising a vertical tank wall (8) supported by a vertical support wall (11) of said support structure,
Characterized in that the tank wall (8) comprises a vertical insulation barrier fixed to the support wall (11) and forming a support surface parallel to the support wall (11), the tank wall (8) A fluid-tight membrane supported by said support surface formed by said fluid-tight membrane, said fluid-tight membrane comprising at least one series of parallel elongate flexible zones, / RTI >
The tank further comprises a plurality of pipes (4), each pipe (4) extending perpendicularly in parallel to the vertical tank wall (8) in the tank,
The tank wall 8 further comprises an anchoring device 10 for fixing the tubing 4 to the vertical support wall 11 which is aligned along the vertical support wall 11, A plurality of support feet 18,
Each support base 18 includes a base 21 fixed to the support wall 11 and extending through the thickness of the vertical insulation barrier from the support wall 11 to the fluid- One end of the base 21 opposite the support wall includes a metal seal plate 26 parallel to the support wall 11 and the fluid seal membrane is in line with the metal seal plate 44, line opening 44 that is smaller than the size of the metal sealing plate 44 and the peripheral edges of the opening 44 define the entirety of the opening 44, Is sealed to the metal sealing plate (26) over the contour, and the metal sealing plate (26) is configured such that the opening (44) of the fluid-sealing membrane interrupts any elongated flexible section of the fluid- The fluid-mill Is disposed between the flexible section of the elongate two adjacent of the membrane (42, 43),
Each support 18 further comprises a spacer 22 extending from the metal sealing plate 26 through the opening 44 of the fluid-tight membrane toward the interior of the tank, One end of the spacer opposite the plate supports the support plate,
The fixing device comprises a fixing beam 22 fixed to the support plates 18 supported by the supports 18 of the series of supports 18 and a fixing beam 22, And a plurality of guide flanges (20) fixed to a surface (32) of the beam (19), each guide flange (20) being associated with one of the vertical pipes (4) (4) are engaged in the associated guide flange (20) so as to be held in place with a vertical degree of freedom. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the fluid-tight membrane comprises a series of vertical elongate flexible zones, wherein the spacers (22) of the at least one support (18) define a vertical elongate flexible Is spaced apart from the opening (44) of the fluid-tight membrane (22) through which the spacer (22) passes, in line with one of the zones (42). 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the spacer (22) of the at least one support (18) has a flared form that is enlarged away from the support wall (11). The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The at least one support spacer 22 includes a first tab extending perpendicularly to the metal sealing plate 26 toward the interior of the tank through the opening 44 of the fluid- 29) and a second tab (30) extending obliquely with respect to the metal sealing plate (26) toward the interior of the tank through an opening (44) of the fluid-sealing membrane, the second tab 30 extend in line with the vertical elongated flexible section 42 of the fluid-tight membrane, and the support plate comprises at least one of the tabs 29, 30, opposite the metal sealing plate 26, And is fixed to the end portion. 5. The method of claim 4,
The spacer includes two support plates 31, the first support plate 31 being supported by the first tab 29 and the second support plate being supported by the second tab 30, Sealed tank. 6. The method according to one of claims 2 to 5,
Wherein one of the plurality of tubing (4) is in line with the vertical elongated flexible section (42) of the fluid-tight membrane and the spacers (22) of the at least one support Is adapted to pass in line with said vertical elongated flexible section (42) of said fluid-tight membrane between said vertical elongated flexible section (42) and said vertical tube (4) Is offset relative to an opening (44) of the fluid-tight membrane extending therethrough. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Each support base 18 is associated with one of the vertical pipes 4 and each guide flange 20 is supported by a support 18 which is associated with a vertical pipe 4 coupled within the guide flange 20. [ Is disposed in the beam (19) on the opposite side of the plate. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein each pipe (4) is centered at the center of one or more support plates of a support (18) associated with said pipe (4). 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
At least one of the pipes 4 is associated with a secondary pipeline 40 extending perpendicularly to the vertical wall 8 of the tank in the tank, The flange 20 further includes an anchoring boss 37 and the secondary pipe 40 is connected to the fixed boss 37 to maintain its position in the tank with a vertical degree of freedom, Sealing tank. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Each of the guide flanges 20 comprises a collar of two parts 33 and 36 surrounding the tubing 4 associated with the guide flange 20. The sealing flange 20 may be of any shape, 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Wherein the inner surface of each guide flange (20) includes slide elements to provide a vertical degree of freedom in the pipe (4) associated with the guide flange (20). 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The base 21 of each support 18 has an H shape and the first branch of H forms a fixing plate 24 fixed to the vertical support wall 11, Two of which form a metal sealing plate 26 of the base 21 of the support 18, the middle of which holds the first branch and the second branch spaced apart from each other, Wherein the spaces are filled with a thermal insulation material (28). 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The base 21 of each support 18 includes a first metal portion 24 welded to the vertical support wall 11 and a second metal portion forming the metal seal plate 26, A first insulating chock 45 fixed to the first metal part 24 within a thickness of the first insulating chock 50 and a second insulating chock 50 fixed to the second metal part within the thickness of the vertical insulating barrier, Wherein the first adiabatic choke 45 and the second adiabatic choke 50 are connected to each other by fastening elements to secure the first metal part 24 and the second metal part of the support 18, Fixed, adiabatic sealing tank. 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The tank includes a plurality of anchoring devices spaced apart from each other in the height direction of the tank, and each series of supports 18 includes a plurality of supports 18 ). ≪ / RTI > 15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
Further comprising a stiffener (12) extending parallel to the metallic fluid-tight membrane and coupled to each of the tubing (4) for connecting the tubing (4) together. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
The tank further comprises a top wall (5) supported by an upper support wall of the support structure, the upper wall (5) of the tank comprising a plurality of parallelepipeds An upper wall formed by the elements (13) and secured to the upper support wall and defining an upper support surface, the upper wall (5) of the tank comprising an upper metal fluid- Wherein the pipe (4) continuously traverses the upper support wall and the upper tank wall (5) to the interior of the tank, and each pipe (4) of the plurality of pipes is connected to the upper tank Sealing membrane is centered between two adjacent parallelepiped heat insulating elements of the wall, said upper fluid-tight membrane having a plurality of fluid-tight connection plugs Each passage hole being traversed by a respective pipe 4 and an inner peripheral edge of each passage hole 61 being connected to a pipe 4 traversing the passage hole 61, Is welded around the periphery of the heat insulating sealing tank. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the piping (4) is suspended from the upper support wall of the support structure. 18. The method according to claim 16 or 17,
Wherein the upper support wall further supports a pump body associated with at least one of the piping and a rotary pump tree coupled to the pump body is connected to the piping to pump liquid into the tank through the piping, Is sealed in a sealed container. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
Wherein the elongate flexible zones are wrinkles of the fluid-tight membrane. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
Wherein the elongate flexible zones are elevated edges of elevated-edge streaks forming the fluid-tight membrane. 1. A vessel (70) for transporting a low temperature fluid product,
The ship comprises a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to one of the claims 1 to 20 disposed in the double hull. A method for loading or unloading a ship (70) according to claim 21,
The low temperature fluid product is stored either floating or land storage facility 77 from the tank 71 of the vessel or from tank 71 of the vessel via the insulation pipes 73, 79, 76, A method for loading or unloading a ship, which is transported to a facility (77). A system for conveying a low temperature fluid product,
The system comprises a ship 70 according to claim 21, insulation pipes 73, 79, 76, 81 arranged to connect a tank 71 installed in the hull of the ship to a floating or land storage facility 77 And a pump for driving a stream of low temperature fluid product from said floating or land storage facility through said insulated piping to the tank of said vessel or from the tank of said vessel to said floating or onshore storage facility The system comprising:

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