Storage tank bladder inflation and deflation contact seal internal floating roof device

Abstract

This invention provides a bladder-filled, expandable, and sealed internal floating roof device for storage tanks, belonging to the technical field of internal floating roofs for storage tanks. It includes a storage tank with a liquid-filled bladder installed inside. The top of the tank is equipped with a liquid filling / discharging pipe, a first air vent pipe, and a second air vent pipe. A weighing sensor is installed at the bottom of the tank. Oil vent pipes, a first control valve, an oil inlet pipe, and a second control valve are respectively located on the left and right sides below the tank. A hollow float plate is also installed inside the tank. A hydraulic pump is connected to the liquid filling / discharging pipes of the bladder via a first cumulative flow meter and a third check valve. The liquid filling / discharging pipes are connected to a liquid tank via an electrically controlled ball valve and a second cumulative flow meter. The first and second air vent pipes are connected to an exhaust port via a first check valve and a second check valve, respectively. The first and second cumulative flow meters, hydraulic pump, weighing sensor, and electrically controlled ball valve are all electrically connected to a computer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of internal floating roofs for storage tanks, and particularly to a bladder-filled, liquid-filled, expansion-contraction contact-sealing internal floating roof device for storage tanks. Background Technology

[0002] Storage tanks are containers used to store media such as gases, liquefied gases, and liquids. Based on the material, storage tanks can be broadly classified into: polyethylene storage tanks, polypropylene storage tanks, fiberglass storage tanks, ceramic storage tanks, rubber storage tanks, and stainless steel storage tanks. In terms of cost-effectiveness, steel-lined polyethylene storage tanks are currently the most superior, possessing excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, and long service life. After storing the media, to reduce the loss of internal oil, gas, liquid, and chemical media and lower the risk of explosion, it is necessary to prevent the oil inside the tank from contacting air. Therefore, internal floating roofs are generally installed inside the tank to achieve the effect of isolating the oil from air.

[0003] Existing internal floating roofs require a complex sealing structure, making them prone to wear and increasing manufacturing and maintenance costs. Furthermore, the existing sealing structure is susceptible to jamming and flipping during use, failing to achieve the designed sealing performance. The existing C-shaped seals are also prone to flipping during vertical movement. Moreover, the tank wall surface is not entirely smooth; weld slag, weld scars, or protrusions may exist. When the seals encounter these defects during vertical movement, they can flip, easily detaching from the tank wall and failing to achieve the theoretical sealing effect. Additionally, sometimes during vertical movement, the sealing end of the seal may be partially downward and partially upward, creating a twist and resulting in gaps and leakage. Although the seals have elastic support, they are also prone to bending and deformation due to gravity, reducing the sealing effect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a bladder-filled, expandable, and contractile-sealed internal floating roof device for storage tanks. By replacing the internal floating roof seal with a bladder-filled seal, the structure is simplified and the sealing effect is improved.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] The storage tank uses a bladder-filled, expandable, and contractile contact-sealed internal floating roof device, comprising a storage tank 1. A liquid-filled bladder 2 is installed inside the storage tank 1. The top of the storage tank 1 is equipped with a liquid filling / discharging pipe 3, a first air vent pipe 4-1, and a second air vent pipe 4-2. A weighing sensor 5 is installed at the bottom of the storage tank 1. Oil discharge pipes 6, a first control valve 7-1, an oil inlet pipe 8, and a second control valve 7-2 are respectively located on the left and right sides below the storage tank 1. A hollow float plate 9 is also installed inside the storage tank 1. A hydraulic pump 10 is connected to the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 through a first cumulative flow meter 11-1 and a third check valve 12-3. Simultaneously, the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 is connected to a liquid tank 14 through an electrically controlled ball valve 13 and a second cumulative flow meter 11-2. The first air vent pipe 4-1 and the second air vent pipe 4-2 are connected to an exhaust port 15 through the first check valve 12-1 and the second check valve 12-2, respectively. In addition, the first cumulative flow meter 11-1, the second cumulative flow meter 11-2, the hydraulic pump 10, the weighing sensor 5, and the electrically controlled ball valve 13 are all electrically connected to the computer 16.

[0007] The hollow float 9 is composed of multiple buoyancy units 20 obtained by a composite connection of an upper cover plate 17, a lower cover plate 18, and partition plates 19 through a "riveting and welding" method. The two partition plates 19 are first riveted together using rivets 21. Then, the two partition plates 19 fixedly connected by the rivets 21 are connected to the upper cover plate 17 by friction stir welding, forming a solid-state metallurgical connection weld point 22. Similarly, the two partition plates 19 fixedly connected by the rivets 21 are connected to the lower cover plate 18 by friction stir welding, also forming a solid-state metallurgical connection weld point 22, ultimately obtaining the hollow float 9. Furthermore, when the hollow float 9 is in operation, the density of the liquid filled or discharged into the liquid-filled bladder 2 must be less than the density of the oil filled or discharged into the storage tank 1.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the specific beneficial effects of the bladder-filled expansion and contraction contact sealing internal floating roof device for storage tanks provided by the present invention are as follows:

[0009] (1) Compared with the traditional tank floating roof structure, the tank bladder-filled expansion and contraction contact sealing internal floating roof device provided by the present invention has a simpler overall structure and a simpler operation process.

[0010] (2) The tank-filling, expanding and contracting contact sealing internal floating roof device provided by the present invention mainly adopts a "fluid-filled bladder 2 + hollow float plate 9" structure. During the filling of tank 1 with oil, the hollow float plate 9 can provide a large buoyancy, causing the fluid-filled bladder 2 to undergo flexible deformation, squeezing out the oil or a small amount of "oil gas" present in the oil. Of course, even if there is a "large amount of oil gas", it will be discharged through the first air discharge pipe 4-1 and the second air discharge pipe 4-2, respectively, through the first one-way valve 12-1 and the second one-way valve 12-2, and then through the exhaust port 15. Therefore, the present invention can realize the "full liquid contact" mode of the floating roof during the filling process of the tank. Therefore, the sealing effect is better for the entire tank.

[0011] (3) The main manufacturing method of the "hollow floating plate 9" used in this invention is achieved through two solid-state connection processes: "riveting and friction stir welding". The hollow floating plate 9 is divided into multiple small hollow units. Even if one hollow unit leaks, the other hollow units will not have problems. Of course, since the two solid-state connection processes of "riveting and friction stir welding" will have cracks in the connected plates, its sealing performance is very good and can prevent leakage. In addition, the processing and manufacturing process of the hollow floating plate 9 is efficient and low-cost, and its mechanical structure has good mechanical properties and excellent stability. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention. In the diagram, the dashed lines represent electrical connections, and the cross-line areas represent the skin.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the hollow floating slab.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a state diagram of the present invention before it is filled with oil. The dotted lines in the diagram represent electrical connections, and the cross lines represent the skin bladder.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the state in which the air inside the storage tank is completely expelled by the expansion and compression of the liquid-filled bladder in this invention.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the state after the oil filling of this invention is completed. The dotted lines in the diagram represent electrical connections, and the cross lines represent the skin bladder. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Reference Figure 1The storage tank uses a bladder-filled, expandable, and contractile contact-sealed internal floating roof device, comprising a storage tank 1. A liquid-filled bladder 2 is installed inside the storage tank 1. The top of the storage tank 1 is equipped with a liquid filling / discharging pipe 3, a first air vent pipe 4-1, and a second air vent pipe 4-2. A weighing sensor 5 is installed at the bottom of the storage tank 1. Oil discharge pipes 6, a first control valve 7-1, an oil inlet pipe 8, and a second control valve 7-2 are respectively located on the left and right sides below the storage tank 1. A hollow float plate 9 is also installed inside the storage tank 1. A hydraulic pump 10 is connected to the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 inside the bladder via a first cumulative flow meter 11-1 and a third check valve 12-3. Simultaneously, the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 inside the bladder is connected to a liquid tank 14 via an electrically controlled ball valve 13 and a second cumulative flow meter 11-2. The first air vent pipe 4-1 and the second air vent pipe 4-2 are connected to an exhaust port 15 via the first check valve 12-1 and the second check valve 12-2, respectively. In addition, the first cumulative flow meter 11-1, the second cumulative flow meter 11-2, the hydraulic pump 10, the weighing sensor 5, and the electrically controlled ball valve 13 are all electrically connected to the computer 16.

[0019] Reference Figure 2 The hollow float 9 is composed of multiple buoyancy units 20 obtained by a composite connection of an upper cover plate 17, a lower cover plate 18, and partition plates 19 through a "riveting and welding" method. The two partition plates 19 are first riveted together using rivets 21. Then, the two partition plates 19 fixedly connected by the rivets 21 are connected to the upper cover plate 17 by friction stir welding, forming a solid-state metallurgical connection weld point 22. Similarly, the two partition plates 19 fixedly connected by the rivets 21 are connected to the lower cover plate 18 by friction stir welding, also forming a solid-state metallurgical connection weld point 22, ultimately obtaining the hollow float 9. Furthermore, when the hollow float 9 is in operation, the density of the liquid filled or discharged into the liquid-filled bladder 2 must be less than the density of the oil filled or discharged into the storage tank 1.

[0020] The working principle of this invention is as follows:

[0021] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the state of storage tank 1 before it is filled with oil is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the hydraulic pump 10 is opened by the computer control system 15. The liquid supplied by the hydraulic pump 10 passes through the first cumulative flow meter 11-1, the third check valve 12-3, and the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 inside the bladder before being filled into the liquid-filled bladder 2. This causes the liquid-filled bladder 2 to gradually expand and fill the entire internal space of the storage tank 1. At the same time, excess air inside the storage tank 1 is discharged through the first air discharge pipe 4-1 and the second air discharge pipe 4-2, respectively, through the first check valve 12-1 and the second check valve 12-2, and then through the exhaust port 15. Finally, the air inside the storage tank 1 is completely expelled by the expansion and compression of the liquid-filled bladder 2. Figure 4As shown, this ensures a good seal.

[0022] During the filling process, the second control valve 7-2 opens, and the oil enters the storage tank 1 through the pipe 8. The weight of the filling oil is monitored in real time by the weighing sensor 5 installed at the bottom of the storage tank 1, and the data is fed back to the computer control system 16. The computer control system 16 converts the weight of the filling oil into the oil volume, thus obtaining the volume of liquid to be discharged from the liquid-filled bladder 2, thereby achieving real-time sealing of the oil in the storage tank 1. At this time, the computer control system 16 controls the ball valve 13 to open, allowing the liquid in the liquid-filled bladder 2 to be discharged into the liquid tank 14 after passing through the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3, the ball valve 13, and the second cumulative flow meter 11-2. The third check valve 12-3 prevents the liquid from flowing back into the hydraulic pump 10. The volume of the discharged liquid is monitored in real time by the second cumulative flow meter 11-2 and fed back to the computer control system 16. When the volume of the discharged liquid reaches the required volume, the computer control system 16 controls the ball valve 13 to close.

[0023] The state at the end of oil filling is as follows Figure 5 As shown, the hollow float 9, under the action of the buoyancy of the oil, presses the liquid-filled bladder 2 in real time, so that the upper surface of the liquid-filled bladder 2 is always in close contact with the tank wall of the storage tank 1, thereby preventing air from entering and thus achieving a "full liquid contact" seal for the oil in the storage tank 1.

[0024] During the oil discharge process, the first control valve 7-1 opens, and the oil is discharged from the storage tank 1 through the oil discharge pipe 6. The weight of the discharged oil is monitored in real time by the weighing sensor 5 installed at the bottom of the storage tank 1, and the data is fed back to the computer control system 16. The computer control system 16 converts the weight of the discharged oil into the oil volume, thus determining the volume of liquid to be filled into the liquid-filled bladder 2. Simultaneously, the computer control system 16 controls the hydraulic pump 10 to open, allowing liquid to be filled into the liquid-filled bladder 2 through the first cumulative flow meter 11-1, the third check valve 12-3, and the liquid filling / discharging pipe 3 within the bladder. The volume of liquid filled is monitored in real time by the first cumulative flow meter 11-1 and fed back to the computer control system 16. When the volume of liquid filled into the liquid-filled bladder 2 reaches the required volume, the computer control system 16 controls the hydraulic pump 10 to close, thereby achieving real-time sealing of the oil in the storage tank 1.

Claims

1. A bladder-type internal floating roof device for storage tanks, characterized in that: The tank includes a storage tank (1), which is equipped with a liquid-filled bladder (2). The top of the storage tank (1) is provided with a liquid filling / discharging pipe (3), a first air discharge pipe (4-1), and a second air discharge pipe (4-2). A weighing sensor (5) is installed at the bottom of the storage tank (1). Oil discharge pipe (6), a first control valve (7-1), an oil inlet pipe (8), and a second control valve (7-2) are respectively provided on the left and right sides below the storage tank (1). A hollow float plate (9) is also installed inside the storage tank (1). A hydraulic pump (10) is connected to the storage tank via a first cumulative flow meter (11-1) and a third check valve (12-3). The first air discharge pipe (4-1) and the second air discharge pipe (4-2) are connected to the exhaust port (15) through the first check valve (12-1) and the second check valve (12-2), respectively. In addition, the first cumulative flow meter (11-1), the second cumulative flow meter (11-2), the hydraulic pump (10), the weighing sensor (5), and the electric ball valve (13) are all electrically connected to the computer (16). The hollow float (9) is composed of multiple buoyancy units (20) obtained by a composite connection of an upper cover plate (17), a lower cover plate (18) and a partition plate (19) through "riveting and welding". The two partition plates (19) are first riveted together by rivets (21). Then, the two partition plates (19) fixedly connected by the rivets (21) are connected to the upper cover plate (17) by friction stir welding, forming a solid metallurgical connection weld point (22). The two partition plates (19) fixedly connected by the rivets (21) are connected to the lower cover plate (18) by friction stir welding, also forming the solid metallurgical connection weld point (22), and finally the hollow float (9) is obtained. In addition, when the hollow float (9) is working, the density of the liquid filled or discharged in the liquid-filled bladder (2) is less than the density of the oil filled or discharged in the storage tank (1).

2. The bladder-filled, liquid-filled, expansion-contraction contact-sealed internal floating roof device for storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the storage tank (1) is filled with oil, the computer (16) controls the hydraulic pump (10) to open. The liquid supplied by the hydraulic pump (10) is then filled into the liquid-filled bladder (2) through the first cumulative flow meter (11-1), the third check valve (12-3), and the liquid filling / discharging pipe (3) in the bladder, so that the liquid-filled bladder... （2） The air gradually expands and gradually fills the entire internal space of the storage tank (1); at the same time, the excess air inside the storage tank (1) will be discharged through the exhaust port (15) after passing through the first one-way valve (12-1) and the second one-way valve (12-2) respectively through the first air exhaust pipe (4-1) and the second air exhaust pipe (4-2), so that the air inside the storage tank (1) is completely discharged by the expansion and compression of the liquid-filled bladder (2) to ensure the sealing effect.

3. The bladder-filled, liquid-filled, expansion-contraction contact-sealing internal floating roof device for storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the filling process, the second control valve (7-2) is opened, and the oil enters the storage tank (1) through the pipeline (8); the weight of the filled oil is detected in real time by the weighing sensor (5) installed at the bottom of the storage tank (1), and fed back to the computer (16); the computer (16) converts the weight of the filled oil into the volume of the oil, and thus obtains the volume of liquid that should be discharged from the inside of the filling bladder (2), thereby achieving real-time sealing of the oil in the storage tank (1); at this time, the computer (16) controls the electric ball valve (13) to open. Open, so that the liquid in the inflatable bladder (2) passes through the liquid filling / discharging tube (3) in the bladder, the electrically controlled ball valve (13), and the second cumulative flow meter (11-2) and is discharged to the liquid tank (14); the third check valve (12-3) prevents the liquid from flowing back to the hydraulic pump (10); the volume of the discharged liquid is monitored in real time by the second cumulative flow meter (11-2) and fed back to the computer (16); when the volume of the discharged liquid reaches the required volume of the discharged liquid, the computer (16) controls the electrically controlled ball valve (13) to close.

4. The bladder-filled, liquid-filled, expansion-contraction contact-sealing internal floating roof device for storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the filling is finished, the hollow float (9) presses the liquid-filled bladder (2) in real time under the action of the buoyancy of the oil, so that the upper surface of the liquid-filled bladder (2) is always in close contact with the tank wall of the storage tank (1), thereby preventing air from entering and thus achieving a "full liquid contact" seal for the oil in the storage tank (1).

5. The bladder-filled, liquid-filled, expansion-contraction contact-sealing internal floating roof device for storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the oil discharge process, the first control valve (7-1) is opened, and the oil is discharged from the storage tank (1) through the oil discharge pipe (6). The weight of the discharged oil is detected in real time by the weighing sensor (5) installed at the bottom of the storage tank (1), and fed back to the computer (16). The computer (16) converts the weight of the discharged oil into the volume of the oil, and thus obtains the volume of liquid that should be filled into the liquid-filled bladder (2). At the same time, the computer (16) controls the hydraulic pump (10) to open, so that the liquid flows through the bladder. The liquid is filled into the liquid-filled bladder (2) through the first cumulative flow meter (11-1), the third check valve (12-3), and the liquid filling / discharging pipe (3) inside the bladder. The volume of the liquid filled is monitored in real time by the first cumulative flow meter (11-1) and fed back to the computer (16). When the volume of liquid filled into the liquid-filled bladder (2) reaches the required volume, the computer (16) controls the hydraulic pump (10) to shut down, thereby achieving real-time sealing of the oil in the storage tank (1).

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