Sealed and thermally isolated tank incorporated in support structure

Abstract

A sealed and thermally insulated can comprises secondary boundary insulation blocks (111) arranged in a first longitudinal row parallel to a corner edge, secondary intermediate insulation blocks (11) arranged in a second longitudinal row parallel to the corner edge, primary boundary insulation blocks (113) superimposed on the secondary boundary insulation blocks (111), and secondary intermediate insulation blocks (11) superimposed on the primary boundary insulation blocks (113). And an upper primary intermediate isolation block (13). A first longitudinal edge of the primary boundary insulation block (113) is aligned with a first longitudinal edge of the secondary boundary insulation block (111), and a second longitudinal edge of the primary intermediate insulation block (13) is aligned with a second longitudinal edge of the secondary intermediate insulation block (11). The metal brackets (49, 44) are arranged on the boundary insulating blocks at the corner edges (3), and the strakes (30) are laid flat on the intermediate insulating blocks (13, 11).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks with membranes. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks for the storage and / or transportation of liquefied gases at low temperatures, such as tanks for the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (also known as LPG) at a temperature of, for example, between -50°C and 0°C, or for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a temperature of about -162°C at atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on land or on floating structures. In the case of floating structures, the tanks can be used for the transportation of liquefied gases or for the reception of liquefied gases used as propulsion fuel for the floating structure. Background Art

[0002] In tanks for the storage of liquefied gases at low temperatures, the main function of the tank wall is to insulate the cargo, to limit the heat flow that causes evaporation of the cargo and, in the case of tanks of transport ships, to protect the hull from the effects of low temperatures. However, the tank wall must also withstand the hydrodynamic loads of the cargo, which means that the tank wall must resist compression.

[0003] WO-A-2017207904 describes such a tank made of insulating blocks, which includes: a bottom plate of rectangular shape; a cover plate of rectangular shape, which is parallel to the bottom plate and spaced apart from the bottom plate in the thickness direction of the secondary boundary insulating block; a thermal insulation filler arranged between the bottom plate and the cover plate, which is particularly glass wool, rock wool, cotton wool, fiber material, perlite, expanded perlite, low-density polymer foam, aerogel; and a support column made of a material harder than the insulating filler, particularly plywood, which extends between the bottom plate and the cover plate in the thickness direction to withstand pressure loads. Each support column has a smaller cross-section than the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the secondary boundary insulating block, and the support column includes a main support column arranged to be aligned with the attachment area.

[0004] WO-A-2017207904 uses two metal membranes comprising strakes made of steel with a low coefficient of expansion, which are placed flat on the cover plate of the insulating block, each strake comprising two parallel lateral edges turned up, which are welded to the metal strip in a sealed manner. These metal membranes are particularly reliable and have the advantage of experience gained from many years of use.

[0005] However, the manufacture of insulating blocks involves relatively complex assembly operations. In addition, the rigid material used to make the support columns may have a certain thermal conductivity and may form thermal bridges, which may limit the thermal insulation performance of the tank. Summary of the invention

[0006] The idea forming the basis of the present invention is to design a sealed and thermally insulated tank which overcomes at least some of these disadvantages.

[0007] Some aspects of the present invention are based on the observation that if the use of rigid materials that may form thermal bridges is reduced or eliminated in a thermal block and these rigid materials are replaced with materials with low thermal conductivity, this runs the risk of weakening the support for the sealing barrier supported by the insulation block, which is particularly serious when the sealing barrier is a relatively thin, delicate and fragile metal film.

[0008] Therefore, a further concept forming the basis of the present invention is to design a sealed and thermally insulated tank which provides both advantageous thermal properties and a long service life.

[0009] To this end, the invention provides a sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated in a supporting structure, the supporting structure comprising two supporting walls, the two supporting walls being flat and defining a longitudinal corner edge by forming a corner between the two supporting walls, the sealed and thermally insulated tank comprising a tank wall arranged on each of the supporting walls,

[0010] The tank wall arranged on each of the supporting walls comprises, in order from the outside of the sealed and thermally insulated tank toward the inside in the thickness direction: a secondary insulating barrier, a secondary sealing barrier, a primary insulating barrier, and a primary sealing barrier for contacting the product contained in the sealed and thermally insulated tank,

[0011] The secondary sealing barrier comprises a metal film composed of secondary metal elements juxtaposed on the secondary insulating barrier and welded to each other in a sealed manner, and the primary sealing barrier comprises a metal film composed of primary metal elements juxtaposed on the primary insulating barrier and welded to each other in a sealed manner.

[0012] The secondary insulating barrier comprises secondary border insulating blocks arranged in a first longitudinal row parallel to the corner edge and secondary intermediate insulating blocks arranged in a second longitudinal row parallel to the corner edge and adjacent to the secondary border insulating blocks on the opposite side relative to the corner edge,

[0013] The primary isolation barrier includes a primary boundary isolation block stacked on the secondary boundary isolation block and a primary middle isolation block stacked on the secondary middle isolation block.

[0014] Each secondary border insulating block, each primary border insulating block, each secondary intermediate insulating block, and each primary intermediate insulating block includes: a first longitudinal edge parallel to the corner edge and located on the opposite side relative to the corner edge; and a second longitudinal edge parallel to the corner edge and located on the same side of the corner edge,

[0015] wherein a first longitudinal edge of the primary border isolation block is aligned with a first longitudinal edge of the secondary border isolation block, and a second longitudinal edge of the primary border isolation block is set back relative to a second longitudinal edge of the secondary border isolation block, and in a width direction perpendicular to the corner edge, a width of the primary border isolation block is smaller than a width of the secondary border isolation block,

[0016] Wherein, the second longitudinal edge of the primary intermediate insulating block is aligned with the second longitudinal edge of the secondary intermediate insulating block.

[0017] The tank wall includes a retaining member arranged around stacked primary intermediate insulating blocks and secondary intermediate insulating blocks, each retaining member including: a lower portion rigidly fixed to the supporting wall; a secondary attachment portion located above the lower portion and interacting with a plurality of secondary intermediate insulating blocks adjacent to the retaining member; and a primary attachment portion located above the secondary attachment portion and interacting with a plurality of primary intermediate insulating blocks adjacent to the retaining member.

[0018] The primary and secondary metal components include:

[0019] a primary metal bracket and a secondary metal bracket, the primary metal bracket being arranged at a corner edge on a primary boundary insulating block, and the secondary metal bracket being arranged at a corner edge on a secondary boundary insulating block, the primary metal bracket and the secondary metal bracket respectively comprising two mutually inclined face portions of a corner formed by two supporting walls,

[0020] Primary strakes and secondary strakes, the primary strakes being laid flat on the primary intermediate insulating blocks, respectively the secondary strakes being laid flat on the secondary intermediate insulating blocks, each primary strake and each secondary strake comprising two folded-up edges parallel to the corner edges, respectively welded in a sealed manner to primary supports and secondary supports, respectively anchored to the primary intermediate insulating blocks and the secondary intermediate insulating blocks, respectively the primary welded supports and the secondary welded supports being arranged in longitudinal rows parallel to the corner edges, and

[0021] a primary connecting plate connecting the row of said primary welded supports anchored to the primary intermediate insulating block at the last row of said primary welded supports, which is constituted by the primary welded supports closest to the corner edge, to the primary metal bracket,

[0022] Therein, the primary connecting plate has at least one longitudinal corrugation parallel to the corner edge.

[0023] By utilizing these features, in particular the alignment of the first longitudinal edge of the primary border insulating block with the first longitudinal edge of the secondary border insulating block and the alignment of the second longitudinal edge of the primary intermediate insulating block with the second longitudinal edge of the secondary intermediate insulating block, adjustment shafts can be easily formed between rows of border insulating blocks and rows of intermediate insulating blocks to absorb manufacturing tolerances of the support wall.

[0024] Furthermore, the insulating blocks may be formed of structural members having less rigidity in the thickness direction than the rigidity of the support columns or support spacers made of plywood. In particular, the rigidity of the insulating blocks in the thickness direction may be the rigidity of the insulating polymer foam, because the bellows formed by the upturned edges of the strakes and the corrugated portions of the primary connecting plates allow a certain degree of elongation in response to the contraction of the insulating blocks (including the boundary insulating blocks) under pressure.

[0025] According to some embodiments, such a tank may include one or more of the following features.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the secondary metal element comprises a secondary connecting plate connecting the last row of secondary welding supports, consisting of the secondary welding supports closest to the corner edge, to the secondary metal bracket.

[0027] According to one embodiment, said last row of secondary welding supports is anchored to a secondary intermediate insulating block.

[0028] According to another embodiment, the last row of secondary welded supports is anchored to the secondary boundary insulating block, and the secondary metal element further comprises a last secondary column plate arranged in a longitudinal row, the last secondary column plate extending to straddle the secondary intermediate insulating block and the secondary boundary insulating block, the last secondary column plate being welded in a sealed manner to the last row of secondary welded supports opposite the secondary connecting plate.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the primary boundary insulating block has a groove for inserting the last row of secondary welding supports, the groove having a width greater than 20 mm, and the insulating material piece is received in the groove to fill the groove around the last row of secondary welding supports.

[0030] This relatively wide groove makes it possible to adjust the position of the last row of secondary welding supports according to the size of the adjustment well. Specifically, the variability of the adjustment well means that the position of the last row of secondary welding supports itself is variable.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the secondary boundary insulation block or each secondary boundary insulation block and the primary boundary insulation block or each primary boundary insulation block comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulation filler placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulation filler comprising a structural insulation foam, such as a fiber reinforced polyurethane foam, placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to keep the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the secondary intermediate insulation block or each secondary intermediate insulation block and the primary intermediate insulation block or each primary intermediate insulation block comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulation filler placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulation filler comprising a structural insulation foam placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to keep the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel.

[0033] Therefore, the isolation performance of the boundary isolation block and / or the isolation performance of the intermediate isolation block may be very high.

[0034] According to one embodiment, two faces of the primary metal bracket are fixed to the cover panels of the primary border insulating block and correspondingly two faces of the secondary metal bracket are fixed to the cover panels of the secondary border insulating block.

[0035] Preferably, in this case, the covering panel of the primary border insulating block and the covering panel of the secondary border insulating block respectively include a countersunk area, which is open out on the second longitudinal edge of the primary border insulating block and the second longitudinal edge of the secondary border insulating block respectively and receives the face of the primary metal bracket and the face of the secondary metal bracket respectively.

[0036] Thus, the primary and / or secondary metal brackets may be flush with the upper surface of the covering panel, which allows the connection plate covered by the primary and / or secondary metal brackets to be placed in place without variations in height and thus ensures uniform support of the connection plate.

[0037] According to another embodiment, the primary corner beam is arranged on the covering panel of the primary boundary insulating block to support the primary metal bracket, and correspondingly, the secondary corner beams are respectively arranged on the covering panel of the secondary boundary insulating block to support the secondary metal bracket, the primary corner beam and the secondary corner beam are respectively elongated in parallel with the corner edge, the primary metal bracket is arranged to span the two primary corner beams on both sides of the bisector plane and is screwed to the two primary corner beams on both sides of the bisector plane, and correspondingly, the secondary metal bracket is respectively arranged to span the two primary corner beams on both sides of the bisector plane and is screwed to the two secondary corner beams on both sides of the bisector plane.

[0038] Thus, a particularly rigid beam can be produced for supporting the primary metal bracket and / or the secondary metal bracket.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the primary insulating barrier and the secondary insulating barrier also include fiber or honeycomb insulating material blocks, respectively, which are respectively inserted between the second longitudinal edges of two primary boundary insulating blocks arranged on two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge, and inserted between the second longitudinal edges of two secondary boundary insulating blocks arranged on two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge.

[0040] Thus, good filling of the space at the corner edges can be ensured to prevent counter-current movement of the gas present in the wall.

[0041] According to another embodiment, the primary boundary insulating block and the secondary boundary insulating block have a surface on the second longitudinal edge that is inclined in a manner parallel to the bisecting plane of the corner formed by the two supporting walls, and the two primary boundary insulating blocks arranged on the two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge are manufactured in the form of a combined primary corner insulating block, and correspondingly, the two secondary boundary insulating blocks arranged on the two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge are manufactured in the form of a combined secondary corner insulating block, and the inclined surface portions of the two primary boundary insulating blocks and the inclined surface portions of the two secondary boundary insulating blocks are correspondingly attached to the connecting plate arranged in the bisecting plane.

[0042] Thus, the tank wall at the corner edge may be produced using the combined primary corner insulation block and / or the combined secondary corner insulation block, thereby facilitating the assembly of the tank.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the retaining member includes a corner retaining member arranged between the first longitudinal row and the second longitudinal row, the primary attachment portion of the corner retaining member includes a primary retaining plate extending in a manner perpendicular to the corner edge, the primary retaining plate includes a central portion attached to the secondary attachment portion of the corner retaining member, a first end portion interacting with two primary middle insulating blocks, and a second end portion interacting with two primary boundary insulating blocks.

[0044] Therefore, the same corner holding member can be used to hold the primary intermediate insulating block and the primary boundary insulating block.

[0045] Preferably, in this case, the secondary attachment portion of the corner retaining member comprises a secondary retaining plate extending perpendicularly to the corner edge, the secondary retaining plate comprising a first end portion interacting with two secondary intermediate insulating blocks and a second end portion interacting with two secondary boundary insulating blocks.

[0046] Thus, the corner retaining members may also be used to retain the secondary intermediate insulating blocks and the secondary border insulating blocks, thereby limiting the total number of retaining members to be installed in the supporting structure.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the secondary attachment portion of the corner retaining member includes a secondary retaining plate; an upper plate parallel to the secondary retaining plate; a connecting member connecting the secondary retaining plate to the upper plate; and a spacing member arranged between the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate, the spacing member including a rigid stop member, which defines a minimum spacing between the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate at a stop position where the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate abut against the stop member; and an elastically compressible member, which tends to keep the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate in a spaced-apart position, the connecting member defining a maximum spacing between the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate at the spaced-apart position, the maximum spacing being greater than the minimum spacing, the elastically compressible member being configured to be elastically compressed in response to a load tending to bring the upper plate and the secondary retaining plate closer together until the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate abut against the stop position of the stop member,

[0048] Among them, the lower part of the corner retaining member includes an anchor rod protruding from the clamping assembly in a manner perpendicular to the secondary retaining plate, the anchor rod includes a lower end portion attached to the support wall and an upper end portion opposite to the lower end portion and connected to the secondary retaining plate so as to be able to apply traction on the secondary retaining plate in the direction of the lower end portion.

[0049] A degree of flexibility can therefore be introduced into the corner retaining members in the direction of compressive forces from within the tank and thereby cause the upper plate to roughly follow the movement of the upper surface of the insulating block during use of the sealed and thermally insulated tank to even out the response of the thermal insulation barrier to compressive stresses.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the primary connecting plate comprises: a corrugated plate having at least one longitudinal corrugation parallel to a corner edge, the corrugated plate extending to straddle said primary boundary insulating block and said primary intermediate insulating block, and the corrugated plate having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge welded in a sealing manner to the primary metal bracket;

[0051] and a half-row plate having an upwardly folded edge parallel to the corner edge, the upwardly folded edge being welded in a sealed manner to a primary welded support in the row of said primary welded supports, and a flat edge parallel to the corner edge, the flat edge being connected in a sealed manner to the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block and the flat edge of the half-streak is welded to the corrugated sheet such that the half-streak overlaps the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet. According to another embodiment, the flat edge of the half-streak is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block and the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet is welded to the half-streak such that the corrugated sheet overlaps the flat edge of the half-streak.

[0053] According to some embodiments, the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet or the flat edge of a half-row of sheets is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block by means of fixing screws, the primary intermediate insulating block comprising a groove for receiving the head of the fixing screw.

[0054] According to other embodiments, the primary intermediate insulating block supports a metallic anchoring strip fixed to its cover panels and extending parallel to the corner edge, to which the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet or the flat edge of the half strake is fixed by welding.

[0055] According to one embodiment, a plurality of metallic anchoring strips are fixed to the cover panels of the primary intermediate insulating block to form a discontinuous row extending parallel to the corner edge. The discontinuous row of metallic anchoring strips comprises a plurality of anchoring strips separated by intervals without anchoring strips.

[0056] According to some embodiments, the first longitudinal edge of the corrugated sheet or the flat edge of a half-strike is superposed on a discontinuous row of anchoring strips, at least one first portion is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block by fixing screws in intervals without anchoring strips, and at least one second portion is fixed to the anchoring strips by welding.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the primary connecting plate has at least three longitudinal corrugations. This configuration makes it possible to increase the elongation and movement capabilities of the primary membrane near the corner edges.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the at least one longitudinal corrugation is positioned on the primary intermediate insulating block. According to another embodiment, the at least one longitudinal corrugation is positioned on the primary boundary insulating block. According to another embodiment, the at least one longitudinal corrugation is positioned to align with the adjustment well between the primary intermediate insulating block and the primary boundary insulating block.

[0059] According to one embodiment, said at least one longitudinal corrugation protrudes towards the interior of the tank.

[0060] Preferably, in this case, corrugated reinforcements are inserted into the longitudinal corrugations between the primary connecting plates and the primary intermediate insulating blocks or between the primary connecting plates and the primary boundary insulating blocks.

[0061] Thus, the one or more longitudinal corrugations may be protected from excessive deformation that may occur due to pressure loads applied by cargo during operation.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the support structure comprises a third support wall interrupting two support walls at the longitudinal corner edge end, and the first longitudinal row comprises in sequence towards the corner edge end at least one secondary boundary insulating block of the first type and at least one secondary boundary insulating block of the second type.

[0063] Preferably, in this case, the or each first type of secondary border insulating block comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulating filler disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler comprising a structural insulating foam disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to hold the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel, and

[0064] The or each secondary boundary insulating block of the second type comprises a secondary insulating shell made of a rigid material and filled with an insulating filler.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the support structure comprises a third support wall which interrupts the two support walls at the longitudinal corner edge end, and wherein the primary boundary insulating blocks comprise, in sequence towards the corner edge end, at least one primary boundary insulating block of the first type and at least one primary boundary insulating block of the second type.

[0066] Preferably, in this case, the or each first type of primary border insulating block comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulating filler disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler comprising a structural insulating foam disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to hold the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel, and

[0067] The second type secondary boundary insulating block and each second type primary boundary insulating block comprises a primary insulating shell made of a rigid material and filled with an insulating filler.

[0068] Thus, the stiffness of the secondary border insulating blocks and / or the primary border insulating blocks in the direction towards the longitudinal corner edge ends can be increased in order to improve the support of the metal film in this region in particular.

[0069] Such sealed and thermally insulated tanks can be used for storage and / or transportation of liquefied gases. In one embodiment, the liquefied gas is LNG, i.e. a mixture with a high methane content stored at atmospheric pressure at a temperature of about -162°C. Other liquefied gases are also conceivable, in particular ethane, propane, butane or ethylene. The liquefied gas can also be stored at a relative pressure of, for example, between 2 bar and 20 bar, in particular at a relative pressure of about 2 bar.

[0070] Such sealed and thermally insulated tanks may form part of a storage facility on land or in water, or may be installed on a floating structure either coastal or deep water, in particular an LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a remote floating production and storage unit (FPSO), etc. Such tanks may also be used as fuel tanks on any type of transport vessel.

[0071] According to one embodiment, a transport ship for transporting liquefied gas comprises a double hull and a tank as described above arranged in the double hull.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a transmission system for liquefied gas, which includes the above-mentioned transport ship; an isolated pipeline, which is arranged to connect a tank installed in the hull of the transport ship to a floating or land storage facility; and a pump, which is used to pump the liquefied gas flow from the floating or land storage facility to the tank of the transport ship through the isolated pipeline, or to pump the liquefied gas flow from the tank of the transport ship to the floating or land storage facility through the isolated pipeline.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a transport vessel, wherein liquefied gas is transferred from a floating or land storage facility to a tank of the transport vessel via an isolated pipeline, or liquefied gas is transferred from a tank of the transport vessel to a floating or land storage facility via an isolated pipeline. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] The present invention will be better understood and other objects, details, features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following description of a number of particular embodiments thereof, provided by way of non-limiting illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] [Figure 1 ] Figure 1 An embodiment of a sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated into a polyhedral support structure is shown in quarter cross-section.

[0076] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to the first embodiment Figure 1 Partial cross-sectional view along line II-II.

[0077] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of the corner area III.

[0078] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a corner area according to the second embodiment.

[0079] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 is with Figure 3 A similar view shows a corner region according to a third embodiment.

[0080] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a corner area according to a third embodiment.

[0081] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 is with Figure 3 A similar view shows a corner region according to a fourth embodiment.

[0082] [ Figure 8 ] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a corner area according to a fourth embodiment.

[0083] [ Fig. 9 ] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a corner region according to a third embodiment up to a longitudinal corner edge end.

[0084] [ Fig.10 ] Fig.10 The tanks of an LNG carrier and a dock for loading / unloading the tanks are schematically shown in a partially cutaway manner.

[0085] [ Fig.11 ] Fig.11 The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to the fifth embodiment Figure 1 Partial cross-sectional view along line II-II.

[0086] [ Fig.12 ] Fig.12is a partial view showing a modification of the fifth embodiment, in which the secondary membrane is modified.

[0087] [ Fig.13 ] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 A partial enlarged view of area VIII. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] Figure 1 Shown is a sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated in a polyhedral shaped support structure 1. The support structure 1 is for example the hull of a transport vessel or another floating structure and comprises longitudinal support walls 2 connected by longitudinal corner edges 3 and transverse support walls 4 perpendicular thereto.

[0089] The general structure of such a tank is known. Therefore, only one area of ​​the tank wall will be described, but it will be understood that all flat walls of the tank may have a similar general structure. Therefore, regardless of the actual orientation of the tank wall relative to the earth's gravitational field, the terms "upper" and "above" will be used to indicate positions towards the inside of the tank in the thickness direction of the tank wall, and the terms "lower" and "below" will be used to indicate positions towards the outside of the tank, in other words, towards the supporting structure.

[0090] The tank 1 is a tank with a membrane for storing liquefied gas. The wall of the tank has a multi-layer structure, which includes, from the supporting structure 1 toward the inside of the tank: a secondary thermal insulation barrier 5, which includes an insulating element not shown, which is supported against the supporting structure 1; a secondary sealing film 6, which is supported against the secondary thermal insulation barrier 5; a primary thermal insulation barrier 7, which includes an insulating element not shown, which is supported against the secondary sealing film 6; and a primary sealing film 8, which is used to contact the liquefied gas contained in the tank 1. The primary sealing film 8 defines an internal space 10 for receiving the liquefied gas.

[0091] The liquefied gas to be stored in the tank may in particular be liquefied natural gas (LNG), i.e. a gas mixture comprising mainly methane and one or more other hydrocarbons. The liquefied gas may also be ethane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), i.e. a mixture of hydrocarbons produced by petroleum refining, the mixture comprising mainly propane and butane.

[0092] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3Now, the corner region of the tank along the longitudinal corner edge 3 will be described, which connects two adjacent longitudinal support walls 2 to form a corner between the two adjacent longitudinal support walls 2. Since the corner region of the tank is generally symmetrical with respect to the bisecting plane P of the corner, it is sufficient to describe a single tank wall in the corner region.

[0093] On most of the tank wall, the secondary thermal insulation barrier 5 is composed of a secondary intermediate insulation block 11 juxtaposed on the supporting wall 2 and anchored to the supporting wall 2 by an intermediate retaining member 12, while the primary thermal insulation barrier 7 is composed of a primary intermediate insulation block 13 superimposed on the secondary intermediate insulation block 11 and also anchored by the intermediate retaining member 12.

[0094] The secondary intermediate insulating block 11 and the primary intermediate insulating block 13 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 and the primary intermediate insulating block 13 preferably have the same length and the same width. The secondary intermediate insulating block 11 may be thicker than the primary intermediate insulating block 13.

[0095] Along the longitudinal corner edge 3, the secondary heat insulation barrier 5 includes rows of secondary boundary insulation blocks 111 juxtaposed on the support wall 2, and the primary heat insulation barrier 7 includes rows of primary boundary insulation blocks 113 superimposed on the secondary boundary insulation blocks 111. The secondary boundary insulation blocks 111 and the primary boundary insulation blocks 113 also have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the secondary boundary insulation blocks 111 and the primary boundary insulation blocks 113 preferably have the same length and different widths, and in particular, the width of the primary boundary insulation blocks 113 is smaller.

[0096] When producing large-sized supporting walls 2, such as the hull of a transport ship, it is impossible to obtain a completely flat surface. Therefore, it is usually necessary to arrange thickness wedges and supports (not shown) made of polymerizable mastic below the secondary intermediate insulating blocks 11 to compensate for defects in flatness in the supporting wall 2 and thus align the secondary intermediate insulating blocks 11 with low tolerances, thereby obtaining a very uniform supporting surface for the secondary sealing membrane 6. These polymerizable mastic supports can have various configurations, as described in the prior art.

[0097] An anti-sticking sheet (not shown), for example, made of kraft paper, may be disposed on the inner surface of the support wall 2 to prevent mastic from adhering to the support wall 2 .

[0098] For optimal production of tank walls of large dimensions, it is desirable to use standardized insulation blocks with as small a range of different sizes as possible. However, the manufacturing tolerances of the support wall 2 must be taken into account, which in the hull of a transport vessel are usually in the range of a few centimeters to tens of centimeters.

[0099] In this respect, one possibility is to form a regular rectangular grid using intermediate retaining members 12, placing a first longitudinal row at half the width of the supporting wall 2 and adding successive equidistant parallel rows of intermediate retaining members 12 in the direction towards the corner edge 3. The distance between two rows is equal to the width of the intermediate insulating block. Figure 2 Only the last row of intermediate retaining members 12 and the last row of intermediate insulating blocks are shown.

[0100] When the theoretical dimensions of the support wall 2 are known, the number and position of these rows of intermediate retaining members 12 and, therefore, the corresponding number of rows of intermediate insulating blocks can be planned in advance. However, due to manufacturing tolerances of the support wall 2, there is still a certain degree of uncertainty as to the distance D remaining between the last row of intermediate insulating blocks and the corner edge 3 (see Figure 2 ).

[0101] To take this uncertainty into account, the tank wall comprises an adjustment well 16 which may have a width varying according to the actual dimensions of the supporting wall 2, for example a width varying in the range of 20 mm to 70 mm. The adjustment well 16 is positioned between the last row of intermediate insulating blocks and the rows of boundary insulating blocks.

[0102] Corner retaining members 25 are arranged in rows in the regulating shaft 16 .

[0103] The secondary intermediate insulating block 11 will now be described, and has a bottom panel 17, a cover panel 18 parallel to the bottom panel 17, and a heat insulating foam block 19. The bottom panel 17 and the cover panel 18 have a generally rectangular overall shape and are spaced apart in the thickness direction by the heat insulating foam block 19.

[0104] The cover panel 18 has two grooves 20 which are parallel to each other and extend in a direction parallel to the corner edge 3. The groove 20 has a substantially inverted T-shape to receive a welding support according to the related art. For simplicity, the welding support is not shown in the figure.

[0105] The bottom panel 17 and / or the cover panel 18 may be made of plywood.

[0106] The foam block 19 is made of a heat-insulating foam, for example a polyurethane foam, which is optionally reinforced with glass fibers and has a density of, for example, about 130 kg.m. -3 Or even more than 130kg.m -3 The foam block 19 has a substantially parallelepiped shape. The bottom panel 17 and the cover panel 18 are fixed to the foam block 19 by adhesive bonding.

[0107] The foam block 19 has a recess at each of its corners for housing a rigid support element 21. The support element 21 has a lower end that bears against the bottom panel 17 and an upper end that forms a support surface 22 on which the intermediate retaining member 12 or the corner retaining member 25 is intended to bear. The support element 21 is held in the recess by being fixed to the bottom panel 17, and / or the reinforcement 23, and / or a portion of the foam block 19 close to the bottom panel 17, for example by adhesive bonding, stapling, screwing or nailing.

[0108] The surface of the support element 21 can be in free contact with the foam block 19. Therefore, when the load of the retaining member on the support element 21 tends to tilt the support element 21 slightly outwards, while the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 is subjected to bending stress, the support element 21 does not exert any horizontal shear stress on the foam block 19. The support element 21 can have a height between 50 mm and 250 mm in the thickness direction of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11. Preferably, the height of the support element 21 is greater than half the thickness of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11, thereby avoiding the need to insert a spacer between the support element 21 and the retaining member. The thickness of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 is for example equal to about 300 mm.

[0109] The secondary intermediate insulating block 11 also has a pair of reinforcing members 23. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Only one of these reinforcements 23 is visible. Each of the reinforcements 23 extends over the entire width of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 along the bottom panel 17 side. Therefore, the reinforcement 23 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the groove 20. Therefore, when the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 is subjected to bending stresses caused, for example, by deformation of the supporting structure and / or the clamping force of the retaining member, the reinforcement 23 limits the deformation in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the groove 20. This reinforcement of the edge area, in other words, the reinforcement at the joints between the secondary intermediate insulating blocks 11 that are consecutively adjacent in the longitudinal direction prevents stress concentration on the welding support, which extends continuously from one secondary intermediate insulating block 11 to the next in the groove 20 in a manner spanning these joints.

[0110] The reinforcement 23 protrudes from the bottom panel 17 toward the cover panel 18 in the thickness direction of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11. The reinforcement 23 is rigidly fixed to the bottom panel 17, for example, by means of unshown screws or nails and / or adhesive.

[0111] Each of the reinforcement members 23 may have a surface in free contact with the foam block 19. The term "free contact" means that the reinforcement member 23 is in contact with the foam block 19, but is not rigidly fixed to the foam block 19, in particular, is not adhesively bonded to the foam block 19. Therefore, when the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 is bent, the reinforcement member 23 can slide slightly on the foam block 19 without applying tensile or shear stress to the foam block 19.

[0112] Each reinforcement 23 may include a wooden batten. In addition, the reinforcement 23 is in free contact with the support element 21, or the reinforcement 23 is rigidly connected to the support element 21. Each reinforcement 23 may be fixed to the support element 21 by nailing, screwing, spot welding and / or adhesive bonding.

[0113] Each support element 21 may include a columnar member made of wood having a cross section sufficient to bear the load of the retaining member without causing punching of the bottom panel 17. The columnar member may be rectangular in cross section or the like.

[0114] Further details and variations of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 can be found in published document WO-A-2021239767.

[0115] The primary intermediate insulating block 13 will now be described, having a bottom panel 26, a cover panel 27 parallel to the bottom panel 26, and a thermal insulating foam block 28. The above description in relation to the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 can also be applied to the primary intermediate insulating block 13. However, the primary intermediate insulating block 13 may have certain differences, in particular the absence of reinforcements in the area of ​​the bottom panel 26.

[0116] Furthermore, the bottom panel 26 must be adapted to the protruding parts of the secondary sealing membrane 6, i.e. the folded-up edges of the strakes and the vertical fins of the welded supports. Figure 2 As shown in , the bottom panel 26 may be subdivided to allow protruding portions of the secondary sealing membrane 6 to pass through the gaps 29 .

[0117] The primary sealing membrane 8 and the secondary sealing membrane 6 are, for example, formed by a continuous layer of metal strakes 30 with folded-up edges. The metal strakes 30 are respectively laid flat on the cover panels 18 or 27 and have two folded-up edges 31 parallel to the corner edges 3, which are welded to parallel welding supports held on the intermediate insulating block.

[0118] The metal strake 30 is made of, for example In other words, the metal strake 30 is made of an alloy of iron and nickel, and the expansion coefficient is generally 1.2×10 -6 K-1 With 2×10 -6 K -1 In this case, the metal strake 30 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm. As a variant, the metal strake 30 may be made of an iron alloy with a high manganese content, the iron alloy having a thickness of typically between 7×10 -6 K -1 With 9×10 -6 K -1 In the case of a tank of a transport vessel, the strakes are preferably oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the transport vessel.

[0119] Reference Figure 3 , the secondary boundary insulating block 111 and the primary boundary insulating block 113 will now be described. Elements similar or identical to those of the intermediate insulating block have the same reference numerals, but the reference numerals are increased by 100.

[0120] The secondary boundary insulating block 111 comprises a bottom panel 117, a cover panel 118 parallel to the bottom panel 117, a heat insulating foam block 119, and two reinforcements 123 extending over the entire width of the secondary boundary insulating block 111. Unlike the secondary intermediate insulating block 11, the end of the secondary boundary insulating block 111 facing the corner edge 3 does not have a recess in the heat insulating foam block 119 or a support element for receiving a retaining member. Therefore, only two support elements 121 are provided at the end of the secondary boundary insulating block 111 facing the regulating shaft 16.

[0121] The primary boundary insulating block 113 comprises a bottom panel 126, a cover panel 127 parallel to the bottom panel 126, and a heat insulating foam block 128. Unlike the primary intermediate insulating block 13, the end of the primary boundary insulating block 113 facing the corner edge 3 does not have a groove in the heat insulating foam block 128 or a support element for receiving a retaining member. Therefore, only two support elements 140 are provided at the end of the primary boundary insulating block 113 facing the regulating well 16.

[0122] The regulating well 16 is filled with Figure 2 and Figure 3 Insulating material not shown in the figure, such as glass wool, is used to limit the gaps in the secondary thermal insulation barrier 5 and the primary thermal insulation barrier 7 that may facilitate heat transfer by natural convection. For the same reason, there are inserted at the longitudinal corner edges 3 between the rows of secondary boundary insulation blocks 111 of the two tank walls and between the rows of primary boundary insulation blocks 113 of the two tank walls. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Insulating material not shown, such as glass wool.

[0123] In order to provide support for aligning the primary sealing membrane 8 with the regulating well 16, the primary bridging plate 41 is arranged to bear on the primary boundary insulating block 113 and the relatively positioned primary intermediate insulating block 13. The primary bridging plate 41 may have a thickness greater than or equal to the thickness of the cover panels 27 and 127. In order to make the upper surface of the primary bridging plate 41 flush with the upper surface of the cover panels 27 and 127, the primary bridging plate 41 is received in the countersunk area at the end of the primary boundary insulating block 113 and the primary intermediate insulating block 13 provided on both sides of the regulating well 16.

[0124] In order to limit the risk of creeping of the insulating foam under the pressure of the primary bridge plate 41 in operating conditions, a rigid strip 42 , for example made of plywood, can be arranged at the bottom of the countersunk region each time.

[0125] The partially shown secondary bridging plate 43 may likewise be arranged to bear on the secondary boundary insulating block 111 and the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 to support the secondary sealing membrane 6 in alignment with the regulating well 16 .

[0126] The intermediate retaining member 12 and the corner retaining member 25 will now be described, and mainly include an anchor rod 33, a clamping assembly 32 forming a secondary attachment portion, and a primary attachment portion supported by the secondary attachment portion.

[0127] The lower end of the anchor rod 33 is received in a socket 34, the base of which is welded to the support wall 2 between the corner areas of four adjacent secondary insulating blocks. The socket 34 forms a spherical joint for the anchor rod 33. For example, the socket 34 accommodates a nut into which the lower end of the anchor rod 33 is screwed. The anchor rod 33 extends in the thickness direction of the tank wall and passes between adjacent secondary insulating blocks.

[0128] The clamping assembly 32 includes, in order along the thickness direction, a lower plate 35 or 135, a spacer block 36, and an upper plate 37. The lower plate 35 or 135 and the upper plate 37 have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and include two opposite larger face portions that are parallel to the support wall 2. The spacer block 36 is also rectangular in outline and has the same size.

[0129] The lower plate 35 or 135 forms a secondary retaining plate which is held by the anchoring rods 33 in the direction of the supporting wall 2 against the supporting elements 21 or 121 of each of the four adjacent secondary insulating blocks. In the embodiment shown, the supporting elements 21 or 121 are arranged between the lower plate 35 or 135 and the bottom panel 17 or 117 of each of the secondary insulating blocks and thus transmit the clamping forces to the secondary insulating blocks.

[0130] The upper end of the anchor rod 33 is engaged in a housing formed in the spacer block 36 through a central hole in the lower plate 35 or 135. The nut interacts with the threaded portion formed on the upper end of the anchor rod 33, thereby holding the lower plate 35 or 135 in the direction of the support wall 2.

[0131] One or more elastic washers, such as Belleville washers, are screwed onto the anchor rod 33 between the nut and the lower plate 35 or 135 , so that the secondary insulating block can be elastically anchored to the supporting wall 2 .

[0132] The spacer block 36 further includes two holes which pass through the spacer block 36 in the tank wall thickness direction and in which two fixing screws are engaged.

[0133] The spacer block 36 comprises a lower face and an upper face parallel to the upper plate 37 and the lower plate 35 or 135. The thickness of the spacer block 36 defines a minimum spacing between the lower plate 35 or 135 and the upper plate 37. This minimum spacing is achieved in a stop position (not shown) in which the lower plate 35 or 135 and the upper plate 37 abut against the lower face and the upper face of the spacer block 36.

[0134] The fixing screw defines the position of the maximum spacing between the upper plate 37 and the lower plate 35 or 135. The size of this maximum spacing is defined by the working length of the fixing screw.

[0135] Resilient members or, for example, resilient washers tend to hold the upper plate 37 in the spaced-apart position of the spacer blocks 36. These resilient members are configured to be elastically compressed in response to a load tending to move the upper plate 37 closer to the support wall 2 until the upper plate 37 abuts against the stop position of the spacer blocks 36.

[0136] The difference in size between the minimum and maximum spacing allows the upper plate 37 to substantially follow the sinking movement of the cover panels 18 or 118 of the secondary insulating block when the tank is in use, in particular under the effect of thermal contractions and static and dynamic pressures to which the tank wall is subjected during operation. Such pressures may in particular cause creep of the insulating polymer foam layer. This dimension is typically a few millimeters.

[0137] The intermediate retaining member 12 and the corner retaining member 25 also comprise a primary attachment portion. To this end, the upper plate 37 has a threaded hole at its central portion, in which the threaded base of a pin 38 for anchoring the primary insulating block is mounted. The pin 38 passes through a hole drilled through the metal strake 30 of the secondary sealing membrane 6. The pin 38 has a flange which is welded at its periphery around the drilled hole to ensure the sealing of the secondary sealing membrane 6.

[0138] The primary attachment part also includes a primary support plate 39 or 139, which forms a primary retaining plate, which is supported on a support element 40 or 140 arranged in each of the four adjacent primary insulating blocks in the direction of the support wall 2, thereby retaining the support element 40 or 140 against the secondary sealing membrane 6.

[0139] Further details and variations of the intermediate retaining member 12 can be found in publication WO-A-2021239712.

[0140] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In FIG. 2 , the corner retaining member 25 differs from the intermediate retaining member 12 in two respects.

[0141] Firstly, the lower plate 135 is longer than the lower plate 35 so as to be able to span the regulating well 16 and engage on the supporting elements 121 of the secondary boundary insulating block 111 within the envisaged tolerance range, regardless of the width of the regulating well 16 .

[0142] Therefore, the secondary support plate is asymmetrical with respect to the anchor rod 33. The portion of the lower plate 135 extending toward the secondary boundary insulating block 111 is longer than the portion extending toward the secondary intermediate insulating block 11.

[0143] Secondly, for similar reasons, the primary support plate 139 is longer than the primary support plate 39 to engage on the support element 140 of the primary boundary insulating block 113.

[0144] Likewise, the primary support plate 139 is asymmetrical with respect to the pin 38. The portion of the primary support plate 139 extending toward the primary boundary insulating block 113 is longer than the portion extending toward the primary intermediate insulating block 13.

[0145] The secondary sealing film 6 in the corner area will now be described.

[0146] On the one hand, the secondary sealing film 6 comprises, for example, The metal bracket 44 is made of a metal bracket 44, which is arranged to straddle the two rows of secondary boundary insulation blocks 111 located on both sides of the corner edge 3. The metal bracket 44 includes two flat wing portions symmetrical with respect to the bisecting plane P. Each flat wing portion is arranged in the countersunk area of ​​the cover panel 118 so as to be flush with the upper surface of the cover panel 118 and is screwed to the cover panel 118 ( Figure 4 ).

[0147] A half-row plate 45 is arranged between the metal bracket 44 and the welding support closest to the corner edge 3, and the half-row plate 45 has an upwardly folded edge 46 and a flat longitudinal edge 48 ( Figure 4), the upwardly folded edge 46 is welded to the welding support in a sealing manner, and the flat longitudinal edge 48 is welded to the metal bracket 44 in a sealing manner, thereby overlapping the rows of fixing screws 47.

[0148] The primary sealing film 8 in the corner area will now be described.

[0149] In the same manner, the primary sealing membrane 8 comprises, for example, The metal bracket 49 is made of a metal bracket 49, which is arranged to straddle two rows of primary boundary insulating blocks 113 located on both sides of the corner edge 3. The metal bracket 49 includes two flat wings symmetrical with respect to the bisecting plane P. Each flat wing is arranged in the countersunk area of ​​the cover panel 127 to be flush with the upper surface of the cover panel 127 and is screwed to the cover panel 127 by a row of fixing screws.

[0150] Between the last metal strake 30 and the metal bracket 49 , the primary sealing membrane 8 comprises two connecting plates, namely a half strake 50 and a corrugated plate 51 having at least one longitudinal corrugation 52 .

[0151] If you can Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 5 , the corrugated sheet 51 has: a flat longitudinal edge 53 ( Figure 4 ), the flat longitudinal edge 53 is welded to the metal bracket 49 in a sealed manner so as to be in contact with the rows of fixing screws 54 ( Figure 6 ) Overlap: A longitudinal edge 56 which, opposite the flat longitudinal edge 53 , is anchored to the covering panel 27 of the primary intermediate insulating block 13 .

[0152] Optionally, a reinforcement member 55 ( Figure 3 ) may be housed within the longitudinal corrugations 52 to better protect the primary sealing membrane 8 from the risk of plastic deformation. Further details and variations of the reinforcement 55 may be found in publication WO-A-2010040922.

[0153] There are several possibilities for anchoring the longitudinal edge 56 to the covering panel 27. For example, the longitudinal edge 56 can be screwed to the covering panel 27 by means of a row of fixing screws, not shown. Preferably, in this case, the covering panel 27 has a groove 58 for accommodating the head of the fixing screw without creating an excessive thickness. Another possibility consists in welding the longitudinal edge 56 to a metal anchoring strip previously fixed to the covering panel 27, for example screwed or riveted to the covering panel 27.

[0154] The half-row plate 50 is arranged between the corrugated plate 51 and the welding support closest to the corner edge 3, and has: an upwardly folded edge 59, which is welded to the welding support in a sealed manner; a flat longitudinal edge 57, which is welded to the corrugated plate 51 in a sealed manner, and where appropriate, the flat longitudinal edge 57 overlaps with a row of fixing screws (not shown).

[0155] Alternatively, the overlap between the half strakes 50 and the corrugated sheets 51 is reversed. In this case, the flat longitudinal edges 57 are anchored to the cover panels 27 of the primary intermediate insulating block 13, while the longitudinal edges 56 are welded to the half strakes 50 in a sealed manner.

[0156] In a variant embodiment, the half strakes 50 and the corrugated plates 51 are replaced by a single connecting plate extending from the welded support up to the metal bracket 49 without intermediate anchoring.

[0157] In a variant embodiment, the corrugated plate 51 or a single connecting plate has a plurality of parallel longitudinal corrugations. Preferably, one or more longitudinal corrugations 52 are arranged to be aligned with the cover panel 27, rather than aligned with the bridge plate 41. This arrangement ensures that the manufacturing tolerances of the supporting structure will not cause any problems for the placement of one or more longitudinal corrugations 52.

[0158] The one or more longitudinal corrugations 52 allow the primary sealing membrane 8 to elongate to a certain extent in response to the shrinkage of the tank wall in the thickness direction, including a certain degree of sagging of the primary and secondary boundary insulation blocks under the action of thermal shrinkage and / or cargo pressure. In addition, the one or more longitudinal corrugations 52 make it possible to distribute the elongation, rather than having the elongation be entirely borne by the upwardly folded edges 59 of the half strakes 50.

[0159] In a variant embodiment, the longitudinal corrugations 52 are eliminated and the size of the folded-up edges 59 of the half strakes 50 is designed accordingly. To this end, the folded-up edges 59 can be connected to modified welding supports or anchor strakes so that a double corrugation can be formed to increase the elongation of the membrane. Suitable welding supports or anchor strakes are disclosed in publications WO-A-2018024981 or WO-A-2018024982.

[0160] Now refer to Figure 4 A second embodiment of the corner region is described. Elements similar or identical to those of the first embodiment have the same reference numerals and will be described only where they differ from the first embodiment.

[0161] A first difference concerns the mounting of the metal brackets 44 and 49. The metal bracket 44 is not fixed directly to the covering panel 118, but is fixed, for example screwed, to two secondary corner beams 61 arranged on the covering panel 118 of the secondary boundary insulating block 111 on both sides of the bisecting plane. The secondary corner beams 61 can be thicker and stronger than the covering panel 118. The secondary corner beams 61 are in turn fixed to the covering panel 118, for example by means of fixing screws 63. The fixing screws 63 are for example located on a longitudinal flange 64 opposite the corner edge 3.

[0162] Figure 4 The bridge plate not shown (but see Figure 5 ) ensures that the secondary sealing membrane 6 is supported between the secondary corner beam 61 and the secondary intermediate insulating block 11.

[0163] Likewise, the metal bracket 49 is fixed, for example screwed, to two primary corner beams 62 arranged on both sides of the bisecting plane on the cover panels 127 of the primary boundary insulating block 113. The above description of the secondary corner beams 61 can be transferred to the primary corner beams 62.

[0164] The second difference relates to the absence of reinforcements on the secondary boundary insulating block 111. In this case, the thermal insulating foam block 119 has a length slightly shorter than that of the thermal insulating foam block in the first embodiment, and the support element 121 protrudes in the longitudinal direction from the thermal insulating foam block 119. The support element 121 is mounted on a protrusion 65 of the bottom panel 117, which also protrudes in the longitudinal direction from the thermal insulating foam block 119. This protruding position of the support element 121 facilitates placing the lower plate 135 in place without the risk of interfering with the thermal insulating foam block 119, regardless of the actual size of the supporting wall.

[0165] Third, in the same manner, in this case, the heat insulating foam block 128 has a length slightly shorter than that of the heat insulating foam block in the first embodiment, and the support member 140 protrudes in the longitudinal direction from the heat insulating foam block 128. For the same reason, the support member 140 is mounted on a protrusion of the bottom panel 126, which also protrudes in the longitudinal direction from the heat insulating foam block 128.

[0166] In this case, the supporting element 140 is a web extending over the entire width of the primary boundary insulating block 113 .

[0167] Now refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6A third embodiment of the corner region is described. Elements similar or identical to those of the second embodiment have the same reference numerals and will be described only where they differ from the first embodiment. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The sealing membrane is not shown.

[0168] First, in this case, the corner holding member 25 is not positioned in the adjustment well 16, but is positioned at a distance from the adjustment well 16 in the direction of the secondary intermediate insulating block 11. Therefore, the thermal insulating foam block 19 has a larger recess for accommodating the clamping assembly 32 of the corner holding member 25. The lower plate 135 is shorter and does not intersect the adjustment well, because the lower plate 135 only interacts with the secondary intermediate insulating block 11, and does not interact with the secondary boundary insulating block 111 at this time.

[0169] Furthermore, along the regulating shaft, the support element 40 of the primary intermediate insulating block 13 extends further in the width direction of the primary intermediate insulating block 13 and has a central borehole through which the pin 38 passes. Thus, the primary support plate 139 can bear on the support element 40 on both sides of the pin 38 over a larger surface area.

[0170] In order to anchor the secondary border insulating blocks 111 to the supporting wall 2 , in this case, additional retaining members 66 are provided, which are interposed between the secondary border insulating blocks 111 .

[0171] The additional retaining member 66 comprises a rod 67 welded to the support wall 2 and a support plate 68 mounted on the rod 67 and clamped by a nut in the direction of the support wall 2 to grasp the support elements 121 of the secondary boundary isolation blocks 111 arranged on both sides of the additional retaining member 66.

[0172] In this case, the supporting element 121 is a web extending over the entire width of the secondary boundary insulating block 111 .

[0173] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Also shown are secondary bridging plates 69 extending between secondary corner beams 61 and secondary intermediate insulating blocks 11 to span the regulating shaft and primary bridging plates 70 extending between primary corner beams 62 and primary intermediate insulating blocks 13 to span the regulating shaft.

[0174] Figure 5 and Figure 6Also shown are insulating elements for filling the regulating well. Thus, there are filler blocks 71 and flexible fillers 72 between the secondary intermediate insulating block 11 and the secondary boundary insulating block 111. Similarly, there are filler blocks 73 and flexible fillers 74 between the primary intermediate insulating block 13 and the primary boundary insulating block 113. The filler blocks 71 or 73 can be heat insulating foam blocks cut to size and optionally covered by bottom panels and cover panels. For the same reason, there are filler elements 75 below the primary support plate 139. The flexible fillers 72 and 74 and the filler element 75 can be made of glass wool or the like.

[0175] Likewise, in order to fill spaces that may promote convection movement, there are filler elements 76 between the thermal insulation foam blocks 119 of consecutive secondary boundary insulation blocks 111, and there are filler elements 77 between the thermal insulation foam blocks 128 of consecutive primary boundary insulation blocks 113. The filler elements 76 and 77 may be made of glass wool or the like.

[0176] Figure 6 Also shown are insulating elements 78 for filling the space around the anchor rods 33 of the corner retaining members 25 and insulating caps 79 located on top of the corner retaining members 25 for filling the space between the primary support plate 139 and the upper surface of the primary thermal insulation barrier 7. In order to provide uniform support for the primary sealing membrane 8, the insulating cap 79 has a cover panel 80 flush with the upper surface of the cover panel 27.

[0177] Now refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 A fourth embodiment of a corner region is described. Elements similar or identical to those of the first embodiment have the same reference numerals and will be described only where they differ from the first embodiment. Figure 8 The primary sealing membrane is not shown.

[0178] In this case, the two secondary boundary insulating blocks 111 are connected together in the form of a combined secondary corner insulating block 81. To this end, the thermal insulation foam block 119 is constructed to extend up to the bisecting plane P and has an inclined end face 82 parallel to the bisecting plane P. The two secondary boundary insulating blocks 111 are connected together by adhesively bonding via their inclined end faces 82 to a rigid plate 83, which forms a connecting plate extending from the lower surface over a portion of the thickness of the two secondary boundary insulating blocks 111. On the remaining thickness of the two secondary boundary insulating blocks 111 up to the metal bracket 44, a flexible filler 84 is accommodated between the two inclined end faces 82, and the flexible filler 84 is made of glass wool, for example. Finally, a flexible layer 85 can be adhesively bonded to the lower surface of the two secondary boundary insulating blocks 111 to strengthen the cohesion of the combined secondary corner insulating blocks 81.

[0179] Likewise, the two primary boundary insulating blocks 113 are joined together in the form of a combined primary corner insulating block 86. The above description of the combined secondary corner insulating block 81 can be transferred to the combined primary corner insulating block 86.

[0180] It should be noted that assembly of the tank wall may be facilitated by using the combined secondary corner insulation block 81 and the combined primary corner insulation block 86, thereby making it possible to increase pre-manufacturing operations away from the tank and reduce assembly operations inside the tank.

[0181] Fig. 9 A tank wall according to a third embodiment is depicted, in particular showing the structure from one end of a row of boundary insulating blocks to the end of a longitudinal corner edge 3 where two support walls 2 and a third support wall 9 perpendicular to the longitudinal corner edge 3 meet.

[0182] Away from the end of the corner edge 3, the primary boundary insulating block 113 and the secondary boundary insulating block 111 are as described above. However, the last secondary boundary insulating block before the connecting ring 89 is made in a different way, in the form of a secondary insulating shell 88 made of a rigid material, such as plywood, and filled with insulating filler.

[0183] Likewise, the last two primary boundary insulating blocks before the connecting ring 89 are also manufactured in a different manner, in the form of a primary insulating shell 87 made of a rigid material, such as plywood, and filled with insulating filler.

[0184] Various materials can be used for the insulating filler, in particular glass wool, rock wool, cotton wool, fibrous materials, perlite, expanded perlite, low-density polymer foams, aerogels and the like.

[0185] The connecting ring 89 refers to a known metal frame with a square cross-section, which has a primary wing and a secondary wing, wherein the primary wing is used to connect the primary sealing membrane 8 of the two support walls 2 to the third support wall 9, and the secondary wing is used to connect the secondary sealing membrane 6 of the two support walls 2 to the third support wall 9.

[0186] The use of the secondary insulating shell 88 and the primary insulating shell 87 makes it possible to stiffen the tank wall where a higher load is concentrated near the connecting ring 89. In addition, the offset arrangement of the transition between the primary boundary insulating block 113 and the primary insulating shell 87 relative to the transition between the secondary boundary insulating block 111 and the secondary insulating shell 88 makes it possible to gradually stiffen the tank wall in the direction toward the connecting ring 89, thereby limiting the risk of significant differences in the thickness of the tank wall, which is harmful to the sealing membrane.

[0187] Fig. 9 Also shown are insulating material blocks 90 and 91, wherein insulating material block 90 is inserted between secondary boundary insulating blocks 111 arranged on two support walls 2 on both sides of corner edge 3, and insulating material block 91 is inserted between primary boundary insulating blocks 113 arranged on two support walls 2 on both sides of corner edge 3.

[0188] Now refer to Fig.11 A fifth embodiment of the corner region is described. Elements similar or identical to elements of the first embodiment have the same reference numerals, but with the reference numerals increased by 200.

[0189] The adjustment well 216 is still positioned between the last row of intermediate isolation blocks and the rows of boundary isolation blocks. In other words, the adjustment well 216 is positioned between the secondary intermediate isolation block 211 and the secondary boundary isolation block 311 and between the primary intermediate isolation block 213 and the primary boundary isolation block 313 .

[0190] The corner retaining member 225 is still located in the adjustment well 216. However, the position of the corner retaining member 225 in the adjustment well 216 is modified. The corner retaining member 225 is positioned at the end of the adjustment well 216 closest to the corner edge 203, in other words, the corner retaining member 225 is positioned along the boundary insulation blocks 311 and 313. This position can be, for example, at a predetermined distance from the corner edge 203, regardless of the width of the adjustment well 216, for example, at a predetermined distance between 450 mm and 700 mm from the corner edge 203, more particularly at a predetermined distance between 550 mm and 650 mm.

[0191] Therefore, the portion of the lower plate 335 extending toward the secondary intermediate insulating block 211 is longer than the portion extending toward the secondary boundary insulating block 311. For similar reasons, the portion of the primary support plate 339 extending toward the primary intermediate insulating block 213 is longer than the portion extending toward the primary boundary insulating block 313.

[0192] The upper plate 237 of the corner retaining member 225 is larger so as to also span the entire adjustment well 216.

[0193] As in the fourth embodiment, the two secondary border isolation blocks 311 located on both sides of the corner edge 203 are connected together in the form of a combined secondary corner isolation block 281, and the two primary border isolation blocks 313 are connected together in the form of a combined primary corner isolation block 286. In addition, the primary border isolation blocks and the secondary border isolation blocks are larger.

[0194] As in the second embodiment, the metal bracket 244 is fixed, for example screwed, to two secondary corner beams 261, which are arranged on both sides of the bisecting plane on the cover panel 318 of the secondary boundary insulating block 311. Similarly, the metal bracket 249 is fixed, for example screwed, to two primary corner beams 262, which are arranged on both sides of the bisecting plane on the cover panel 327 of the primary boundary insulating block 313.

[0195] Starting from the last row 99 of welded supports supported by the primary intermediate insulating block 213, the primary sealing membrane comprises a half-row plate 250 and a corrugated plate 251 having three longitudinal corrugations 252 spaced apart from one another. The welded joints 98 between the half-row plate 250 and the corrugated plate 251 and the welded joints 97 between the corrugated plate 251 and the metal bracket 249 are located on the primary corner beam 262.

[0196] As described above, starting from the last row 99 of welded supports supported by the secondary intermediate insulating block 211, the secondary sealing membrane comprises a half-row plate 245 and a metal bracket 244. The welded joint 96 between the half-row plate 245 and the metal bracket 244 is located on the secondary corner beam 261. Depending on the size of the regulating well 216, the width of the half-row plate 245 may be large, for example between 300 mm and 510 mm, which may generate high stress.

[0197] To reduce this risk, Fig.12 and Fig.13A variant embodiment shown in 20 modifies the design of the secondary sealing membrane. In this case, an additional longitudinal row of welded supports 95 is mounted on the secondary boundary insulating block 311. Thus, starting from the last row 99 of welded supports supported by the secondary intermediate insulating block 211, the secondary sealing membrane comprises an additional strake 94, the two upwardly folded edges of which are welded to the welded supports 95 and the last row 99 of welded supports, respectively. Thus, the half strake 245 extends between the welded supports 95 and the metal bracket 244 and can therefore be narrower than before.

[0198] The additional strakes 94 may have a similar design to the metal strakes 30 of the first embodiment, but the width of the additional strakes 94 may be smaller. Since the width of the regulating wells 216 may vary, it is advantageous that the position of the welding supports 95 is easily adjustable in order to prevent having to dimension the width of the additional strakes 94 according to the specific situation. Thus, by moving the welding supports 95 and dimensioning the half strakes 245 accordingly, it is easier to adapt the secondary sealing membrane to the actual size of the tank wall.

[0199] To this end, a longitudinal groove 93 for accommodating the welding support 95 is formed in the primary boundary insulating block 313, and the longitudinal groove 93 has a width greater than the positioning tolerance of the welding support 95, for example, the width of the longitudinal groove 93 is between 20mm and 70mm, more particularly 60mm.

[0200] If you can Fig.13 As can be seen in the figure, the longitudinal groove 93 is formed in the bottom panel 326 of the primary boundary insulating block 313 and in the thermal insulating foam block 328. In order to limit the risk of convection, the remaining volume of the longitudinal groove 93 is preferably filled with an insulating material piece 1304, for example made of polymer foam or glass wool, which has a narrow notch 1305 to accommodate the welding support 95 and the upwardly turned edge welded to the welding support.

[0201] In order to facilitate the adjustment of the position of the welding support 95, the secondary corner beam 261 is manufactured in two parts: a main part 1303, which has a countersunk area 1301, and a compensation part 1302, which is housed in the countersunk area 1301 and has a groove 220 according to the prior art for mounting the welding support 95. Therefore, it is easy to size the compensation part 1302 according to the actual size of the tank wall without modifying the main part 1303.

[0202] The above-described technique for producing a sealed and insulated wall can be used for various types of storage tanks, for example to form the walls of LNG tanks in land-based facilities or on floating structures such as liquefied gas carriers.

[0203] Reference Fig.10 , a partial cutaway view of a liquefied gas carrier 1070 shows a generally prismatically shaped sealed and thermally insulated tank 1071 installed in a double hull 1072 of the carrier. The wall of the tank 1071 includes: a primary sealing membrane for contacting the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing membrane arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the double hull 1072 of the carrier, and two thermally insulating barriers arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane and between the secondary sealing membrane and the double hull 1072, respectively.

[0204] In a manner known per se, a loading / unloading line 1073 arranged on the upper deck of the transport vessel can be connected to a marine or port terminal by means of appropriate connections in order to transfer the LNG cargo to or from the tank 1071 .

[0205] Fig.10 An example of a marine terminal is shown, which includes a loading and unloading station 1075, an underwater pipeline 1076 and a land facility 1077. The loading and unloading station 1075 is a fixed offshore facility and includes a movable arm 1074 and a tower 1078 supporting the movable arm 1074. The movable arm 1074 carries a bundle of insulated flexible hoses 1079, which can be connected to the loading / unloading pipeline 1073. The orientable movable arm 1074 can be adjusted to suit liquefied gas carriers of all sizes. A connecting pipeline (not shown) extends inside the tower 1078. The loading and unloading station 1075 allows the loading of a liquefied gas carrier 1070 from a land facility 1077 or the unloading of a liquefied gas carrier to a land facility 1077. The facility includes a liquefied gas storage tank 1080 and a connecting pipeline 1081, which is connected to the loading or unloading station 1075 through an underwater pipeline 1076. The underwater pipeline 1076 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 1075 and the land facility 1077 over longer distances, for example 5 km, so that the liquefied gas carrier 1070 can be kept at a greater distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

[0206] In order to generate the pressure required for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps on the transport vessel 1070 and / or pumps attached to the land facility 1077 and / or pumps attached to the loading and unloading station 1075 are used.

[0207] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with a number of specific embodiments, it is obvious that the present invention is by no means limited thereto and that the present invention includes all such technical equivalents of the devices and combinations thereof if they fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0208] Use of the verb "comprise" or "include" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those stated in a claim.

[0209] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims

1. A sealed and thermally insulated tank, the tank being incorporated in a supporting structure, the supporting structure comprising two supporting walls (2), the two supporting walls being flat and defining a longitudinal corner edge (3) by forming a corner between the two supporting walls, the sealed and thermally insulated tank comprising a tank wall arranged on each of the supporting walls, in, The tank wall arranged on each of the supporting walls comprises, in order from the outside of the sealed and thermally insulated tank toward the inside in the thickness direction: a secondary insulating barrier, a secondary sealing barrier, a primary insulating barrier, and a primary sealing barrier, wherein the primary sealing barrier is used to contact the product contained in the sealed and thermally insulated tank, wherein the secondary sealing barrier comprises a metal film (6) consisting of secondary metal elements juxtaposed on the secondary insulating barrier and welded to each other in a sealed manner, and the primary sealing barrier comprises a metal film (8) consisting of primary metal elements juxtaposed on the primary insulating barrier and welded to each other in a sealed manner, The secondary insulating barrier comprises secondary boundary insulating blocks (111) and secondary intermediate insulating blocks (11), wherein the secondary boundary insulating blocks (111) are arranged in a first longitudinal row parallel to the corner edge, and the secondary intermediate insulating blocks (11) are arranged in a second longitudinal row parallel to the corner edge and adjacent to the secondary boundary insulating blocks on the opposite side relative to the corner edge. The primary isolation barrier comprises a primary boundary isolation block (113) and a primary intermediate isolation block (13), wherein the primary boundary isolation block (113) is stacked on the secondary boundary isolation block (111), and the primary intermediate isolation block (13) is stacked on the secondary intermediate isolation block (111). Wherein, the secondary boundary insulating block, each primary boundary insulating block, each secondary intermediate insulating block, and each primary intermediate insulating block each include: a first longitudinal edge, the first longitudinal edge is parallel to the corner edge and is located on the opposite side relative to the corner edge; and a second longitudinal edge, the second longitudinal edge is parallel to the corner edge and is located on the same side as the corner edge; wherein the first longitudinal edge of the primary border isolation block (113) is aligned with the first longitudinal edge of the secondary border isolation block (111), and the second longitudinal edge of the primary border isolation block (113) is arranged backward relative to the second longitudinal edge of the secondary border isolation block (111), and in the width direction perpendicular to the corner edge (3), the width of the primary border isolation block is smaller than the width of the secondary border isolation block, wherein the second longitudinal edge of the primary intermediate insulating block (13) is aligned with the second longitudinal edge of the secondary intermediate insulating block (11), The tank wall comprises a retaining member (12, 25) arranged around the stacked primary intermediate insulating blocks and the secondary intermediate insulating blocks, each retaining member comprising: a lower portion rigidly fixed to the support wall (2); a secondary attachment portion located above the lower portion and interacting with a plurality of secondary intermediate insulating blocks adjacent to the retaining member; and a primary attachment portion located above the secondary attachment portion and interacting with a plurality of primary intermediate insulating blocks adjacent to the retaining member (12, 25). The primary metal element and the secondary metal element respectively include: a primary metal bracket (49) and a secondary metal bracket (44), the primary metal bracket (49) being arranged on the primary boundary insulating block at the corner edge (3), and the secondary metal bracket (44) being arranged on the secondary boundary insulating block at the corner edge (3), the primary metal bracket and the secondary metal bracket respectively comprising two mutually inclined face portions of the corner formed by the two support walls, The primary strake and the secondary strake (30) are placed flat on the primary intermediate insulating block (13), and the secondary strake (30) is placed flat on the secondary intermediate insulating block (11), each primary strake and each secondary strake respectively comprises two upwardly folded edges (31) parallel to the corner edge, and the two upwardly folded edges (31) are formed by The sealing means are welded respectively on primary welding supports and secondary welding supports, said primary welding supports and said secondary welding supports being anchored to said primary intermediate insulating block and said secondary intermediate insulating block, respectively, said primary welding supports and said secondary supports being arranged in a longitudinal row parallel to said corner edge, and a primary connecting plate (50, 51) connecting the last row of primary welding supports to the primary metal bracket, and a secondary connecting plate (45) connecting the last row of secondary welding supports to the secondary metal bracket, the last row of primary welding supports being constituted by the primary welding supports closest to the corner edge, and the last row of secondary welding supports being constituted by the secondary welding supports closest to the corner edge, wherein the last row of primary welding supports is anchored to the primary intermediate insulating block (13), and wherein the primary connecting plate has at least one longitudinal corrugation (52) parallel to the corner edge.

2. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 1, wherein: The secondary boundary insulation block or each secondary boundary insulation block and the primary boundary insulation block or each primary boundary insulation block include a bottom panel (117, 126), a cover panel (118, 127), and an insulating filler placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler (119, 128) including structural insulating foam placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to keep the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel.

3. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 2, wherein: The two faces of the primary metal bracket (49) are fixed to the cover panel (127) of the primary boundary insulating block, and correspondingly the two faces of the secondary metal bracket (44) are fixed to the cover panel (118) of the secondary boundary insulating block.

4. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 3, wherein: The covering panel (127) of the primary boundary insulating block and the covering panel (118) of the secondary boundary insulating block respectively include a countersunk area, which is open on the second longitudinal edge of the primary boundary insulating block and the second longitudinal edge of the secondary boundary insulating block and receives the face of the primary metal bracket (49) and the face of the secondary metal bracket (44) respectively.

5. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 2, wherein: A primary corner beam (62) is arranged on the cover panel of the primary boundary insulating block (113) to support the primary metal bracket (49), and a secondary corner beam (61) is arranged on the cover panel of the secondary boundary insulating block (111) to support the secondary metal bracket (44), the primary corner beam and the secondary corner beam are respectively elongated and parallel to the corner edge, and the primary metal bracket is arranged to straddle the bisecting plane (P) of the corner formed by the two supporting walls. ), and the primary metal bracket is screwed to the two primary corner beams on both sides of the bisecting plane (P) of the corner formed by the two supporting walls, and accordingly, the secondary metal bracket is arranged to straddle the two secondary corner beams on both sides of the bisecting plane (P) of the corner formed by the two supporting walls, and the secondary metal bracket is screwed to the two secondary corner beams on both sides of the bisecting plane (P) of the corner formed by the two supporting walls.

6. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The primary insulating barrier and the secondary insulating barrier further comprise fiber or honeycomb insulating material blocks (90, 91), respectively, and the fiber or honeycomb insulating material blocks (90, 91) are respectively inserted between the second longitudinal edges of two primary boundary insulating blocks (113) arranged on the two supporting walls (2) on both sides of the corner edge, and inserted between the second longitudinal edges of two secondary boundary insulating blocks (111) arranged on the two supporting walls (2) on both sides of the corner edge.

7. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The primary border insulating block and the secondary border insulating block respectively have a surface (82) on the second longitudinal edge which is inclined in a manner parallel to the bisecting plane (P) of the corner formed by the two supporting walls, and wherein the two primary border insulating blocks arranged on the two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge are manufactured in the form of a combined primary corner insulating block (86), and correspondingly the two secondary border insulating blocks arranged on the two supporting walls on both sides of the corner edge are manufactured in the form of a combined secondary corner insulating block (81), and the inclined surfaces of the two primary border insulating blocks and the inclined surfaces of the two secondary border insulating blocks are correspondingly attached to a connecting plate (83) arranged in the bisecting plane.

8. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The retaining members include corner retaining members (25) arranged between the first longitudinal row and the second longitudinal row, The primary attachment portion of the corner retaining member comprises a primary retaining plate (139) extending perpendicularly to the corner edge, the primary retaining plate (139) comprising a central portion attached to the secondary attachment portion of the corner retaining member (25), a first end portion interacting with two primary intermediate insulating blocks (13), and a second end portion interacting with two primary boundary insulating blocks (113).

9. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 8, wherein: The secondary attachment portion (32) of the corner retaining member (25) comprises a secondary retaining plate (135) extending perpendicularly to the corner edge, the secondary retaining plate (135) comprising a first end portion interacting with two secondary intermediate insulating blocks (11) and a second end portion interacting with two secondary boundary insulating blocks (111).

10. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 9, wherein: The secondary attachment portion (32) of the corner retaining member includes: the secondary retaining plate (135); an upper plate (37) parallel to the secondary retaining plate; a connecting member connecting the secondary retaining plate to the upper plate; and a spacing member (36) arranged between the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate, the spacing member (36) including a rigid stop member, the stop member defining the secondary retaining plate (135) at a stop position where the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate abut against the stop member. 5) and the upper plate (37); and an elastically compressible member, the elastically compressible member tending to maintain the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate in a spaced-apart position, the connecting member defining a maximum spacing between the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate at the spaced-apart position, the maximum spacing being greater than the minimum spacing, the elastically compressible member being configured to be elastically compressed in response to a load tending to bring the upper plate and the secondary retaining plate closer together until the secondary retaining plate and the upper plate abut against the stop position of the stop member, Wherein, the lower part of the corner retaining member includes an anchor rod (33), which protrudes from the clamping assembly in a manner perpendicular to the secondary retaining plate, and the anchor rod includes a lower end and an upper end so as to be able to apply a traction force on the secondary retaining plate in a direction toward the lower end, the lower end is attached to the support wall (2), and the upper end is opposite to the lower end and is connected to the secondary retaining plate (135).

11. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The secondary intermediate insulating block or each secondary intermediate insulating block and the primary intermediate insulating block or each primary intermediate insulating block comprises a bottom panel (17, 26), a cover panel (18, 27), and an insulating filler placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler (19, 28) comprising structural insulating foam placed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to keep the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel.

12. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The primary connection plate comprises: a corrugated sheet (51) having said at least one longitudinal corrugation (52) parallel to said corner edge, said corrugated sheet extending to straddle said primary boundary insulating block (113) and said primary intermediate insulating block (13), and having a first longitudinal edge (56) and a second longitudinal edge (53) welded in a sealing manner to said primary metal bracket (49), and a half-row plate (50), the half-row plate (50) having an upwardly folded edge (59) and a flat edge (57), the upwardly folded edge (59) of the half-row plate (50) being parallel to the corner edge, the upwardly folded edge (59) of the half-row plate (50) being welded to a primary welded support in a row of primary welded supports in a sealed manner, the flat edge (59) being parallel to the corner edge, and the flat edge (59) being connected to a first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated plate in a sealed manner.

13. The sealed and thermally insulated tank of claim 12, wherein: The first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated sheet is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block and the flat edge (57) of the half-strike is welded to the corrugated sheet (51) so that the half-strike (50) overlaps the first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated sheet.

14. The sealed and thermally insulated tank of claim 12, wherein: The flat edge (57) of the half-strike is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block, and the first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated sheet (51) is welded to the half-strike so that the corrugated sheet (51) overlaps the flat edge (57) of the half-strike (50).

15. A sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated sheet or the flat edge (57) of the half-row sheet is fixed to the primary intermediate insulating block by means of fixing screws, the primary intermediate insulating block comprising a groove (58) for receiving the head of the fixing screw.

16. A sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The primary intermediate insulating block supports a metallic anchoring strip fixed to the cover panel (27) of the primary intermediate insulating block and extending parallel to the corner edge, to which the first longitudinal edge (56) of the corrugated sheet or the flat edge (57) of the half strake is fixed by welding.

17. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The primary connecting plate has at least three longitudinal corrugations (252) parallel to the corner edges.

18. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: At least one of the longitudinal corrugations (52, 252) is positioned on the primary intermediate insulating block.

19. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: At least one of the longitudinal corrugations (52, 252) is positioned on the primary boundary insulating block.

20. A sealed and thermally insulated tank according to claim 18 or 19, wherein: At least one of the longitudinal corrugated portions (52, 252) protrudes toward the interior of the tank, and wherein a corrugated reinforcement (55) is inserted into the longitudinal corrugated portion (52, 252) between the primary connecting plate and the primary intermediate insulating block (13) or between the primary connecting plate and the primary boundary insulating block (113).

21. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 20, wherein: The last row of secondary welded supports is anchored to the secondary intermediate insulating block.

22. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 20, wherein: The last row of secondary welded supports is anchored to the secondary boundary insulating block, and the secondary metal element also includes a last secondary column plate arranged in a longitudinal row, the last secondary column plate extending to straddle the secondary intermediate insulating block and the secondary boundary insulating block, and the last secondary column plate is welded to the last row of secondary welded supports in a sealed manner.

23. The sealed and thermally insulated can according to claim 22, wherein: The primary boundary insulating block (113) has a groove for inserting the last row of secondary welding support members, the groove has a width greater than 20 mm, and an insulating material piece is accommodated in the groove to fill the groove around the last row of secondary welding support members.

24. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 23, wherein: The support structure comprises a third support wall (9) interrupting two of the support walls (2) at the end of a longitudinal corner edge (3), and wherein the first longitudinal row comprises, in sequence towards the end of the corner edge, at least one secondary boundary insulating block (111) of the first type and at least one secondary boundary insulating block (88) of the second type, wherein the first type of secondary boundary insulating block (111) or each first type of secondary boundary insulating block (111) comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulating filler disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler comprising a structural insulating foam disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to maintain the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel, and The second type of secondary boundary insulating block (88) or each second type of secondary boundary insulating block (88) comprises a secondary insulating shell, which is made of a rigid material and filled with insulating filler.

25. The sealed and thermally insulated tank according to one of claims 1 to 24, wherein: The support structure comprises a third support wall (9) interrupting the two support walls (2) at the end of the longitudinal corner edge (3), and wherein the primary boundary insulating blocks successively comprise, towards the end of the corner edge, at least one primary boundary insulating block (113) of the first type and at least one primary boundary insulating block (87) of the second type, wherein the or each first type of primary boundary insulating block (113) comprises a bottom panel, a cover panel, and an insulating filler disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel, the insulating filler comprising a structural insulating foam disposed between the bottom panel and the cover panel to maintain the cover panel at a distance from the bottom panel, and The second type of primary boundary insulating block (87) and each second type of primary boundary insulating block (87) comprises a primary insulating shell, which is made of a rigid material and filled with insulating filler.

26. A transport vessel (1070) for transporting liquefied gas, comprising a double hull (1072) and a sealed and thermally insulated tank (1071) according to one of claims 1 to 25 arranged in the double hull.

27. A transmission system for liquefied gas, the transmission system comprising: A transport vessel (1070) according to claim 26; an isolation pipeline, which is arranged to connect the sealed and thermally insulated tank (1071) of the transport vessel to a floating or land storage facility (1077); and a pump, which is used to pump the liquefied gas flow from the floating or land storage facility to the sealed and thermally insulated tank of the transport vessel through the isolation pipeline, or to pump the liquefied gas flow from the sealed and thermally insulated tank of the transport vessel to the floating or land storage facility through the isolation pipeline.

28. A method for loading or unloading a transport vessel (1070) according to claim 26, wherein: The liquefied gas is transferred from a floating or land storage facility (1077) to the sealed and thermally insulated tank (1071) of the transport vessel through an isolated pipeline, or the liquefied gas is transferred from the sealed and thermally insulated tank (1071) of the transport vessel to a floating or land storage facility (1077) through an isolated pipeline.

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