Thermally insulated tank for sealed and

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermally insulated tank (7) for a sealed and thermally insulated tank for containing liquefied gas. The bottom plate (22) of the heat insulation box (7) is supported on the support wall (3) by an adhesive element comprising a longitudinal adhesive row (4L) and a transverse adhesive row (4T). Each longitudinal adhesive row (4L) comprises longitudinal adhesive portions (43, 143) aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction (L), and each transverse adhesive row (4T) comprises transverse adhesive portions (48, 244) aligned parallel to the transverse direction (T). The longitudinal adhesive portion (43, 143) is not in contact with the transverse adhesive portion (48, 244), allowing gas flow. The longitudinal adhesive portion (43, 143) supports a longitudinal internal partition (33) of the heat insulation box (7), and the lateral adhesive portion (48, 244) supports a lateral internal partition (34) of the heat insulation box (7).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated membrane tanks. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks for the storage and / or transport of liquefied gases at low temperatures, such as tanks for the transport of liquefied petroleum gas (also known as LPG) at a temperature of, for example, between -50°C and 0°C, or tanks for the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at 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 transport of liquefied gases or for receiving liquefied gases used as fuel for propelling the floating structure. Background Art

[0002] The prior art discloses a sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated into a supporting structure, the tank comprising a tank wall fastened to a supporting wall of the supporting structure, the tank wall comprising a thermally insulating barrier retained on the supporting wall and a sealing membrane supported by the thermally insulating barrier in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank.

[0003] It is known that in such tank walls, the thermal insulation barrier may comprise a plurality of juxtaposed thermal insulation boxes, the thermal insulation boxes comprising a bottom plate, a cover plate, side plates and an internal web, the internal web defining a space for placing the perlite. A mastic bead is arranged between the supporting wall and the bottom plate to compensate for deviations of the supporting wall relative to a reference plane.

[0004] In use, the tank wall is subject to a large number of stresses. Specifically, the wall is subject to compressive forces due to the tank's load, thermal stresses during cooling, and forces due to the dynamic impact of the fluid contained in the tank.

[0005] On the other hand, for safety reasons, the thermal insulation barrier must be completely placed under an inert atmosphere by circulating inert gas. It is important that there is no space into which the inert gas cannot enter, since overpressure and / or accumulation of flammable and / or explosive chemicals could occur in the inert gas. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a thermal insulation box for a sealed and thermally insulated tank containing liquefied gas, the thermal insulation box comprising a cover plate, a side plate and a bottom plate spaced apart from the cover plate in a vertical direction,

[0007] The side panels extend in the vertical direction and connect the bottom panel and the cover panel along the edges of the bottom panel and the cover panel, thereby defining the inner space of the heat insulation box.

[0008] The side panels include longitudinal side panels and transverse side panels, the longitudinal side panels extend in a longitudinal direction, and the transverse side panels extend in a transverse direction, the transverse direction is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction are orthogonal to the vertical direction,

[0009] The insulating box further comprises a plurality of internal partitions arranged in a vertical plane and dividing the internal space into a plurality of compartments, wherein the compartments receive thermal insulating fillers.

[0010] The plurality of internal partitions include transverse internal partitions extending in the transverse direction and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and longitudinal internal partitions extending in the longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction,

[0011] wherein the bottom plate is coated with an adhesive element, the adhesive element comprising longitudinal adhesive rows and transverse adhesive rows,

[0012] each longitudinal adhesive row comprises a longitudinal adhesive portion aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction, each longitudinal adhesive row is arranged to be aligned with one of said longitudinal partitions and each longitudinal adhesive row is arranged between two adjacent transverse adhesive rows,

[0013] each transverse adhesive row comprises a transverse adhesive portion aligned parallel to the transverse direction, each transverse adhesive row is arranged in alignment with one of said transverse inner partitions and each transverse adhesive row is arranged between two adjacent longitudinal adhesive rows,

[0014] The longitudinal adhesive portion does not meet the transverse adhesive portion.

[0015] The thermally insulating box is intended to be supported on a supporting wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank by means of adhesive elements. The adhesive elements are intended to compensate for deviations of the supporting wall relative to a reference plane.

[0016] By this arrangement of the adhesive element, the longitudinal adhesive portion and the transverse adhesive portion carry the longitudinal inner partition and the transverse inner partition, respectively, which provides the thermal insulation box with a greater resistance against compressive forces in the vertical direction.

[0017] Furthermore, the transverse internal partition and the longitudinal internal partition intersect each other at the intersection. The longitudinal internal partition and the transverse internal partition are carried at least in the area between the intersection of the transverse internal partition and the longitudinal internal partition, that is, in the area where the compression force passes the most, especially when the transverse internal partition and the longitudinal internal partition cooperate with each other through the notch at the intersection, so that there can be a gap at the intersection.

[0018] The term "non-contacting" is understood to mean that the longitudinal adhesive portion is at a distance from the transverse adhesive portion, in other words, there are gaps between the longitudinal adhesive portion and the transverse adhesive portion. These gaps allow the gas to circulate between the base plate and the supporting wall, thus avoiding the situation where there are spaces that are inaccessible to the inert atmosphere of the thermal insulation barrier.

[0019] The resistance of the thermal insulation box to compression forces is thus increased, while ensuring that no spaces into which the inert gas cannot enter are present.

[0020] According to some embodiments, such a thermally insulated box may include one or more of the following features.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the adhesive element is adapted to bear on a support wall.

[0022] According to one embodiment, one of the transverse adhesive rows is arranged in alignment with each of the transverse inner partitions.

[0023] According to one embodiment, one of the longitudinal adhesive rows is arranged in alignment with each of the longitudinal inner partitions.

[0024] According to one embodiment, a plurality of internal partitions are in contact with the base plate and the cover plate.

[0025] Therefore, the longitudinal and transverse internal partitions are supported by the longitudinal and transverse adhesive portions, facilitating support of the cover plate by the internal partitions, which further improves the resistance of the thermal insulation box against compression forces in the vertical direction.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation filler is gas permeable and the thermal insulation box comprises a through hole, thereby allowing the inner space of the thermal insulation box to communicate with the outside of the thermal insulation box. Therefore, the inert gas can also circulate in the inner space of the thermal insulation box. For example, the through hole is provided in the bottom plate and / or at least one side plate, in particular in at least one lateral side plate.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the longitudinal adhesive portion is a longitudinal adhesive strip extending in the longitudinal direction. According to another embodiment, the longitudinal adhesive portion is an adhesive block (mastic patch), such as an adhesive block in the shape of a disk or an oval. By using such an adhesive block instead of an adhesive strip, the amount of adhesive used for each thermal insulation box can be better controlled.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the adhesive element further comprises outer longitudinal adhesive strips, each outer longitudinal adhesive strip extending in the longitudinal direction in a manner partially aligned with the longitudinal side panels.

[0029] External longitudinal adhesive strips support the longitudinal side panels, which further increases the resistance of the thermal insulation box against compressive forces in the vertical direction.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the transverse adhesive portion is formed by a transverse adhesive strip extending in the transverse direction.

[0031] According to one embodiment, each of the transverse adhesive strips passes under at least one longitudinal internal partition. According to a specific embodiment, each transverse adhesive row is continuous and formed by transverse adhesive strips so that each of the transverse adhesive strips passes under all longitudinal internal partitions.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the end of each of the transverse adhesive stripes is located between two adjacent longitudinal adhesive rows.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the adhesive element further comprises external transverse adhesive strips, each of the external transverse adhesive strips extending in a transverse direction in a manner partially aligned with one of the transverse side panels, or extending between a vertical plane in which one of the transverse side panels extends and a vertical plane in which one of the transverse internal partitions extends.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated into a supporting structure, the tank comprising a tank wall fastened to a supporting wall of the supporting structure, the tank wall comprising a thermal insulation barrier retained on the supporting wall and a sealing film supported by the thermal insulation barrier in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank, the thermal insulation barrier comprising a plurality of juxtaposed thermal insulation boxes, at least one of the thermal insulation boxes conforming to any of the above-mentioned embodiments, the bottom plate of the thermal insulation box being supported on the supporting wall by the adhesive element of the thermal insulation box, and the vertical direction of the thermal insulation box being parallel to the thickness direction.

[0035] Since the thermal insulation box has a greater resistance to compression forces in the vertical direction of the thermal insulation box, the tank wall can resist higher compression forces in the thickness direction. The cover plate of the thermal insulation box can form a support surface for the sealing film. In addition, during the installation of the thermal insulation box, the gaps between the longitudinal adhesive part and the transverse adhesive part are intended to be maintained after the longitudinal adhesive part and the transverse adhesive part are compressed on the support wall; these gaps then allow gas to circulate between the bottom plate and the support wall, thereby avoiding the situation where there are spaces in the inert atmosphere of the thermal insulation barrier that are inaccessible to the inert gas.

[0036] In one embodiment, the liquefied gas is LNG, i.e. a mixture with a high methane content stored at a temperature of about -162°C at atmospheric pressure. Other liquefied gases are also conceivable, in particular ethane, propane, butane or ethylene. The liquefied gas can also be stored under pressure, for example at a relative pressure between 2 bar and 20 bar, in particular at a relative pressure close to 2 bar. The tank can be produced by various technologies, in particular in the form of an integrated membrane tank or a self-supporting tank.

[0037] Such tanks may form part of an onshore storage facility, e.g. for storing LNG, or may be installed in an onshore or offshore floating structure, in particular a methane tanker vessel, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, etc. Such tanks may also be used as fuel storage in any type of vessel.

[0038] According to one embodiment, a ship for transporting liquefied gas comprises a catamaran and the above-mentioned tank arranged in the catamaran.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a transportation system for liquefied gas, which includes the above-mentioned ship, an isolated pipeline arranged to connect a tank installed in the hull of the ship to a floating or onshore storage facility, and a pump for driving the liquefied fluid / gas to flow from the floating or onshore storage facility to the tank of the ship or from the tank of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility through the isolated pipeline.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, in which method liquefied gas is guided from a floating or onshore storage facility to a tank of the vessel or from a tank of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage facility through an isolated pipeline. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The invention will be better understood and other objects, details, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tank wall of a sealed and thermally insulated tank.

[0043] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 It is a partially exploded perspective view of a thermal insulation box, in which the thermal insulation filler is intentionally omitted.

[0044] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 Looking up from the supporting wall Figure 1Schematic diagram of the tank wall, with the view centered on the thermal insulation box.

[0045] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 , showing a first variant embodiment.

[0046] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 is similar to Figure 3 , showing a second variant embodiment.

[0047] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 is similar to Figure 3 , showing a third variant embodiment.

[0048] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a methane tanker ship's tank and a dock for loading / unloading the tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] A sealed and thermally insulated membrane tank for storing liquefied gas is described below. The tank comprises a plurality of tank walls 1 .

[0050] Figure 1 The tank wall 1 is schematically shown in a cross-sectional view. As shown in the figure, the tank wall 1 has a multilayer structure, which includes, from the outside to the inside of the tank: a secondary thermal insulation barrier 2, which includes a secondary insulation element 7 arranged against a support wall 3; a secondary sealing membrane 4, which is arranged against the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2; a primary thermal insulation barrier 5, which includes a primary insulation element 8 arranged against the secondary sealing membrane 4; and a primary sealing membrane 6, which is used to contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank. The primary sealing membrane 6 defines an internal space for receiving the liquefied gas. For example, such a membrane tank is described in particular in patent application FR2877638.

[0051] The support wall 3 forms part of a support structure, for example a catamaran of a vessel.

[0052] The liquefied gas intended to be stored in tanks may in particular be liquefied natural gas (LNG), i.e. a gaseous 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 hydrocarbon mixture comprising mainly propane and butane obtained from oil refining.

[0053] The secondary insulating element 7 takes the form of a thermally insulating box. Figure 2 An exploded view of such a thermally insulating box 7 is shown.

[0054] The heat insulating box 7 is made of wood, for example, and has the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0055] The heat insulating box 7 includes a cover plate 21 , a bottom plate 22 , and side plates 23 , 24 .

[0056] The bottom plate 22 and the cover plate 21 are spaced apart in the vertical direction of the heat insulating box 7. When the heat insulating box 7 is installed in the tank wall 1, the vertical direction of the heat insulating box 7 is parallel to the thickness direction E of the tank wall 1 (see Figure 1 In the rest of this specification, for the sake of convenience, the thickness direction E will be used to represent the vertical direction of the thermal insulation box 7.

[0057] The side plates 23 and 24 extend in the thickness direction E and connect the bottom plate 22 and the cover plate 21 along their edges. Therefore, the bottom plate 22, the cover plate 21 and the side plates 23 and 24 together define an inner space 25 of the thermal insulation box 7.

[0058] There are four side panels 23, 24: two longitudinal side panels 23 and two transverse side panels 24. The longitudinal side panels 23 are parallel to each other and extend in a longitudinal direction L. The transverse side panels 24 are parallel to each other and extend in a transverse direction T. The transverse direction T is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L. Furthermore, both the transverse direction T and the longitudinal direction L are orthogonal to the thickness direction E.

[0059] The thermally insulating box 7 further comprises longitudinal internal partitions 33 and transverse internal partitions 34. The longitudinal internal partitions 33 extend in the longitudinal direction L and are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction T, for example at regular intervals. The transverse internal partitions 34 extend in the transverse direction T and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction L.

[0060] The internal partitions 33, 34 extend in a plane parallel to the thickness direction E and divide the internal space 25 of the thermally insulating box 7 into a plurality of compartments 26. The compartments 26 receive thermally insulating fillers which are arranged in a Figure 2 The thermal insulation filler may be intentionally omitted from the figure. For example, the thermal insulation filler may include glass wool, cellulose filler, perlite, aerogel, pyrolytic silica, polymer foam, or a combination thereof. The thermal insulation filler may completely fill the compartment 26.

[0061] Furthermore, the inner partitions 33 , 34 are in contact with the bottom plate 22 and the cover plate 21 .

[0062] In one embodiment, the transverse internal partitions 34 each have a series of notches facing the bottom plate 22, and the longitudinal internal partitions 33 each have a series of complementary notches facing the cover plate 21, so that the internal partitions 33, 34 are mounted in the internal space 25 of the thermally insulating box 7 by interlocking. This type of arrangement with notches is shown in patent document FR2867831B1, in particular in Figures 2 to 5 , as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 .

[0063] The inner partitions 33, 34 are fastened to the side panels 23, 24, respectively. The fastening can be achieved in various ways, for example by screws or staples.

[0064] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the tank wall 1 viewed from the support wall 3, so that the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 and the anchoring of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 2 to the support wall 3 can be seen. A plurality of the above-mentioned thermal insulation boxes 7 are juxtaposed on the support wall 3. More precisely, the thermal insulation boxes 7 are arranged in the same orientation in the plane of the support wall 3. In order to simplify the drawings and the subsequent description, only Figure 3 A single heat insulating box 7 is shown in detail in the center of the drawing. Other adjacent heat insulating boxes 7 are shown with dotted lines.

[0065] The thermal insulation box 7 is anchored to the support wall 3 at the corners of the thermal insulation box 7 by anchor members 9. Figure 2 The bottom plate 22 protrudes relative to each of the two lateral side plates 24, thereby having an overhang 22A. A cleat 10 is provided on each end of the overhang 22A. Each cleat 10 of the heat insulating box 7 cooperates with a corresponding anchor member 9, and the same anchor member 9 cooperates with the cleats 10 of multiple heat insulating boxes 7. Gaskets 11 (such as Figure 3 As shown), the gasket is used to support the thermal insulation box 7.

[0066] Figure 3 Schematically shown are adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, by which the bottom plate 22 of the thermally insulating box 7 is supported on the supporting wall 3. The adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46 serve to compensate for deviations of the supporting wall 3 relative to a planar reference surface. In a manner not shown, kraft paper may be inserted between the adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46 and the supporting wall 3 to prevent the adhesive strips from adhering to the supporting wall 3. In a variant, the above-mentioned kraft paper is omitted and the secondary thermally insulating box 7 is held on the supporting wall 3 at least partially by the adhesion of the adhesive strips.

[0067] Figure 3 The positions of the internal partitions 33, 34 are also shown. The longitudinal internal partition 33 is shown with a dashed line, and the transverse internal partition 34 is shown with a dotted line. Figure 3 In the drawings, the dimensions of the inner partitions 33, 34 have been exaggerated to make the drawings clear and easy to read.

[0068] The adhesive strips include longitudinal adhesive strips 43 and transverse adhesive strips 44 .

[0069] The longitudinal adhesive strips 43 extend in the longitudinal direction L. Furthermore, each of the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 is arranged in alignment with the longitudinal inner partitions 33. The longitudinal adhesive strips 43 aligned with a given longitudinal inner partition 33 are aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction L, thereby forming a longitudinal adhesive row 4L.

[0070] The transverse adhesive strips 44 extend in the transverse direction T. Each of the transverse adhesive strips 44 is arranged in a manner aligned with the transverse internal partitions 34. In addition, each of the transverse adhesive strips 44 passes under each of the longitudinal internal partitions 33. Thus, each of the transverse adhesive strips 44 itself forms a transverse adhesive row 4T, which is continuous and includes an adhesive portion 48 aligned parallel to the transverse direction T and is located between two longitudinal adhesive rows 4L.

[0071] The longitudinal adhesive strips 43 are respectively located between the two transverse adhesive rows 4T. In addition, the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 are not connected to the transverse adhesive strips 44. In other words, during the installation of the thermal insulation box 7, before and after the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 and the transverse adhesive strips 44 are pressed on the supporting wall 3, the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 and the transverse adhesive strips 44 are at a certain distance, in other words, there is a gap between the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 and the transverse adhesive strips 44.

[0072] Since the adhesive strips 43, 44 are arranged in alignment with the inner partitions 33, 34, the adhesive strips 43, 44 support the inner partitions 33, 34, which themselves are in contact with the bottom plate 22 and the cover plate 21 and thus support the cover plate 21. Therefore, the arrangement structure of the adhesive strips 43, 44 supports the inner partitions 33, 34 and the cover plate 21 in all areas between the intersection points of the inner partitions 33, 34, which provides the thermal insulation box 7 with a greater resistance to compression forces in the thickness direction E.

[0073] In addition, the gaps retained between the longitudinal adhesive strips 43 and the transverse adhesive strips 44 allow gas to circulate between the bottom plate 22 and the supporting wall 3. When the tank is loaded with liquefied gas, the thermal insulation barrier 2 is placed under an inert atmosphere by circulating an inert gas, such as nitrogen. The gaps make it possible to avoid the situation where there is a space between the bottom plate 22 and the supporting wall 3 where the inert gas cannot enter. In addition, after the thermal insulation box 7 is mounted on the supporting wall 3, the gaps prevent any air pockets from being trapped between the bottom plate 22, the supporting wall 3 and the adhesive strips 43, 44.

[0074] Back to Figure 2The heat insulating box may also have a through hole 27 connected to the inner space 25 to allow the inert gas to circulate in the inner space 25. The above-mentioned heat insulating filler is gas-permeable in this case. In the example shown, the through hole 27 is formed in the transverse side plate 24. In a variant, the through hole 27 may also be provided in the longitudinal side plate 23 and / or the bottom plate 22.

[0075] In the embodiment shown, transverse adhesive strips 46, called external adhesive strips, extend in the transverse direction T and are each arranged between a vertical plane in which the transverse side panels 24 extend and a vertical plane in which the transverse inner partition 34 closest to said transverse side panels 24 extends. The longitudinal adhesive row 4L is extended by an additional longitudinal adhesive strip 45 aligned with the longitudinal adhesive strips 43. The additional longitudinal adhesive strips 45 do not meet the transverse adhesive strips 44 and the external transverse adhesive strips 46, which also leaves gaps allowing the circulation of gas, as described above.

[0076] Figure 4 Shown is a reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A first variant embodiment of the tank wall 1 is described. Figure 4 In, only Figure 3 The heat insulating box 7 is shown in the center and is Figure 3 Similar or identical elements have the same reference numerals.

[0077] In this first variant embodiment, the adhesive strips further include an outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47. The outer longitudinal adhesive strips 47 extend along the longitudinal direction L and are respectively arranged between the vertical plane in which the longitudinal side panels 23 extend and the ends of the transverse adhesive strips 44. Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged view on the right, each outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 is sufficiently close to the vertical plane of the longitudinal side panel 23 so that a portion of the adhesive forming the outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 is partially aligned with the longitudinal side panel 23 after the adhesive strip is compressed on the support wall 3 during the installation of the thermal insulation box 7. Therefore, the outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 supports the longitudinal side panel 23, which further improves the resistance of the thermal insulation box 7 to the compression force in the thickness direction E. Preferably, the outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 is positioned so that: even during the installation of the thermal insulation box 7, after the adhesive strip is compressed on the support wall 3, the adhesive forming the outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 does not protrude beyond the longitudinal side panel 23. This makes it possible to avoid the undesirable presence of adhesive in the space formed between the longitudinal side panels 23 of two adjacent thermal insulation boxes 7.

[0078] Similarly, each outer transverse adhesive strip 46 may be sufficiently close to the vertical plane of the longitudinal side panel 23 so that a portion of the adhesive forming the outer transverse longitudinal adhesive strip 46 is partially aligned with the transverse side panel 24 after the adhesive strip is compressed against the support wall 3 during installation of the thermally insulating box 7. However, preferably, the outer transverse adhesive strip 46 is spaced far enough from the overhang 22A of the bottom panel 22 so that the adhesive forming the outer transverse adhesive strip 46 is not located below the transverse side panel 24 even after the adhesive strip is compressed against the support wall 3 during installation of the thermally insulating box 7. This makes it possible to avoid the undesirable presence of adhesive in the space formed between the transverse side panels 24 of two adjacent thermally insulating boxes 7.

[0079] Figure 5 Shown is a reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A second variant embodiment of the tank wall 1 is described. Figure 5 In, only Figure 3 The heat insulating box 7 is shown in the center and is Figure 3 Similar or identical elements in the drawings have the same reference numerals.

[0080] The second variant embodiment Figure 3 The variant embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is different in that, in the longitudinal adhesive row 4L, the longitudinal adhesive strip 43 is replaced by an adhesive block 143, for example in the form of a disk. The adhesive block 143 is also not connected to the transverse adhesive strip 44. Similarly, the longitudinal adhesive strip 45 is replaced by an adhesive block 145 that is not connected to the transverse adhesive strip 44 and the outer transverse adhesive strip 46. The adhesive blocks 143, 145 can be, for example, Figure 5 By using such adhesive blocks 143, 145 instead of adhesive strips, the amount of adhesive used for each thermal insulation box 7 can be better controlled.

[0081] It should be noted that the first variant embodiment and the second variant embodiment can be combined, that is, the bottom plate 22 of the thermal insulation box 7 can be coated with Figure 5 The adhesive portion 143 and Figure 4 An outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 is shown.

[0082] Figure 6 Shown is a reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A third variant embodiment of the tank wall 1 is described. Figure 6 In, only Figure 3 The heat insulating box 7 is shown in the center and is Figure 3 Similar or identical elements in the drawings have the same reference numerals.

[0083] The third variant embodiment Figure 3 The difference of shown modification embodiment is that horizontal adhesive row 4T is formed by the horizontal adhesive strip 244 that extends along longitudinal direction L.The horizontal adhesive strip 244 is parallel to the horizontal direction T and is aligned.Each horizontal adhesive strip in the horizontal adhesive strip 244 is arranged in the mode that aligns with horizontal internal partition 44.The end of horizontal adhesive strip 244 is between two adjacent longitudinal adhesive rows 4L.For this reason, for example, the end of horizontal adhesive strip 244 is positioned so that horizontal adhesive strip 244 can not pass from below longitudinal internal partition 33, in other words, each longitudinal internal partition in horizontal adhesive row 4T and longitudinal internal partition 33 is aligned and is interrupted.In this modification, longitudinal adhesive strip 43 also does not join with horizontal adhesive strip 244.

[0084] Alternatively, transverse adhesive strips 46 can also be replaced by transverse adhesive strips 246 aligned parallel to transverse direction T and not passing under longitudinal inner partition 33. In this variant embodiment, longitudinal adhesive strip 45 is also not connected to transverse adhesive strips 244, 246.

[0085] It should be noted that the third variant embodiment can be combined with the first variant embodiment and / or the second variant embodiment, that is, the bottom plate 22 of the thermal insulation box 7 can be coated with Figure 6 The transverse adhesive strips 244, 246, Figure 5 The adhesive portion 143 and / or Figure 4 An outer longitudinal adhesive strip 47 is shown.

[0086] It should also be noted that in one variation, Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The illustrated transverse adhesive row 4T may be aligned with one or more of the longitudinal inner partitions 33 and be interrupted so that the transverse adhesive strip 44 passes only under some of the longitudinal inner partitions 33. In this case, the transverse adhesive row 4T comprises a plurality of transverse adhesive strips 44 that are aligned parallel to the transverse direction T similarly to the transverse adhesive strips 244. This may also be applicable to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 An outer transverse adhesive strip 46 is shown.

[0087] The adhesive strips or blocks just described serve to compensate for deviations of the support wall 3 relative to a plane reference surface as described above. It should therefore be noted that the dimensions of the adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 244, 246 and of the adhesive blocks 143, 145, in particular their thickness in the thickness direction E, may vary from one thermal insulation box 7 to another on the tank wall 1.

[0088] The adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 244, 246 can be placed in various ways. Preferably, before the thermal insulation box 7 is placed on the support wall 3, the adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 244, 246 are placed on the bottom plate 22 of the thermal insulation box 7. Alternatively, before the thermal insulation box 7 is placed, the adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 244, 246 are first placed on the support wall 3. The same is true for the adhesive blocks 143, 145. For example, the size and manufacture of the adhesive strips 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 244, 246 can be carried out as described in the document WO2020 / 193584A1.

[0089] The cover plate 21 of the thermally insulating box 7 juxtaposed on the support wall 3 forms a flat support surface for the secondary sealing membrane 4 by means of an adhesive strip or block.

[0090] The secondary sealing membrane 4 can be produced in various ways. According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane 4 comprises a continuous layer of a metal edge strip with a rolled-up edge. The metal edge strip is welded to parallel welding supports via the rolled-up edge of the metal edge strip, which are fixed in parallel grooves 21R (see Figure 2 ), the groove 21R is formed in the cover plate 21 of the heat insulating box 7. The metal edge strip is made of, for example Made of: that is, the expansion coefficient is usually 1.2×10 -6 K -1 With 2×10 -6 K -1 The expansion coefficient of an iron-nickel alloy is usually between 7×10 -6 K -1 With 10×10 -6 K -1 Iron-manganese alloy.

[0091] The primary thermal insulation barrier 5 can be produced in various ways. According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier 5 comprises a plurality of thermal insulation boxes similar to the thermal insulation boxes 7 , juxtaposed to each other and resting on the secondary sealing film 4 .

[0092] The primary sealing film 6 can be produced in various ways. According to one embodiment, the primary sealing film 6 can comprise a continuous metal sheet layer with rolled edges, similar in form and type of metal material to the secondary sealing film 4 .

[0093] In a variant, the tank wall 1 may have a single membrane, that is to say, the tank wall 1 may only comprise the thermal insulating barrier 2 and the sealing membrane 4, the sealing membrane 4 being in contact with the liquefied gas.

[0094] refer to Figure 7 , a cross-sectional view of a methane tanker vessel 70 shows a sealed and thermally insulated tank 71 having a prismatic general shape installed in a double hull 72 of the vessel. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealing membrane for contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealing membrane arranged between the primary sealing membrane and the double hull 72 of the vessel, 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 72, respectively.

[0095] In a manner known per se, a loading / unloading pipeline 73 arranged on the top deck of the vessel can be connected to an offshore or port terminal by means of suitable connectors to transfer the LNG cargo from or to the tank 71 .

[0096] Figure 7 An example of an offshore terminal is shown, which includes a loading and unloading station 75, an underwater pipeline 76 and an onshore facility 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore facility, including a mobile arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the mobile arm 74. The mobile arm 74 carries a bundle of flexible insulating hoses 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipeline 73. The orientable mobile arm 74 is suitable for methane tankers of all sizes. A connecting pipeline (not shown) extends inside the tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 makes it possible to load from the onshore facility 77 to the methane tanker 70 or to unload from the methane tanker 70 to the onshore facility 77. The onshore facility 77 includes a liquefied gas tanker 80 and a connecting pipeline 81 connected to the loading or unloading station 75 by an underwater pipeline 76. The underwater pipeline 76 enables the liquefied gas to be transferred between the loading and unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77 over a long distance, for example 5 kilometers, which enables the methane tanker vessel 70 to remain far from the coast during the loading and unloading operations.

[0097] In order to generate the pressure required for conveying the liquefied gas, a pump carried on board the ship 70 and / or a pump equipped on the land facility 77 and / or a pump equipped on the loading and unloading station 75 is used.

[0098] Although the invention has been described in connection with several specific embodiments, it is obvious that the invention is by no means restricted thereto and that the invention covers all technical equivalents of the means described and combinations thereof, as long as they fall within the scope of the invention.

[0099] Use of the verb "have", "comprise" or "include" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim.

[0100] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims

1. A thermally insulated box (7) for a sealed and thermally insulated tank for containing liquefied gas, the thermally insulated box (7) comprising a cover plate (21), side plates (23, 24) and a bottom plate (22) spaced apart from the cover plate (21) in the vertical direction, The side panels (23, 24) extend along the vertical direction (E), and the side panels (23, 24) connect the bottom panel (22) and the cover panel (21) along the edge of the bottom panel (22) and the edge of the cover panel (21), thereby defining an internal space (25) of the thermal insulation box. The side panels (23, 24) include longitudinal side panels (23) and transverse side panels (24), the longitudinal side panels (23) extending along a longitudinal direction (L), and the transverse side panels (24) extending along a transverse direction (T), the transverse direction (T) being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (L), and the longitudinal direction (L) and the transverse direction (T) being orthogonal to the vertical direction, the thermal insulation box (7) further including a plurality of internal partitions (33, 34), the internal partitions being arranged in a vertical plane and The internal space (25) is divided into a plurality of compartments (26), wherein the compartments (26) receive heat-insulating fillers, the plurality of internal partitions (33, 34) include transverse internal partitions (34) and longitudinal internal partitions (33), wherein the transverse internal partitions (34) extend in the transverse direction (T) and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (L), and the longitudinal internal partitions (33) extend in the longitudinal direction (L) and are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction (T), in, The bottom plate (22) is coated with an adhesive element, the adhesive element comprising longitudinal adhesive rows (4L) and transverse adhesive rows (4T), Each longitudinal adhesive row (4L) comprises a longitudinal adhesive portion (43, 143) aligned parallel to said longitudinal direction (L), each longitudinal adhesive row (4L) is arranged to be aligned with said longitudinal inner partition (33) and each longitudinal adhesive row (4L) is arranged between two adjacent transverse adhesive rows (4T), each transverse adhesive row (4T) comprises a transverse adhesive portion (44, 48, 244) aligned parallel to said transverse direction (T), each transverse adhesive row (4T) is arranged to be aligned with one of said transverse internal partitions (34) and each transverse adhesive row (4T) is arranged between two adjacent longitudinal adhesive rows (4L), The longitudinal adhesive portion (43, 143) and the transverse adhesive portion (44, 48, 244) are not connected.

2. The thermal insulation box (7) according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of inner partitions (33, 34) are in contact with the bottom plate (22) and the cover plate (21).

3. The thermal insulation box (7) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The longitudinal adhesive portion is a longitudinal adhesive strip (43) extending in the longitudinal direction (L).

4. The thermal insulation box (7) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The longitudinal adhesive portion is an adhesive mass (143).

5. The thermal insulation box (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The adhesive element further comprises outer longitudinal adhesive strips (47), each of the outer longitudinal adhesive strips (47) extending in the longitudinal direction (L) in a manner partially aligned with one of the longitudinal side panels (23).

6. The thermal insulation box (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The transverse adhesive portion is formed by a transverse adhesive strip (44, 244) extending in the transverse direction (T).

7. The thermal insulation box (7) according to claim 6, wherein: Each of the transverse adhesive strips (44) passes underneath at least one longitudinal inner partition (33).

8. The thermal insulation box (7) according to claim 6, wherein: The end of each of the transverse adhesive strips (244) is located between two adjacent longitudinal adhesive rows (4L).

9. The thermal insulation box (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The adhesive element also includes external transverse adhesive strips (46), each of which extends along the transverse direction (T) in a manner partially aligned with one of the transverse side panels (24), or each of the external transverse adhesive strips (46) extends between a vertical plane in which one of the transverse side panels (24) extends and a vertical plane in which one of the transverse internal partitions (34) extends.

10. A sealed and thermally insulated tank incorporated into a supporting structure, the tank comprising a tank wall (1) fastened to a supporting wall (3) of the supporting structure, the tank wall (1) comprising, in a thickness direction (E) from the outside to the inside of the tank, a thermal insulation barrier (2) held on the supporting wall (3) and a sealing film (4) supported by the thermal insulation barrier (2), the thermal insulation barrier comprising a plurality of juxtaposed thermal insulation boxes, wherein: At least one of the thermal insulation boxes is a thermal insulation box according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the bottom plate (22) of the thermal insulation box (7) is supported on the support wall (3) by the adhesive element of the thermal insulation box, and the vertical direction of the thermal insulation box (7) is parallel to the thickness direction (E).

11. A ship (70) for transporting liquefied gas, the ship comprising a catamaran (72) and a tank (71) according to claim 10 arranged in the catamaran.

12. A delivery system for liquefied gas, the system comprising: A vessel (70) according to claim 11; an insulating pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81), which is arranged to connect the tank (71) installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage facility (77); and a pump, which is used to drive liquefied gas through the insulating pipeline to flow from the floating or onshore storage facility to the tank of the vessel or from the tank of the vessel to the floating or onshore storage facility.

13. A method for loading or unloading a vessel (70) according to claim 11, in which method liquefied gas is guided through an isolated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) from a floating or onshore storage facility (77) to the tank (71) of the vessel (70) or from the tank (71) of the vessel (70) to the floating or onshore storage facility (77).

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