Gap adjusting device and inner tank wall plate circular seam assembly and wall plate installation method

Abstract

The gap adjusting device comprises a base plate, a baffle and a force applying piece, the base plate is located between an upper component and a lower component and comprises a through hole located in the first end, and the thickness of the base plate is adjustable; the baffle is arranged at the second end of the base plate, perpendicular to the plane of the base plate and used for being attached to the side faces of the upper component and the lower component. The force application piece at least comprises an inclined face and penetrates through the through hole, and the attaching tightness between the baffle and the upper component and the attaching tightness between the baffle and the lower component are adjusted by means of the depth of the force application piece inserted into the through hole. The invention further provides a low-temperature storage tank inner tank wall plate circular seam assembly method and a low-temperature storage tank wall plate installation method. According to the method, the through holes and the baffles are additionally arranged on the basis of a traditional gap plate, the force application piece is matched, the inner tank wall plate gap control is achieved, misalignment can be corrected when the circular seam wall plates are assembled, and finally the welding quality of the inner tank wall plates is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of LNG storage tank construction, and in particular to the field of inner tank wall plate annular seam construction. Background Art

[0002] The cryogenic storage tank's interior is comprised of multiple layers of wall panels along the radial direction. Each layer of wall panels comprises multiple turns of wall panels along the height direction, each turn of wall panels being formed by splicing together multiple wall panel units. In the height direction, adjacent turns of wall panel units have an annular gap between them.

[0003] Circumferential seams are typically welded using submerged arc welding (SAW). This process breaks with the previous practice of using arc welding to weld internal tank circumferential seams. It offers a high degree of automation, improved working conditions, and high welding efficiency, resulting in well-formed welds and stable weld quality. However, SAW requires a high gap between the welds. A gap that is too small or too large can easily lead to weld defects, ultimately affecting weld quality.

[0004] In the prior art, Hu Shaohui et al. described a three-layer cryogenic storage tank wall panel installation construction process in "A Brief Discussion on the Installation and Construction Technology of Three-layer Tank Wall Panels for Large Cryogenic Storage Tanks" (Petrochemical Equipment Technology, 2023, 44(03)). The first circle of wall panels is installed on the installation circle, and two adjacent panels are fixed in place using a flat clamp. The verticality of the wall panels is adjusted using screws. When the second circle of wall panels is installed on the first circle of wall panels, a 3mm thick gap plate is added between the circumferential welds of the two wall panels to ensure the weld gap. Chinese patent CN117386991 discloses a double-layer cryogenic storage tank assembly construction method. When installing the wall panels, a 3mm thick gap plate is placed under the first circle of wall panels to maintain the horizontal weld root spacing and meet the requirements of weld penetration. The wall panels are aligned using guide plates and pins between the wall panels, and the geometric dimensions such as verticality are checked. Install the second circle of wall panels on the first circle of wall panels, add a 3mm thick gap plate between the circumferential seams of the two circle of wall panels, and after at least 3 pieces of the second circle of wall panels are installed, use a clamp to align the vertical welds and perform spot welding, perform vertical weld welding and inspection, and after the circumferential welds of the 4 plates are completed, the next circle of wall panels can be installed.

[0005] However, in the above method, the gap plate can only play the role of fixing the gap and does not have the function of adjusting the wall panel. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a gap adjustment device.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall plates of a cryogenic storage tank.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for installing a wall panel of a cryogenic storage tank.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a gap adjustment device is used to adjust the gap between the upper component and the lower component, and includes a pad, a baffle and a force-applying member. The pad is located between the upper component and the lower component, includes a through hole located at the first end, and the thickness of the pad is adjustable; the baffle is arranged at the second end of the pad and is perpendicular to the plane of the pad, and is used to fit with the side surfaces of the upper component and the lower component; the force-applying member includes at least one inclined surface, and the force-applying member passes through the through hole and adjusts the tightness of the fit between the baffle and the upper component and the lower component according to the depth of the insertion into the through hole.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the force applying member is a conical pin.

[0011] The annular seam is defined by a first wall panel and a second wall panel located above the first wall panel. The method for assembling the annular seam of the inner tank wall panel of a low-temperature storage tank includes the following steps: placing a pad on the top of the first wall panel and positioning a baffle on the side of the first wall panel; lowering the second wall panel onto the pad; passing a force-applying member through the through hole; and striking the force-applying member so that the baffle is simultaneously attached to the sides of the first and second wall panels.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the gap adjustment device includes a set of replacement parts having different shim plate thicknesses.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the weight of the second wall panel is first determined, and the thickness of the backing plate is selected according to the weight of the second wall panel.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the gap adjustment device includes at least two layers of the shim plates.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the plurality of first wall panels are formed into a first arc surface; a pad is placed on each of the first wall panels; the plurality of second wall panels are respectively dropped onto each of the pads to form a second arc surface; each of the force-applying members is respectively passed through a through hole on each of the pads and strikes the force-applying members to adjust the misalignment between the first arc surface and the second arc surface.

[0016] The method for installing the wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank includes the following steps: installing the outer wall panel layer; aligning the wall panel annular seams of the inner wall panel layer using the above method; spot welding the first wall panel and the second wall panel of the inner wall panel layer; removing the gap adjustment device and continuing to weld the annular seams; and after installing the inner wall panel layer, placing filler in the interval gap.

[0017] The above-mentioned device and method add through holes and baffles on the basis of traditional gap plates, and cooperate with force-applying members, which not only realizes the control of the gap between the inner tank wall plates, but also can correct the misalignment when the annular seam wall plates are assembled, ultimately ensuring the welding quality of the inner tank wall plates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 It is the front view of the inner tank wall after it is flattened;

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the coordination between the gap adjustment device and the first wall plate and the second wall plate;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the main body of the gap adjustment device;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the pad;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the outer wall layer and the inner wall layer;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of the wall panel circumferential seam grouping method.

[0025] Symbol Marking Description

[0026] 11 First wall panel

[0027] 12 Second wall panel

[0028] 20 clearance adjustment device

[0029] 30 main body

[0030] 31 pad

[0031] 32 baffle

[0032] 40 force applying member

[0033] 41 bevel

[0034] 100 wall panel units

[0035] 101 First Arc

[0036] 102 Second arc surface

[0037] 201 Exterior wall panels

[0038] 202 inner wall layer

[0039] 310 through hole

[0040] 311 Perforation DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention is further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0042] It should be noted that these and other subsequent drawings are only examples and are not drawn to scale, and should not be used to limit the actual scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0043] Depending on the size of the tank, the inner tank cladding has more than a dozen circumferential seams along its height. A single inner tank cladding sheet can be over 10 meters long and weigh between 9 and 12 tons. This makes it difficult to maintain the required clearance along the entire weld seam during installation.

[0044] Figure 1 The figure shows the front view of the inner tank wall after flattening. The up and down direction represents the height direction of the tank, the left and right direction represents the circumferential direction of the tank, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the radial direction. Figure 1 The first inner tank wall panel A, the second inner tank wall panel B, and the third inner tank wall panel C are shown. Each inner tank wall panel comprises a plurality of wall panel units 100. An annular gap D is formed between adjacent upper and lower wall panel units 100. That is, the annular gap D is defined by the first wall panel 11 and the second wall panel 12 located above the first wall panel 11. Figure 2 shown.

[0045] Since the submerged arc automatic welding of the circumferential seam of the inner tank wall plate has high requirements for the gap, it is necessary not only to accurately control the gap of the inner tank wall plate, but also to correct the misalignment when assembling the circumferential seam wall plate, ultimately ensuring the welding quality of the inner tank wall plate.

[0046] To solve this problem, the present invention proposes a method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall plates of a cryogenic storage tank. The method uses a gap adjustment device for adjusting the gap between the upper component and the lower component, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, Figure 2 The left-right direction is the radial direction, and the up-down direction is the height direction. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the upper component is the second wall panel 12 and the lower component is the first wall panel 11.

[0047] The gap adjustment device 20 includes a main body 30 and a force applying member 40 , which are separate structures.

[0048] The main body 30 includes a backing plate 31 and a baffle 32. The backing plate 31 and baffle 32 can be made of carbon steel, stainless steel, or the same material as the inner tank, depending on the requirements. The backing plate 31 includes a through-hole 310 at a first end for the force-applying member 40 to pass through. The thickness of the backing plate 31 is adjustable.

[0049] The force applying member 40 includes at least one inclined surface 41. The force applying member 40 includes but is not limited to a tapered pin with a large and small head.

[0050] The baffle 32 is perpendicular to the plane of the backing plate 31. The backing plate 31 divides the baffle 32 into two. The baffle 32 is set at the second end of the backing plate 31 by means such as welding. In some embodiments, the backing plate 31 is provided with a through hole 311 for the baffle 32 to pass through. After the baffle 32 passes through, it is fixed to the backing plate 31 by welding. Figure 4 In the top and front views of the backing plate 31, the diameter D1 of the through hole 311 is slightly larger than the diameter of the baffle 32, but smaller than the diameter D2 of the through hole 310. The distance L1 between the through hole 311 and the through hole 310 is smaller than the thickness L2 of the upper second wall plate 12.

[0051] like Figure 6 As shown, the pairing method includes the following steps.

[0052] Place the backing plate 31 on the top of the first wall plate 11, and make the baffle 32 located on the side of the first wall plate 11, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 The left side of the first wall panel 11 is shown.

[0053] Then, the second wall panel 12 is dropped onto the backing plate 31 , and the bottom of the second wall panel 12 contacts the backing plate 31 .

[0054] Passing the force-applying member 40 through the through-hole 310 and striking the force-applying member 40 causes the force-applying member to apply an oblique force to the backing plate 31 via the inclined surface 41, thereby pulling the baffle 32 horizontally to the right, causing the baffle 32 to simultaneously abut the sides of the first wall panel 11 and the second wall panel 12, gradually tightening, thereby aligning the upper and lower wall panels and achieving upper and lower misalignment adjustment. Misalignment refers to the phenomenon of edge offset or misalignment between two workpieces when they are joined. By having the baffle 32 simultaneously abut the first and second wall panels 11, 12, the sides of the first and second wall panels 11, 12 are forced to align, effectively reducing the amount of misalignment.

[0055] It can be understood that by controlling the insertion depth of the force-applying member 40 , the misalignment between the upper and lower wall panels can be adjusted.

[0056] The gap adjustment device includes a set of replacement backing plates 31 with varying thicknesses. The thickness of the gap plate is adjusted to accommodate the thickness and weight of the panels. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness and mass of the first and second panels 11, 12 are not identical. Therefore, the backing plate thickness is determined based on the weight of the falling second panel. For example, if the falling second panel 12 is heavier, a slightly thicker backing plate, such as a thickness D3 of 5 mm, is selected to account for factors such as its own deformation due to gravity. For a lighter second panel 12, a thinner backing plate 31, such as a thickness D3 of 4 mm, is selected.

[0057] In other embodiments, for different annular gaps, the gap adjustment device may include at least two layers of shims to change the gap thickness.

[0058] In actual operation, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple first wall panels 11 are joined together to form a first curved surface 101. Pads 31 are placed on each first wall panel 11, and multiple second wall panels 12 are lowered onto the pads 31, forming a second curved surface 102. Force-applying members 40 are passed through through holes 310 in the pads 31, and striking the force-applying members 40 adjusts the overall misalignment between the first curved surface 101 and the second curved surface 102.

[0059] Therefore, the above method adds through-holes and baffles to the traditional gap plate, and uses a force-applying member. This not only controls the gap between the inner tank wall panels, but also corrects misalignment during the assembly of the circumferential seam wall panels, ultimately ensuring the quality of the inner tank wall panel welds. Unlike traditional pins used to check verticality, the force-applying member can further adjust the misalignment between the upper and lower wall panels by controlling the depth of the force-applying member's insertion into the through-hole.

[0060] The following combination Figure 2 , a specific embodiment of the method is described.

[0061] The backing plate 31 and the baffle 32 are assembled in advance and welded into the main body 30. The material and the number of assemblies are determined according to the needs.

[0062] Before the upper second wall panel 12 is hoisted and placed on the lower first wall panel 11, the main body 30 of the gap adjustment device is placed on the top of the first wall panel 11 in advance. The specific number is determined according to the thickness and weight of the upper wall panel.

[0063] After the upper second wall panel 12 rests on the backing plate 31, the force-applying member 40 is inserted through the through-hole 310 to secure the main body 30 of the gap adjustment device. The end of the force-applying member 40 is struck to lock the backing plate 31. The stopper 32 at the end of the backing plate 31 aligns the upper and lower wall panels, achieving the desired offset. The amount of offset between the upper and lower wall panels is adjusted by controlling the insertion depth of the force-applying member 40.

[0064] After the upper and lower wall panels are fixed by spot welding, the force member 40 is removed and the main body 30 is withdrawn. The backing plates that cannot be removed due to the deadweight of the upper wall panels are removed by grinding and cutting.

[0065] The size and spacing of the openings in the gap plates of the device are adjusted according to the thickness of the wall panels.

[0066] The above method uses gap plates of varying thicknesses, depending on the thickness and weight of the upper wall panels, to control the gap between the inner tank wall panels' circumferential seams to the required value, ensuring the quality of the inner tank wall panel circumferential seam welds. The circumferential seam gap control device also features a simple structure, easy installation, and reusability, improving utilization, saving costs, and ensuring quality.

[0067] It is also possible to understand a method for installing the inner tank wall of a low-temperature storage tank, such as Figure 5 As shown. The low temperature storage tank is radially from outside to inside, that is, Figure 5 From the left side to the right side, the outer wall panels 201 and the inner wall panels 202 are shown, with a gap G between the outer wall panels 201 and the inner wall panels 202. The method includes the following steps: installing the outer wall panels 201; controlling the size of the annular gap of the inner wall panels 202 using the above-mentioned assembly; spot welding the first wall panel 11 and the second wall panel 12 of the inner wall panel 202; removing the gap adjustment device, separating the force applying member 40 from the backing plate 31, pushing out the backing plate and the baffle, and then continuing to weld the annular gap; after installing the inner wall panels, placing a filler in the gap G.

[0068] It should be noted that the above content uses words such as "first" and "second" to limit components, which is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above words have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0069] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0070] At the same time, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this application. For example, "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or multiple times in different locations in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application may be appropriately combined.

[0071] Although the present invention is disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, this is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent variations, and modifications made to the above embodiments in accordance with the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gap adjustment device for adjusting the gap between the upper component and the lower component, characterized in that: include: a backing plate, located between the upper member and the lower member, comprising a through hole at a first end, wherein the thickness of the backing plate is configured to be adjustable; a baffle, disposed at the second end of the backing plate and perpendicular to the plane of the backing plate, and adapted to fit the side surfaces of the upper component and the lower component; as well as A force applying member, wherein the force applying member includes at least one inclined surface, passes through the through hole, and adjusts the fit tightness between the baffle and the upper component and the lower component according to the depth of the force applying member inserted into the through hole.

2. The gap adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The force applying member is a conical pin.

3. A method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank, characterized in that: The annular gap is defined by a first wall plate and a second wall plate located above the first wall plate. The method uses the gap adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 2. The method comprises the following steps: placing a backing plate on top of the first wall panel and positioning a baffle plate on the side of the first wall panel; causing the second wall panel to fall onto the pad; Passing the force applying member through the through hole; The force applying member is struck to make the baffle rest against the side surfaces of the first wall panel and the second wall panel at the same time.

4. The method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gap adjustment device includes a set of replacement parts with different shim plate thicknesses.

5. The method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank according to claim 4, characterized in that: First, determine the weight of the second wall panel, and select the thickness of the backing plate according to the weight of the second wall panel.

6. The method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gap adjustment device includes at least two layers of the pads.

7. The method for assembling annular seams of inner tank wall panels of a cryogenic storage tank according to claim 3, characterized in that: forming a first curved surface with the plurality of first wall panels; A backing plate is placed on each of the first wall panels; Allowing the plurality of second wall panels to fall onto the respective pads to form a second curved surface; Each of the force-applying members is passed through the through holes on each of the pads and strikes the force-applying members to adjust the misalignment between the first arc surface and the second arc surface.

8. The installation method of the low temperature storage tank wall panel is characterized in that: The cryogenic storage tank includes an outer wall layer and an inner wall layer from the outside to the inside in the radial direction, and a gap is provided between the outer wall layer and the inner wall layer. The method includes the following steps: installing the exterior wall panels; Using the method set as described in any one of claims 3 to 7 to perform a circumferential seam on the wall panels of the inner wall layer; spot welding the first wall panel and the second wall panel of the inner wall panel layer; Remove the gap adjustment device and continue welding the annular seam; After the inner wall panels are installed, fillers are placed in the intervals.

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