Liquefied gas storage facility

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquefied gas storage facility (1) comprising a sealed and thermally insulated tank mounted in a support structure, the tank comprising a cylindrical tank wall (22) arranged on an inner surface (13) of the cylindrical support wall and an insulating barrier comprising a plurality of insulating panels (21) having a first edge parallel to the generatrix direction, the invention relates to a sealing membrane (10) for sealing an insulating panel (21), the insulating panel (21) being sequentially pivoted about a generatrix direction past a tangent angle such that an inner surface of the insulating panel defines a cylindrical surface having a polygonal directrix curve, the sealing membrane comprising a plurality of metal plates (30), each metal plate comprising corrugations (27, 35) parallel to the generatrix direction and two planar portions (34, 36), the corrugation is arranged at each time in alignment with the gap (24), and the two planar portions are angled around the generatrix direction at a tangent angle and are respectively arranged on the two insulating panels (31) separated by the gap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to liquefied gas storage facilities including sealed and thermally insulated tanks with membranes. In particular, this invention relates to the field of onshore facilities for storing liquefied gases at low temperatures, such as liquefied petroleum gas (also known as LPG) having a temperature at atmospheric pressure, for example, between -50°C and 0°C, liquefied natural gas (LNG) at atmospheric pressure, at about -162°C, or liquefied ammonia at atmospheric pressure, at about -33°C. Background Technology

[0002] FR2739675A1 discloses an onshore tank for storing LNG, comprising a support structure including a cylindrical support wall and a bottom support wall. The cylindrical support wall has a vertical generatrix direction, and the bottom support wall encloses the cylindrical support wall to define an internal space of the support structure. A sealed and thermally insulated tank is installed within the internal space of the support structure. The tank includes a cylindrical wall disposed on the inner surface of the cylindrical support wall, the cylindrical wall including a sealing membrane for contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank and an isolation barrier disposed between the sealing membrane and the cylindrical support wall, the isolation barrier including a plurality of isolation panels having a first edge parallel to the generatrix direction and a second edge perpendicular to the generatrix direction, the isolation panels being juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall.

[0003] The sealing membrane comprises stainless steel plates welded to each other by means of upturned edges, the centerlines of the plates being generally vertical, and the upturned edges of two adjacent plates being welded to the sides of a metal tongue held by an insulating barrier. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some aspects of the present invention are based on the observation that the installation of a metal tongue would complicate the manufacture of such a sealing membrane.

[0005] One idea behind this invention is to provide a simple and reliable liquefied gas storage facility.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a liquefied gas storage facility, the liquefied gas storage facility comprising: The supporting structure includes a cylindrical supporting wall and a bottom supporting wall. The cylindrical supporting wall has a generatrix direction, preferably vertical. The bottom supporting wall encloses the cylindrical supporting wall to define the internal space of the supporting structure. A sealed and thermally insulated tank installed within the internal space of a supporting structure, the tank comprising a cylindrical tank wall disposed on the inner surface of a cylindrical supporting wall, the cylindrical tank wall comprising a sealing membrane and an insulating barrier, the sealing membrane being for contact with a liquefied gas contained within the tank, and the insulating barrier being disposed between the sealing membrane and the cylindrical supporting wall. The isolation barrier includes multiple isolation panels, each having a first edge parallel to the generatrix direction and a second edge perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The isolation panels are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall, with gaps between them. The circumferential direction is perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The isolation panels pivot sequentially around the generatrix direction through every facet angle, such that the inner surface of the isolation panels defines a cylindrical surface with a polygonal guideline curve. The sealing membrane comprises a plurality of rectangular metal plates assembled in a sealing manner. The metal plates have a first edge parallel to the generatrix direction and a second edge perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The metal plates are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall. Each metal plate includes a corrugated portion parallel to the generatrix direction and two planar portions separated by the corrugated portion. The corrugated portion is always arranged to align with the gap. The two planar portions are angled around the generatrix direction at a tangential angle. The two planar portions are respectively arranged on two insulating panels separated by the gap.

[0007] Thanks to these characteristics, sealing membranes can be manufactured in a simple and reliable manner. Specifically, on the one hand, the angle of the metal plate can be generated at the corrugated portion parallel to the generatrix direction, and the geometry of the corrugated portion itself easily forms an angle. On the other hand, the gaps in the barrier—gap locations where the local support of the sealing membrane is weaker—correspond to the corrugated portion of the metal plate, and the fracture strength of the corrugated portion is higher than that of the planar portion. Therefore, the risk of fatigue or buckling of the metal plate can be reduced.

[0008] Thanks to these properties, the cylindrical wall of the can can be manufactured with different numbers of facets. Specifically, the choice of the number of facets mainly depends on the choice of facet angle, and adjusting the facet angle is not difficult.

[0009] Furthermore, due to the elasticity of the corrugated portion of the metal plate, it can tolerate possible misalignment of the insulation panel without the risk of fatigue or buckling of the metal plate.

[0010] To recap, a cylindrical surface is mathematically generated by moving a straight line that defines the direction of the generatrix along a directrix curve, which is a closed planar curve perpendicular to the direction of the generatrix.

[0011] According to the implementation method, a liquefied gas storage facility may have one or more of the following features.

[0012] According to one implementation, the number of facets—that is, the number of sides of the polygon—is greater than 60.

[0013] According to one implementation, the tangent angle is less than 6°.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the insulating panel is configured as a plurality of rows of insulating panels, each row comprising insulating panels juxtaposed in the generatrix direction. The rows of insulating panels are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall, with gaps provided between the rows of insulating panels. The rows of insulating panels are pivoted sequentially about the generatrix direction through the tangential angle, such that the inner surface of the row of insulating panels defines a cylindrical surface with a polygonal guideline curve. The metal plates are configured as multiple rows of metal plates, each row of metal plates including metal plates juxtaposed in the generatrix direction, the rows of metal plates being juxtaposed in the circumferential direction, the rows of metal plates including corrugated portions parallel to the generatrix direction, and the corrugated portions being arranged each time to align with the gaps between the rows of insulating panels.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the metal plates in the row of metal plates are joined together by welding along the second edge of the metal plates, and the welded joint of the metal plates in the row of metal plates is disposed on the insulating panel and spaced apart from the second edge of the insulating panel.

[0016] According to one embodiment, metal plates juxtaposed in the circumferential direction are joined together by welding along a first edge of the metal plates, and the welded joint of the metal plates is disposed on an insulating panel and spaced apart from the first edge of the insulating panel.

[0017] Thanks to these features, welding of the metal plates can be facilitated because the weld joint is supported by the insulating panel and spaced apart from the first and / or second edges of the insulating panel.

[0018] Preferably, the metal plates are joined by lap welding. The width of the overlapping area can be designed according to the manufacturing tolerances of the support structure to provide sufficient adjustment range to absorb all foreseeable deviations between the support structure and the metal plates.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the metal plate is fixed to the inner surface of the insulating panel. For this purpose, the metal plate can be welded to a metal anchoring strip supported by the inner surface of the insulating panel.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the inner surface of the insulating panel has a metal anchoring portion, and the welded joint of the metal plate is welded to the metal anchoring portion.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the corrugated portion of the metal plate is a first corrugated portion, and each metal plate also includes a second corrugated portion, which extends parallel to the second edge of the metal plate in a manner spaced apart from the second edge of the metal plate, and the second corrugated portions of the metal plates juxtaposed in the circumferential direction are aligned in the circumferential direction.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the mating portion between the insulating panels in the row of insulating panels is positioned to align with the second corrugated portion of the metal plate.

[0023] Thanks to these properties, the risk of fatigue or buckling of the metal sheet due to planar defects or misalignments in rows of insulating panels can be reduced. Specifically, the geometry of the second corrugation facilitates slight elastic bending of the metal sheet.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the first corrugated portion and the second corrugated portion protrude toward the interior of the can relative to the planar portion of the metal plate, and the height of the first corrugated portion is greater than the height of the second corrugated portion.

[0025] The insulating panels or rows of insulating panels can have different or the same dimensions. The sectional angles between adjacent insulating panels or rows of adjacent insulating panels can have different or the same values. Therefore, the polygonal guideline curve can be regular or irregular. Where appropriate, different sectional angle values ​​correspond to different widths of the insulating panels, preferably such that the sectional angle value between two insulating panels corresponds to an azimuthal sector covered by one of the two insulating panels, the angle being measured about a central axis parallel to the generatrix direction.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the sectional angles between adjacent isolation panels are consistent, and the polygonal guide curve is a regular polygon.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the cylindrical wall of the can is configured with a pattern that repeats multiple times in the circumferential direction. This configuration improves the standardization of components and facilitates can manufacturing. The repeating pattern can have various dimensions in the circumferential direction. According to one embodiment, the dimension of the repeating pattern in the circumferential direction is the cumulative width of the partition panels and gaps, or the dimension of the repeating pattern in the circumferential direction is the cumulative width of the rows of partition panels and gaps.

[0028] The size of the insulating panel can vary widely. According to one embodiment, the insulating panel is a parallelepiped. According to another embodiment, the first edge of the insulating panel is longer than the second edge. This configuration is particularly suitable for constructing tanks with numerous facets.

[0029] The insulating panel can have different structures. According to one embodiment, the insulating panel includes a rigid bottom plate and a polymer foam block fixed to the bottom plate, the rigid bottom plate being made of, for example, a polymer resin, and the polymer foam block being made of, for example, polystyrene foam.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the dimension of the first edge of the metal plate (excluding any overlapping areas) is approximately equal to the dimension of the first edge of the insulating panel. In other words, the difference between these dimensions is less than the dimension of any interval between the insulating panels in the generatrix direction. These features facilitate the modular manufacturing of the cylindrical walls of the can, and in particular, they facilitate the modular manufacturing of the cylindrical walls of the can in the form of a repeating pattern in the generatrix direction.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the dimensions of the second edge of the metal plate (excluding any overlapping areas) are approximately equal to the dimensions of the second edge of the insulating panel. In other words, the difference between these dimensions is less than the dimension of the gap between the insulating panels in the circumferential direction. These features facilitate the modular manufacturing of the cylindrical walls of the can, and in particular, they facilitate the modular manufacturing of the cylindrical walls of the can in the form of a repeating pattern in the circumferential direction.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane, and the cylindrical tank wall also includes a secondary sealing membrane disposed between the insulating panel and the cylindrical support wall.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane comprises a metal sheet covering the inner surface of the cylindrical support wall.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the liquefied gas storage facility also includes a putty liner disposed between the insulation panel and the secondary sealing membrane.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the liquefied gas storage facility is intended to be located on land or on the seabed. In this case, the supporting structure can be made of concrete.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the metal plate is made of stainless steel sheet, for example, the stainless steel sheet has a thickness between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0037] According to one implementation, the liquefied gas is ammonia. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The invention will be better understood in the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, and other objects, details, features and advantages of the invention will become clearer.

[0039] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a liquefied gas storage facility, with the top wall of the facility omitted.

[0040] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 This is a partial three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the liquefied gas storage facility as seen from the inside.

[0041] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 It is along the liquefied gas storage facility Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional view of line III.

[0042] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional view of a metal plate that can be used to form a sealing membrane for liquefied gas storage facilities. Detailed Implementation

[0043] A liquefied gas storage facility capable of storing liquefied gases, specifically ammonia or other liquefied gases at a temperature of approximately -33°C at atmospheric pressure, will be described. The facility primarily comprises a supporting structure and sealed, thermally insulated tanks installed within the internal space of the supporting structure.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 First, the support structure 10 is described. The support structure 10 includes a bottom support wall 11 and a vertical support wall 12, which is a cylindrical support wall.

[0045] The facility can be positioned on land. The bottom support wall 11 is typically horizontal, meaning it lies in a plane perpendicular to the direction of gravitational acceleration, with dimensional tolerances within acceptable limits. The bottom support wall 11 may be at ground level or possibly below. For example, the support structure 10 is made of concrete.

[0046] In addition to the bottom support wall 11, the support structure 10 includes a vertical support wall 12. For example... Figure 1 As can be seen more clearly, the vertical support wall 12 forms a cylindrical inner surface 13. The generatrix of the cylindrical inner surface 13 is vertical, and the guideline curve of the cylindrical inner surface 13 is circular in this document, but the guideline curve of the cylindrical inner surface 13 can be different, for example, the guideline curve can be polygonal. The vertical support wall 12 extends in the vertical direction, that is, it extends in the direction perpendicular to the bottom support wall 11, and the dimensional error is within the acceptable range.

[0047] As not shown in the figure, at the end of the vertical support wall 12 opposite to the bottom support wall 11, the support structure 1 includes a top support wall that encloses the internal space defined by the bottom support wall 11 and the vertical support wall 12. This top support wall can support various devices that can be used to transport liquefied gas into or out of the internal space.

[0048] For example, the diameter of the support structure 10 can be between 10 meters and 100 meters.

[0049] Now refer to Figures 2 to 4 One embodiment of a sealed and thermally insulated tank installed in the internal space 2 of a support structure 10 is described. The tank includes: a bottom wall (not shown) disposed on a bottom support wall 11, and a vertical wall 22 disposed on a cylindrical internal surface 13 of a vertical support wall 12.

[0050] The vertical wall 22 extending from the vertical support wall 12 toward the interior space of the tank includes: a secondary sealing membrane 14; a thermal insulation barrier 15; and a primary sealing membrane 16 for contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank. The vertical wall 22 can be fabricated using modular components.

[0051] Here, the secondary sealing membrane 14 is a sealing layer that is fixed to the cylindrical inner surface 13 of the vertical support wall 12, for example, by adhesive bonding or other means. For example, the sealing layer is made of metal sheet or composite material. Optionally, a secondary insulation barrier can be inserted between the secondary sealing membrane 14 and the vertical support wall 12 to improve thermal insulation.

[0052] The thermal barrier 15 includes vertical rows 20 formed by thermal barrier panels 21. Each vertical row 20 includes juxtaposed barrier panels 21. The barrier panels 21 have a flat cuboid shape and can be made of any barrier material, depending on the compatibility of the barrier material with the product used for storage in the can, in the event of a seal failure, the product used for storage in the can may come into contact with the barrier panels 21.

[0053] As shown in the figure, in order to limit the number of components used to make the thermal insulation barrier, the insulation panel 21 can be the same.

[0054] like Figure 3 As can be best seen, the vertical rows 20 are juxtaposed along the circumference of the vertical support wall 12, each time forming a gap 24 between two consecutive vertical rows 20. Furthermore, each time a nearly invisible tangential angle is formed through the inner surface of two consecutive vertical rows 20 (because the tangential angle is...). Figure 3 (Very small), so that the thermal insulation barrier 15 defines a polygonal cylindrical guideline curve on all or part of the circumferential portion of the vertical support wall 12.

[0055] As shown in the figure, the width and tangent angle of the vertical row 20 are preferably consistent so that the guide curve is approximately in the form of a regular polygon. In other words, the vertical row 20 is juxtaposed with a pattern that repeats in the circumferential direction.

[0056] The number and width of the vertical rows 20 can be selected according to the dimensions of the support structure 10. For example, if the number of vertical rows 20 is greater than or equal to 60, a consistent cut angle of less than 6° can be used, which is beneficial to facilitating the manufacture of the primary sealing membrane 16, as described below.

[0057] Since the inner surface 13 does not necessarily have a polygonal guideline curve, but rather a circular guideline curve to facilitate the manufacture of the support structure 10, a gap with a larger or smaller width can exist between the secondary sealing membrane 14 and the outer surface 23 of the insulating panel 21. Adhesive pads and / or wedges (not shown) can be inserted between the secondary sealing membrane 14 and the outer surface 23 of the insulating panel 21 to locally fill these gaps, improve the support of the insulating panel 21, and compensate for any defects in the planarity of the inner surface 13. For example, such adhesive pads are preferably block-shaped or bead-shaped pieces extending in the vertical direction of the vertical support wall 12.

[0058] Within each vertical row 20, the insulating panels 21 are preferably identical and evenly distributed, with or without gaps between them. In other words, the insulating panels 21 of the vertical row 20 are juxtaposed in a pattern that repeats in the vertical direction.

[0059] Preferably, the insulating panels 21 of the continuous vertical rows 20 are aligned in the circumferential direction. In other words, the thermal insulation barrier 15 is in the form of a plurality of circumferential bands 25 juxtaposed in the vertical direction, preferably, the thermal insulation barrier 15 is in the form of a plurality of circumferential bands 25 juxtaposed in the vertical direction in a repeating pattern. Each circumferential band 25 corresponds to an insulating panel 21 aligned in the circumferential direction along the polygonal guideline curve.

[0060] The anchoring of the insulating panel 21 to the vertical support wall 12 can be achieved in various ways. For example, the anchoring of the insulating panel 21 to the vertical support wall 12 can be achieved by means of nail-like elements (not shown) sealed in concrete or by welding the metal portion to the vertical support wall 12. Alternatively or additionally, the aforementioned mortar liner can be used to adhesively bond the insulating panel 21 to the vertical support wall 12, that is, the mortar liner can be used to adhesively bond the insulating panel 21 to the secondary sealing membrane 14.

[0061] The thickness of the insulating panel 21 can be selected based on the desired insulating performance for the intended application. For the storage of liquid ammonia at atmospheric pressure, this thickness can be less than [amount missing].

[0062] The primary sealing membrane 16 is a corrugated metal membrane to enable it to withstand thermal shrinkage caused by contact with liquefied gas. More precisely, the primary sealing membrane 16 has vertically parallel corrugated portions 27 and horizontally parallel corrugated portions 26. That is, the vertically parallel corrugated portions 27 extend in the generatrix direction, and the horizontally parallel corrugated portions 26 are perpendicular to the vertically parallel corrugated portions 27 and extend in the circumferential direction. Figure 1 The vertically parallel corrugated portion 27 and the horizontally parallel corrugated portion 26 are shown in thick lines.

[0063] The primary sealing membrane 16 is made of juxtaposed, typically rectangular metal plates 30, which have longitudinal edges 31 oriented in the vertical direction and transverse edges 32 oriented in the circumferential direction. Figure 1 In the diagram, the longitudinal edge 31 and transverse edge 32 of the metal plate 30 are shown in thin lines. Similar to the insulating panel 21, the metal plates 30 are arranged in vertical rows, and the vertical rows are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction. Each metal plate 30 has a corrugated portion, which together form a vertically parallel corrugated portion 27 and a transversely parallel corrugated portion 26 when the metal plates 30 are juxtaposed.

[0064] Therefore, such as Figure 4 As can be seen, the metal plate 30 has a single longitudinal corrugated portion 35 and a series of two transverse corrugated portions 33. The single longitudinal corrugated portion 35 extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal edge 31 and connects the two transverse edges 32. The series of two transverse corrugated portions 33 extends in a direction parallel to the transverse edges 32 and is thus perpendicular to the longitudinal corrugated portion 35. Each pair of transverse corrugated portions 33 connects the two longitudinal edges 31. The longitudinal corrugated portion 35 is used to form vertically parallel corrugated portions 27, and the transverse corrugated portions 33 are used to form transversely parallel corrugated portions 26.

[0065] The two planar regions 34 and 36 located on either side of the longitudinal corrugated portion 35 are slightly angled relative to each other, and the angle is equal to the aforementioned tangential angle. This allows the two planar regions 34 and 36 to be respectively positioned flat on the inner surfaces 29 of the two consecutive vertical rows 20 when the longitudinal corrugated portion 35 is arranged to align with the gap 24 between the two consecutive vertical rows 20.

[0066] Figure 4 It is also shown that the metal plate 30 has a thickness offset in raised edge regions 38 along two adjacent edges, while the other two edges are flat. The raised edge regions 38 are used to cover the flat edge regions of the adjacent metal plates 30, and the raised edge regions 38 are ultimately welded to the adjacent metal plates 30 in a continuous manner to ensure a sealed connection between the two metal plates 30. The raised edge regions 38 are formed by a folding operation (also known as engagement).

[0067] The metal sheet 30 is made of a metal alloy such as stainless steel. By way of example, the metal sheet 30 has a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm. Other thicknesses may also be considered; it should be noted that thickening increases the cost of the metal sheet 30 and generally improves the rigidity of the corrugated section.

[0068] The transverse corrugated portion 33 has a height less than that of the longitudinal corrugated portion 35. Reference numeral 37 indicates a node located at the intersection between the longitudinal corrugated portion 35 and the transverse corrugated portion 33. Further design details of the node 37 can be found in publication WO-A-2017017337.

[0069] The longitudinal edge 31 of the metal plate 30 is spaced apart from the longitudinal corrugated portion 35 by half a corrugation interval. Similarly, the transverse edge 32 is spaced apart from the nearest transverse corrugated portion 33 by half a corrugation interval. Therefore, after the metal plate 30 is assembled, the vertically parallel corrugated portions 27 are equidistant and the transversely parallel corrugated portions 26 are equidistant.

[0070] The corrugation spacing of the vertically parallel corrugated portion 27 and the corrugation spacing of the horizontally parallel corrugated portion 26 can be equal or different.

[0071] Furthermore, the corrugation interval of the vertically parallel corrugated portion 27 is equal to the width of the gap 24 plus the width of the insulating panel 21, which ensures that the overlap between the two metal plates 30 along the longitudinal edge 31 is approximately at the middle width of the insulating panel 21.

[0072] To anchor the metal plate 30 to the insulating panel 21, a metal anchor plate 40 can be disposed on the inner surface of the insulating panel 21. Preferably, the metal anchor plate 40 can be disposed on the inner surface of the insulating panel 21 in a manner aligned with the aforementioned overlapping portion along the longitudinal edge 31. Figure 3 It can be seen in the image.

[0073] In the vertical direction, the length of the insulating panel 21 is preferably an integer multiple, such as twice, of the corrugation interval of the transversely parallel corrugated portion 26, which facilitates the manufacture of the primary sealing film 16 in the form of a pattern that repeats in the vertical direction.

[0074] exist Figure 3 In this embodiment, the lateral edge 32 of the metal plate 30 is offset vertically relative to the edge of the insulating panel 21 by half the corrugation interval of the laterally parallel corrugated portions 26. This ensures that the laterally parallel corrugated portions 26 are aligned vertically with the mating portions between the insulating panels 21. This arrangement is advantageous because it reduces the support of the primary sealing film 16 at the mating portions between the two insulating panels 21, and in particular, it reduces the support of the primary sealing film 16 at the gaps between the two insulating panels 21.

[0075] Therefore, in Figure 3 In this context, it is assumed that the length of the insulating panel 21 is approximately twice the corrugation interval of the transversely parallel corrugated portions 26, and each other transverse corrugated portion 26 represents the position of the transverse edge of the insulating panel 21.

[0076] Size example (mm) Width of insulating panel 21: 970 Width of gap 24: 30 The width of metal plate 30 is 1030. The spacing of the corrugated section 27: 1000 Length of insulating panel 21: 3070 Length of metal plate 30: 3100 The spacing of the corrugated section 26 is 1535.

[0077] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with several specific embodiments, it is obvious that the invention is by no means limited to the several specific embodiments, and the invention includes all technical equivalents and combinations thereof of the described apparatus, provided that such technical equivalents and combinations thereof fall within the scope of the invention.

[0078] The use of the verbs “have”, “comprise”, or “include” and their variations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in the claims.

[0079] In the claims, any reference numerals between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims.

Claims

1. A liquefied gas storage facility (1), the liquefied gas storage facility (1) comprising: A supporting structure (10) includes a cylindrical supporting wall (12) and a bottom supporting wall. The cylindrical supporting wall has a vertical generatrix direction, and the bottom supporting wall encloses the cylindrical supporting wall to define the internal space (2) of the supporting structure. A sealed and thermally insulated tank installed in the internal space of the support structure, the tank comprising a cylindrical tank wall (22) disposed on the inner surface (13) of the cylindrical support wall, the cylindrical tank wall comprising a sealing membrane (16) and an isolation barrier (15), the sealing membrane (16) being for contact with liquefied gas contained in the tank, the isolation barrier (15) being disposed between the sealing membrane (16) and the cylindrical support wall; The isolation barrier includes a plurality of isolation panels (21), each isolation panel having a first edge parallel to the generatrix direction and a second edge perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The isolation panels are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall, with a gap (24) between the isolation panels. The circumferential direction is perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The isolation panels (21) are pivoted sequentially around the generatrix direction through all facet angles, such that the inner surface (29) of the isolation panels defines a cylindrical surface with a polygonal guideline curve. The sealing membrane comprises a plurality of rectangular metal plates (30) assembled in a sealing manner, each metal plate (30) having a first edge (31) parallel to the generatrix direction and a second edge (32) perpendicular to the generatrix direction. The metal plates are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall. Each metal plate includes a corrugated portion (27, 35) parallel to the generatrix direction and two planar portions (34, 36) separated by the corrugated portion. The corrugated portion is arranged to align with the gap (24) each time. The two planar portions (34, 36) are angled around the generatrix direction at the tangential angle. The two planar portions (34, 36) are respectively arranged on two insulating panels (21) separated by the gap.

2. The liquefied gas storage facility according to claim 1, wherein, The insulating panels are configured as a plurality of rows (20) of insulating panels, each row (20) of which includes insulating panels (21) juxtaposed in the generatrix direction. The rows (20) of insulating panels are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical support wall, and the gaps (24) are provided between the rows of insulating panels. The rows of insulating panels pivot sequentially around the generatrix direction through the tangential angle, such that the inner surface of the row of insulating panels defines a cylindrical surface with a polygonal guideline curve. The metal plate (30) is configured as a plurality of rows of metal plates, each row of the metal plate including metal plates juxtaposed in the generatrix direction, the rows of the metal plates being juxtaposed in the circumferential direction, the rows of the metal plates including the corrugated portion (27) parallel to the generatrix direction, and the corrugated portion (27) being arranged each time to be aligned with the gap (24) between the rows (20) of the insulating panel.

3. The liquefied gas storage facility according to claim 2, wherein, The metal plates (30) in the row of metal plates are joined together by welding along the second edge (32) of the metal plates, and the welded joint of the metal plates in the row of metal plates is disposed on the insulating panel (21) and spaced apart from the second edge of the insulating panel.

4. The liquefied gas storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The metal plates (30) juxtaposed in the circumferential direction are joined together by welding along the first edge (31) of the metal plates, and the welded joint of the metal plates is disposed on the insulating panel (21) and spaced apart from the first edge of the insulating panel.

5. The liquefied gas storage facility according to claim 4, wherein, The inner surface (29) of the insulating panel has a metal anchor portion (40), and the welded joint of the metal plate is welded to the metal anchor portion (40).

6. The liquefied gas storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The corrugated portions (27, 35) of the metal plates are first corrugated portions, and each metal plate also includes a second corrugated portion (26, 33), which extends parallel to the second edge (32) of the metal plate and is spaced apart from the second edge of the metal plate. The second corrugated portions (26, 33) of the metal plates (30) juxtaposed in the circumferential direction are aligned in the circumferential direction.

7. The liquefied gas storage facility according to claim 6 in conjunction with claim 2, wherein, The mating portion between the insulating panels (21) in the row of insulating panels is positioned to align with the second corrugated portion (26, 33) of the metal plate.

8. The liquefied gas storage facility according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, The first corrugated portion (35) and the second corrugated portion (33) protrude toward the interior of the can relative to the planar portion (34, 36) of the metal plate, and the height of the first corrugated portion (35) is greater than the height of the second corrugated portion (33).

9. The liquefied gas storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The sectional angles between adjacent isolation panels (21) are consistent, and the polygonal guide curves are regular polygons.

10. The liquefied gas storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane (16), and the cylindrical tank wall also includes a secondary sealing membrane (14) disposed between the insulating panel (21) and the cylindrical support wall (12).

11. The liquefied gas storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The supporting structure (10) is made of concrete.

Images