Carbon fiber floating disc with sealing structure

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of floating roof technology for storage tanks, and particularly to a carbon fiber floating roof with a sealing structure, comprising a pontoon, wherein the pontoon is composed of multiple carbon fiber pontoon bodies combined together. A fastening structure is provided on the upper part of the pontoon for fixing the pontoon. The upper part of the fastening structure is circular. The side of the fastening structure covers the side of the pontoon, and a sealing device is provided on the side of the fastening structure to fill the gap between the fastening structure and the inner wall of the tank. The sealing device includes a primary seal located at the lower part of the fastening structure, and a secondary seal located above the primary seal. The primary seal includes an installation groove on the side wall of the fastening structure, and a sealing ring is provided inside the installation groove. It features lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and seamless construction, enabling full liquid-contact sealing and significantly reducing the possibility of oil and gas leakage through the floating roof body from the source.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tank floating roof technology, and in particular to a carbon fiber floating roof with a sealing structure. Background Technology

[0002] Internal floating roof tanks, due to their advantages in effectively reducing medium evaporation losses and suppressing fugitive oil and gas emissions, have been widely used in the storage of liquid hydrocarbons and chemicals in the petroleum and chemical industries. The floating roof floats directly on the surface of the stored liquid, and an operating clearance must be maintained between its edge and the inner wall of the tank to prevent jamming during the raising and lowering of the floating roof. To prevent the diffusion of oil and gas into the atmosphere through this clearance, an annular sealing device must be installed between the floating roof and the tank wall. The quality of the sealing technology directly determines the tank's VOCs emission reduction level, operational safety level, and total life cycle cost.

[0003] The most typical existing floating roof edge sealing scheme is a combination of a primary elastic seal and a secondary anti-evaporation seal. The primary seal is mostly a rubber sealing bladder filled with soft foam or elastic material, utilizing the elasticity of the rubber to make the bladder adhere to the tank wall to form the main seal. The secondary seal usually consists of elastic scrapers or tongue-shaped sealing plates installed at the edge of the floating roof and extending upwards, designed to form an auxiliary barrier layer. However, rubber materials, when immersed in oil, aromatics, or corrosive media containing hydrogen sulfide for a long time, will inevitably swell, harden, and age, cracking. Their elasticity and adhesion gradually decline, leading to increased sealing gaps and a sharp increase in oil and gas leakage over time, making it difficult to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. The sealing bladder and tank wall experience sliding friction. Differences in plate welding, local patching, and coating on the tank wall can severely exacerbate wear, scratches, and even tears in the sealing bladder; once damaged, it will directly cause seal failure.

[0004] Currently, tank floating roofs mainly fall into two categories: traditional metal floating roofs and new composite material floating roofs. The former primarily consists of spliced ​​pontoon-type and hull-type floating roofs, while the latter includes fully liquid-contact floating roofs with integral molded structures such as honeycomb sandwich panels and carbon fiber reinforced composite materials. These composite material floating roofs, with their lightweight, high strength, seamless construction, good corrosion resistance, and full liquid-contact characteristics, significantly reduce oil and gas leakage from the floating roof itself. However, the sealing process still largely relies on traditional technologies, becoming a bottleneck restricting the overall sealing performance and lifespan of the floating roof system. Therefore, a completely new floating roof structure is needed to solve the sealing problem. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology in which the sealing structure between the floating roof and the inner wall of the storage tank has certain defects during use, and to provide a carbon fiber floating roof with a sealing structure.

[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a carbon fiber floating roof with a sealed structure, including a floating box, wherein the floating box is used in combination of multiple carbon fiber boxes;

[0007] The upper part of the pontoon is provided with a fastening structure, which is used to fix the pontoon.

[0008] The upper part of the fastening structure is circular, and the side of the fastening structure covers the side of the pontoon.

[0009] A sealing device is provided on the side of the fastening structure, and the sealing device is used to fill the gap between the fastening structure and the inner wall of the tank.

[0010] The sealing device includes a primary seal disposed at the lower part of the fastening structure, and a secondary seal disposed above the primary seal;

[0011] The primary seal includes a mounting groove provided on the side wall of the fastening structure, and a sealing ring is provided inside the mounting groove.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper part of the fastening structure is a metal mounting plate, the side of the mounting plate is provided with a skirt, and the sealing device is provided on the side of the mounting plate and the skirt.

[0013] Furthermore, the mounting groove is provided in multiple ways, and the interior of the mounting groove is provided with multiple connecting blocks for fixing the sealing ring. The two sides of the connecting blocks are provided with snap-fit ​​grooves for connecting the ends of the sealing ring, and the interior of the snap-fit ​​grooves is provided with connecting posts.

[0014] Furthermore, the sealing ring is a multi-segment arc-shaped ring that is snapped into the mounting groove, and the end of the arc-shaped ring is provided with a connecting groove to snap into the connecting post.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting groove is a stepped groove, the connecting post is disposed on one side near the bottom of the mounting groove, a spring is wound around the outside of the connecting post, the end of the sealing ring is configured as a buckle that cooperates with the stepped groove, and the spring abuts against the end of the connecting groove.

[0016] Furthermore, the upper part of the mounting plate is provided with an anti-rotation device and a manhole, and the secondary seal is provided on the side of the mounting plate.

[0017] Furthermore, the secondary seal includes a support groove arranged along the circumferential direction of the mounting plate, the interior of the support groove is used to fill the stuffing box, a pressure ring for pressing the stuffing box is arranged above the support groove, and a clamping device for fastening the pressure ring is arranged on the upper part of the mounting plate.

[0018] Furthermore, the clamping device includes a base disposed on the upper part of the mounting plate, a clamping bolt vertically screwed onto the upper part of the base, a clamping block disposed on the clamping bolt, the clamping block being L-shaped, one end of the clamping block being connected to the clamping bolt, and the other end of the clamping block abutting against the upper surface of the pressure ring.

[0019] Furthermore, a fixing ring is provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate, and an annular scraper that abuts against the inner wall of the tank is provided on the top of the fixing ring.

[0020] Furthermore, the bottom of the pontoon is vertically provided with multiple support rods.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0022] 1. The main body of the floating roof is made of carbon fiber composite material box splicing, which has the characteristics of being lightweight, high-strength, corrosion-resistant, and seamless. It can achieve full liquid contact sealing, greatly reducing the possibility of oil and gas leakage through the floating roof body from the source.

[0023] 2. It adopts a graded sealing design, including primary and secondary seals, forming two layers of three-dimensional protection; a top annular scraper can be further selected as a third layer of seal to effectively prevent oil and gas from escaping and significantly improve the overall sealing performance.

[0024] 3. The sealing ring of the primary seal is spliced ​​together by multiple arc-shaped rings through an elastic snap-fit ​​structure. A spring is provided around the connecting column, and the connecting column and the connecting groove adopt a clearance fit, so that each sealing ring can radially expand and contract according to the unevenness of the tank wall or the slight deformation during operation, always maintaining a tight fit and ensuring a stable sealing effect.

[0025] 4. The secondary seal uses a stuffing box with a pressure ring and a clamping device. The packing can be tightened at any time by rotating the clamping bolts to compensate for wear or loosening caused by long-term operation. The sealing performance can be restored without disassembly, thereby extending the service life of the sealing device and reducing maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention from another perspective;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a front view structural diagram of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is an enlarged structural diagram of point A in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure at the connection between the connecting column and the sealing ring of the present invention;

[0032] The components include: 1. Mounting plate; 101. Anti-rotation device; 102. Manhole; 2. Annular scraper; 201. Fixing ring; 3. Pressure ring; 301. Pressing block; 302. Base; 303. Support groove; 4. Support rod; 5. Connecting block; 501. Sealing ring; 502. Mounting groove; 503. Step groove; 504. Connecting column; 505. Connecting groove; 6. Spring; 7. Float box. Detailed Implementation

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] like Figure 1-6 As shown: This invention proposes a carbon fiber floating roof with a sealing structure. In this embodiment, the floating roof mainly consists of a pontoon 7, a fastening structure, and a sealing device. The pontoon 7, as the main body of the floating roof, provides buoyancy and is composed of multiple carbon fiber boxes assembled together. The advantage of using carbon fiber boxes is that carbon fiber composite materials themselves are lightweight, high-strength, corrosion-resistant, and seamless, enabling full liquid contact and significantly reducing the possibility of oil and gas leakage through the floating roof body from the source.

[0037] The fastening structure is located on the upper part of the float box 7. Its function is to securely connect multiple carbon fiber boxes into a whole and provide a mounting base for the sealing device. The upper part of the fastening structure is circular, adapting to the cylindrical inner wall of the storage tank; its sides are entirely covered on the sides of the float box 7, forming a ring-shaped mounting skirt. This structural design allows the sealing device to be easily arranged on the outer circumference of the fastening structure.

[0038] The sealing device is specifically designed to fill the annular running gap between the fastening structure and the inner wall of the tank. The sealing device adopts a graded design, including at least a primary seal located below the fastening structure and a secondary seal located above the primary seal, to form multiple layers of protection.

[0039] The primary seal performs the main sealing function. In this embodiment, the primary seal includes multiple mounting grooves 502 formed on the side wall of the fastening structure, and a sealing ring 501 disposed inside the mounting grooves 502. The mounting grooves 502 are groove structures formed on the circumference of the side of the fastening structure for embedding and fixing the sealing ring 501. The sealing ring 501 forms the first physical barrier by adhering to the tank wall.

[0040] The upper part of the fastening structure can be specifically designed as a metal mounting plate 1. The mounting plate 1 serves as the rigid frame of the upper part of the floating platform, and a downward-extending skirt is provided on its circumferential side. This skirt is the part of the fastening structure that covers the side of the floating box 7. The mounting groove 502 of the primary seal is formed on the outer wall of this skirt. The secondary seal is set on the side of the mounting plate 1 itself, located directly above the primary seal, thus forming two layers of three-dimensional protection.

[0041] To facilitate installation and ensure a good seal, the mounting groove 502 for the primary seal can be segmented in the circumferential direction. Inside the mounting groove 502, multiple connecting blocks 5 are configured to secure the sealing ring 501. Each side of the connecting block 5 has a snap-fit ​​groove containing a connecting post 504 for connecting and locking the end of the sealing ring 501. In this embodiment, the connecting blocks 5 on the bottom mounting groove 502 are offset from those in the upper mounting groove 502 to enhance the sealing effect. The bottom of the connecting block 5 located at the bottom protrudes from the skirt, with the protruding portion inclined towards the float 7, facilitating the overall installation of the float.

[0042] In this embodiment, due to its large diameter, to reduce processing difficulty, the sealing ring 501 is not a complete circular ring, but rather composed of multiple arc-shaped rings spliced ​​together within the mounting groove 502. Each arc-shaped ring has a connecting groove 505 at its end, which is used to engage with the connecting post 504 on the connecting block 5. Specifically, the connecting groove 505 is designed as a stepped groove 503, while the connecting post 504 is located on one side near the bottom of the mounting groove 502. A spring 6 is fitted around the connecting post 504. The end of the sealing ring 501 is constructed as a latch that fits the stepped groove 503. During installation, the latch is fastened into the stepped groove 503, the connecting post 504 passes into the connecting groove 505, and simultaneously the spring 6 is compressed and abuts against the end of the connecting groove 505. During processing, the connecting post 504 is inclined at a small angle towards the inner wall of the tank, while the diameter of the connecting groove 505 is slightly larger than the diameter of the connecting post 504, facilitating the installation of the sealing ring 501. This elastic snap-fit ​​structure allows each segment of the arc-shaped ring to undergo slight radial expansion and contraction when affected by factors such as unevenness of the tank wall, thereby ensuring that the sealing ring 501 always fits tightly against the tank wall and maintains a stable sealing effect. At least three connecting blocks 5 are provided inside the same mounting groove 502 to ensure the structural strength of the sealing ring 501.

[0043] A secondary seal is placed above the primary seal, forming an auxiliary barrier layer. A support groove 303 is formed circumferentially on the side of the mounting plate 1. The support groove 303 is filled with a flexible stuffing box; in this embodiment, it is filled with PTFE packing or other oil- and corrosion-resistant flexible sealing packing. A pressure ring 3 for pressing the stuffing box is provided above the support groove 303. A clamping device for fastening the pressure ring 3 is provided on the upper plane of the mounting plate 1. The clamping device consists of a base 302 fixed to the upper surface of the mounting plate 1, with multiple sets of bases 302 provided on the mounting plate 1. A clamping bolt is vertically screwed onto the base 302. An L-shaped clamping block 301 is fitted onto the clamping bolt. One end of the clamping block 301 is connected to the clamping bolt, and the other end abuts against the upper surface of the pressure ring 3. By rotating the clamping bolt downwards, the clamping block 301 is pressed down, transmitting the clamping force to the pressure ring 3, thereby pressing the stuffing box within the support groove 303. When compressed, the stuffing box expands laterally, pressing tightly against the inner wall of the tank to form a tight contact-type auxiliary seal. This adjustable compression design allows for easy compensation when the packing wears or loosens later in use, extending the seal's service life.

[0044] A fixing ring 201 is provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate 1. An annular scraper 2 is installed on the top of the fixing ring 201. The scraper is made of rubber and extends outward to elastically abut against the inner wall of the tank. The annular scraper 2 is located above the secondary seal and can play a third protection role. It scrapes off the medium adhering to the tank wall when the liquid level rises and falls, and blocks trace amounts of oil and gas that may cross the primary and secondary seals.

[0045] To ensure stable operation of the floating roof, an anti-rotation device 101 and a manhole 102 are also provided on the upper part of the fastening structure, i.e., the mounting plate 1. The anti-rotation device 101, in conjunction with the tank wall or the guide pipe inside the tank, prevents the floating roof from rotating or shifting during lifting and lowering. The manhole 102 is used by maintenance personnel to enter under the floating roof for inspection and maintenance. At the bottom of the floating box 7, multiple support rods 4 are also vertically installed. When the storage tank is emptied, these support rods 4 can support the entire floating roof on the tank bottom, protecting the bottom structure and sealing device from compression. In this embodiment, the carbon fiber floating box 7 eliminates leakage of the main body, and a multi-seal system consisting of a primary elastic seal, a secondary adjustable packing seal, and an optional top scraper significantly improves the overall sealing performance and long-term operational reliability.

[0046] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A carbon fiber float having a seal structure, characterized by, The application relates to a floating box, which is composed of a plurality of carbon fiber box bodies. The upper part of the floating box is provided with a fastening structure for fixing the floating box. The upper part of the fastening structure is circular, and the side cover of the fastening structure is arranged on the side of the floating box. The side of the fastening structure is provided with a sealing device for filling the gap between the fastening structure and the inner wall of the tank body. The sealing device comprises a primary sealing device arranged at the lower part of the fastening structure, and a secondary sealing device arranged above the primary sealing device. The primary sealing device comprises mounting grooves arranged on the side wall of the fastening structure, and the mounting grooves are internally provided with sealing rings.

2. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper part of the fastening structure is a metal mounting plate, the side of the mounting plate is provided with a skirt, and the sealing device is arranged on the side of the mounting plate and the skirt.

3. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting grooves are provided with a plurality of connecting blocks for fixing the sealing rings, the two side edges of the connecting blocks are provided with clamping grooves for connecting the end portions of the sealing rings, and the clamping grooves are internally provided with connecting columns.

4. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sealing ring is an arc-shaped ring which is clamped in the mounting grooves in multiple sections, and the end portions of the arc-shaped ring are provided with connecting grooves and connecting columns.

5. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connecting grooves are step grooves, the connecting columns are arranged on one side close to the bottom of the mounting grooves, the outer side of the connecting columns is provided with springs, the end portions of the sealing rings are provided with buckles matched with the step grooves, and the springs abut against the end portions of the connecting grooves.

6. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper part of the mounting plate is provided with an anti-rotation device and a manhole, and the secondary sealing device is arranged on the side of the mounting plate.

7. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The secondary sealing device comprises support grooves arranged along the circumferential direction of the mounting plate, the support grooves are internally used for filling packing boxes, the upper part of the support grooves is provided with a pressing ring used for pressing the packing boxes, and the upper part of the mounting plate is provided with a pressing device used for fastening the pressing ring.

8. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pressing device comprises a base arranged on the upper part of the mounting plate, the upper part of the base is vertically screwed with a pressing bolt, the pressing bolt is provided with a pressing block, the pressing block is L-shaped, one end of the pressing block is connected with the pressing bolt, and the other end of the pressing block abuts against the upper surface of the pressing ring.

9. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, The upper surface of the mounting plate is provided with a fixing ring, and the top of the fixing ring is provided with an annular scraper abutting against the inner wall of the tank body.

10. The carbon fiber floating disc with a sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the floating box is vertically provided with a plurality of supporting rods.

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