Connecting piece, tank wall comprising such a connecting piece, and method for manufacturing such a wall

Abstract

The invention relates to a connecting piece (45) for a sealing membrane of a watertight and thermally insulating tank wall, the connecting piece (45) comprising: - a first and a second parallel edges (55, 56); - a third and a fourth edge (61, 62) each connecting the first and second edges (55, 56); and - corrugations (52) extending from the first edge (55) to the second edge (56), and comprising an inclined portion (69) extending in a direction inclined relative to the first direction; the first edge (55) of the connecting piece (45) comprising a first notch (65), the second edge (56) of the connecting piece (45) comprising a second notch (66). Figure for the abstract: 8

Description

Title of the invention: Connecting piece, tank wall comprising such a connecting piece, and method for manufacturing such a wall. Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of leak-proof tanks with corrugated metal membranes, for the storage and / or transport of a liquefied gas.

[0002] In particular, the invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks for the storage and / or transport of liquefied gases, such as tanks for transporting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (also called LPG) with a temperature, for example, between -50°C and 0°C, or for transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at approximately -162°C at atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on land or on a floating structure. In the case of a floating structure, the tank can be used for transporting liquefied gas or for receiving liquefied gas to serve as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure. Technological background

[0003] In the prior art, it is known that sealed and thermally insulating tanks have corrugated sealing membranes. The corrugated sealing membranes comprise corrugated metal sheets that are welded overlapping to one another along their edges. The edges of the corrugated sheets that are overlapped by the edge of an adjacent corrugated metal sheet are further welded to anchor strips attached to a thermally insulating barrier. Each of the corrugated sheets has two sets of mutually perpendicular corrugations. The corrugations provide the sealing membrane with flexibility, allowing it to deform under the effect of the thermal and mechanical stresses generated by the liquefied gas stored in the tank, as well as under the effect of deformations of the tank's supporting structure.

[0004] It is known to use offset pieces to ensure the continuity of the corrugations of a corrugated waterproofing membrane in an area where the corrugations are offset from one another. Such offset pieces are disclosed, in particular, in connection with [Fig. 5] of application FR2961580. Each offset piece has a single angled corrugation. On one side, the offset piece is welded in a watertight manner to the end of a corrugation of a corrugated sheet. On the other side, the offset piece is welded to the end of an angled corrugation of another offset piece, which is itself welded to the end of an adjacent corrugation of a corrugated sheet.

[0005] While such offsetting pieces are suitable when only some of the corrugations of the metal membranes are offset, their use is not suitable for ensuring the continuity of the corrugations in a connection zone between two zones of a corrugated waterproofing membrane when all the corrugations perpendicular to said connection zone are misaligned with respect to the corresponding corrugations of the other zone. Such conditions are particularly likely to occur when two zones of a waterproofing membrane are manufactured independently of each other before being joined, and positioning tolerances thus result in misalignments between the corrugations of the two zones during their assembly.Indeed, in such circumstances, the use of such deflection parts requires numerous welding operations, thus considerably increasing the complexity and duration of the manufacturing operations for the sealing membrane. Summary of the invention

[0006] One idea underlying the invention is to propose a connecting piece that solves the aforementioned technical problems, in particular by ensuring, in a simple way, a connection between two areas of a sealing membrane whose corrugations are offset from each other.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the invention provides a joining piece for a sealing membrane of a watertight and thermally insulating tank wall, said joining piece being intended to connect in a watertight manner a first, a second, a third and a fourth corrugated sheet of the sealing membrane, each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having undulations extending parallel to a first direction, the second corrugated sheet being adjacent to the first corrugated sheet in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the third corrugated sheet being spaced from the first corrugated sheet in the first direction, the fourth corrugated sheet being spaced from the second corrugated sheet in the first direction, the undulations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets being offset with respect to the undulations of the first and second corrugated sheets,the joining piece comprising: - a first and a second edge, extending in the second direction; - a third and a fourth edge, each connecting the first and second edges; and - undulations extending from the first edge to the second edge, said undulations having a first end portion intended to be arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets and a second end portion intended to be arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets and comprising an inclined portion which extends in a direction inclined relative to the first direction; the first edge of the joining piece having a first notch along which the joining piece is intended to be welded to an anchor strip, said first notch being spaced from the third and fourth edges of the joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said first edge which are respectively intended to be welded to the first and second corrugated sheets, the second edge of the joining piece having a second notch along which the joining piece is intended to be welded to an anchor strip, said second notch being spaced from the third and fourth edges of the joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said second edge which are respectively intended to be welded to the third and fourth corrugated sheets.

[0008] Thus, a single connecting piece makes it easy to ensure the continuity of a series of off-center corrugations. Furthermore, since the notches are positioned away from the third and fourth edges, the connecting pieces can be welded to each other, by overlapping said third and fourth edges, in a different area from the area where the connecting pieces are welded to the anchor strips. This simplifies the manufacturing and welding operations.

[0009] According to embodiments, such a connecting piece may include one or more of the following characteristics.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the joining piece comprises a first and a second edge surface which extend respectively along the first and second edges and a central zone positioned between the first and second edge surfaces, the first end portion of the corrugations extending parallel to the first direction in the first edge surface, the second end portion of the corrugations extending parallel to the first direction in the second edge surface, the inclined portion of the corrugations extending into the central zone.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the first edge surface has a joggliding which is intended to overcome the first and second corrugated sheets.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the second edge surface has a joggliding which is intended to overcome the third and fourth corrugated sheets.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the first end portion and the second end portion of each of the corrugations of the joining piece are offset from each other by an offset value D, and the first notch and the second notches are offset from each other along the second direction of said offset value D.

[0014] Such a joining piece can be manufactured in various ways, for example in several sub-parts assembled by welding. According to one embodiment, the joining piece is formed in one piece from a sheet of metal.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising a thermally insulating barrier and a sealing membrane which is anchored to said thermally insulating barrier and comprises: - a first and a second corrugated sheet which are welded to each other at the right angle of a first anchoring strip which extends parallel to a first direction, the second corrugated sheet being adjacent to the first corrugated sheet in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, in which one of the first and second corrugated sheets is anchored to the first anchoring strip; and - a third and a fourth corrugated sheet which are welded to each other at the right of a second anchoring strip which extends parallel to the first direction and one of which is anchored to the second anchoring strip; the third corrugated sheet being spaced from the first corrugated sheet in the first direction, the fourth corrugated sheet being spaced from the second corrugated sheet in the first direction, each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having corrugations extending parallel to the first direction, the corrugations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets being offset from the corrugations of the first and second corrugated sheets, the sealing membrane further comprising a joining piece of the aforementioned type,the first end portion of each of the corrugations of the joining piece being arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets and the second end portion of the corrugations of the joining piece being arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets, the joining piece being welded to the second anchor strip along the first notch and along the second notch, the first and second portions of the first edge being welded respectively to the first and second corrugated sheets, the first and second portions of the second edge being welded respectively to the third and fourth corrugated sheets.

[0016] According to embodiments, such a wall may include one or more of the following characteristics.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the first end portion of each of the corrugations of the joining piece is arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of the first corrugated sheet and the second end portion of said undulations is arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of the third corrugated sheet.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the third and fourth corrugated sheets are anchored to a third anchoring strip which extends perpendicularly to the second anchoring strip and the second edge of the first joining piece is welded with a lap to the third and fourth corrugated sheets at the third anchoring strip.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the joining piece is a first joining piece and the wall further comprises a second joining piece comprising: - a first and a second edge, parallel to the second direction; - a third and a fourth edge, each connecting the first and second edges; and - undulations extending between the first and second edges, said undulations having a first end portion arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of the second corrugated sheet and a second end portion arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of the fourth corrugated sheet and comprising an inclined portion extending in a direction inclined relative to the first direction; the first edge of the second joining piece having a first notch along which the second joining piece is welded to a fourth anchor strip parallel to the first direction, said first notch being spaced from the third and fourth edges of the second joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said first edge, the first portion of said first edge being welded to the second corrugated sheet, the second edge of the second joining piece having a second notch along which the second joining piece is welded to a fifth anchor strip, said second notch being spaced from the third and fourth edges of the second joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said second edge, the first portion of said second edge being welded to the fourth corrugated sheet; the third edge of the second joining piece being welded overlapping with the fourth edge of the first joining piece.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the second anchoring strip has a greater width than other anchoring strips located at a distance from the connecting pieces. Thanks to the greater width of the second anchoring strip, the positioning tolerance of the corrugated sheets located on either side of the connecting piece is increased. Such an arrangement thus contributes to compensating for the positioning tolerances of the tank elements on either side of the zones of joining. According to another embodiment, the first anchor strip and the second anchor strip have a width greater than that of other anchor strips arranged at a distance from the joining pieces.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the first and second corrugated sheets are joining corrugated sheets and the first anchoring strip is fixed to a joining insulating block; the tank wall comprising: - a first and a second pre-assembled sub-assemblies each comprising: a portion of load-bearing structure, the portion of load-bearing structure of the first and second pre-assembled sub-assemblies comprising respectively a first and a second junction zones; insulating blocks anchored to said portion of the load-bearing structure and equipped with additional anchoring strips; and a portion of the waterproofing membrane comprising corrugated sheets which are anchored to said other anchoring strips and welded overlapping to each other; the third and fourth corrugated sheets forming part of the waterproofing membrane portion of the second pre-assembled sub-assembly, the first and second joining zones being welded to each other along a first weld line; the second anchoring strip being fixed to an insulating block of the second pre-assembled sub-assembly; - the insulating joint block being anchored to the first and second joint zones between the insulating blocks of the first pre-assembled sub-assembly and the insulating blocks of the second pre-assembled sub-assembly, said insulating joint block spanning the first weld line; the first anchor strip being perpendicular to the first weld line; and - the first and second corrugated sheets being anchored to the first anchoring strip and being connected in a watertight manner, on the one hand, to the portion of the sealing membrane of the first pre-assembled sub-assembly, the joining piece connecting the first and second corrugated sheets to the third and fourth corrugated sheets being part of the portion of the sealing membrane of the second pre-assembled sub-assembly.

[0022] According to one embodiment, each insulating block comprises a secondary panel, a waterproof coating, and a primary panel that are bonded to one another. The primary panel has an internal surface in which recesses are provided to house the anchoring strips. The primary panel has dimensions smaller than those of the secondary panel so that a peripheral area of ​​the waterproof coating is not covered by the primary panel. around it, flexible waterproof strips are positioned straddling the peripheral areas adjacent to the waterproof coatings of the adjacent insulating blocks.

[0023] According to one embodiment, each insulating joint block comprises a secondary panel, a waterproof coating, and a primary panel bonded to one another. The primary panel has an internal surface in which a recess is formed to house the first anchoring strip. The primary panel has dimensions smaller than those of the secondary panel so that a peripheral area of ​​the waterproof coating is not covered by the primary panel all around it. Flexible waterproof strips are positioned across the adjacent peripheral areas of the waterproof coatings of the adjacent insulating joint blocks.

[0024] According to one embodiment, flexible sealing strips are positioned straddling: between the peripheral area of ​​the sealing coating of the joint insulating block and that of at least one insulating block of the first pre-assembled sub-assembly, and between the peripheral area of ​​the sealing coating of the joint insulating block and that of at least one insulating block of the second pre-assembled sub-assembly in order to ensure the continuity of the secondary sealing membrane.

[0025] According to one embodiment, intermediate primary panels are housed in the spaces between the primary panels of adjacent insulating blocks, between the primary panels of insulating blocks and those of junction insulating blocks and between the primary panels of adjacent junction insulating blocks.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for manufacturing a sealed and thermally insulating tank wall comprising the following steps: - weld a first and a second corrugated sheet to each other at the right of a first anchoring strip which extends parallel to a first direction, one of the first and a second corrugated sheets being anchored to said first anchoring strip; - weld a third and a fourth corrugated sheet to each other at the right of a second anchoring strip which extends parallel to the first direction, one of the third and a fourth corrugated sheet being anchored to said second anchoring strip; each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having undulations extending parallel to the first direction; - determine an offset value D representative of the offset of the corrugations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets with respect to the corrugations of the first and second corrugated sheets; - to provide a joining piece comprising a first and a second edge parallel to each other, a third and a fourth edge connecting the first and the second edge to each other and undulations, said undulations extending from the first edge to the second edge, parallel to each other and each having a first and a second end; - exert on each of the undulations of the joining piece two forces which are directed in opposite directions on either side of the undulation, with points of application offset from each other on either side of a median perpendicular to the undulation, until the first and second ends of each of the undulations are offset from each other by a distance corresponding to the value of misalignment D; - to provide a first notch in the first edge of the joining piece separating a first portion and a second portion of said first edge and a second notch in the second edge of the joining piece separating a first portion and a second portion of said second edge; the first notch and the second notch being misaligned with each other in a direction parallel to the first and second edges by said misalignment value D; - to position said joining piece in such a way that the first ends of the corrugations of the joining piece are aligned with one of the corrugations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets, and the second ends of the corrugations of the joining piece are aligned with one of the corrugations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets; - to weld the joining piece to the second anchor strip along the first notch and along the second notch, - weld the first and second portions of the first edge respectively to the first and second corrugated sheets; and - weld the first portion and the second portion of the second edge respectively to the third and fourth corrugated sheets.

[0027] Some steps can be carried out simultaneously, for example, the offsetting of the corrugations and the formation of the notches. Some steps can be carried out in a different order than stated above.

[0028] Preferably, the first notch and / or the second notch is spaced apart by a corrugation of the joining piece at a distance substantially equal to half a corrugation pitch, i.e., for example, 170 mm. This makes it easy to align the first notch and / or the second notch with a connection area between the first corrugated sheet and the second corrugated sheet.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising at least one sealed and thermally insulating wall of the aforementioned type.

[0030] A tank according to one of the aforementioned embodiments may be an onshore storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or be installed in a floating structure, whether coastal or deep-water, in particular an ethane or LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production and remote storage unit (FPSO), and others. In the case of a floating structure, the tank may be intended to receive liquefied natural gas used as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the invention relates to a vessel for the transport of a fluid which includes a tank of the aforementioned type.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the ship comprises a double hull which forms the load-bearing structure.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a transfer system for a fluid, the system comprising the aforementioned vessel, insulated pipes arranged to connect the vessel's tank to a floating or land-based storage facility and a pump to drive a flow of fluid through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or land-based storage facility to or from the vessel's tank.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, in which a fluid is conveyed through insulated pipes from or to a floating or land-based storage facility to or from the vessel's tank. Brief description of the figures

[0035] The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The [Fig. 1] is a partial representation of a sealed and thermally insulated liquefied gas storage tank, during assembly.

[0037] Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of zone II of Fig. 1, which illustrates several pre-assembled sub-assemblies intended for the construction of the sealed and thermally insulating tank as well as the junction zones at the interface between said pre-assembled sub-assemblies.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of several adjacent insulating blocks.

[0039] [Fig. 4] is a view similar to [Fig. 2] in which insulating blocks of junctions are arranged in the junction areas.

[0040] Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of zone V of Fig. 4 illustrating in detail one of the insulating blocks arranged in the junction zones.

[0041] Fig. 6 is viewed similarly to Fig. 5, further illustrating corrugated joining sheets of the primary sealing membrane arranged in the joining areas.

[0042] Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, further illustrating joining pieces of the primary sealing membrane allowing the joining corrugated sheets to be connected to corrugated sheets of one of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies.

[0043] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a connecting piece according to one embodiment.

[0044] Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of zone IX of Fig. 7 illustrating the primary metal membrane in a zone in which connecting pieces join each other and to metal sheets of the primary sealing membrane.

[0045] [Fig. 10] is an enlarged view of area X of [Fig. 4] illustrating joining plates and joining pieces according to another embodiment.

[0046] Fig. 11 is a plan view of a connecting piece according to another embodiment.

[0047] Figure 12 is viewed similarly to Figure 5, illustrating a junction insulating panel according to another embodiment.

[0048] Figure 13 is a schematic cutaway representation of a tank on an LNG carrier and a loading / unloading terminal for this tank. Description of embodiments

[0049] By convention, the terms "external" and "internal" are used to define the relative position of one element with respect to another, by reference to the inside and outside of the tank.

[0050] Figure 1 partially illustrates a tank 1 of a ship, intended for storing a liquefied gas, during the assembly of said tank. The liquefied gas intended to be stored in the tank may in particular be liquefied natural gas (LNG) - that is to say a gaseous mixture consisting mainly of methane as well as one or more other hydrocarbons - ethane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - that is to say a mixture of hydrocarbons from petroleum refining consisting mainly of propane and butane - liquid hydrogen or liquid ammonia.

[0051] The tank 1 is supported by a load-bearing structure which, in the illustrated embodiment, is formed by the double hull of a ship. The double hull comprises an outer hull 3 and an inner hull 4.

[0052] The tank 1 is mounted inside a polyhedral compartment of the inner shell 4. The compartment is defined by a plurality of load-bearing walls.

[0053] In the embodiment shown, the compartment is defined by: - two cofferdam walls 11, one of which is shown in [Fig. 1], which extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ship; - a ceiling wall 12; - a bottom wall 13; - two lateral walls 14, 15 which extend along the longitudinal direction of the ship and which connect the two walls of cofferdam 11; - two upper chamfered walls 16, 17 which extend along the longitudinal direction of the ship and which each connect, on the one hand, the two cofferdam walls 11 to each other and, on the other hand, one of the side walls 14, 15 to the ceiling wall 12; and - two lower chamfer walls 18, 19 which extend along the longitudinal direction of the vessel and each connect, on the one hand, the two cofferdam walls 11 to each other and, on the other hand, one of the side walls 14, 15 to the bottom wall 13.

[0054] The tank walls have a multilayer structure. Thus, each tank wall comprises successively, from the outside in, along the thickness direction of the wall, a secondary thermally insulating barrier 7 retained to the supporting structure, a secondary sealing membrane 8 bearing against the secondary thermally insulating barrier 7, a primary thermally insulating barrier 9 bearing against the secondary sealing membrane 8 and a primary sealing membrane 10 bearing against the primary thermally insulating barrier 9 and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.The undulations of the primary membrane are not illustrated in [Fig. 1].

[0055] The construction of the tank 1, as shown in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2], includes a preliminary step of manufacturing several pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23. Each pre-assembled sub-assembly 20, 21, 22, 23 comprises a portion of the load-bearing structure, insulating blocks 24 which are anchored to said portion of the load-bearing structure, portions of the secondary sealing membrane 8 which are fixed to the insulating blocks 24 and, advantageously, corrugated sheets 25 of the primary sealing membrane 10 which are also anchored to the insulating blocks 24. Preferably, each insulating block 24 forms both a portion of the secondary thermally insulating barrier 7, a portion of the secondary sealing membrane 8 and a portion of the primary thermally insulating barrier 9.

[0056] In [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2], four pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 are shown. Each pre-assembled sub-assembly 20, 21, 22, 23 comprises portions of one or more load-bearing walls of the load-bearing structure. More particularly, in the embodiment shown, each of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 comprises a portion of the Cofferdam wall 11, a portion of one of the side walls 14 and 15, a portion of one of the upper chamfer walls 16 and 17 and a portion of the ceiling wall 12. Each of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 22 and 23 comprises a portion of the cofferdam wall 11, a portion of one of the side walls 14 and 15, a portion of one of the lower chamfer walls 18 and 19 and a portion of the bottom wall 13.

[0057] Advantageously, each pre-assembled sub-assembly 20, 21, 22, 23 comprises a portion of the inner shell 4, a portion of the outer shell 3 and a network of structural reinforcements including structural reinforcements 76 which are welded, on the one hand, to said portion of the inner shell 4 and, on the other hand, to said portion of the outer shell 3.

[0058] The pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 are intended to be assembled together to manufacture the tank 1 and, where applicable, a portion of the vessel incorporating it. These pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 are advantageously manufactured in a workshop, thereby limiting the time required to use a dry dock and / or quay.

[0059] The insulating blocks 24 are fixed to the load-bearing structural portion in a juxtaposed manner according to a repeating pattern. The insulating blocks 24 have longitudinal directions—corresponding to the direction of their longest dimension—which are arranged parallel to each other. As shown in [Fig. 3], each insulating block 24 comprises a secondary panel 2, a waterproof coating 6, and a primary panel 27, which are bonded to one another. The secondary panel 2 comprises an outer rigid plate 28, for example, made of plywood, and a layer of insulating polymer foam 29, for example, fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam, such as glass fibers. The primary panel 27 comprises a layer of insulating polymer foam 38, for example, polyurethane foam advantageously reinforced with fibers, such as glass fibers, and an inner rigid plate 39.

[0060] The waterproof coating 26 covers the secondary panel 2. This waterproof coating 26 comprises, for example, an aluminum sheet sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass fabric impregnated with a resin, for example, polyamide. The waterproof coating 26 is bonded to the secondary panel 2, for example, by means of a polyurethane adhesive.

[0061] The secondary panel 2 and the primary panel 27 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The primary panel 27 has smaller dimensions than the secondary panel 2, so that a peripheral area of ​​the waterproof coating 26 is not covered by the primary panel 27, all around it.

[0062] To ensure the fixing of the insulating blocks 24 to the load-bearing structure, the primary panel 27 has wells 30, regularly distributed along the edges longitudinal members of said primary panel 27, in which anchoring devices 31 are housed. The anchoring devices 31 comprise, for example, a threaded stud welded to the supporting structural portion and a bearing plate held by a nut screwed to said stud against a shoulder formed inside the well 30. Insulating plugs 32 are positioned in the wells 30 to seal them.

[0063] To ensure the continuity of the secondary waterproofing membrane 8, flexible waterproofing strips 33 are positioned across the adjacent peripheral areas of the waterproofing coatings 26 of the adjacent insulating blocks 24. The flexible waterproofing strips 33 comprise, for example, an aluminum sheet sandwiched between two layers of resin-impregnated fiberglass fabric.

[0064] Furthermore, in order to ensure the continuity of the primary thermally insulating barrier 9, the space between the primary panels 27 of the adjacent insulating blocks 24 is filled by intermediate primary panels 34. Each intermediate primary panel 34 has a structure similar to that of the primary panels 27, namely a layer of polymer foam 35 and an internal rigid plate 36. The intermediate primary panels 34 are bonded to the waterproof coatings 26.

[0065] As shown, for example, in [Fig. 2], the primary sealing membrane 10 is obtained by assembling a plurality of corrugated sheets 25. Each corrugated sheet 25 has two sets of mutually perpendicular corrugations. The corrugations project towards the interior of the tank. Adjacent corrugated sheets 25 are welded together with an overlap along their edges. In addition, the edges of the corrugated sheets 25 that are overlapped by an edge of an adjacent metal sheet are welded, for example, by spot welding, to anchor strips 37, 82. The anchor strips 37, 82 are housed and fixed in recesses formed in the inner surface of the primary panels 27 and the intermediate primary panels 34, and more particularly in their internal rigid plate 36, 39.In practice, each anchor strip 37 or 82 can be formed from a plurality of metal elements aligned in one direction on the internal rigid plate 39 of a primary panel 27 or an intermediate primary panel 34.

[0066] The corrugated sheets 25 are, for example, made of stainless steel. The corrugated sheets 25 are rectangular and preferably have width and length dimensions that are integer multiples of the inter-corrugation interval of the primary sealing membrane 10. Furthermore, the dimensions of the corrugated sheets 25 are also integer multiples of the dimensions of the primary panels 27. Each of the corrugated sheets 25 is anchored astride four adjacent insulating blocks 24. In addition, the corrugated sheets 25 are arranged so that their longitudinal direction, i.e., the direction of their longest dimension, is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the insulating blocks 24. In one embodiment, the sheets wavy lines have a length that corresponds to nine inter-wavy intervals and a width that corresponds to three inter-wavy intervals.

[0067] The pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 have, along their edges, joining areas 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 which are intended to be welded to each other by weld lines 41, 42, 89, 90. The joining areas 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 are not covered with insulating blocks 24 until they are welded to each other.

[0068] In the embodiment shown, the tank walls mounted against the cofferdam walls 11, the ceiling wall 12, the bottom wall 13, and the side walls 14, 15 have junction zones 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 perpendicular to each other. The junction zones 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 of said tank walls thus define a cross-shaped pattern. By convention, the junction zones which extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal directions of the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 shall be designated "transverse junction zones 46, 83, 86, 88" while those which extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23 shall be designated "longitudinal junction zones 47, 84, 85, 87".

[0069] As shown in [Fig. 4], insulating joining blocks 43 are anchored in the joining zones 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23. The insulating joining blocks 43 are arranged straddling the joining zones 46, 83; 47, 85; 84, 87; 86, 88 of the two adjacent pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23. In other words, the insulating joining blocks 43 are oriented so that their longitudinal direction, i.e., the direction of their longest dimension, is perpendicular to the weld line 41, 42, 89, 90 which they span. Such an arrangement is advantageous in that it allows to mitigate the phenomena of unevenness, according to the direction of thickness, which may occur between the portions of the load-bearing structure of the adjacent pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23.

[0070] In the intersection zone between the junction zones 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, which are perpendicular to each other, the junction insulating blocks 43 can optionally be positioned perpendicular or parallel to the longitudinal direction of the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23. Advantageously, when the tank wall has a vertical component, as is the case for the cofferdam walls 11 and the side walls 14, 15, the junction insulating blocks 43 are positioned transversely to the direction of the Earth's gravitational field in the intersection zone between the junction zones. This facilitates the placement of the junction insulating blocks 43 in this zone.

[0071] The insulating joint blocks 43 have width and length dimensions that are integer multiples of the spacing between the corrugations of the primary sealing membrane 10. Advantageously, the length of the insulating joint blocks 43 is substantially equal to the sum of the two joint zones 46, 83; 47, 85; 84, 87; 86, 88, respectively located on either side of the weld line 41, 42, 89, 90. In the embodiment shown, the joint zones 46, 83; 47, 85; 84, 87; 86, 88 have equal widths on either side of the weld line 41, 42, 89, 90. Thus, each junction zone 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 corresponds approximately to 50% of the length of the junction insulating blocks 43.

[0072] Advantageously, in the transverse junction zones 46, 83, 86, 88, the width of the junction insulating blocks 43 is equal to the width of the insulating blocks 24. Similarly, in the longitudinal junction zones 47, 84, 85, 87, the width of the junction insulating blocks 43 is such that the length of the insulating blocks 24 is advantageously an integer multiple of the width of the junction insulating blocks 43.

[0073] The insulating joint blocks 43 have a structure similar to that of the insulating blocks 24 described previously. In other words, the insulating joint blocks 43 comprise a secondary panel anchored to the load-bearing structure, a waterproof coating, and a primary panel that are bonded to one another. The primary panels of the insulating joint blocks 43 also include anchoring strips 37, 82, and enlarged anchoring strips 48, 49, which are housed and fixed in recesses formed in the inner surface of said primary panels and to which the edges of the corrugated joint sheets 44, which will be described subsequently, are intended to be welded.

[0074] As with the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, flexible sealing strips 33 are positioned straddling the sealing coatings 26 of the adjacent junction insulating blocks 43 and those of the insulating blocks 24 and the adjacent junction insulating blocks 43 so as to ensure the sealing of the secondary sealing membrane 8. Similarly, intermediate primary panels 34 are arranged between the primary panels of the adjacent junction insulating blocks 43 as well as between those of the junction insulating blocks 43 and those of the adjacent insulating blocks 24.

[0075] As shown, for example, in [Fig. 5], the widened anchor strips 48, 49 are oriented perpendicular to the weld line 41, 42, 89, 90, which their insulating joining block 43 spans, and have a greater width than the anchor strips 37, 82. The width of the widened anchor strips 48, 49 is, for example, between 9 and 11 cm, while that of the anchor strips 37, 82 is between 7 and 9 cm. As can be seen in Figures 2, 4, and 5, widened anchor strips 48 can also be provided on the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, at the ends of the anchor strips 37. are oriented towards the weld lines 41, 90. Similarly, widened anchor strips 49 could also be provided on the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, at the ends of the anchor strips 82 which are oriented towards the weld lines 42, 89.

[0076] Thus, by increasing the width of the widened anchor strips 48, 49, the freedom of positioning of the insulating joining blocks 43 is increased, perpendicular to their longitudinal direction while retaining the possibility of welding the edges of the corrugated joining sheets 44 onto said widened anchor strips 48, 49. As will be detailed later, this arrangement helps to compensate for the positioning tolerances of the insulating blocks 24 and the corrugated sheets 25 of a pre-assembled sub-assembly 20, 21, 22, 23 with respect to those of the sub-assembly located on the other side of the weld line 41, 42, 89, 90 in question.

[0077] With reference to Figures 6 and 7, the structure of the primary sealing membrane 10 is observed in the junction zones 46, 47, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88. The primary sealing membrane 10 between the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 will be described in more detail. In the junction zones 46 and 83, the primary sealing membrane 10 comprises corrugated joining sheets 44. In a misalignment compensation zone 40 between the junction zones 46 and 83, an edge of the corrugated joining sheets 44 is connected to the corrugated sheets 25 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21 by a joining piece 45. The misalignment compensation zone 40 defines a line that is generally parallel to the weld line 41. The same applies between each pair of sub-assemblies.

[0078] Preferably, the corrugated joining sheets 44 extend beyond the insulating joining blocks 43 towards the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21 and extend to the primary panels 27 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21. Thus, the edges of the corrugated joining sheets 44 bordering the misalignment compensation zone 40 actually surmount the primary panels 27 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21 and the anchor strips 37 or widened anchor strips 48 carried by these primary panels.

[0079] Thus, [Fig.6] also shows a misalignment compensation zone 51 parallel to the weld line 42, to compensate for misalignments between the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 22. In the end, the misalignment compensation zones between the four pre-assembled sub-assemblies also define a cross-shaped pattern.

[0080] The connecting pieces 45 have the function of ensuring continuity of the parallel corrugations of two adjacent pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 despite the manufacturing tolerances and relative positioning of the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21.

[0081] To this end, when the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 have been welded by the weld line 41, an offset value D is determined between the pair of two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 that are welded to each other. The offset value D corresponds, for the pair of two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 welded to each other by the weld line 41, to the minimum distance between the axis of a corrugation perpendicular to said weld line 41 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 20 (e.g. corrugation 67 of [Fig. 9]) and the axis of a corrugation perpendicular to said weld line 41 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21 (e.g. corrugation 68 of [Fig. 9]). As the corrugated sheets 25 are precisely positioned on the insulating blocks 24 of each pre-assembled sub-assembly, the misalignment reflects a corresponding offset between the rows of insulating blocks belonging respectively to the two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21.

[0082] To compensate for this misalignment, the insulating junction blocks 43 are arranged straddling the two junction zones 46 and 83 between the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21 of the pair. The insulating junction blocks 43 are advantageously positioned so that, in the direction of the weld line 41, they are located at an intermediate position between the rows of insulating blocks of the two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21. The insulating junction blocks 43 are, for example, offset in the direction of the weld line 41 by a value P between D / 3 and D, and for example on the order of D / 2, relative to the insulating blocks 24 of one of the two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21.

[0083] Furthermore, as shown for example in Figures 8 and 9, the joining pieces 45 have corrugations 52 which each have an inclined portion 69 which extends in a direction inclined relative to the direction of the corrugations perpendicular to the weld line 41, so as to compensate for said offset value D.

[0084] The joining pieces 45 are obtained in one piece from a sheet of metal that has been previously stamped and / or bent. The sheet metal has a series of corrugations 52 parallel to each other and two edge surfaces 53, 54. The two edge surfaces 53, 54 extend along the two longitudinal edges 55, 56 of the sheet metal, i.e., one edge surface corresponds to one lateral end of the joining piece 45. The sheet metal also has a central zone 57 which is disposed between the two edge surfaces 53, 54. The edge surfaces 53, 54 are advantageously separated from the central zone 57 by a rib 58 which stiffens the sheet metal.In addition, the two edge surfaces 53, 54 form a jogglinage, that is to say, they form a difference in level with respect to the central zone 57, by which means they are able to overcome the edges of the corrugated sheets 25 and the adjacent junction corrugated sheets 44.

[0085] Subsequently, this metal sheet is deformed by a machine, designated a "decentering machine." The decentering machine is configured to exert two forces on the metal sheet, directed in opposite directions on either side of a corrugation 52, and whose points of application are offset from each other on either side of a median perpendicular to the corrugation 52 and dividing the metal sheet into two equal portions. These forces are applied until the ends 59, 60 of each of the corrugations 52 are offset from each other by a distance corresponding to the offset value D, previously measured.

[0086] Subsequently, the transverse edges 61, 62 of the metal sheet are cut perpendicularly to the longitudinal edges 55, 56, providing chamfered corner areas 63, 64 between the transverse edges 61, 62 and the longitudinal edges 55, 56. In addition, two notches 65, 66, for example in the shape of an isosceles triangle, are respectively provided in each of the two edge surfaces 53, 54. The notches 65, 66 are provided in areas intended to be positioned opposite the enlarged anchor strips 48, 49. The notches 65, 66 are also offset from each other along the longitudinal direction of the joining piece 45 by a distance corresponding to the aforementioned offset value D.

[0087] In relation to [Fig.9], we observe the connection of the joining pieces 45 between the corrugated joining sheets 44 which extend the undulations of the primary membrane of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 20 and the corrugated sheets 25 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21.

[0088] The joining pieces 45 are arranged so that the ends 59 and 60 of each of the corrugations 52 are located respectively opposite one of the corrugations 67 of one of the joining corrugated sheets 44 and one of the corrugations 68 of one of the corrugated sheets 25 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21.

[0089] The longitudinal edge 55 of each joining piece 45 overlaps one of the edges of two adjacent corrugated joining sheets 44, while the notch 65 of said longitudinal edge 55 is positioned opposite the anchor strip 37 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21 (or the extended anchor strip 48 located at the end of the anchor strip 37) at which said corrugated joining sheets 44 terminate. A weld line is made, preferably lap welded, along said longitudinal edge 55 and the notch 65 of the joining piece 45 so as to weld the latter in a watertight manner to the two adjacent corrugated joining sheets 44 as well as to the anchor strip 37 or extended anchor strip 48 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21.

[0090] Similarly, the other longitudinal edge 56 of each joining piece 45 overlaps one of the edges of two adjacent corrugated sheets 25, while the notch 66 of said longitudinal edge 56 is arranged opposite the same anchoring strip 37 or enlarged anchoring strip 48 opposite which said corrugated sheets 25 are finish. A weld line is advantageously made clinker-welded along said longitudinal edge 56 of the joining piece 45 so as to weld it in a watertight manner to the two adjacent corrugated sheets 25 as well as to the anchoring strip 37 or extended anchoring strip 48 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 21.

[0091] In addition, the joining pieces 45 are welded overlapping to each other along their transverse edges 61, 62.

[0092] Such joining pieces 45 are advantageous in that the notches 65, 66, positioned at a distance from the longitudinal edges 55, 56, allow the joining pieces 45 to be welded to each other, on the one hand, and to the anchor strips 37 or extended anchor strips 48, on the other hand, in two different areas. This simplifies the manufacturing operations of the joining pieces 45 and the watertight welding of said joining pieces 45 to each other as well as to the corrugated sheets 25 and the adjacent joining corrugated sheets 44.

[0093] With reference to [Fig. 10], we will describe more precisely the realization of the primary sealing membrane 10 between the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 22. For this, insulating junction blocks 43 are arranged straddling the junction areas 47 and 85 of the two pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 22 and carry enlarged anchoring strips 49 extending perpendicularly to the weld line 42.

[0094] Corrugated joining sheets 44 straddling the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 20 and the insulating joining blocks 43 extend the corrugations of the primary membrane of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 20 perpendicular to the weld line 42 to approximately the mid-length of the insulating joining blocks 43. Similarly, corrugated joining sheets 144 straddling the insulating blocks 24 of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 22 and the insulating joining blocks 43 extend the corrugations of the primary membrane of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 22 perpendicular to the weld line 42 to approximately the mid-length of the insulating joining blocks 43. An enlarged anchoring strip 49 is located, in particular, at each overlap zone between the edges of two corrugated joining sheets 44 and at each overlap zone between the edges of two corrugated joining sheets 144.

[0095] In relation to the corrugated joining sheets 144 of [Fig. 10], it can be seen that a single row of corrugated joining sheets 144 fills the space between the primary membrane of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 22 and the misalignment compensation zone 51. At the same location in the embodiment of [Fig. 7], it can be seen that two rows of joining sheets, not shown, would be required to fill the space between the primary membrane of the pre-assembled sub-assembly 22 and the misalignment compensation zone 51, namely one row extending from the joining sheet 44A and one row extending from the joining sheet 44B.

[0096] The misalignment compensation zone 51 is located between the joining corrugated sheets 144 and the joining corrugated sheets 44. The joining pieces 45 can also be used to connect the joining corrugated sheets 144 to the joining corrugated sheets 44 by compensating for misalignments of the corrugations perpendicular to the weld line 42.

[0097] Alternatively, in the absence of an anchor strip parallel to the misalignment compensation zone 51, modified joining pieces 145 may be used. The modified joining piece 145 is shown in top view in [Fig. 11]. It consists of three sub-parts 146 which are butt-welded parallel to the misalignment compensation zone 51. Each sub-part 146 has a general rectangular shape with chamfered corners. It has a single corrugation 52. As in the joining piece 45, the two edge surfaces 53 and 54 form a joggliding by which the sub-parts 146 are able to overcome the edges of the corrugated joining sheets 44 and 144. In addition, the sub-parts 146 are also welded overlapping to each other along their transverse edges 61 and 62.

[0098] One of the three sub-parts 146 has two notches 65 and 66 located respectively in its two edge surfaces 53 and 54, near the transverse edge 62 which is welded to the enlarged anchoring strip 49. For the rest the modified joining piece 145 is used in the same way as the joining piece 45.

[0099] With reference to [Fig. 12], at the crossing between the misalignment recovery zones 40 and 51, an insulating junction block 143 can carry a rectangular or square metal plate 148, to increase the surface available to join the two rows of junction pieces 45 and to recover from misalignment defects.

[0100] The technique described above for assembling four pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, whose weld lines 41, 42, 89, 90 form a cross, can easily be adapted to the assembly of only two or three pre-assembled sub-assemblies. In one embodiment, three pre-assembled sub-assemblies have weld lines joining in the form of a T. For example, this embodiment is obtained from [Fig. 2] by fusing the pre-assembled sub-assemblies 20 and 21, in which case the joining zones 46 and 83 do not exist, nor does the weld line 41.

[0101] With reference to [Fig. 13], a cutaway view of a ship, here a LNG carrier 70, shows a sealed and thermally insulating tank 71 of generally prismatic shape mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealed membrane intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealed membrane arranged between the primary sealed membrane and the double hull 72 of the ship, and two thermally insulating barriers arranged respectively between the primary waterproof membrane and the secondary waterproof membrane and between the secondary waterproof membrane and the double hull 72.

[0102] In a manner known per se, loading / unloading pipelines 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship can be connected, by means of suitable connectors, to a marine or port terminal to transfer a cargo of LNG from or to the tank 71.

[0103] Figure 13 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading berth 75, a subsea pipeline 76 and an onshore facility 77. The loading and unloading berth 75 is a fixed offshore facility comprising a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 which supports the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 which can be connected to the loading / unloading pipelines 73. The steerable movable arm 74 is suitable for all LNG carrier sizes. An unshown connecting pipeline extends inside tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 allows the ship 70 to be loaded and unloaded from or to the onshore facility 77. This facility includes liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting pipelines 81 linked by the subsea pipeline 76 to the loading or unloading station 75.The subsea pipeline 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore installation 77 over a long distance, for example 5 km, which allows the ship 70 to be kept a long distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

[0104] To generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps on board the ship 70 and / or pumps equipping the land installation 77 and / or pumps equipping the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

[0105] Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is clearly evident that it is by no means limited to them and that it includes all technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

[0106] The use of the verb "comprise", "comprendre" or "include" and its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those stated in a claim.

[0107] In the claims, any reference sign in parentheses shall not be interpreted as a limitation of the claim.

Claims

1. Demands Joining piece (45, 145) for a sealing membrane (10) of a watertight and thermally insulating tank wall, said joining piece (45, 145) being intended to watertightly connect a first, a second, a third and a fourth corrugated sheet (25) of the sealing membrane (10), each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having undulations extending parallel to a first direction, the second corrugated sheet being adjacent to the first corrugated sheet in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the third corrugated sheet being spaced from the first corrugated sheet in the first direction, the fourth corrugated sheet being spaced from the second corrugated sheet in the first direction, the undulations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) being offset from the undulations of the first and second corrugated sheets (44), the joining piece (45,145) comprising: - a first and a second edge (55, 56) extending in the second direction, - a third and a fourth edge (61, 62) which each connect the first and the second edge (55, 56); and, - undulations (52) extending from the first edge (55) to the second edge (56), said undulations (52) having a first end portion (59) intended to be arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets (44) and a second end portion (60) intended to be arranged in continuity with one of the undulations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) and comprising an inclined portion (69) extending in a direction inclined with respect to the first direction; the first edge (55) of the joining piece having a first notch (65) along which the joining piece is intended to be welded to an anchor strip (48), said first notch (65) being spaced from the third and fourth edges (61, 62) of the joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said first edge (55) which are respectively intended to be welded to the first and second corrugated sheets (44), the second edge (56) of the joining piece having a second notch (66) along which the joining piece is intended to be welded to an anchor strip (37, 48), said second notch (66) being spaced from the third and fourth edges (61, 62) of the joining piece so as to separate a first portion and a second portion of said second edge (56) which are respectively intended to be welded to the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25).

2. Joining piece (45, 145) according to claim 1, comprising a first and a second edge surfaces (53, 54) which extend respectively along the first and second edges (55, 56) and a central zone (57) positioned between the first and second edge surfaces (53, 54), the first end portion (59) of the corrugations extending parallel to the first direction in the first edge surface (53), the second end portion (60) of the corrugations extending parallel to the first direction in the second edge surface (54), the inclined portion (69) of the corrugations (52) extending into the central zone (57).

3. Joining piece (45, 145) according to claim 2, wherein the first edge surface (53) has a joggliding which is intended to overcome the first and second corrugated sheets (44) and the second edge surface has a joggliding which is intended to overcome the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25).

4. Joining piece (45) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, formed in one piece from a sheet of metal.

5. Wall of a watertight and thermally insulating tank comprising a thermally insulating barrier (9) and a sealing membrane (10) which is anchored to said thermally insulating barrier (9) and comprises: - a first and a second corrugated sheet (44) which are welded to each other at a first anchorage strip (48) which extends parallel to a first direction, the second corrugated sheet being adjacent to the first corrugated sheet in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, in which one of the first and second corrugated sheets is anchored to the first anchorage strip (48) and - a third and a fourth corrugated sheet (25) which are welded to each other at a second anchorage strip (37, 48) which extends parallel to the first direction and one of which is anchored to the second anchoring strip (37, 48); the third corrugated sheet being spaced from the first corrugated sheet in the first direction, the fourth corrugated sheet being spaced from the second corrugated sheet in the first direction, each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having undulations extending parallel to the first direction, the undulations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) being offset from the undulations of the first and second corrugated sheets, the sealing membrane (10) further comprising a joining piece (45, 145) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the first end portion (59) of each of the undulations (52) of the joining piece (45,145) being arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets (44) and the second end portion (60) of the corrugations (52) of the joining piece being arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets, the joining piece being welded to the second anchor strip (37, 48) along the first notch (65) and along the second notch (66), the first portion and the second portion of the first edge (55) being welded respectively to the first and second corrugated sheets, the first portion and the second portion of the second edge (56) being welded respectively to the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25).

6. Wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank according to claim 5, in which the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) are anchored to a third anchoring strip (82) which extends perpendicularly to the second anchoring strip (37, 48) and in which the second edge (56) of the joining piece is lap welded to the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) at the third anchoring strip (82).

7. Watertight and thermally insulating tank (1.71) comprising a wall according to any one of claims 5 to 6.

8. Vessel (70) for the transport of a fluid, the vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a tank (71) according to claim 7 disposed in the double hull.

9. Transfer system for a fluid, the system comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 8, insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the vessel's tank (1, 71) to a floating or land-based storage facility (77) and a pump for conveying a fluid through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or land-based storage facility to or from the vessel's tank.

10. A method of loading or unloading a ship (70) according to claim 8, wherein a fluid is conveyed through insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) from or to a floating or land-based storage facility (77) to or from the ship's tank (71).

11. A method for manufacturing a wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising the following steps: - welding a first and a second corrugated sheet (44) to each other at the right side of a first anchorage strip (48) which extends parallel to a first direction, one of the first and second corrugated sheets (44) being anchored to said first anchorage strip (48); - welding a third and a fourth corrugated sheet (25) to each other at the right side of a second anchorage strip (37, 48) which extends parallel to the first direction, one of the third and a fourth corrugated sheet (25) being anchored to said second anchorage strip (37, 48); each of the first, second, third and fourth corrugated sheets having corrugations extending parallel to the first direction;- determine an offset value D representative of the offset of the corrugations of the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25) with respect to the corrugations of the first and second corrugated sheets (44), - provide a joining piece (45) comprising a first and a second edge (55, 56) parallel to each other, a third and a fourth edge (61, 62) connecting the first and the second edge (55, 56) to each other and corrugations (52), said corrugations (52) extending from the first edge (55) to the second edge (56), parallel to each other and each having a first and a second end (59, 60),; - exert on each of the undulations of the joining piece (45) two forces which are directed in opposite directions on either side of the undulation (52), with points of application offset from each other on either side of a median perpendicular to the undulation (52), until the first and second ends (59, 60) of each of the undulations (52) are offset from each other by a distance corresponding to the value of misalignment D; - to provide a first notch (65) in the first edge (55) of the joining piece (45) separating a first portion and a second portion of said first edge (55) and a second notch (66) in the second edge (56) of the joining piece (45) separating a first portion and a second portion of said second edge (56); the first notch (65) and the second notch (66) being misaligned with each other in a direction parallel to the first and second edges (55, 56) by said misalignment value D; - arrange said joining piece (45) in a position in which the first ends (59) of the corrugations of the joining piece (45) are arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the first and second corrugated sheets (44) and the second ends (60) of the corrugations of the joining piece (45) are arranged in continuity with one of the corrugations of one of the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25); - weld the joining piece (45) to the second anchor strip (37, 48) along the first notch (65) and along the second notch (66); - weld the first and second portions of the first edge (55) respectively to the first and second corrugated sheets (44); and - weld the first portion and the second portion of the second edge (56) respectively to the third and fourth corrugated sheets (25).

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