Sealed heat-insulated tank

Abstract

To prevent a flow of an inactive gas from not arriving thoroughly at a closed space, related to a sealed heat-insulated tank which stores a low-temperature liquefied gas.SOLUTION: A sealed heat-insulated tank has a bottom panel (17), the bottom panel abuts on a support wall by sealing ball edges (60, 61) which are arranged between the support wall and the bottom panel (17), the sealing ball edges (60, 61) are arranged between the support wall and the bottom panel (17) in a shape of at least one closed contour which designates at least one closed space, and the bottom panel (17) comprises at least one penetration passage (51) which is formed so as to reach the closed space in order to make a gas circulate between the closed space and an internal space of a heat insulation box part (11).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of sealed, insulated tanks with a membrane. In particular, the invention relates to the field of sealed, insulated tanks for storing and / or transporting cryogenic liquids, such as tanks for transporting liquefied petroleum gas (also called LPG) at temperatures between -50°C and 0°C or for transporting liquefied natural gas at about -162°C at atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on land or on floating structures. In the case of floating structures, the tanks can be intended for the transport of liquefied gas or for receiving liquefied gas to be used as fuel for propelling the floating structure. [Background technology]

[0002] WO17064426 discloses a sealed insulated tank integrated into a support structure. The tank comprises a thermal barrier and a sealed membrane supported by the thermal barrier. The thermal barrier comprises a number of insulated box sections. Each box section comprises a bottom panel, side walls, a cover panel and insulation surrounded by the bottom panel, the cover panel and the side walls. The bottom panel of the insulated box section rests on the walls of the structure using sealant beads, which are configured to compensate for gaps in the walls relative to a flat reference surface and to provide a sufficiently uniform support for the insulated box section. The sealant beads comprise parallel vertical beads and two horizontal beads extending along the ends of the parallel beads.

[0003] For safety reasons, the insulating barrier must be completely placed in an inert atmosphere by circulating an inert gas. The side walls of the insulating box section therefore have openings, so that the inert gas can be circulated through the box section. Furthermore, in order to adequately support the bottom panel of the insulating box section, in particular to withstand static and dynamic pressures, it may be necessary to arrange the sealing bead over the entire or almost entire length and / or width of the bottom panel. For this reason, and because the sealing bead is crushed when the insulating box section is installed on the wall of the supporting structure, the vertical and horizontal sealing bead meet each other and thus form a closed contour that defines a closed space between the bottom panel and the supporting wall. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One idea behind the present invention is to provide a sealed insulated tank in which such enclosed space is not completely isolated from the rest of the insulating barrier, and therefore the object of the present invention is to prevent the enclosed space from being starved of inert gas flow.

[0005] To achieve this object, the present invention provides a sealed insulated tank for storing cryogenic liquefied gas, integrated into a support structure, comprising a tank wall fixed to a support wall of the support structure, the tank wall comprising, in a thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the sealed insulated tank, an insulating barrier held on the support wall and a sealing membrane supported by the insulating barrier, the insulating barrier comprising a plurality of juxtaposed insulating box parts, one of the insulating box parts, or at least one of the insulating box parts, or a plurality or part or each of the insulating box parts, comprising a cover panel forming a support surface for the sealing membrane, a side panel and a bottom panel arranged to abut against the support wall, the bottom panel and the cover panel being arranged parallel to each other and to the support wall, the side panel defining an internal space of the insulating box part. the bottom panel is connected to the cover panel to define a space between the support wall and the bottom panel, the interior space being filled with a gas-permeable heat-resistant lining, the side panels are provided with through holes for circulating gas between the interior space of the insulated box section and the surroundings of the insulated box section, the bottom panel is configured to abut against the support wall with a sealing bead disposed between the support wall and the bottom panel to compensate for a gap of the support wall relative to a reference plane, the sealing bead being disposed in the form of at least one closed contour defining at least one closed space between the support wall and the bottom panel, and the bottom panel is provided with at least one through passage configured to lead to one or each of the at least one closed space for circulating gas between the one or each of the at least one closed space and the interior space of the insulated box section.

[0006] A "cryogenic liquefied gas" should be understood to be anything that is in the gas phase under standard conditions of pressure and temperature and that can be brought to the liquid phase by lowering its temperature.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides an insulated box part for a sealed insulated tank for storing cryogenic liquefied gas, comprising a cover panel, a side panel and a bottom panel, the bottom panel and the cover panel being arranged parallel to each other, the side panel connecting the bottom panel to the cover panel to define an interior space of the insulated box part, the interior space being filled with a gas-permeable heat-resistant lining, the side panel being provided with through holes for circulating gas within the insulated box part, a sealing bead being arranged on an outer surface of the bottom panel, the sealing bead being arranged in the form of at least one closed contour defining at least one closed zone on the outer surface, and the bottom panel being provided with at least one through passage connecting a first inner surface to the outer surface and leading to one or each of the at least one closed zone.

[0008] Furthermore, the tank and the box portion may have one or more of the following features, either individually or in combination.

[0009] Such a box can have different shapes: according to one embodiment the box has a general rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the side panel comprises a horizontal side panel and a vertical side panel, the horizontal side panel being disposed perpendicular to the vertical side panel, the horizontal side panel comprising the through hole.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the sealing bead comprises horizontal and vertical beadings, the horizontal beadings being arranged along the horizontal side panels and the vertical beadings being arranged between the horizontal beadings, thus providing better support to the insulated box section while limiting bending forces in the bottom panel along the horizontal side panels.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the vertical beading is located along the vertical side panels, thus providing better support to the insulated box section while limiting bending forces in the bottom panel along the vertical side panels.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the or each of the insulating box parts comprises a support spacer arranged in the interior space to divide the interior space into a number of rooms, the support spacer being arranged parallel to the vertical side panels, the support spacer being arranged between two adjacent through holes, so that the sealing bead better supports the insulating box parts while limiting the bending forces in the bottom panel along the support spacer.

[0014] Such through passages can be created in a variety of ways.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the vertical beads are disposed along the support spacer.

[0016] According to one embodiment, at least one through passageway passes through the or each of said enclosed spaces or comprises a groove passing through the or each of said enclosed spaces.

[0017] According to one embodiment, said groove extends over the entire width of said bottom panel, i.e. from one edge of the bottom panel to the other edge.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the groove extends parallel to the lateral side panels and is arranged to divide the bottom panel into two equal parts.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the width of said groove is between 2 and 12 mm, preferably between 4 and 8 mm, ideally 5 mm.

[0020] According to one embodiment, said bottom panel comprises a plurality of through passages having the shape of holes.

[0021] According to one embodiment, at least one of said holes is configured to lead to each enclosed space or to each closed zone.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the diameter of said holes or at least one of said holes is between 15 and 30 mm, preferably between 25 and 30 mm.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the insulating barrier is a secondary insulating barrier and the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane, and the tank wall further comprises a primary insulating barrier disposed on the secondary sealing membrane and a primary sealing membrane supported by the primary insulating barrier.

[0024] The gas permeable heat resistant lining can be made in a variety of ways. According to one embodiment, the heat resistant lining comprises a non-structural material.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the non-structural material is selected from the group consisting of perlite, glass wool, rock wool, open cell low density polymer foam, pyrogenic silica, aerogel, cellulose wool and mixtures thereof.

[0026] If the lining is in powder form, insulation can be maintained in powder form inside the box section by packaging the heat-resistant lining with a pouch made from the gas-permeable fabric or by fastening pieces of gas-permeable fabric to the box section at the bottom of the box section where there is a through passage.

[0027] Such tanks may form part of an onshore storage facility, for example for storing LNG, or may be installed in floating, coastal or deep water structures, such as LNG tankers, Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), Offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading Units (FPSOs), among others. Such tanks may also be used as fuel tanks in ships of any type.

[0028] According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting chilled liquid products comprises a double hull and the above tank arranged within said double hull.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading and unloading such a vessel, comprising conveying a chilled liquid product from a floating or on-shore storage facility to the tanks of the vessel or from the tanks of the vessel to the floating or on-shore storage facility via an insulated pipeline.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a transportation system for a chilled liquid product comprising a vessel as described above, an insulated pipeline arranged to connect the tank installed within the hull of the vessel to a floating or land-based storage facility, and a pump for generating a flow of a chilled liquid product through the insulated pipeline from the floating or land-based storage facility to the tank of the vessel or from the tank of the vessel to the floating or land-based storage facility.

[0031] The invention will be better understood and further objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting examples only, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial schematic diagram of a support structure configured to receive a wall of a sealed, insulated tank. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view showing the wall of a sealed, insulated tank supported by the support wall of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded top view as a cavalier perspective view showing the insulating box portion of the insulating barrier according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view as a Cavalier perspective view showing the heat insulating box part of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the heat-insulating box part according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tank of an LNG tanker ship and a terminal for loading and unloading the tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] FIG. 1 shows the rear part of a support structure 1 adapted to receive the wall of a sealed insulated tank. The support structure 1 is formed by the inner hull of a double hull vessel. The support structure 1 has an overall polyhedral or prismatic shape. In this octagonal shape, the support structure 1 has a front wall 2 and a rear wall 3. In FIG. 1, the front wall 2 is only partially shown in order to show the interior space of the support structure 1. The front wall 2 and the rear wall 3 are the cofferdam walls of the vessel and extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vessel. The support structure 1 also comprises an upper wall 4, a lower wall 5 and a side wall 6. The upper wall 4, the lower wall 5 and the side wall 6 extend in the longitudinal direction of the vessel, connect the front wall 2 and the rear wall 3 at an edge 7 and meet at an edge 8.

[0034] As generally shown in Figure 2, each wall 9 of the tank has an insulating barrier 10 comprising, successively from the outside to the inside in the thickness direction of the wall 9, an insulating box section 11 and a sealing membrane 12 placed on the insulating box section of the insulating barrier 10. The sealing membrane 12 is configured to be in contact with a cryogenic liquefied gas contained in the tank, such as liquefied petroleum gas including butane, propane, propene, etc., and in thermodynamic equilibrium between -50°C and 0°C. This multi-layer structure of the tank can be placed on each of the walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the support structure 1.

[0035] By convention, the adjective "on" refers to that portion of a tank component that faces toward the inside of the tank, and the adjective "down" refers to that portion of the tank component that faces toward the outside of the tank, regardless of the orientation of the tank walls relative to the Earth's gravitational field. Similarly, the term "upper" refers to a position closer to the inside of the tank, and the term "lower" refers to a position closer to the supporting structure, regardless of the orientation of the tank walls relative to the Earth's gravitational field.

[0036] The insulating box parts 11 together form a flat surface on which the sealing membrane 12 is fixed. These insulating box parts 11 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. They have, for example, the shape of a hexagonal or triangular prism. The insulating box parts 11 are juxtaposed as a uniform rectangular mesh. The insulating box parts 11 are fixed on the supporting wall by any suitable means, for example by means of fixing parts 15. The insulating box parts 11 are placed on the supporting wall by means of sealant beads 60, 61 which form straight and parallel lines. These lines may be corrugated.

[0037] With reference to FIG. 3, according to a first embodiment, the insulating box part 11 comprises a bottom panel 17, side panels 21, 22 and a cover panel 19. All these panels 17, 21, 22, 19 have a rectangular shape and define the interior space of the insulating box part 11. The bottom panel 17 and the cover panel 19 are arranged parallel to each other and to the supporting walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The side panels 21, 22 are arranged perpendicular to the bottom panel 17. The side panels 21, 22 connect the bottom panel 17 and the cover panel 19 over the entire edge of the insulating block 11. The side panels 21, 22 comprise two vertical side panels 21 and two horizontal side panels 22. The horizontal side panels 22 arranged perpendicular to the vertical side panels 21 are provided with through holes 23. These through holes 23 are intended for the circulation of gas within the insulating box part 11 and thus within the insulating barrier 10. When the tank is filled, this can be, for example, nitrogen.

[0038] Support spacers 20 are arranged in the interior space of the insulation block 11 between the bottom panel 17 and the cover panel 19. These support spacers 20 are arranged parallel to the vertical side panels 21. They therefore divide the interior space into a number of chambers. Each support spacer 20 is arranged between two adjacent through holes 23. The panels and the support spacers may be attached using any suitable means, for example screws, fasteners or pins.

[0039] A gas-permeable, heat-resistant liner is disposed within the box portion 11. The liner may be disposed between each of the support spacers 20. The gas-permeable, heat-resistant liner is preferably non-structural, made from, for example, glass wool, cellulose cotton, perlite, aerogel, or pyrogenic silica.

[0040] The bottom panel 17 has longitudinal rims protruding from the longitudinal side panels 21. The bottom panel 17 also has a transverse rim 26 protruding from one of the side panels 22. The battens 27 are supported by the rims 25, 26 of the bottom panel 17. In the example shown in Figure 3, each end of the longitudinal rims 25 supports a respective batten 27, and the centre of the transverse rim 26 supports the batten 27.

[0041] The cover panel 19 can be made using a number of methods. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, two plywood sheets of different sizes are stacked together to form the cover panel 19. In one embodiment not shown, the cover panel is made from a plywood sheet with countersunk holes.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, a fixing part 15 is disposed at the corner of each insulating box section 11. The side walls of each insulating box section 11 are provided with a rim. Battens 27 are disposed on each end of the rim. Each batten 27 of an insulating box section 11 engages with a respective fixing part 15, while the same fixing part 15 engages with multiple battens 27 of multiple adjacent insulating box sections 11. The corners of adjacent insulating box sections 11 are provided with passages that jointly form a shaft along the corresponding fixing part 15. This shaft allows a nut to be attached to a stud of the fixing part 15. This shaft is filled with a heat-resistant lining 41 and is covered with a blanking plate 42 to form a flat surface with the cover panel of the insulating box section.

[0043] 2, 4 and 6 also show sealing beads 60, 61 on which the insulating box section 11 rests. These sealing beads 60, 61 are used to compensate for gaps in the support walls relative to a flat reference surface. Preferably, to provide the insulating box section 11 with slip clearance relative to the support walls 2, 3, 4, 5, kraft paper (not shown) is placed over the support walls to prevent the sealing bead from adhering to the support walls.

[0044] The sealing bead 60,61 comprises horizontal bead 61 and vertical bead 60. The horizontal bead 61 is disposed along the horizontal side panel 22. The vertical bead 60 is disposed along the vertical side panel 21 and the support spacer 20 between the horizontal bead 61.

[0045] There are various methods for installing the sealing beads 60, 61. Preferably, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the sealing beads 60, 61 are installed on the exterior surface of the bottom panel 17 of the insulating box section 11 before the insulating box section 11 is installed on the supporting wall 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. Alternatively, the sealing beads 60, 61 are first installed on the supporting wall 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 before the insulating box section 11 is installed.

[0046] The sealing beads 60, 61 can be arranged in three different ways. The first way is to arrange the sealing beads 60, 61 in the form of closed contours 64 on the support walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or on the outer surface of the bottom panel 17. These closed contours 64 define closed zones 63 on the support walls or on the outer surface of the bottom panel 17 after the insulation box part 11 is installed on the support walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and define closed spaces between the support walls 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the bottom panel 17. The second way is to arrange the sealing beads in such a way that gaps are left between the sealing beads. Thus, before the installation of the insulation box part 11, there is no closed contour 64. However, where the gap between the sealing beads 60, 61 is small, a zone 66 is defined that is expected to be closed by deformation. For example, between each pair of adjacent sealing beads 60, a zone 66 is present. In this second method of arranging the sealing beads, the gap between the sealing beads 60, 61 before the installation of the insulating box part 11 is, for example, 12 mm or less. In the third method, some of the sealing beads 60, 61 are arranged in the form of a closed contour, and other parts are arranged leaving a gap between the sealing beads 60, 61.

[0047] In either case, the closed contour 64 is expected to be formed immediately after the sealing bead 60, 61 is installed on the bottom panel 17 as shown in Fig. 4 and 5 or on the support wall as shown in Fig. 2, or after the sealing bead is crushed during the installation of the insulating box part 11 on the support wall 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. In fact, the deformation of the sealing bead during the installation of the insulating box part 11 on the support wall is expected to fill the gap between the two sealing bead 60, 61 and form the closed contour 64. In Fig. 4 and 5, the closed contour 64 formed by the sealing bead 60, 61 is illustrated. If the crushing of the sealing bead 60, 61 leads to the formation of one or more closed contours 64, the position of these closed contours 64 does not have to be known in advance. Therefore, on the contrary, the closed contour 64 formed before the installation of the insulating box part 11 on the support wall is known in advance. In either case, it is advisable to provide a connection for the gas phase between the closed space enclosed by the closed contour 64 and the heat-resistant lining in the insulating box part 11 .

[0048] In order to circulate gases in the enclosed space, in particular to prevent pressure differences or the accumulation of chemical species that are hazardous because they are flammable and / or explosive, the bottom panel 17 is provided with at least through passages 50, 51 connecting the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom panel 17 and leading to the closed zone 63 or to the zone 66 that is expected to be closed.

[0049] According to a first embodiment shown in figures 3 and 4, the through passage has the form of a groove 51. The groove 51 therefore extends over the entire width of the bottom panel 17, i.e. from one edge of the bottom panel 17 to the other edge, dividing the bottom panel 17 into two equal parts. The groove 51 is arranged so as to pass through the entire closed zone or the zone expected to be closed, and thus the entire closed space. In a non-illustrated embodiment, the insulating box part further comprises a lateral support spacer arranged parallel to the lateral side panel over the entire width of the interior space of the insulating box part. The lateral support spacer can have various shapes, for example a comb shape. And the lateral support spacer is arranged so as not to completely cover the groove. For example, if the lateral support spacer is arranged in the center of the insulating box part 11, the groove 51 is offset from this position. In another non-illustrated embodiment, the bottom panel comprises two through passages in the form of two grooves. The two grooves are arranged so as to pass through the entire closed space. In an alternative embodiment, each groove passes through the entire closed space. They may for example be parallel to each other.

[0050] According to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the insulating box part 11 comprises a number of through passages, for example in the form of holes 50, of circular or other shape. Some of these holes lead to closed zones and thus to closed spaces. A hole 50 is associated with each closed zone 63 or each zone that is expected to be closed 66. The holes 50 are arranged in a staggered manner in the example shown, i.e. alternately on the right and left parts of the rooms delimited by the support spacer 20. In a non-illustrated embodiment, each closed space is associated with at least two holes. This is particularly advantageous, in particular when the insulating box part further comprises a lateral support spacer that is arranged parallel to the lateral side panels across the entire width of the inner space of the box part. The lateral support spacer can have a number of shapes, for example a comb shape. The lateral support spacer can delimit the respective rooms of the insulating box part 11 by its position. Then, two holes of each zone located between two sealing beads 60 are allocated to each side of said lateral support spacer. In another embodiment, not shown, a hole is arranged to pass at least partially through the spacer and into the two closed spaces. In another embodiment, not shown, each closed zone 63 or each zone 66 that is expected to be closed is associated with a hole 50, for example randomly arranged in the center of the zone or in another position.

[0051] The sealing membrane can be made in different ways. In the example shown, the sealing membrane 12 of the tank wall 9 comprises a number of metal plates 13, for example arranged side by side with an overlap one over the other. These metal plates 13 preferably have a rectangular shape. The metal plates 13 are welded to each other in order to provide the sealing membrane 12 with a tightness. Preferably, the metal plates 13 are made from stainless steel, for example with a thickness of 1.2 mm.

[0052] The metal plate 13 is provided with a number of corrugations 14 facing towards the inside of the tank, so that the sealing membrane is deformable in response to various stresses applied to the tank, in particular in response to thermal contraction caused by loading the tank with liquefied gas. More specifically, the sealing membrane 12 of the tank wall 9 is provided with a first series of corrugations 14 and a second series of corrugations 14 forming a uniform rectangular pattern. As shown in FIG. 2, the first series of corrugations 14 are parallel to the edge 8 and the second series of corrugations 14 are perpendicular to the edge 8. Preferably, the corrugations 14 are provided parallel to the edge of the rectangular metal plate. The distance between two successive corrugations 14 of the series of corrugations is, for example, of the order of 600 mm.

[0053] The above method for manufacturing a tank with a single sealing membrane can also be used for various types of tanks to form a double membrane tank for liquefied natural gas (LNG), for example in land-based installations or floating structures such as LNG tanker ships. In this context, it can be considered that the sealing membrane shown in the above figures is a secondary sealing membrane, to which a primary insulating barrier and a primary sealing membrane, not shown, must be added. In this way, the method can also be applied to tanks with multiple insulating barriers and superimposed sealing membranes.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 6, a cutaway view of an LNG tanker vessel 70 is shown. The vessel has a double hull 72. 1 shows a generally prismatic sealed and insulated tank 71 mounted on a vessel 72. The tank 71 comprises a primary containment barrier configured to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary containment barrier arranged between the primary containment barrier and a double hull 72 of the vessel, and two insulating barriers arranged between the primary containment barrier and the secondary containment barrier and between the secondary containment barrier and the double hull 72, respectively.

[0055] In a manner known per se, a loading pipeline 73 located on the upper deck of the ship can be connected, using appropriate connectors, to a coastal or port terminal for transporting LPG from the tanks 71 to the cargo or from the cargo to the tanks 71.

[0056] FIG. 6 shows an example of a coastal terminal with a loading station 75, a subsea pipe 76 and an onshore facility 77. The loading station 75 is a fixed offshore facility with a movable arm 74 and a turret 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulated flexible hoses 79 that can be connected to a loading pipeline 73. The orientable movable arm 74 is also suitable for all types of LNG tankers. A connecting pipe, not shown, runs inside the turret 78. The loading station 75 allows the loading and unloading of the vessel 70 from the onshore facility 77, which comprises a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting pipe 81 connected to the loading station 75 by a subsea pipe 76. The subsea pipe 76 allows the transport of liquefied gas over long distances, for example 5 km, between the loading station 75 and the onshore facility 77, thereby allowing the vessel 70 to be kept at a long distance from land during loading operations.

[0057] To generate the pressure required for transporting the liquefied gas, pumps on board the vessel 70 and / or pumps provided at the onshore facility 77 and / or pumps provided at the loading station 75 are used.

[0058] Although the present invention has been described based on several specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and all technical equivalents of those described and combinations thereof are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0059] Use of the verb "comprise" or "include" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim.

[0060] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims

[Claim 1] A sealed, insulated tank for storing cryogenic liquefied gas, integrated into a support structure (1), comprising: A tank wall (9) is fixed to the support walls (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) of the support structure (1), The tank wall (9) comprises, in a thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the sealed, insulated tank, an insulating barrier (10) held on the support walls (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) and a sealed membrane (12) supported by the insulating barrier (10); The insulating barrier (10) comprises a plurality of juxtaposed insulating box sections (11), One of the insulating box parts (11) comprises a cover panel (19) forming a support surface for the sealing membrane (12), side panels (21, 22) and a bottom panel (17); the bottom panel (17) and the cover panel (19) are arranged parallel to each other and to the support walls (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6); The side panels (21, 22) connect the bottom panel (17) to the cover panel (19) to define an interior space of the insulating box section (11); the interior space is filled with a gas-permeable heat-resistant lining; The side panels (21, 22) are provided with through holes (23) for circulating gas between the internal space of the heat-insulating box portion (11) and the periphery of the heat-insulating box portion (11), the bottom panel (17) is adapted to abut against the support walls (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) by sealing bead edges (60, 61) arranged between the support walls and the bottom panel (17) to compensate for a gap of the support walls relative to a reference plane; the sealing beads (60, 61) are arranged in the form of at least one closed contour defining at least one closed space between the support wall and the bottom panel (17); The bottom panel (17) is provided with at least one through passage (50, 51) configured to lead to one or each of the at least one closed spaces so as to circulate gas between the one or each of the at least one closed spaces and the internal space of the insulated box section (11).

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