Device for guiding loading tower and / or unloading tower for cryogenic fluid

Abstract

To provide a device for guiding a loading tower and / or an unloading tower for a cryogenic fluid.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a guiding device (16) intended to allow the positioning of a loading tower and / or an unloading tower for cryogenic fluid relative to a base of a storage tank, the guiding device (16) including a first portion (18) intended to be secured to a base of the tower and a second portion (20) intended to be in contact with the base, the second portion (20) being configured to support a buffer (30), the first portion (18) including at least one oblique wall (22), the second portion (20) including at least one slanted wall (26), the guiding device (16) including adjustment means (32) for sliding the slanted wall (26) along the slanted wall (22).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cryogenic fluids such as liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, ethane, ammonia or hydrogen, and more particularly to the problems associated with their loading and unloading resulting from their transportation. [Background technology]

[0002] Liquefied natural gas or LNG is an important source of electricity, produced mainly from methane. It is usually stored in liquid form at temperatures close to -160 °C, where the volume of the liquefied natural gas is 1 / 600 of the volume of the gaseous form. This allows it to be transported between the source and the destination. The liquefied natural gas is stored in impermeable and insulated tanks before and during its transportation. Such tanks can be located on land or on floating structures.

[0003] For loading and unloading in tanks storing liquefied natural gas, loading and / or unloading towers are assembled in the tanks. The loading and / or unloading towers may be mobile devices, but in the case of tanks in gas carriers, the loading and / or unloading towers are usually mounted directly on the tank. The tank has a top opening configured to receive the loading and / or unloading towers, which include several struts extending entirely along the height of the tank. A base is attached to the bottom of the tank, on which the loading and / or unloading towers are in position for loading and unloading liquefied natural gas.

[0004] When loading and unloading a tank, the large changes in temperature resulting from the transition of methane in liquid state from the storage temperature to the ambient temperature can affect the material in the loading and / or unloading towers, meaning that this material can expand or contract in response to the change in temperature. In this case, to accommodate the material transformation, the loading and / or unloading towers need to be vertically movable on their bases, where such vertical translation is substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the tank.

[0005] It is known to use buffers or pads that limit the movement of the loading and / or unloading towers in a plane parallel to the bottom of the tank while allowing their movement in vertical translation. Such buffers are supported by supports, which are guide devices attached to the bottom of the towers and located in front of the base, sliding along the base. However, the installation and assembly of supports for buffers is complex to implement and requires several intermediate positioning steps.

[0006] The invention aims to overcome this drawback by proposing a support for a buffer having a shape that makes it easier to install the loading and / or discharging tower in a storage tank for liquefied natural gas, in particular by reducing the number of steps required to assemble the loading and / or discharging tower and the tank. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention therefore mainly relates to a guide device designed to position a loading tower and / or unloading tower for a cryogenic fluid relative to a base of a storage tank of the cryogenic fluid, the guide device comprising a first part designed to be coupled to a base plate connecting the columns of the liquefied natural gas loading tower and / or unloading tower and a second part designed to contact the base, the second part being configured to support a buffer, the first part comprising at least one inclined wall and the second part comprising at least one inclined wall, the guide device including adjustment means configured to slide the inclined wall along the inclined wall.

[0008] The guide device according to the invention is a buffer support which is an interface between a cryogenic fluid, such as liquefied natural gas or LNG, loading and / or unloading tower and a base for a storage tank, where the base is more particularly designed to be placed in front of the base plate of the loading and / or unloading tower. The guide device is involved in the installation of the loading and / or unloading tower relative to the base.

[0009] The guide device comprises a first part and a second part manufactured from stainless steel. The first part is designed to be coupled to the loading and / or unloading tower, in particular at its base plate, whereas the second part is designed to contact the base. To manage this contact between the second part and the base, this second part is provided with a buffer.

[0010] Both the first and second parts are wedge-shaped, and the shape of the first part is complementary to the shape of the second part. By "wedge-shaped" it is meant that both the first and second parts have at least two walls at an angle of 30-60°, preferably 45°, to each other. One of these walls is an oblique wall for the first part and an oblique wall for the second part. Inside the guide device, the oblique wall and the oblique part are located in front of each other and may be in contact with each other. Furthermore, they extend in the same plane. The oblique wall is one end of the first part, whereas the oblique wall is one end of the second part.

[0011] The second part is movable relative to the first part in order to adjust the position of the guide device relative to the base, said movement being effected by means of adjustment means, in particular screw fastening means, which are thus arranged to slide the inclined wall along the inclined wall.

[0012] The movement of the second part relative to the first part makes it possible to position the buffer that it supports relative to the base, which makes it possible to reduce the number of steps required for the installation of the loading and / or unloading towers, and indeed it is no longer necessary to successively assemble and disassemble the guiding device in order to position it correctly, but rather it is sufficient to slide the second part along the first part for adjustment.

[0013] In one optional feature of the invention, the inclined wall and the oblique wall are parallel in a sliding direction of the second portion relative to the first portion.

[0014] The second part slides relative to the first part, allowing the second part to move along both a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the storage tank to which the base is coupled, and a horizontal direction substantially parallel to the bottom of the tank.

[0015] In one optional feature of the invention, the guide device includes at least one buffer configured to contact the base when the loading tower and / or the unloading tower moves along its extension axis.

[0016] This buffer or pad is a protective member making it possible to cushion shocks that may occur during the movement of the second part towards the base. The buffer is configured to allow the loading and / or unloading towers to move along the vertical direction but to prevent any movement of said loading and / or unloading towers along the horizontal direction.

[0017] In one optional feature of the invention, the buffer is disposed on a side of the second portion that extends in a plane that intersects the angled wall.

[0018] The inclined wall and the side surface extend in two planes that more specifically form an angle of 30° to 60°, preferably 45°. In the second part, the buffer protrudes beyond the side surface on both sides of the side surface.

[0019] In one optional feature of the invention, the adjustment means includes at least one positioning means having a head and a body, one of which is supported on the second part while the other is in contact with the first part.

[0020] In other words, the positioning means, for example a screw, extends through a first part at a first one of its ends and through a second part at a second one of its ends. The body of the positioning means corresponds in particular to that part which includes the thread. In this embodiment, the body is in contact with the first part while the head is supported on the second part, or conversely, the head is in contact with the first part while the body is supported on the second part. The screw features a nut at each end, or a nut at one end and a head without a nut at the other end.

[0021] In one optional feature of the invention, the positioning means has a terminal portion extending through one portion through the oval shaped opening, the terminal portion of the positioning means being translatable through the opening in a plane that defines the oval shape of the opening.

[0022] As a feature of this embodiment, an oblong opening is formed through the first or second portion, the oblong opening being a through hole for receiving an end portion of a positioning means for adjustment of the guide means, the positioning means moving translationally along a lateral direction through the oblong opening.

[0023] In one optional feature of the invention, the guide arrangement comprises guide means for guiding the second portion relative to the first portion.

[0024] Such a guide means ensures that the inclined wall slides along the lateral wall without offset in the vertical plane in which these walls extend, in other words, the guide means is a stop in the direction perpendicular to the wall.

[0025] In one optional feature of the invention, the guide means comprises at least one recess coupled to one portion and in sliding contact with the other portion, the recess extending along and along the inclined wall.

[0026] In some embodiments, the guide means extends from the first part or from the second part. In the case of only one recess, the recess is arranged on one side of the inclined wall and the inclined wall covering the inclined wall. In the case of multiple recesses, for example two recesses, the recesses are arranged on both sides of the inclined wall and the inclined wall, thereby forming a passage for guiding the sliding.

[0027] The present invention also relates to a loading tower and / or a discharge tower configured for loading and / or unloading liquefied natural gas in a storage tank, comprising at least a guide device as described above, a number of struts and a base plate connecting the struts, the guide device being coupled to the base plate and configured to contact a base coupled to the bottom of the storage tank.

[0028] Inside the loading and / or unloading tower, the base plate corresponds to a frame that allows the columns to be connected to one another. The base plate is connected to the guide device, more particularly, the base plate is welded to the guide device, in particular in its first part. The loading and / or unloading tower comprises at least one guide device. Preferably, the loading and / or unloading tower comprises a plurality of guide devices around the base.

[0029] In one optional feature of the invention, the base plate features a through hole in a front face of the guide device.

[0030] More precisely, a through-hole is formed in front of the contact zone between the second part of the guide device and the base coupled to the tank, said through-hole allowing monitoring and control actions on the position of the second part relative to the base.

[0031] The present invention also relates to a liquefied natural gas storage tank comprising a loading tower and / or unloading tower as described above, a base and a bottom wall connected to the base, wherein the guide device is configured to stop movement of the loading tower and / or unloading tower in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall while allowing translation of the loading tower and / or unloading tower along a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall.

[0032] In other words, in the storage tank, vertical movements of the loading and / or unloading towers are permitted, while horizontal movements are prevented by the guide device. The storage tank may be, for example, a tank of a floating structure, in which case the storage tank is impermeable and thermally insulated.

[0033] Furthermore, the present invention is intended to encompass a method of assembling a storage tank as described above, comprising the steps of pre-positioning a guide device on the base plate, lowering the loading tower and / or unloading tower to the base, and adjusting the guide device to translate the second part along the first part until the guide device contacts the base.

[0034] The assembly process according to the invention allows assembling a loading tower and / or a discharge tower in a storage tank for loading and / or unloading liquefied natural gas. The adjusting step is performed by an adjusting means, i.e. the process involves bringing the second part of the guide device closer to the base as a result of the sliding of the second part along the first part until it touches the base. When the second part touches the base, the guide device prevents any horizontal translation of the loading tower and / or the discharge tower, while allowing vertical translation of the loading tower and / or the discharge tower.

[0035] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on the basis of the following description on the one hand and on the basis of some embodiments, produced as a non-limiting guide with reference to the attached schematic drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a storage tank for liquefied natural gas with a liquefied natural gas loading and / or unloading tower, which has a base plate in front of the base of the tank. [Diagram 2]2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a plurality of guide devices disposed between the base plate and the base illustrated in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic diagram of one of the guide devices shown in FIG. 2 in a first position away from the base; FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram of the guide device shown in FIG. 3 in a second position in contact with a base; FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the guide device in the second position shown in FIG. 4, the guide device being provided with adjustment means; [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a base plate as viewed from above, through which the guide device shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 can be seen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The features, variations and various embodiments of the present invention may be related to each other in various combinations, as long as they are not mutually exclusive or mutually exclusive. To the extent that one option of a feature as described below is sufficient to provide a technical advantage and / or to distinguish the present invention from the prior art, a variation of the present invention including only this option of feature, apart from the other features described, is contemplated.

[0038] In the figures, elements that are common to several figures have the same reference numerals.

[0039] In the following description, "vertical" and "horizontal" refer to the orientation of the guide device according to the invention. The vertical direction refers to the main extension direction of the guide device, which is parallel to the vertical axis V of the frame V, H as shown. The horizontal direction is a direction substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the storage tank in which the guide device is arranged, which is parallel to the horizontal axis H of the frame V, H, which is perpendicular to the vertical axis V.

[0040] Thus, in Fig. 1 a storage tank 1 for a cryogenic fluid, for example liquefied natural gas, is shown diagrammatically. Without departing from the scope of the invention, the cryogenic fluid may alternatively be liquefied petroleum gas, ethane, ammonia or hydrogen. The storage tank 1 is a tank of a floating structure, for example a tanker designed to handle liquefied gas, such as a gas carrier, or of a land-based structure or a gravity-based structure. The storage tank 1 comprises a bottom wall 2, which is its floor. The storage tank 1 further comprises side walls. Together with the bottom wall 2, the side walls participate in the definition of the storage volume of the liquefied natural gas. The walls of the storage tank 1 are provided with at least one insulating layer covered with a waterproof membrane designed to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas.

[0041] A tapered base 4 is arranged on the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank 1. The base 4 protrudes from the bottom wall 2 along a vertical direction V that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 2. The base 4 is a pedestal designed to support other components of the storage tank 1.

[0042] Based on the components on the base 4, the storage tank 1 comprises at least one loading and / or discharging tower 6 configured for loading and / or discharging the liquefied natural gas in the storage tank 1. In other words, the loading and / or discharging tower 6 allows the liquefied natural gas to be transported to or from the storage tank 1. The loading and / or discharging tower 6 extends between the ceiling wall of the storage tank and the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank, more precisely the base 4. The loading and / or discharging tower 6 is installed in the volume of the storage tank 1, for example through a lid of this storage tank 1, which is attached to the ceiling wall of the storage tank 1.

[0043] The loading and / or unloading towers 6 extend along a main direction of extension substantially parallel to the vertical direction V, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 2. The loading and / or unloading towers 6 extend between a first end 8 in front of the ceiling wall of the storage tank 1 and a second end 10 in front of the bottom wall 2. More specifically, the first end 8 is in front of the lid, while the second end 10 is in contact with the base 4.

[0044] The loading and / or unloading tower 6 comprises a number of columns 12. As shown, here the loading and / or unloading tower 6 comprises three columns 12 as a tripod. These three columns 12 are connected to the second end 10 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6 by a base plate 14, which is a plate substantially parallel to the bottom wall 2 that connects the columns 12 to each other.

[0045] The base plate 14 corresponds to the part of the loading tower and / or unloading tower 6 in front of the base 4. Due to this position of the base plate 14 relative to the base 4, the loading tower and / or unloading tower 6 is kept in a vertical position within the storage tank 1, in particular when this loading tower and / or unloading tower 6 is at least partially immersed in liquefied natural gas.

[0046] During installation of the loading and / or unloading towers 6 in the volume of the storage tank 1, the base plate 14 is positioned relative to the base 4 by at least one guide device 16, the function of which, more particularly, is to allow vertical translational movement of the loading and / or unloading towers 6 relative to the base 4, while preventing any movement in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall 2.

[0047] The guiding devices 16 will now be described in relation to figures 2 to 6. In this case, the storage tank 1 comprises several guiding devices 16 arranged around the base 4. Unless otherwise stated, the features described in relation to one of these guiding devices 16 are designed to apply mutatis mutandis to all of the guiding devices 16.

[0048] The guide device 16 has a first part 18 designed to be coupled to the base plate 14 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6 and a second part 20 designed to contact the base 4, these parts 18, 20 being manufactured, for example, from stainless steel. The first part 18 and the second part 20 are recessed boxes, each having a complementary wedge shape. In other words, the first part 18 is wedge-shaped and the second part 20 is also wedge-shaped, the shapes of the first part 18 and the second part 20 being complementary. By "wedge-shaped" it is meant that both the first part 18 and the second part 20 have walls that are at an angle of 30 to 60°, preferably 45°, relative to each other, respectively. The first part 18 thus comprises at least one inclined wall 22 that is rotated by 45° relative to a side wall 24 of the same part 18 that extends mainly along the vertical direction V. Similarly, the second portion 20 includes at least one inclined wall 26 rotated 45° relative to a side surface 28 extending mainly along the vertical direction V. In other words, in the first portion 18 of the guide device 16, the inclined wall 22 and the side wall 24 of the first portion 18 form an angle of 30 to 60°. Similarly, in the second portion 20 of the guide device 16, the inclined wall 26 and the side surface 28 of the second portion 20 form an angle of 30 to 60°.

[0049] The side wall 24 and the side surface 28 are arranged in substantially parallel planes and are both in front of the base 4. Based on the box shape of the guide device 16, the first part 18 comprises two slanted walls 22 symmetrical to one another, and the second part 20 comprises two slanted walls 26 symmetrical to one another.

[0050] The inclined wall 22 is an end wall of the first part 18 along the vertical direction V, the inclined wall 22 being directed towards the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank 1. The inclined wall 26 is likewise an end wall of the second part 20 along the vertical direction V, the inclined wall 26 being directed towards the ceiling wall of the storage tank 1. In the guide device 16, the inclined wall 22 of the first part 18 is arranged in front of the inclined wall 26 of the second part 20.

[0051] In the guide device 16, the first part 18 is provided with a cover wall 27, which extends mainly in a vertical-horizontal plane. The cover wall 27 extends along the vertical direction V between the inclined wall 22 of the first part 18 and the base plate 14 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6. More precisely, the cover wall 27 has a first end in contact with the inclined wall 22 and a second end in contact with the base plate 14. The cover wall 27 is connected to the base plate 14, in particular by welding along its second end.

[0052] It is noted that the shape of the cover wall 27 widens from the first end to the second end. Moreover, the cover wall 27 features two pug profiles 27A, 27B at its second end. These pug profiles 27A, 27B increase the dimension of the second end of the cover wall 27 in the horizontal direction H and thus increase the welding zone of the cover wall 27 to the base plate 14. Furthermore, the pug profiles 27A, 27B allow a better distribution of the constraint between the guide device 16 and the base plate 14.

[0053] The second part 20 of the guide device 16 is provided with a buffer 30 or pad. This buffer 30 corresponds to a protection device arranged to allow a movement of the loading and / or unloading tower 6 along the vertical direction V but to prevent any movement of said loading and / or unloading tower 6 along a direction parallel to the bottom wall 2.

[0054] The buffer 30 is disposed on a side surface 28 of the second portion 20. More specifically, the buffer 30 protrudes from this side surface 28 towards the base 4. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the buffer 30 also protrudes from the side surface 28 in a direction away from the base 4.

[0055] The buffer 30 is designed to contact the base 4. To do this, the second part 20 is movable between a first position in which the buffer 30 is spaced away from the base 4, and a second position in which the buffer 30 is in contact with the base 4. The first position is shown in Figure 3, while the second position is shown in Figure 4.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, there is a gap D between the plane in which the edges of the pug-shaped portions 27A, 27B extend in front of the base 4 and the plane in which the face of this base 4 designed to contact the buffer 30 extends. Such a gap D exists in the second position as well as in the first position of the second part 20, which means that it does not matter whether the buffer 30 is away from the base 4 or in contact with this base 4. The width of the gap D is, for example, 10 mm when the buffer 30 is in contact with the base 4. This gap D makes it possible to prevent contact between one of the columns 12 of the loading and / or unloading towers 6 and the base 4 in case of bending of the latter.

[0057] The transition from the first position to the second position occurs as a result of sliding of the inclined wall 26 of the second part 20 along the inclined wall 22 of the first part 18. Such sliding is along a sliding direction that is parallel to both the inclined wall 26 and the inclined wall 22. This sliding can be resolved into a first vertical component and a second horizontal component, which means that it is parallel to the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank 1.

[0058] The sliding of the second part 20 relative to the first part 18 is provided by an adjustment means 32 in the guide device 16. This adjustment means 32, here a screw fastening system, is particularly evident in FIG. 5. This adjustment system 32 comprises at least one positioning means 34, here a screw 34 with a head 36 and a body 38, the latter being provided with a thread. The body 38 of the screw 34 extends in the guide device 16 between the first part 18 and the second part 20. More precisely, the body 38 of the screw 34 extends through a first bulkhead 40 closing the first part 18 in the vertical direction and a second bulkhead 42 closing the second part 20 in the vertical direction. Both the first bulkhead 40 and the second bulkhead 42 extend substantially parallel to the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank 1.

[0059] In the first portion 18, the body 38 of the screw 34 extends through an opening 44 in the first bulkhead 40 visible in Figs. 5 and 6. Similarly, in the second portion 20, the body 38 of the screw 34 extends through a hole 46 in the second bulkhead 42 visible in Fig. 5. The opening 44 and the hole 46 are opposite each other along a vertical direction V. In the illustrated embodiment, in the first portion 18, the threads of the body 38 of the screw 34 contact the first bulkhead 40, more specifically the opening 44 in the first bulkhead 40, whereas in the second portion 20, the head 36 of the screw 34 is supported by the second bulkhead 42. In the first portion 18, the screw 34 is held in the vertical direction V by a nut 48 attached to the threads of the screw 34. However, embodiments are also contemplated in which the head 36 of the screw 34 is supported in the first bulkhead 40, and in this case the threads are held by a nut 48 in the second bulkhead 42, or the head 36 of the screw 34 also supports a nut 48, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0060] As is particularly evident in FIG. 6, the opening 44 is here oval in shape, whereby the body 38 of the screw 34 is translatable within said opening 44 in a plane parallel to the bottom wall 2 of the tank 1, which defines said oval shape. In other words, the opening 44 features a first longitudinal end 50 and a second longitudinal end 52 on opposite sides along the main dimension of the opening 44, whereby the body 38 of the screw 34 is translatable from the first longitudinal end 50 to the second longitudinal end 52. The first longitudinal end 50 is further from the base 4 than the second longitudinal end 52. To allow the operator of the guide device 16 to easily access the adjustment system 32 via the base plate 14, said base plate 14 has a window 53 in front of the opening 44. This window 53 can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 6.

[0061] As mentioned above, the second part 20 is movable relative to the first part 18 by the inclined wall 26 sliding along the inclined wall 22. To do this, adjustment means 32 are implemented. In this case, a screw 34 is screwed into the first bulkhead 40 and translated from a first longitudinal end 50 to a second longitudinal end 52 of the opening 44. In this way, the adjustment means moves the second part 20, with which the head 36 of the screw 34 is in contact, from its first position away from the base 4 to a second position, with which the buffer 30 is in contact. Such a movement of the second part 20 from the first position to the second position is shown in FIG. 6.

[0062] In the same figure 6, a through-hole 54 is shown in the base plate 14 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6. The through-hole 54 constitutes a control means for correctly positioning the buffer 30 supported by the second part 20 of the guiding device 16 in contact with the base 4. The through-hole 54 is therefore arranged in the base plate 14 in front of the interface between the second part 20 and the base 4, i.e. in front of the area of ​​the base 4 against which the buffer 30 is designed to abut. In this way, the through-hole 54 makes it possible to provide a correct sliding of the second part 20 relative to the first part 18.

[0063] Depending on the means for ensuring a correct sliding of the second part 20 relative to the first part 18, the guide device 16 further comprises guide means for guiding the second part 20 relative to the first part 18. This guide means more precisely comprises at least one recess 56, which is in particular shown in FIG.

[0064] Here, the recess 56 is connected to the first part 18. The recess 56 corresponds to an extension of this first part 18 along the angled wall 22 up to the angled wall 26 of the second part 20. For example, the recess 56 is a stainless steel plate against the inner surfaces of the first part 18 and the second part 20 in front of both the angled wall 22 and the angled wall 26.

[0065] The recess 56 constitutes a stop for the inclined wall 22, thus being in sliding contact with said wall 22 and thus preventing translation along a direction perpendicular to said wall 22. In this embodiment, the guide device 16 may feature only one recess 56 or two recesses 56. In the case of two recesses 56, the first recess is arranged on the inner surface of the inclined wall 22 and the second recess is arranged on the inner surface of the inclined wall 26. In another embodiment, in the case of two recesses 56, these recesses 56 are arranged on both sides of the inclined wall 22 and the inclined wall 26, whereby these recesses 56 form a guide passage for the inclined wall 26. In this case, one recess 56 is arranged along the inner surface of the first part 18 and the second part 20, and the other recess 56 is arranged along the outer surface of these first part 18 and the second part 20.

[0066] We now describe the assembly process of the storage tank 1. During this assembly process, a loading and / or unloading tower 6 is installed within the volume of the storage tank 1. The installation of the loading and / or unloading tower 6 within the volume of the storage tank 1 allows the liquefied natural gas in the storage tank 1 to be loaded and / or unloaded.

[0067] The assembly process starts with a prepositioning step of the guide device 16, which is connected to the base plate 14 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6. In particular, the first part 18 is connected to the base plate 14 by welding. The next step of the process is to lower the columns 12 of the loading and / or unloading tower 6, which are connected to each other via the base plate 14, from the lid of the storage tank 1 to the base 4, which is bound to the bottom wall 2. When the base plate 14 is as close as possible to the base 4, the assembly process includes an adjustment step, during which the guide device 16 moves from its first position to its second position, i.e. the inclined wall 26 slides along the inclined wall 22, which causes the second part 20 to translate along the first part 18. The buffer 30 supported by the guiding device 16 then comes into contact with the base 4, thereby ensuring the vertical translational movement of the loading and / or unloading tower 6 while preventing any movement in a plane parallel to the bottom wall 2 of the storage tank 1. The position of the guiding device 16 is checked in an inspection step, in which an operator checks, via the through-hole 54, that the buffer 30 is in contact with the loading and / or unloading tower 6.

[0068] In particular, the side surface 28 of the second part 20 has a dimension, measured along the vertical direction V, which is longer than the dimension of the buffer 30 measured along the vertical direction V. The side surface 28 therefore has at least one region without buffer 30 on one of its faces designed to be in front of the base 4 or even to be in contact with the base 4. As is particularly clear in FIG. 5, the side surface 28 comprises a first end region 29, which here is not covered by the buffer 30, and a second end region 31. The first end region 29 is arranged close to the second bulkhead 42 of the second part 20, whereas the second end region 31 is on the opposite side to this second bulkhead 42. The buffer 30 is supported on a central region of the side surface 28, which is arranged along the vertical direction V between the first end region 29 and the second end region 31. Such a location of the buffer 30 on the side surface 28 allows for amelioration of the stresses applied to the guide device 16, which are concentrated in particular in the second end region 31 when the guide device 16 is in use.

[0069] The invention therefore proposes a buffer support configured to make it easier to install a loading and / or unloading tower in relation to the base of a liquefied natural gas storage tank, the mobility of one part of the buffer support relative to another part allowing adjustment of the position of the buffer support and thus reducing the number of steps required for assembly between the loading and / or unloading tower and the base.

[0070] The invention is not limited to the means and arrangements described and illustrated herein, but necessarily encompasses any equivalent means and arrangements, and any technically valid combination of such means.

Claims

1. A loading and / or unloading tower (6) configured for loading and / or unloading a cryogenic fluid in a storage tank (1), comprising a guide device (16), a plurality of support columns (12) and a base plate (14) connecting the support columns (12), the guide device (16) being connected to the base plate (14) and configured to contact a base (4) connected to the bottom of the storage tank (1), the guide device (16) being designed to position the loading and / or unloading tower (6) for cryogenic fluid relative to the base (4) connected to the bottom (2) of the storage tank (1) for cryogenic fluid, the guide device (16) being configured ... a loading and / or unloading tower (6) having a first part (18) designed to be coupled to the base plate (14) connecting the columns (12) of the loading and / or unloading tower (6) and a second part (20) configured to contact the base (4), the second part (20) configured to support a buffer (30), the first part (18) comprising at least one inclined wall (22), the second part (20) comprising at least one inclined wall (26), and the guide device (16) comprising adjustment means (32) configured to slide the inclined wall (26) along the inclined wall (22).

2. 2. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) of claim 1, wherein the inclined wall (26) and the diagonal wall (22) are parallel in a sliding direction of the second portion (20) along the first portion (18).

3. 3. The loading tower and / or unloading tower (6) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one buffer (30) configured to contact the base (4) when the loading tower and / or unloading tower (6) moves along its extension axis.

4. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to claim 3, characterized in that the buffer (30) is arranged on a side (28) of the second part (20) in a plane intersecting the inclined wall (26).

5. 5. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the adjustment means (32) comprises at least one positioning means (34) having a head (36) and a body (38), one of which is supported on the second part (20) while the other of which is in contact with the first part (18).

6. 6. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to claim 5, wherein the positioning means (34) has an end portion extending through one of the parts (18, 20) through an oval opening (44), the end portion of the positioning means (34) being translatable through the opening (44) in a plane defining the oval shape of the opening (44).

7. 7. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising guide means for guiding the second part (20) relative to the first part (18).

8. 8. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to claim 7, characterized in that the guide means comprises at least one recess (56) connected to one of the parts (18, 20) and in sliding contact with the other part (18, 20), the recess (56) extending along the inclined wall (22) or along the inclined wall (26).

9. 9. The loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to claim 1, wherein the base plate (14) has a through hole (54) in front of the guide device (16).

10. 10. A storage tank (1) for a cryogenic fluid comprising a loading and / or unloading tower (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a bottom wall (2) and a base (4) designed to connect the loading and / or unloading tower (6) to the bottom wall (2), wherein the guide device (16) is configured to stop movement of the loading and / or unloading tower (6) in a plane substantially parallel to the bottom wall (2), while allowing translation of the loading and / or unloading tower (6) along a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall (2).

11. 11. A method for assembling a storage tank (1) according to claim 10, wherein the step of lowering the loading and / or unloading tower (6) to the base (4) comprises the steps of pre-positioning the guiding device (16) on the base plate (14) and adjusting the guiding device (16) to translate the second part (20) along the first part (18) until the guiding device (16) contacts the base (4).

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