Insulated Sealed Tank

Abstract

To provide a tank wall that aggregates the advantages of a corrugated primary membrane, which can exhibit a good resistance to accidental dents and other stresses caused by thermal contraction, movement of cargoes and / or the distortion of a ship beam on the sea.SOLUTION: In a tank wall (1) secured to a supporting wall (3), a secondary insulating barrier comprises a plurality of secondary rows (A, B, C), in which the secondary rows are parallel to a first direction and arranged side by side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a repeated pattern. A secondary sealed membrane comprises a plurality of strakes (21) parallel to the first direction, and a size of the repeated pattern of the secondary rows is an integer multiple of a size of one strake in the second direction. A primary insulating barrier (5) comprises a plurality of primary rows parallel to the first direction, and a primary sealed membrane comprises first corrugations (56) that are parallel to the first direction and separated by a first regular spacing (58), in which a size of the repeated pattern of the primary rows is an integer multiple of the first regular spacing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of insulated, sealed tanks with membranes for storing and / or transporting fluids, such as liquefied gases.

[0002] For the storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG), insulated sealed tanks with a membrane are particularly employed, in which the liquefied natural gas is stored at atmospheric pressure at approximately -163°C. These tanks can be located on land or on floating structures, in which case the tanks may be intended to transport the liquefied natural gas or to contain the liquefied natural gas used as fuel to propel the floating structure. [Background technology]

[0003] WO 89 / 09909 discloses an insulating and sealed tank for storing liquefied natural gas, arranged on a support structure. The wall of the tank has a multi-layer structure, i.e. from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary insulating barrier fixed to the support structure, a secondary sealing membrane supported on the secondary insulating barrier, a primary insulating barrier supported on the secondary sealing membrane and a primary sealing membrane supported on the primary insulating barrier and intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas stored in the tank. The primary insulating barrier comprises a set of rigid plates fixed by welded supports of the secondary sealing membrane.

[0004] In one embodiment, the primary sealing film is formed by an assembly of rectangular metal sheets containing corrugations in two perpendicular directions, said metal sheets being overlapping and welded to each other and at their edges to metal strips fixed in rabbet along the edges of the plates of the primary insulating barrier. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One idea behind the present invention is to provide a tank wall which combines the advantages of a secondary membrane formed by parallel strakes, the robustness of which has been proven by experience, with the advantages of a corrugated primary membrane which is able to exhibit good resistance to accidental dents and other stresses resulting, for example, from thermal contraction, cargo movement and / or distortion of the ship's beam at sea.

[0006] Another idea underlying the present invention is to provide a tank wall which is relatively easy to manufacture and which allows the use of different types of corrugated sealing membranes as primary membranes.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the invention proposes a thermally insulated sealed tank integrated into a support structure, said tank comprising a tank wall fixed to a support wall of the support structure, the tank wall comprises a primary sealing film intended to be in contact with a product contained in the tank, a secondary sealing film arranged between the primary sealing film and the supporting wall, a primary insulating barrier arranged between the primary sealing film and the secondary sealing film, and a secondary insulating barrier arranged between the secondary sealing film and the supporting wall; the secondary insulating barrier comprises a plurality of secondary rows parallel to a first direction, a secondary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped secondary insulating panels, the plurality of secondary rows being juxtaposed in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction according to a repeating pattern; The secondary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of strakes parallel to the first direction, the strakes being made of an alloy having a low coefficient of expansion, e.g., 7×10 -6 K -1 and wherein one strake has a flat central portion resting on the upper surface of the secondary insulating panel and two raised edges projecting toward the interior of the tank relative to the central portion, and the strakes are juxtaposed in the second direction according to a repeating pattern and tightly welded to each other at the raised edges. a fixed wing fixed to the secondary insulation panel and parallel to the first direction is disposed between the juxtaposed strakes to hold the secondary sealing membrane on the secondary insulation barrier; the magnitude of the repeat pattern of the secondary rows is an integer multiple of the magnitude of the strakes in the second direction; the support wall supports secondary retention members disposed at interfaces between the secondary rows and cooperating with the secondary insulation panels to retain the secondary insulation panels on the support wall; The primary insulation barrier comprises a plurality of primary rows parallel to a first direction, with the or each primary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped primary insulation panels, e.g., stacked on one secondary row or stacked across at least two secondary rows, and the plurality of primary rows are juxtaposed in a second direction according to a repeating pattern, with a magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of primary rows equal to a magnitude of the repeating pattern of the plurality of secondary rows in the second direction.

[0008] According to one embodiment, for example, a primary retention member supported by a secondary retention member or secondary insulation panel is positioned at the interface between the primary rows and cooperates with the primary insulation panel to retain the primary insulation panel on the secondary sealing membrane.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the primary rows are offset in the second direction relative to the secondary rows by a fraction, e.g., half, of the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the secondary rows. Such an offset can limit or eliminate vertical alignment of the primary and secondary retention members, thereby limiting the occurrence of thermal bridging caused by such alignment.

[0010] Another advantage of offsetting the primary rows in the first and / or second direction is that it allows for a more even distribution of loads through the membrane and primary insulation impinging on the secondary insulation panels and supporting walls, in effect distributing pressure loads applied to a primary insulation panel across several, e.g., two or four, underlying secondary insulation panels.

[0011] According to one embodiment, interfaces between primary insulation panels in a primary row are offset in a first direction relative to interfaces between secondary insulation panels in two secondary rows with which the primary row is overlapped.

[0012] In this case, the primary retention member is preferably supported by the secondary insulation panel at a location away from the edges of the secondary insulation panel, for example at the center of the secondary insulation panel.

[0013] Such primary retention members may be provided on all of the secondary retention members or all of the secondary insulation panels, for example, if the primary insulation panels have the same dimensions as the secondary insulation panels, or such primary retention members may be provided on some of the secondary retention members or some of the secondary insulation panels, for example, if the primary insulation panels are longer than the secondary insulation panels or if the primary insulation panels are offset only in a first direction.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the primary retention member comprises a plate fixed to the cover plate of the secondary insulation panel below the secondary sealing membrane and a rod attached to said plate either fixedly or with horizontal play and tightly penetrating the secondary sealing membrane towards the primary insulation barrier.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the primary sealing film has first corrugations arranged in a repeating pattern in a second direction parallel to a first direction and flat portions located between the first corrugations and resting on the upper surface of the primary insulation panel, the size of the repeating pattern of the primary rows being an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the first corrugations; The primary sealing film comprises a plurality of rows of metal sheets parallel to a first direction, one row of metal sheets comprises a plurality of rectangular metal sheets closely welded to each other at edge regions, whether overlapping each other or not, and a plurality of rows of metal sheets are juxtaposed in a second direction and closely welded to each other. and a size of one row of the metal sheet in the second direction is equal to an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the primary rows.

[0016] The repeat pattern of the first corrugation may be a repeat pattern comprising one corrugation or several corrugations. A repeat pattern comprising a single corrugation means that the first corrugations are arranged at a first regular interval in the second direction and the magnitude of the repeat pattern is equal to this first regular interval. In this case the magnitude of the repeat pattern of the primary row is an integer multiple of said first regular interval. A repeat pattern comprising several corrugations means that the spacing between the corrugations is not necessarily regular, but that all said spacings are repeated at a regular interval, referred to as the magnitude of the repeat pattern of the corrugations.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the rows of metal sheets are offset in a second direction relative to the primary row such that the welded joints between the rows of metal sheets are located away from the interface between the primary rows, i.e. particularly away from the retaining member.

[0018] These features allow the weld joints between the rows of metal sheets of the primary sealing membrane to be made substantially away from the edges of the primary insulation panel parallel to the first direction, i.e. on a surface with high flatness, thereby reducing the risk of local variations in the weld and improving the level of membrane quality obtained.

[0019] According to other advantageous embodiments, such a tank may have one or more of the following features:

[0020] According to one embodiment, the primary row comprises a plurality of parallelepiped primary insulation panels juxtaposed according to a repeating pattern, and the row of metal sheets of the primary sealing film comprises a plurality of rectangular metal sheets juxtaposed according to a repeating pattern, the size of the repeating pattern of the rectangular metal sheets being equal to an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the primary insulation panels in a first direction.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the edges of the rectangular metal sheets are offset in a first direction relative to edges of the primary insulation panel that are parallel to the second direction, such that the weld joints between the rectangular metal sheets are located away from edges of the primary insulation panel that are parallel to the second direction.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the primary insulation panel and / or the secondary insulation panel have a square shape.

[0023] The repeating pattern of the primary row and / or the repeating pattern of the secondary row may or may not have a gap in the second direction. If there is a gap between two rows, the size of the repeating pattern is equal to the size of the primary insulation panel or secondary insulation panel plus the size of the gap.

[0024] Similarly, the repeating pattern of primary or secondary insulation panels within a primary or secondary row may or may not have a gap in the first direction. If there is a gap between two primary or secondary insulation panels, the size of the repeating pattern is equal to the size of the primary or secondary insulation panels plus the size of the gap.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the size of the strakes in the second direction is an integer multiple of said first regular interval. These features allow easy selection of the strake orientation according to the local requirements of the intended application.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the primary sealing film also has second corrugations parallel to the second direction and arranged according to a repeating pattern in the first direction, with the flat portions being located between the first and second corrugations.

[0027] The repeating pattern of the second corrugations may be a repeating pattern with one corrugation or with several corrugations. A repeating pattern with a single corrugation means that the second corrugations are arranged at a second regular interval in a first direction. In this case, the second regular interval may be the same as or different from the first regular interval. A repeating pattern with several corrugations means that the intervals between the corrugations are not necessarily regular, but that all said intervals are repeated at a regular interval, which is referred to as the size of the repeating pattern of the corrugations.

[0028] According to some embodiments, the first corrugation and the second corrugation can be continuous or intermittent at the intersection between the first corrugation and the second corrugation. A continuous corrugation can create a continuous channel between the primary sealing film and the primary insulating barrier, for example, for the circulation of neutral gas. An intermittent corrugation makes it easier to form the metal sheet with the chasing.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the magnitude of the repeat pattern of the primary insulation panel is an integer multiple of the magnitude of the repeat pattern of the second corrugations, eg, an integer multiple of said second regular spacing.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the rectangular metal sheet of the primary sealing film has a dimension in the first direction that is substantially equal to an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the second corrugations or an integer multiple of the second regular intervals. There may be a slight difference between these two quantities that is smaller than the dimension of the overlap between two adjacent metal sheets.

[0031] The primary sealing film is held onto the primary insulating barrier by fastening means which can be made in a variety of ways.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the fastening means comprise metallic fastening strips fixed on the primary insulating panel at positions corresponding to the contour of the rectangular metal sheet and at positions to which the edge regions of the rectangular metal sheet can be welded. The primary insulating panel may in particular comprise fastening strips for fastening the straight edges of one or more rectangular metal sheets or two intersecting fastening strips for fastening the corner regions of one or more rectangular metal sheets.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the fastening means comprises, for example, a disk-shaped metal insert, which is fixed onto the primary insulation panel at a position corresponding to an edge region of the primary insulation panel away from the contour of the rectangular metal sheet and at a position where a central region of the rectangular metal sheet can be welded.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the primary insulation panel includes a relief slit recessed through the thickness of the primary insulation panel and opening onto a cover plate of the primary insulation panel. According to some embodiments, the or each metal fastening strip may include several aligned segments secured onto the cover plate and separated by relief slits, and / or a metal insert may be secured to the cover plate between the relief slits.

[0035] According to one embodiment, at least one of the insulating panels is secured to a support structure or a secondary sealing membrane. The insulating panel includes a bottom plate resting on the insulating panel, an intermediate plate disposed between the bottom plate and the cover plate, a first layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate and the intermediate plate, and a second layer of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the intermediate plate and the cover plate. Such a structure has the advantage of limiting bending loads caused by differential shrinkage of the insulating panel material.

[0036] According to one embodiment, a recess is formed in the second layer of insulating polymer foam such that the intermediate plate overhangs the second layer of insulating polymer foam, thereby forming one of the bearing areas for the secondary retention member.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the first layer of insulating polymer foam has cutouts at each corner area of ​​the insulating panel to accommodate posts extending between the bottom and middle plates, which can limit crushing and creep of the foam.

[0038] According to another embodiment, at least one of the insulating panels comprises a base plate, a cover plate, and a support web, the support web extending through the thickness of the tank wall between the base plate and the cover plate and defining a plurality of compartments filled with an insulating lining, such as perlite.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the bridging elements can be fixed to the upper surfaces of several adjacent primary insulation panels, for example to the upper surfaces of two or four adjacent primary insulation panels, for example to the cover plates of adjacent primary insulation panels, in order to prevent separation of the adjacent primary insulation panels, i.e. to prevent the occurrence of gaps between adjacent primary insulation panels, or at least to prevent the width of the gap from increasing. According to one embodiment, the primary insulation panels have facings at the edges of their upper surface to receive one or more bridging elements, for example bridging plates made of plywood.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the fluid is a liquefied gas, such as liquefied natural gas.

[0041] Such tanks may, for example, form part of an onshore storage facility for storing LNG or may be located on floating coastal or deep sea structures, in particular methane tankers, Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs) and Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Units (FPSOs).

[0042] According to one embodiment, a vessel for transporting cryogenic fluids comprises a double hull and the aforementioned tank arranged within the double hull.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the double hull comprises an inner hull which forms the support structure for the tank.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading and unloading such a ship, in which fluid is conveyed from a floating or on-shore storage facility to the ship's tanks or from the ship's tanks to the floating or on-shore storage facility via an insulated pipeline.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a system for transferring a fluid, comprising a vessel as described above, an insulated pipeline arranged to connect a tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or on-shore storage facility, and a pump for driving a fluid from the floating or on-shore storage facility to the vessel's tank or from the vessel's tank to the floating or on-shore storage facility via the insulated pipeline. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0046] The invention will be better understood and other objects, details, features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following description of some specific embodiments thereof, given purely in an illustrative and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a secondary insulation panel that may be used in a tank wall. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a primary insulation panel that may be used in a tank wall. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a retention device that may cooperate with the primary and secondary insulation panels to retain the primary and secondary insulation panels against a support structure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the holding device of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of area VI of FIG. 1 and also shows the means for fastening the primary membrane according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6, also showing the bridging elements of the primary insulating barrier. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing a means for fixing the primary membrane according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a cutaway schematic diagram of a methane tanker tank and a terminal for loading and unloading the tank. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall according to another embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of area XIII of FIG. 12, also showing a primary fixation member according to one embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cutaway perspective view of a tank wall according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0047] 1 shows the multi-layer structure of a wall 1 of an insulated and sealed tank for storing a liquefied fluid such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Each wall 1 of the tank comprises, successively in the thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary insulating barrier 2 held on a supporting wall 3, a secondary sealing membrane 4 resting against the secondary insulating barrier 2, a primary insulating barrier 5 resting against the secondary sealing membrane 4 and a primary sealing membrane 6 intended to be in contact with the liquefied natural gas contained in the tank.

[0048] The support structure may in particular be formed by the hull of a ship or by a double hull. The support structure comprises a number of support walls 3 which define the general shape of the tank, usually a polyhedral shape.

[0049] The secondary insulation barrier 2 comprises a plurality of secondary insulation panels 7 secured to the support wall 3 by a retaining device 98, described in more detail herein below. The secondary insulation panels 7 have a generally parallelepiped shape and are arranged in parallel rows, three rows being designated A, B and C. A plurality of beads of mastic 99 are interposed between the secondary insulation panels 7 and the support wall 3 to compensate for differences between the support wall 3 and a flat reference surface. Kraft paper is inserted between the beads of mastic 99 and the support wall 3 to prevent the beads of mastic 99 from adhering to the support wall 3.

[0050] 2 represents the structure of a secondary insulation panel 7 according to one embodiment. The secondary insulation panel 7 here comprises three plates, namely a bottom plate 8, an intermediate plate 9 and a cover plate 10. The bottom plate 8, the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10 are made, for example, of plywood. The secondary insulation panel 7 also comprises a first layer 11 of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 and a second layer 12 of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10. The first layer 11 and the second layer 12 of insulating polymer foam are bonded to the bottom plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 and to the intermediate plate 9 and the cover plate 10, respectively. The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam, optionally reinforced with fibers.

[0051] The first layer 11 of insulating polymer foam has cutouts in the corner areas through which the corner posts 13 can pass. The corner posts 13 are connected to the base plate 8 and the secondary insulation panel 7 in the four corner areas. The corner posts 13 extend between the bottom plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9. The corner posts 13 are fixed to the bottom plate 8 and the intermediate plate 9 by, for example, staples, screws or adhesives. The corner posts 13 are made of, for example, plywood or plastic. The corner posts 13 are used to absorb some of the compressive loads during use and to limit foam crushing and creep. Such corner posts 13 have a thermal contraction coefficient different from that of the first layer 11 of insulating polymer foam. Also, the corner posts 13 may cause less deflection of the secondary insulation panel 7 than other areas when the tank cools down.

[0052] Furthermore, the secondary insulating panel 7 comprises recesses 14, 54 in its corner regions for receiving a retaining device 98, which will be described in more detail herein below. The secondary insulating panel 7 comprises a first recess 14 intended to pass a rod 15 of the retaining device 98 from the bottom plate 8 to the intermediate plate 9. On top of the intermediate plate 9, the secondary insulating panel 7 comprises a second recess 54, which has larger dimensions than the first recess 14, such that the intermediate plate 9 overhangs against the second layer of insulating polymer foam 12 and the cover plate 10. The intermediate plate 9 thus forms, in the corner regions of the secondary insulating panel 7, a bearing area 16 intended to cooperate with a secondary bearing plate 17 of the retaining device 98.

[0053] Furthermore, the cover plate 10 has counterbores 18 in these four corner regions. Each counterbore 18 is intended to receive a load distribution plate 19 of the holding device 98. The counterbores 18 have a thickness substantially similar to that of the load distribution plate 19, so that the load distribution plate 19 is flush with the upper surface of the cover plate 10. The cover plate 10 also comprises grooves 20 for receiving weld supports.

[0054] The structure of the secondary insulation panel 7 has been described above by way of example. In another embodiment, the secondary insulation panel 7 can therefore have another general structure, for example as described in WO 2012 / 127141. The secondary insulation panel 7 is then made in the form of a caisson with a bottom plate, a cover plate and a support web. The support web extends in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 between the bottom plate and the cover plate and defines a number of compartments filled with an insulating lining, such as perlite, glass wool or rock wool.

[0055] Returning to Figure 1, it can be seen that the secondary sealing membrane 4 comprises a continuous sheet of metal strakes 21 having raised edges. The strakes 21 are welded by their raised edges 32 to parallel weld supports fixed in grooves 20 formed in the cover plate 10 of the secondary insulation panel 7. The strakes 21 are made, for example, of Invar®, an alloy of iron and nickel, which typically has a coefficient of expansion of 1.2 x 10 -6 From 2 × 10 -6 K -1 The expansion coefficient is usually about 7×10 -6 K -1 It is also possible to use alloys of iron and manganese.

[0056] The primary insulation barrier 5 comprises a plurality of primary insulation panels 22 fixed to the support wall 3 by the aforementioned retention devices 98. The primary insulation panels 22 generally have a parallelepiped shape. Furthermore, they have the same dimensions as those of the primary insulation panels 22, except that their thickness through the thickness of the tank wall 1 may be different or significantly smaller. Each of the primary insulation panels 22 is aligned with one of the secondary insulation panels 7 through the thickness of the tank wall 1.

[0057] Figure 3 represents the structure of a primary insulation panel 22 according to one embodiment. The primary insulation panel 22 has a multi-layer structure similar to the secondary insulation panel 7 of Figure 2. The primary insulation panel 22 thus comprises, in succession, a base plate 23, a first layer of insulating polymer foam 24, an intermediate plate 25, a second layer of insulating polymer foam 26, and a cover plate 27. The insulating polymer foam may in particular be a polyurethane-based foam, optionally reinforced with fibers.

[0058] The primary insulating panel 22 comprises recesses 28 in its corner regions such that the base plate 23 overhangs relative to the first layer of insulating polymer foam 24, the intermediate plate 25, the second layer of insulating polymer foam 26 and the cover plate 27. The base plate 23 thus forms bearing areas 29 in the corner regions of the primary insulating panel 22, which are intended to cooperate with the primary bearing plates 30 of the retention device 98. In a manner not shown, shims can be added to the base plate 23, said shims having a shape similar to that of the bearing areas 29 and intended to cooperate with the primary bearing plates 30 of the retention device 98.

[0059] The base plate 23 is provided with a groove 31 intended to receive a raised edge 32 of the strake 21 of the secondary sealing membrane 4. The cover plate 27 may also be provided with fastening means, not shown in Figures 1 and 3, for fastening the primary sealing membrane 6.

[0060] The structure of the primary insulation panel 22 is described above by way of example only, and thus in alternative embodiments, the primary insulation panel 22 can have other general structures, such as those described in WO 2012 / 127141.

[0061] In another embodiment, the primary insulation barrier 5 comprises primary insulation panels 22 having at least two different types of construction, such as the two mentioned above, depending on their location in the tank.

[0062] 1 also shows that the primary sealing film 6 comprises a continuous sheet of rectangular metal sheet 33 having two series of mutually perpendicular corrugations. The first series of corrugations 55 run perpendicular to the rows A, B, C of the insulating panels and therefore perpendicular to the raised edges 32 of the strakes 21 and have regular spacing 57. The second series of corrugations 56 run parallel to the rows A, B, C of the insulating panels and therefore parallel to the raised edges 32 of the strakes 21 and have regular spacing 58. Preferably, the height of the first series of corrugations 55 is greater than the second series of corrugations 56.

[0063] The rectangular metal sheets 33 are welded together to form small overlap areas 59 along their edges in accordance with well known techniques.

[0064] The rectangular metal sheet 33 preferably has width and length dimensions that are integer multiples of the spacing between the corresponding corrugations and integer multiples of the dimensions of the primary insulation panel 22. Figure 1 shows a rectangular metal sheet 33 with a width dimension that is four times the spacing 57 and a length dimension that is twelve times the spacing 58. Preferably, spacing 57 and spacing 58 are equal. Thus, the orientation of the corrugations 55 and 56 in the tank can be easily adapted to the requirements of the application without significant changes in the manufacture of the insulation barrier.

[0065] For example, in an alternative embodiment, the primary sealing film 6 is rotated 90 degrees so that the first series of corrugations 55 extend parallel to rows A, B, C of the insulating panels and thus parallel to the raised edges 32 of the strakes 21.

[0066] The primary insulation panel 22 and the secondary insulation panel 7 have the same dimension across the width of rows A, B, and C. By convention, this dimension is referred to as the length of the insulation panel. This row width is an integer multiple of the spacing between corrugations in the same direction (here spacing 58) and an integer multiple of the width of the strake 21 to facilitate modular manufacture of the tank wall forming a repeating pattern over and over substantially the entire support wall 3.

[0067] Preferably, the width of the strake 21 is an integer multiple of the spacing between the corrugations in the same direction, For example, twice as much.

[0068] Along the length of rows A, B, C, the primary insulation panels 22 may have the same dimensions as the secondary insulation panels 7 or an integer multiple of this dimension, which is an integer multiple of the spacing between corrugations in the same direction (here spacing 57) to facilitate modular manufacturing of the tank wall forming a pattern that is repeated many times throughout the support wall 3.

[0069] Preferably, the primary insulation panel 22 and the secondary insulation panel 7 are square in shape so that the relative orientation of the strakes and the relative orientation of the corrugations in the tank can be easily adapted without significant changes in the design of the insulation panels.

[0070] Preferred dimensions Spacing between corrugations 57, 58:PO Width of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 4PO Length of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 4PO (square) Width of strake 21: 2PO Length of metal sheet 33: 12PO (FIG. 1) or 8PO (not shown) Width of metal sheet 33: 4PO PO=300mm

[0071] These dimensions provide a good trade-off between the ease of handling the tank wall components and the number of assembly parts. This arrangement also simplifies the connection of the corrugations between the two walls of the tank.

[0072] Dimension example 2 Spacing between corrugations: 58:PO Distance between corrugations: 57:GO Width of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 3GO Length of primary insulation panel 22 and secondary insulation panel 7: 4PO (rectangle) Width of strake 21: 2PO Length of metal sheet 33: 12PO Width of metal sheet 33: 3GO PO=300mm GO=340mm

[0073] Example 3 The corrugations 55 are not equidistant, but are arranged according to a repeating pattern of four corrugations 55, the successive spacing of which is as follows: 340;340;340;180mm

[0074] Preferably, the 180 mm interval is divided into two parts of 90 mm located on two opposite edges of the rectangular metal sheet 33 .

[0075] The repeat pattern dimension is therefore 1200 mm. For the rest, the dimensions of the first example are retained.

[0076] Example 4 The corrugations 55 are not equidistant, but are arranged according to a repeating pattern of four corrugations 55, the successive spacing of which is as follows: 300;400;300;200mm

[0077] Preferably, the 200 mm interval is divided into two parts of 100 mm located on two opposite edges of the rectangular metal sheet 33 .

[0078] The repeat pattern dimension is therefore 1200 mm. For the rest, the dimensions of the first example are retained.

[0079] 1, the retention devices 98 are disposed at four corners of the primary insulation panels 22 and the secondary insulation panels 7. Thus, the stack of secondary insulation panels 7 and primary insulation panels 22, respectively, is secured to the support wall 3 by the four retention devices 98. Thus, the retention devices 98 here comprise a primary retention member overlapping a secondary retention member. Furthermore, each retention device 98 cooperates with a corner of four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7 and a corner of four adjacent primary insulation panels 22.

[0080] 3 and 4 show in more detail the structure of the retaining device 98 according to one embodiment.

[0081] The retaining device 98 comprises a bushing 34, the base of which is welded to the support wall 3 at a location corresponding to the clearance in the corner areas of four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7. The bushing 34 receives a nut 35, shown in FIG. 4, into which the lower end of a rod 15 is threaded. The rod 15 passes between adjacent secondary insulation panels 7.

[0082] The rods 15 pass through holes formed in an insulating plug 36 intended to ensure the continuity of the secondary insulation in the retention device 98. The insulating plug 36 has, in a plane perpendicular to the thickness of the tank wall 1, a cross-shaped cross section defined by four branches, each of which is inserted into a gap formed between two of the four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7.

[0083] The retention device 98 also includes a secondary support plate 17 that bears against the support wall 3 against a bearing area 16 formed in each of the four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7 to retain the four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7 against the support wall 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary support plate 17 is received in a second recess 54 formed in the second layer of insulating polymer foam 12 of each secondary insulation panel 7 and bears against an area of ​​the intermediate plate 9 that forms the bearing area 16.

[0084] The nut 37 cooperates with threads formed on the upper end of the rod 15 to ensure that the secondary bearing plate 17 is retained on the rod 15 .

[0085] In the embodiment shown, the retaining device 98 also comprises one or more elastic washers 38 of the Belleville type, which are screwed onto the rod 15 between the nut 37 and the secondary bearing plate 17, thereby making it possible to ensure a resilient fixation of the secondary insulating panel 7 on the support wall 3. Furthermore, advantageously, a locking member 39 is locally welded to the upper end of the rod 15 in order to fix the nut 37 in place on the rod 15.

[0086] The retention device 98 also includes a load distribution plate 19 fixed to the secondary support plate 17 , a top plate 40 , and a spacer 41 .

[0087] The load distribution plate 19 is received in each of the counterbore portions 18 formed in the cover plates 10 of the four adjacent secondary insulation panels 7. Thus, the load distribution plate 19 is disposed between the cover plates 10 of each of the four secondary insulation panels and the secondary sealing membrane 4. The purpose of the load distribution plate 19 is to attenuate the step phenomenon between the corners of the adjacent secondary insulation panels 7. The load distribution plate 19 also coincides with the corner areas of the secondary insulation panels 7 to prevent the secondary sealing membrane 4 and the primary insulation panels from being damaged. The load distribution plate 19 allows the stresses that tend to be applied to the panel 22 to be distributed. As a result, the load distribution plate 19 makes it possible to limit punching phenomena of the bottom plate 23 of the primary insulation panel 22 and punching and packing phenomena of the insulating polymer foam layers 24, 26 of the primary insulation panel 22 that coincide with the corner areas of the secondary insulation panel 7.

[0088] The load distribution plate 19 is advantageously made of stainless steel, typically having a coefficient of expansion of 1.2×10 -6 From 2 × 10 -6 K -1 and alloys of iron and nickel such as Invar, which have a coefficient of expansion between 2×10 -5 K -1 Less than 7 × 10 -6 K -1The load distribution plate 19 is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of alloys of iron and manganese. The thickness of the load distribution plate 19 is between 1 mm and 7 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 4 mm, for example about 3 mm. The load distribution plate 19 advantageously has a square shape with a side dimension between 100 mm and 250 mm, for example about 150 mm.

[0089] The top plate 40 is disposed below the load distribution plate 19 and has dimensions smaller than those of the load distribution plate 19 so that the load distribution plate 19 completely covers the top plate 40. The top plate 40 is received in recesses 15 formed in the corner areas of the secondary insulation panel 7, coinciding with the bearing areas 16, i.e. in recesses 54 formed in the second layer 12 of insulating polymer foam of the secondary insulation panel 7 in the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0090] The top plate 40 has threaded holes 42 into which the threaded bases of studs 43 intended for fastening the primary insulation panel 22 are fitted. To enable the studs 43 to be fastened to the top plate 40, the load distribution plate 19 also includes holes formed in alignment with the threaded holes in the top plate 40, thereby allowing the studs 43 to pass through the load distribution plate 19.

[0091] The top plate 40 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, including two opposing large faces parallel to the support wall 3 and four faces connecting the two large faces and extending parallel to the thickness direction of the tank wall 1. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the four faces extending parallel to the thickness direction of the tank wall 1 are connected by filleted portions 44. This allows to avoid the presence of sharp corners, which contributes to further limit the punching phenomenon of the bottom plate 23 of the primary insulation panel 22 by limiting stress concentrations.

[0092] In an embodiment not shown, the top plate 40 and the load distribution plate 19 may be integrally formed.

[0093] The spacer 41 is disposed between the secondary support plate 17 and the top plate, and is therefore used to maintain separation between the secondary support plate 17 and the top plate 40. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the spacer 41 has a chamfer 45 so as to fit within the size of the top plate 40 when viewed in the thickness direction of the tank wall 1. That is, the top plate 40 completely covers the spacer 41.

[0094] The spacer 41 is advantageously made of wood, which allows to limit thermal bridges to the support wall 3 at the retaining device 98. The spacer 41 has the shape of an inverted U, so as to define a central housing 46 between the two branches of the U. The central housing 46 receives the upper ends of the rod 15, the locking member 39, the nut 37 and the elastic washer 38. The spacer 41 is also housed in a recess 15 formed to be in line with the bearing surface 16.

[0095] The locking member 39 has a square or rectangular shape, the diagonal of which has a size greater than the size of the central housing 46 between the two branches of the U. This makes it possible to prevent the rotation of the rod 15 relative to the spacer 39, so that the rod 15 does not rotate relative to the nut. This makes it possible to prevent the ball from coming off the target 35.

[0096] To secure the load distribution plate 19, the top plate 40, the spacer 41 and the secondary support plate 17 to one another, each of the aforementioned elements is provided with two holes through which the screws 47, 48 pass. Each of the holes formed in the secondary support plate 17 has a thread cooperating with one of the screws 47, 48 to ensure that the aforementioned elements are secured to one another.

[0097] Furthermore, the stud 43 penetrates a drilled hole formed through the strake 21 of the secondary sealing membrane 4. The stud 43 has a flange ring 49 welded to the outer periphery of the drilled hole to ensure the sealing of the secondary sealing membrane 4. The secondary sealing membrane is therefore sandwiched between the flange ring 49 of the stud 43 and the load distribution plate 19.

[0098] The retaining device 98 also includes a primary support plate 30 which bears against the support wall 3 on a support area 29 formed in each of four adjacent primary insulation panels 22 to retain the primary insulation panels 22 against the support wall 3. In the illustrated embodiment, each support area 29 is formed by an overlapping portion of the bottom plate 23 of one of the primary insulation panels 22. The primary support plate 30 is received in a recess 28 formed in a corner area of ​​the primary insulation panel 22 so as to be aligned with the support area 29.

[0099] The nuts 50 cooperate with threads formed on the upper ends of the studs 43 to securely fasten the primary support plate 30 to the studs 43. In the embodiment shown, the retaining device 98 also comprises one or more resilient washers 51 of the Belleville type which are threaded onto the studs 43 between the nuts 50 and the primary support plate 30, thereby ensuring resiliently fastening the primary insulation panel 22 to the support wall 3.

[0100] Moreover, above the retaining device 98, insulating plugs 52 shown in Fig. 4 are inserted into recesses 28 formed in the corner regions of four adjacent primary insulation panels 22 to ensure the continuity of the primary insulation barrier 5 in the retaining device 98. Furthermore, a closing plate 53 made of wood, shown in Fig. 4, makes it possible to ensure the flatness of the support surface of the primary sealing membrane 6. The closing plate 53 is received in a counterbore formed in the corner region of the primary insulation panel 22.

[0101] Next, with reference to Figures 6 to 14, the fixing of the primary sealing film 6 to the primary insulation panel 22 will be described according to several examples.

[0102] In the embodiment of Figure 6, a metallic fastening strip 60 is fixed to the cover plate 27 of the primary insulation panel 22 at the contour of the rectangular metal sheet 33. The edges of the rectangular metal sheet 33 may therefore be fixed by welding along the fastening strip 60. The fastening strip 60 is fixed in a counterbore on the cover plate 27 by any suitable means, for example by screws or rivets.

[0103] 6 and 7 also show a metal plate 61 that may be secured onto cover plate 27 of primary insulation panel 22 at other locations, for example along edges of primary insulation panel 22 away from the contour of rectangular metal sheet 33, to provide additional fastening points. Metal plate 61 is secured to a counterbore on cover plate 27 by any suitable means, for example screws or rivets.

[0104] As best seen in FIG. 7, which is a cross-sectional view at an interface 62 between two primary insulation panels 22, a flat area of ​​rectangular metal sheet 33 can be see-through welded onto metal plate 61.

[0105] 8 and 9 show another embodiment of a primary insulation panel 22, the edge of which has a counterbore 63 for receiving a bridging plate 64, for example made of plywood. The bridging plate 64 is fixed to the cover plates 27 of the two primary insulation panels 22 to prevent separation of the two primary insulation panels 22 at the interface 62, thereby improving the uniformity of the support surface on which the primary sealing membrane 6 rests.

[0106] In Figures 6 and 8, the cover plate 27 and the layer 26 of insulating polymer foam are provided with relief slits 65, which divide the cover plate 27 and the layer 26 of insulating polymer foam into several parts, thereby avoiding crushing during cooling.

[0107] FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of a primary insulation panel 22 in which the relief slits 65 are limited to the area adjacent to the fastening strips 60, as described in French patent application no. 3001945.

[0108] A thermal protection strip 66, for example made of a composite material, is aligned with the fixing strip 60 so as to coincide with a specific portion of the contour of the rectangular metal sheet 33 in order to avoid damage to the cover plate 27 during welding.

[0109] The tank wall 101 shown in Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment in which a single row of primary insulation panels 22 overlaps two rows of secondary insulation panels 7, rather than overlapping a single row of secondary insulation panels 7. Elements that are the same as or similar to elements in Figures 1 to 10 are given the same reference numbers and will be described only with respect to their differences.

[0110] In Figure 12, two basic changes have been made.

[0111] On the other hand, the primary retaining members 97 are separated and offset from the secondary retaining members. The secondary retaining members, not shown, can be made in various ways, for example as a retaining device 98 in which all elements arranged above the load distribution plate 19 are removed. In this case, the load distribution plate 19 and the counterbore 18 intended to receive it can also be removed. The secondary retaining members, not shown, can be in various numbers, for example in the range of two to five per secondary insulating panel 7, and can be arranged, for example, at the corners of the secondary panels and / or in the gaps between two secondary panels either in the first or second direction. Other embodiments of the secondary retaining members are described in WO 2013 / 093262.

[0112] The primary retention member 97 can be made in various ways, for example as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 13 or as described in patent application FR 2 887 010.

[0113] 13, the primary retaining member 97 comprises a plate 119, for example of square or circular profile, which is fixed, for example by gluing, in a counterbore formed in the surface of the cover plate 10 facing the layer of insulating polymer foam 11. The plate 119 has a threaded hole opening in the upper surface of the cover plate 10, into which a stud 143 identical to the stud 43 previously described can be screwed.

[0114] Additionally, the entire primary stage of the tank wall, i.e. the primary insulation barrier 5 and the primary sealing membrane 6 it supports, are all offset in both planes by half the length of the secondary insulation panel 7. The primary retaining member 97 is therefore centrally located on the cover plate of the secondary insulation panel 7 rather than directly in line with the secondary retaining member.

[0115] Despite this misalignment, the secondary retention members still contact the four adjacent secondary insulation panels. 7, the primary retention members 97 still cooperate with the corners of the four adjacent primary insulation panels 22. The degree of offset may be different and the primary retention members 97 may be elsewhere on the cover plate of the secondary insulation panel 7, but preferably are positioned away from the raised edge 32 so as not to interfere with the raised edge 32. The degree of offset may be different in both directions in the plane.

[0116] The tank wall 201 sketched in Figure 14 shows an embodiment in which a row of primary insulation panels 22 overlaps a row of secondary insulation panels 7, but is offset in a first direction by a fraction of the length of the insulation panels, here half of this length. Thus, a primary insulation panel 22 of the primary row straddles two secondary insulation panels 7 of the underlying secondary row. Elements that are the same as or similar to elements in Figures 1 to 13 are given the same reference numbers and will be described only with respect to their differences.

[0117] In the embodiment sketched in FIG. 14, the primary insulation panels 22 are held on the secondary sealing membrane (not shown) by a retaining member located in the center of the side of the primary insulation panels 22. Thus, the primary retaining member 97 located in the center of the cover plate of the secondary insulation panel 7 cooperates with two primary insulation panels 22 of the primary row and is located at a position half the width of the primary row. Furthermore, at the corners of the secondary insulation panel 7, as in the previous embodiment, there are secondary retaining members 92. The secondary retaining members 92 support the primary retaining members 91. The secondary retaining members 92 and the primary retaining members 91 that they support may be made in a similar manner to the retaining device 98 or in a different manner. Unlike FIG. 1, the primary retaining members 91 here cooperate only with two primary insulation panels 22 in the center of the side of these primary insulation panels 22.

[0118] To facilitate access to the primary retention members 91, the shape of the primary insulation panel 22 may be configured to form an access shaft 93. In this case, the shaft 93 is blocked off with, for example, a plug of polyurethane foam covered with a rigid sheeting after the primary retention members 91 are in place. The rigid sheeting may be made, for example, of plywood (not shown).

[0119] It has been previously described that the primary sealing film has corrugations that are continuous at the intersection between two series of corrugations. The primary sealing film may also have two series of corrugations that are perpendicular to each other, with a particular corrugation being interrupted at the intersection between the two series of corrugations. In this case, the interruptions are distributed alternately in the first series of corrugations and the second series of corrugations, and within a series of corrugations, the interruptions of the corrugations are offset with respect to the interruptions of adjacent parallel corrugations. This offset may be equal to the spacing between the two parallel corrugations.

[0120] Referring to Figure 11, a cutaway view of a methane tanker 70 shows a generally prismatic insulating sealed tank 71 mounted on the vessel's double hull 72. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealing barrier intended to be in contact with the LNG contained within the tank, a secondary sealing barrier disposed between the primary sealing barrier and the vessel's double hull 72, and two insulating barriers disposed respectively between the primary sealing barrier and the secondary sealing barrier and between the secondary sealing barrier and the double hull 72.

[0121] In a known manner, an offloading pipeline 73 located on the upper deck of the ship can be connected using appropriate connectors to an offshore or port terminal for transferring the cargo of LNG to or from the tanks 71.

[0122] FIG. 11 shows a system including a loading / unloading station 75, an underwater line 76, and a land-based facility 77. It represents an example of a marine terminal. The offloading station 75 is a fixed offshore installation including a movable arm 74 and a riser 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 supports a bundle of insulating flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the offloading pipeline 73. The directional movable arm 74 is adapted to all methane tanker templates. A link line, not shown, runs inside the riser 78. The offloading station 75 allows the methane tanker 70 to be loaded and unloaded from or to an onshore installation 77. The onshore installation 77 comprises a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting line 81 connected to the offloading station 75 by an underwater line 76. The underwater line 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the offloading station 75 and the onshore installation 77 over long distances, for example 5 km, which allows the methane tanker 70 to remain far from the shore during the offloading operations.

[0123] To generate the pressure required for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps embedded in the ship 70 and / or pumps provided by the onshore facility 77 and / or pumps provided by the loading / unloading station 75 are used.

[0124] Although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific embodiments, it is in no way limited thereto, but it is clear that it includes all technical equivalents of the described means and combinations thereof, provided that they fall within the scope of the invention.

[0125] 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.

[0126] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

Claims

1. A thermally insulated and sealed tank integrated into a support structure, said tank comprising a tank wall (1, 101, 201) fixed to a support wall (3) of said support structure, The tank wall comprises a primary sealing film (6) intended to come into contact with the product contained in the insulated sealed tank, a secondary sealing film (4) arranged between the primary sealing film and the support wall, a primary insulating barrier (5) arranged between the primary sealing film and the secondary sealing film, and a secondary insulating barrier (2) arranged between the secondary sealing film and the support wall, the secondary insulating barrier comprises a plurality of secondary rows (A, B, C) parallel to a first direction, each secondary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped secondary insulating panels (7), the plurality of secondary rows being juxtaposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction according to a repeating pattern, the secondary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of strakes (21) parallel to the first direction, each strake having a flat central portion resting on the upper surface of the secondary insulation panel and two raised edges protruding relative to the central portion toward the interior of the insulated sealed tank, the strakes are juxtaposed in the second direction according to a repeating pattern and tightly welded to each other at the raised edges, and fixing wings fixed to the secondary insulation panel and parallel to the first direction are arranged between the juxtaposed strakes to hold the secondary sealing membrane on the secondary insulation barrier, the primary insulating barrier (5) comprises a plurality of primary rows parallel to the first direction, each primary row comprising a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped primary insulating panels (22), the plurality of primary rows being juxtaposed in the second direction according to a repeating pattern; the primary insulation barrier comprises a bridging element (64) secured to an upper surface of at least two adjacent primary insulation panels (22) to prevent separation of the two primary insulation panels (22), the primary sealing film resting on the bridging element (64); a primary retention member (98, 91, 97) disposed at an interface between the primary rows and cooperating with the primary insulation panel to retain the primary insulation panel on the secondary sealing membrane; the primary sealing film having first corrugations (56) parallel to the first direction and arranged in a repeating pattern in the second direction, and flat portions located between the first corrugations and resting on an upper surface of the primary insulation panel; the primary sealing film comprises a plurality of rows of metal sheets parallel to the first direction, each row of metal sheets comprising a plurality of rectangular metal sheets (33) welded at edge regions (59), the rows of metal sheets being juxtaposed and welded to one another in the second direction, a size of a row of metal sheets in the second direction being equal to an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the primary rows, the plurality of rows of metal sheets are offset in the second direction relative to the primary rows such that weld joints between the plurality of rows of metal sheets are located away from the interface between the primary rows.

2. 2. The insulated sealed tank of claim 1, wherein the or each primary row is stacked over two secondary rows (A, B, C) and the primary retention members (97) are supported by the secondary insulation panels (7).

3. 3. The insulated sealed tank of claim 2, wherein the primary rows are offset in the second direction relative to the secondary rows (A, B, C) by half the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the secondary rows.

4. 4. The insulated sealed tank of claim 2 or 3, wherein the interface between the primary insulation panels in the or each primary row is offset in the first direction relative to the interface between the secondary insulation panels in two of the secondary rows with which the primary row is stacked, and the primary retention member (97) is supported by the secondary insulation panel (7) at a position away from the edge of the secondary insulation panel.

5. 5. The insulated sealed tank according to claim 2, wherein the primary retention member comprises a plate fixed to a cover plate of the secondary insulation panel under the secondary sealing membrane and a rod attached to the plate and penetrating the secondary sealing membrane towards the primary insulation barrier (5), the secondary sealing membrane being hermetically sealed to the rod.

6. the support wall supports a secondary retention member which cooperates with the secondary insulation panel to retain the secondary insulation panel on the support wall; 2. An insulated sealed tank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each primary row is stacked with a secondary row (A, B, C) and the primary retention members (98, 91) are supported by the secondary retention members.

7. 7. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first corrugations (56) are arranged at first regular intervals (58) in the second direction.

8. 8. The insulated and sealed tank according to claim 7, wherein the size of the strakes (21) in the second direction is an integer multiple of the first regular intervals (58).

9. 9. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a primary row comprises a plurality of parallelepiped primary insulation panels (22) juxtaposed according to a repeating pattern, and wherein the row of metal sheets of the primary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of rectangular metal sheets (33) juxtaposed according to a repeating pattern, the size of the repeating pattern of the rectangular metal sheets being equal to an integer multiple of the size of the repeating pattern of the primary insulation panels in the first direction.

10. 10. The insulated sealed tank of claim 9, wherein the edges of the rectangular metal sheets (33) are offset in the first direction relative to the edges of the primary insulation panels (22) that are parallel to the second direction, such that weld joints between the rectangular metal sheets are located away from the edges of the primary insulation panels that are parallel to the second direction.

11. 11. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the primary insulation panel (22) and / or the secondary insulation panel (7) have a square shape.

12. 12. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the primary sealing membrane (6) also has second corrugations (55) parallel to the second direction and arranged according to a repeating pattern in the first direction, the flat portions being located between the first and second corrugations.

13. 13. The insulated sealed tank according to claim 12, wherein the second corrugations (55) parallel to the second direction are spaced at second regular intervals (57) in the first direction.

14. the first corrugations (56) are spaced at first regular intervals (58) in the second direction; 14. The insulated sealed tank of claim 13, wherein the first regular intervals (58) are equal to the second regular intervals (57).

15. 15. The insulated sealed tank of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first corrugation and the second corrugation are continuous at an intersection between the first corrugation and the second corrugation.

16. 15. The insulated sealed tank of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first corrugation and the second corrugation are intermittent at an intersection between the first corrugation and the second corrugation.

17. 17. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the rectangular metal sheets (33) of the primary sealing membrane have a dimension in the first direction substantially equal to an integer multiple of the dimension of the repeating pattern of the second corrugations, there being a difference between these two quantities smaller than the overlap between the rectangular metal sheets.

18. 18. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the primary insulation panel (22) comprises a bottom plate (23) resting against the secondary sealing membrane (4), an intermediate plate (25) arranged between the bottom plate and a cover plate (27), a first layer (24) of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate and the intermediate plate, and a second layer (26) of insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the intermediate plate and the cover plate (27).

19. 19. The insulated sealed tank according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the primary sealing membrane (5) is held on the primary insulating barrier by fastening means, the fastening means comprising metallic fastening strips (60) fixed on the primary insulating panel in positions corresponding to the contour of the rectangular metal sheet (33) and in positions where edge areas (59) of the rectangular metal sheet can be welded.

20. 20. The insulated sealed tank of claim 19, wherein the primary insulation panel comprises a relief slit (65) recessed in the thickness direction of the primary insulation panel and opening onto a cover plate (27) of the primary insulation panel, and the metallic fastening strip (60) comprises several aligned segments fixed onto the cover plate (27) and separated by the relief slits (65).

21. 2. The insulated sealed tank of claim 1, wherein the primary insulation panel (22) has a counterbore (63) on an edge of the upper surface for receiving the bridging element (64).

22. 2. The insulated sealed tank of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the secondary rows is an integer multiple of the magnitude of the strakes in the second direction.

23. 2. The insulated sealed tank of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the repeating pattern of the primary row is equal to a magnitude of the repeating pattern of the secondary row in the second direction.

24. 2. The insulated sealed tank of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the primary row is an integer multiple of the magnitude of the repeating pattern of the first corrugation.

25. 25. A ship (70) for transporting a fluid, comprising a double hull (72) and, disposed within the double hull (72), an insulated sealed tank (71) according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. 26. A fluid transfer system comprising: a ship (70) as described in claim 25; an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the insulated sealed tank (71) installed in the double hull of the ship to a floating or land-based storage facility (77); and a pump for driving fluid from the floating or land-based storage facility to the insulated sealed tank of the ship or from the insulated sealed tank of the ship to the floating or land-based storage facility via the insulated pipeline.

27. 26. A method of loading and unloading a ship (70), in which fluid is transported from a floating or onshore storage facility (77) to the insulated sealed tank (71) of the ship according to claim 25 or from the insulated sealed tank (71) of the ship according to claim 25 to the floating or onshore storage facility (77) via an insulated pipeline (73, 79, 76, 81).

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