Sealed insulation tank incorporated into a load-bearing structure

Abstract

The tank wall includes an insulating barrier fixed to the support wall and a sealing membrane carried by the insulating barrier, the support wall supporting retaining members (21, 22) cooperating with first and second edges of the insulating panels (3) in one row, the retaining members comprising a first retaining member (21) provided at the height of a first edge parallel to a first direction, the first retaining member (21) being aligned with a plurality of strakes (12) spanning the one row and the adjacent row, and a second retaining member (22) provided at the height of a second edge parallel to a second direction, the second retaining member (22) being aligned with the or each strake (11) spaced apart from corners of the insulating panels in the one row and entirely resting in the one row.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of hermetic insulated tanks incorporated into load-bearing structures for storing cryogenic fluids, and more particularly to membrane tanks for storing liquefied gases such as flammable gases.

[0002] Insulated hermetic tanks can be used in various industries for storing cryogenic products. For example, in the energy field, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a liquid containing a large amount of methane that can be stored at about -163°C and atmospheric pressure in tanks provided in onshore storage tanks or floating structures. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can be stored at temperatures between -50°C and 0°C.

[0003] In the case of floating structures, the tank may be intended to receive liquefied gas that functions as fuel for the transportation of liquefied gas or for the propulsion of the floating structure.

Background Art

[0004] Hermetic insulated membrane tanks incorporated into the double-hull of a ship are known in the art. For example, International Publication No. 2014 / 096600 teaches this type of tank, where the thermal barrier is an assembly of substantially parallelepipedal thermal insulation elements juxtaposed on a load-bearing structure to form a substantially uniform support surface for the hermetic membrane, and retaining members attached to the load-bearing structure between the juxtaposed thermal insulation elements and cooperating with the thermal insulation elements to hold the thermal insulation elements against the load-bearing structure. Each thermal insulation element is held by four mechanical couplers disposed at the corners of the thermal insulation element.

[0005] The above International Publication shows that the thermal gradient in the thermal insulation element causes a phenomenon in which the expansion differs in an adhesive assembly of polymer foam having other rigid materials such as plywood, and easily causes stress to bend the thermal insulation element.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] One object of the present invention is to design a heat-insulating barrier structure for a tank wall structure, particularly for a stretched and sealed membrane, which provides advantageous properties in terms of heat insulation, mechanical strength, and support.

[0007] For this purpose, the present invention includes a tank wall fixed to a support wall of a load-bearing structure, which is a sealed and insulated tank incorporated in the load-bearing structure, wherein the tank wall includes a heat-insulating barrier fixed to the support wall and a sealed membrane supported by the heat-insulating barrier, the heat-insulating barrier includes a plurality of rows parallel to a first direction, each of the plurality of rows includes a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped heat-insulating panels, and the plurality of rows are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the sealed membrane includes a plurality of strakes arranged parallel to the first direction and made of metal, each of the plurality of strakes includes a flat central portion resting on the upper surface of the heat-insulating panel and two raised edges protruding towards the inside of the sealed and insulated tank with respect to the central portion, and the plurality of strakes are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the second direction and are welded to each other in a manner that seals at the height of the raised edges, the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is an integer multiple of 2 or more with respect to the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and at least one of the plurality of strakes placed on one of the plurality of rows lies entirely on the one row, and at least two of the plurality of strakes are arranged to straddle the one row and two adjacent rows located on both sides of the one row, and the raised edges of the strakes are offset in the second direction with respect to the end of the one row, The support wall includes first and second holding members that cooperate with first and second edges of the one row of the heat insulation panels, and the one row of the heat insulation panels is fixed to the support wall by the first and second holding members. The first holding member is provided at the height of the first edge, the first edge is parallel to the first direction, the first holding member is arranged aligned with the plurality of strakes straddling the one row and the adjacent row, the second holding member is provided at the height of the second edge, the second edge is parallel to the second direction, and the second holding member is arranged spaced apart from a corner of the one row of the heat insulation panels and aligned with the strake or each strake on which the one row entirely lies, thereby providing a sealed heat insulation tank.

[0008] Therefore, the holding members are arranged aligned with each of the plurality of strakes in the one row. That is, the first holding member is arranged to be aligned with two strakes arranged to straddle the one row and two adjacent rows located on both sides of the one row, and the second holding member is arranged to be aligned with each strake on which the one row entirely lies. The arrangement of the holding members can evenly distribute the force applied to the heat insulation panel and can limit defects in the flatness of the support surface formed for the sealed membrane. These defects in flatness have various causes such as deformation of the hull due to loading ballast. Further, when the tank wall is exposed to a temperature gradient in the thickness direction, the aforementioned differences in thermal expansion or thermal contraction tend to create small deformations when the heat insulation panel is bent, as described in WO 2014 / 096600. Arranging at least the second holding member away from the corner rather than at the corner of the heat insulation panel limits the length vulnerable to bending, thereby limiting deflection, that is, displacement due to bending in the thickness direction of the tank wall. Therefore, this distribution of the holding members can reduce the deformation of the heat insulation panel and the vertical step between adjacent heat insulation panels.

[0009] The arrangement of this holding member may be applied to one column or each column, or may be applied to a part of the columns, for example, applied every other column in the heat insulation barrier.

[0010] Embodiments of such types of tanks may include one or more of the following features.

[0011] Preferably, the first holding member is arranged spaced apart from the corner of the heat insulation panel of the one column.

[0012] Similarly, arranging the first holding member at a location away from the corner rather than at the corner of the heat insulation panel limits the length that is easily subjected to bending, thereby restricting deflection, that is, displacement due to bending in the thickness direction of the tank wall is restricted.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the raised edge of the strake is offset in the second direction from the first edge of the one column by a distance equal to half of the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes. The second holding member is spaced apart from the corner of the heat insulation panel by a distance equal to the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes or an integral multiple of the size.

[0014] Therefore, the holding member arranged at the height of the second edge of the heat insulation panel is arranged to align with the center lines of the plurality of strakes on which the whole of the one column rests, thereby making it possible to make the distribution of the force exerted on the heat insulation panel uniform.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of columns is twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and the second holding member is arranged at the center of the second edge.

[0016] ​According to another embodiment, the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of columns is greater than twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and a second holding member that is separated from each other by the same distance as the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes is arranged along the second edge.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the parallelepiped heat insulation panels of the one column are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction. The size of the repeating pattern in the first direction is twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction. The first holding member is arranged at the center of the first edge.

[0018] According to another embodiment, the parallelepiped heat insulation panels of the one column are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction. The size of the repeating pattern in the first direction is an integer multiple greater than twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction. A first holding member that is separated from each other by the same distance as the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes is arranged along the first edge.

[0019] With this feature, the holding members can be distributed on the support wall in a regular arrangement shape, such as the shape of a face-centered cubic arrangement, for example, which simplifies the structure and makes the distribution of the forces exerted on the heat insulation panels and the sealed membrane supported by the heat insulation panels uniform.

[0020] The parallelepiped heat insulation panel may have various structures. According to one embodiment, the parallelepiped heat insulation panel has a square shape. According to one embodiment, the heat insulation panel includes a bottom plate that abuts against the support wall via, for example, a bead of polymerizable mastic, a cover plate parallel to the bottom plate, and a layer of heat-insulating polymer foam sandwiched between the bottom plate and the cover plate. According to one embodiment, an intermediate plate parallel to the bottom plate is inserted within the thickness of the layer of heat-insulating polymer foam and divides the layer of heat-insulating polymer foam into two layers. This kind of structure is advantageous in that it makes it possible to limit the bending force generated by the shrinkage difference of the materials of the heat insulation panel.

[0021] Thanks to the bead of polymerizable mastic, the flatness of the parallelepiped heat insulation panel is improved and its mountability is ensured. According to one embodiment, a non-adhesive film is inserted between the support wall and the bead of polymerizable mastic to prevent the bead of polymerizable mastic from adhering to the support wall. Conversely, in another embodiment, this non-adhesive film is omitted and the parallelepiped heat insulation panel is adhered to the support wall by the bead of polymerizable mastic.

[0022] The holding member can be manufactured in various ways. According to one embodiment, the second holding member includes a stud and an elongated mounting portion. The stud is fixed perpendicular to the support wall in a gap between two parallelepiped heat insulation panels in the one row. The mounting portion includes a central portion arranged to pivot with respect to the stud and two end portions extending laterally with respect to the stud on both sides of the stud. The mounting portion is pivotable between an open position and a holding position. In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction. In the holding position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction or oblique to the first direction. The two parallelepiped heat insulation panels are provided with lateral recesses for receiving the end portions of the mounting portion at the holding position, and at the holding position, the mounting portion restrains the two parallelepiped heat insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the first holding member includes a stud and an elongated mounting portion. The stud is fixed perpendicular to the support wall in the gap between two rows. The mounting portion includes a central portion arranged to pivot with respect to the stud and two end portions extending laterally with respect to the stud on both sides of the stud. The mounting portion is pivotable between an open position and a holding position. In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction. In the holding position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction or oblique with respect to the second direction. The two parallelepiped heat insulation panels located on both sides of the gap are provided with lateral recesses for receiving the end portions of the mounting portion at the holding position, and at the holding position, the mounting portion restrains the two parallelepiped heat insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the end portion of the mounting portion in the holding position cooperates with the upper surface of the bottom plate of the parallelepiped heat insulation panel.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the stud has a nut fastened to the end of the stud on the side opposite to the support wall, and a spring washer disposed between the nut and the central portion of the mounting portion.

[0026] According to one embodiment, an anchor flange fixed to the heat insulation panel and parallel to the first direction is disposed between juxtaposed strakes to fix the sealing membrane to the heat insulation barrier.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the heat insulation barrier is a secondary heat insulation barrier, and the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane. The tank wall further includes a primary sealing membrane intended to contact a product contained in the sealed heat-insulated tank, and a primary heat insulation barrier disposed between the primary sealing membrane and the secondary sealing membrane.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the first and second holding members are first and second secondary holding members, respectively. The sealed heat-insulated tank further includes a primary holding member provided in the heat insulation panel of the one row. The primary holding member is located on a first line parallel to the first direction and aligned with one of the second secondary holding members, and on a second line parallel to the second direction and aligned with one of the first secondary holding members. The primary holding member is preferably disposed at the intersection of the first line and the second line.

[0029] Such a tank can constitute, for example, a land-based storage facility for storing LNG or a part of a storage facility installed on the seabed, or can be installed on a coastal or offshore floating structure, particularly an LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO), etc.

[0030] According to one embodiment, a ship for transporting a cryogenic liquid product includes a double hull and the above-described tank incorporated in the double hull. According to one embodiment, the double hull includes an inner hull forming a load-bearing structure of the tank.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a method for loading or unloading a ship, A method is provided, characterized in that cryogenic liquid products are transported via a heat-insulating pipe from a floating or onshore storage facility to the tank of the ship, or from the tank of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a transfer system for cryogenic liquid products, comprising the aforementioned ship, a heat-insulating pipe arranged to connect the hermetically insulated tank of the ship to a floating or onshore storage facility, and a pump for driving the cryogenic liquid products via the heat-insulating pipe from the floating or onshore storage facility to the hermetically insulated tank of the ship, or from the hermetically insulated tank of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility.

[0033] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention will be more deeply understood, and other objects, details, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent in the following description of some specific embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0035] Figure 1 shows the wall of the heat-insulating tank 1 as seen from above and shows the structure of the wall. This type of structure can be mounted on a wide range of surfaces with various orientations, for example, to cover the lower part, ceiling, and side walls of a polyhedral tank. The orientation in Figure 1 is not limiting in this regard.

[0036] The tank 1 is attached to the support wall 2. By convention, regardless of the orientation of the tank wall with respect to the earth's gravitational field, "up" refers to the position closer to the inside of the tank, and "down" refers to the position closer to the support wall 2.

[0037] The tank wall includes at least one heat-insulating barrier and one sealing membrane 10 (represented as if partially transparent in Figure 1 for the purpose of explanation) held on top of the heat-insulating barrier. The heat-insulating barrier consists of a plurality of parallelepiped heat-insulating panels 3 arranged side by side in the form of a plurality of parallel rows A, B so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the support wall 2. In order to enable the flatness of the sealing membrane 10, a mastic bead 29 (shown in Figure 4) is arranged between the support wall 2 and the lower surface of the heat-insulating panel 3. These mastic beads 29 are, for example, attached to the lower surface of the heat-insulating panel 3. According to one embodiment, the mastic bead may be a corrugated bead described in French Patent Invention No. 2931535. Shims (not shown) may be equally provided on the support wall 2 to support the corners of the heat-insulating panel 3.

[0038] For example, the heat-insulating panel 3 includes a foam block 42 of a high-density polymer, such as polyurethane with or without glass fibers in particular, and is sandwiched between two flat plates, for example, a bottom plate 41 and a cover plate 44, made of plywood, for example. For example, the foam block has a density of about 130 kg / m 3 to the extent. Other structures are equally possible.

[0039] Columns A and B of the heat insulation panel 3 extend in a first direction and are separated by a gap 4 extending in the first direction. In column B, the heat insulation panels 3 are substantially regularly separated by gaps 5 extending in a second direction. The heat insulation panel 3 has two edges parallel to the first direction, along which a first holding member 21 is arranged. The heat insulation panel 3 has two edges parallel to the second direction, along which a second holding member 22 is arranged.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the mastic bead 29 is not adhered to the support wall 2. For this purpose, a, for example, kraft paper or plastic film (not shown) is arranged between the bead 29 and the support wall 2. Here, four holding members 21, 22 are arranged per heat insulation panel 3, serving to hold the heat insulation panel 3 on the support wall 2. They can be manufactured in various ways.

[0041] According to another embodiment, the mastic bead 29 is adhered to the support wall 2, holding the heat insulation panel 3 by adhesion. In this case, the holding members 21, 22 serve to hold the heat insulation panel 3 on the support wall 2 so as to overlap the above-described adhesive force, particularly during the polymerization of the mastic during the manufacture of the tank.

[0042] The sealing membrane 10 includes a continuous layer of strakes (plate-like members) 11, 12 made of metal having raised edges, the length of which extends in the first direction and the width of which extends in the second direction. The raised edges of the strakes 11, 12 are welded to a welding support (not shown) fixed in a groove 13 formed on the cover plate 44 of the heat insulation panel 3. For example, the strakes 11, 12 are made of Invar (registered trademark). Invar (registered trademark) is an alloy of iron and nickel, and its coefficient of expansion is typically 1.2×10 -6 ~2×10 -6 K -1 . It is also possible to use an alloy of iron and manganese, the coefficient of expansion of which is typically on the order of 7~9×10 -6 K -1 .

[0043] The heat insulation barrier may be constructed on a surface of any size by periodically repeating rows A and B of heat insulation panels and metal strakes 11 and 12 in a second direction. The rows A and B of heat insulation panels and the metal strakes 11 and 12 may extend over any required length in a first direction. The dimensions of the periodic pattern of rows A and B are equal to twice the width of the strakes 11 and 12, and the longitudinal edges of the strakes 11 and 12 are offset by half the width in the second direction with respect to the edges of rows A and B. Thus, row A is covered by the strake 11 on which row A is entirely placed and two strakes 12 spanning row A and two adjacent rows. Here, only the adjacent row B is shown.

[0044] Alternatively, the offset of the strakes 11 and 12 may not be half the width, but a groove 13 must be formed, so this offset cannot be zero.

[0045] By arranging the holding members 21 and 22 at the centers of the four edges of the heat insulation panel 3, which here has a square cross-section, the advantage is obtained that substantially equal numbers of holding members are arranged in alignment with each of the strakes 11 and 12.

[0046] Furthermore, compared with the fixtures provided at the four corners of the heat insulation panel 3, the fixing by the holding members 21 and 22 arranged at the centers of the edges of the heat insulation panel 3 has the advantage of restricting the length of the panel that is liable to be bent by the influence of the loading ballast and / or the thermal gradient. Here, this length is restricted to the distance between the holding member 21 or 22 and the corner, that is, half the length of the side. Conversely, the distance between the two holding members is the full length of the side when the holding members are arranged at the corners of the heat insulation panel 3.

[0047] When the dimension of the heat-insulating panel 3 in the second direction (the width direction of the strakes 11 and 12) is larger, for example, when it increases by only the strake width, there is a second strake 11 that spans the entire row. In this case, there may be a plurality of holding members 22 arranged at intervals along the edge of the heat-insulating panel 3, so that the holding members 22 arranged in alignment with the plurality of strakes 11 spanning the entire row are always present.

[0048] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, embodiments of the holding members 21 and 22 in the form of mechanical couplers will be described below.

[0049] This mechanical coupler includes a stud 31 that extends perpendicular to the support wall 2, the lower end of which is received in a bush 30 that forms a ball joint in some cases, and the bush 30 is welded to the support wall 2. The stud 31 can also be welded directly to the support wall 2.

[0050] The stud 31 is sequentially engaged with a pivotally rotatable holding portion 32, a spring washer 34, and a nut 33 in the form of a split nut to prevent loosening due to vibration. In FIG. 3, the holding portion 32 is arranged parallel to the gap 4 or 5 in which the coupler is arranged, and thus does not cooperate with the heat-insulating panel 3. In the holding position shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 32 is pivoted about 90 degrees around the stud 31, thereby forming an axis engaged through the central portion 36. Accordingly, the end lug 35 of the holding portion 32 enters the recess 43 of the heat-insulating panel 3 and fixes the heat-insulating panel 3 in the thickness direction. When the holding portion 32 is symmetric as shown here, the second end lug 35 of the holding portion 32 can have the same effect on a second heat-insulating panel 3 (not shown) located on the opposite side of the gap.

[0051] Here, the recess 43 is a groove machined in a foam block 42 that covers the upper surface of the bottom plate 41. Accordingly, the end lug 35 has a flat shape parallel to the bottom plate 41 and can engage with the bottom plate 41 over a sufficient area to prevent deterioration due to punch-through.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the thermal barrier is shown. Here, the recess for receiving the end lug 35 of the holding part 32 is manufactured in the form of a well 143 that penetrates the entire thickness of the foam block 42 and the cover plate 44. That is, in this embodiment, the locking of the thermal panel 3 is performed not by rotating the holding part 32, but by placing the holding part 32 on the stud 31 from above. Then, the well 143 allows the nut 33 to be placed on the stud 31 and tightened.

[0053] FIG. 4 also shows a series of mastic beads 29 disposed on the support wall 2 at the location of the thermal panel 3. This representation is illustrative and does not necessarily correspond to how the mastic beads 29 are disposed within the tank.

[0054] The above-described technique for manufacturing a tank wall having a single hermetic membrane can also be used, for example, in different types of tanks to construct double membrane tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in floating structures such as LNG carriers or other structures and onshore facilities. In this regard, the hermetic membrane 10 shown in the foregoing figures can be considered as a secondary hermetic membrane, and a primary hermetic barrier and a primary hermetic membrane (not shown) are added to this secondary hermetic membrane. In this way, this technique can also be applied to tanks having a plurality of stacked thermal barriers and hermetic membranes.

[0055] For this purpose, FIGS. 4 and 1 also show a primary holding member 46 which may optionally be provided on the cover panel 44 so as to be able to fix the primary insulation barrier. More precisely, FIG. 4 shows a first line I which is parallel to the first direction and is aligned with the holding member 22, and a second line II which is parallel to the second direction and is aligned with the holding member 21. As shown here, the primary holding member 46 is preferably located on the cover panel 44 at the intersection of the line I and the line II. It will be clear that a series of parallel lines I may be drawn in the same manner for a plurality of consecutive rows. It will be clear that a series of parallel lines II may be drawn in the same manner for a plurality of consecutive rows of insulation panels.

[0056] Alternatively, the primary holding member may be arranged at other locations on the insulation panel 3, for example, on the line I or on the line II.

[0057] Next, a third embodiment of the flat tank wall, more specifically a flat tank wall suitable for a double membrane tank, will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0058] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway view of a part of the multilayer structure of the thermally insulated closed tank wall 101. Elements similar or identical to those of the foregoing embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0059] A primary insulation barrier 53 consisting of a primary insulation panel 54 is added to a secondary membrane formed by the strakes 11, 12 and the welding support 55. A primary sealing membrane 51 is added to the primary insulation barrier 53. Other details of the primary insulation barrier 53 and / or the primary sealing membrane 51 are shown, for example, in WO 2019 / 234360.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 6, a cutaway view of a part of the LNG carrier 70 shows a substantially prismatic-shaped hermetic insulation tank 71 attached to the double hull 72 of the ship. The wall of the tank 71 includes a primary hermetic barrier intended to contact the liquefied gas contained in the tank, a secondary hermetic barrier disposed between the primary hermetic barrier and the double hull 72 of the ship, and two insulation barriers respectively disposed between the primary hermetic barrier and the secondary hermetic barrier and between the secondary hermetic barrier and the double hull 72. In a simplified variant, the ship includes a single hull.

[0061] The loading and unloading pipes 73 disposed on the upper deck of the ship may be connected in a known manner by means of appropriate connectors to a sea or port terminal to transfer the liquefied gas cargo from or to the tank 71.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows an example of a sea terminal including a loading and unloading station 75, a subsea pipeline 76, and onshore facilities 77. The loading and unloading station 75 is a fixed offshore facility including a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 supporting the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading and unloading pipes 73. The adjustable movable arm 74 is adaptable to LNG carriers of any size. Inside the tower 78, a connecting pipe (not shown) extends. The loading and unloading station 75 enables the LNG carrier 70 to load and unload from or to the onshore facilities 77. The onshore facilities 77 include a liquefied gas storage tank 80 and a connecting pipe 81 connected to the loading and unloading station 75 by the subsea pipeline 76. The subsea pipeline 76 enables the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading and unloading station 75 and the onshore facilities 77 over a long distance, for example, 5 km, thereby enabling the LNG carrier 70 to be maintained at a long distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

[0063] To generate the pressure required for the transfer of liquefied gas, pumps installed on the ship 70, and / or pumps provided in the onshore facility 77, and / or pumps provided in the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

[0064] Although the present invention has been described in connection with several specific embodiments, the present invention is in no way limited thereto, includes all technical equivalents of the means described, and clearly includes combinations thereof if such combinations are within the scope of the present invention.

[0065] The use of the verb "comprise" (or its conjugations) does not exclude the presence of other elements or other steps than those recited in the claims.

[0066] In the claims, reference signs in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims.

Claims

Claim 1 A sealed insulated tank incorporated into the load-bearing structure, including a tank wall (1, 101) fixed to a support wall (2) of the load-bearing structure, wherein the tank wall includes a heat insulation barrier fixed to the support wall and a sealing membrane supported by the heat insulation barrier, the heat insulation barrier includes a plurality of rows (A, B, C) parallel to a first direction, each of the plurality of rows includes a plurality of juxtaposed parallelepiped heat insulation panels (3), and the plurality of rows are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the sealing membrane includes a plurality of strakes (11, 12) arranged parallel to the first direction and made of metal, each of the plurality of strakes (11, 12) includes a flat central portion resting on the upper surface of the heat insulation panel and two raised edges protruding towards the inside of the sealed insulated tank with respect to the central portion, the plurality of strakes are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the second direction, and are welded to each other in a manner that seals at the height of the raised edges, the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of rows is an integer multiple of 2 or more with respect to the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, and among the plurality of strakes placed on one of the plurality of rows, at least one (11) of the plurality of strakes is entirely placed on the one row, and at least two (12) of the plurality of strakes are arranged to straddle the one row and two adjacent rows located on both sides of the one row, and the raised edges of the strakes are offset in the second direction with respect to the ends of the one row, The support wall includes first and second holding members (21, 22) that cooperate with first and second edges of the heat insulation panel (3) of the one column, and the heat insulation panel of the one column is fixed to the support wall by the first and second holding members (21, 22). The first holding member (21) is provided at the height of the first edge, the first edge is parallel to the first direction, the first holding member (21) is arranged aligned with the plurality of strakes (12) straddling the one column and the adjacent column, the second holding member (22) is provided at the height of the second edge, the second edge is parallel to the second direction, and the second holding member (22) is arranged separated from the corner of the heat insulation panel of the one column and aligned with the strake (11) or each strake (11) on which the whole of the one column is placed. A sealed heat insulation tank characterized by this.

2. The sealed heat insulation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the first holding member (21) is arranged separated from the corner of the heat insulation panel (3) of the one column.

3. The raised edge of the strakes (11, 12) is offset in the second direction by a distance equal to half of the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes with respect to the first edge of the one column. The sealed heat insulation tank according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second holding member (22) is separated from the corner of the heat insulation panel by a distance equal to the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes or an integral multiple of the size.

4. The size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of columns (A, B, C) is twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes (11, 12) in the second direction, and the second holding member (22) is arranged at the center of the second edge. The sealed heat insulation tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

5. The size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of columns is larger than twice the size of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction. The sealed adiabatic tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that second holding members, which are separated from each other by the same distance as the size of the repeating pattern of the number of strakes, are arranged along the second edge.

6. The parallelepiped heat insulation panels (3) of the one row are juxtaposed in a repeating pattern in the first direction, The size of the repeating pattern in the first direction is twice the size (11, 12) of the repeating pattern of the plurality of strakes in the second direction, The sealed adiabatic tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first holding member (21) is arranged at the center of the first edge.

7. The sealed adiabatic tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the parallelepiped heat insulation panel (3) has a square shape.

8. The second holding member (22) includes studs (30, 31) and an elongated mounting portion (32), The studs (30, 31) are fixed perpendicular to the support wall (2) in a gap (5) between two parallelepiped heat insulation panels (3) in the one row, The mounting portion (32) includes a central portion (36) arranged to pivot with respect to the stud and two end portions (35) extending laterally with respect to the stud on both sides of the stud, The mounting portion (32) is pivotable between an open position and a holding position, In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction, In the holding position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction or oblique to the first direction, The two parallelepiped heat insulation panels (3) are provided with lateral recesses (43, 143) for receiving the end portions (35) of the mounting portion in the holding position, and in the holding position, the mounting portion (32) restrains the two parallelepiped heat insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall. The sealed adiabatic tank according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that.

9. The first holding member (21) includes studs (30, 31) and an elongated mounting portion (32), The studs (30, 31) are fixed perpendicular to the support wall (2) in a gap (4) between two rows (A, B). The mounting portion (32) includes a central portion (36) arranged to pivot with respect to the stud, and two end portions (35) extending laterally with respect to the stud on both sides of the stud. The mounting portion (32) is pivotable between an open position and a holding position. In the open position, the mounting portion is parallel to the first direction. In the holding position, the mounting portion is parallel to the second direction or is oblique to the second direction. Two parallelepiped heat insulation panels (3) located on both sides of the gap (4) are provided with lateral recesses (43, 143) for receiving the end portions (35) of the mounting portion in the holding position. In the holding position, the mounting portion (32) restrains the two parallelepiped heat insulation panels in the thickness direction of the tank wall. The hermetic insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

10. The end portion (35) of the mounting portion in the holding position cooperates with the upper surface of the bottom plate (41) of the parallelepiped heat insulation panel (3). The hermetic insulated tank according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that.

11. The studs (30, 31) carry a nut (33) fastened to the end of the stud on the side opposite to the support wall, and a spring washer (34) disposed between the nut (33) and the central portion (36) of the mounting portion. The hermetic insulated tank according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that.

12. An anchor flange (51) fixed to the heat insulation panel and parallel to the first direction is disposed between juxtaposed strakes (11, 12) to fix the hermetic membrane to the heat insulation barrier. The hermetic insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that.

13. The heat insulation barrier is a secondary heat insulation barrier, and the hermetic membrane is a secondary hermetic membrane. The tank wall further includes a primary hermetic membrane (51) intended to contact the product contained in the hermetic insulated tank, and a primary heat insulation barrier (53) disposed between the primary hermetic membrane and the secondary hermetic membrane (10). The hermetic insulated tank according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that.

14. The first and second holding members (21, 22) are respectively first and second secondary holding members. The sealed heat-insulated tank further includes a primary holding member provided on the heat-insulating panel (3) of the one row. The primary holding member is located on a first line (I) that is parallel to the first direction and aligned with one (22) of the second secondary holding members, and is located on a second line (II) that is parallel to the second direction and aligned with one (21) of the first secondary holding members. The sealed heat-insulated tank according to claim 13, characterized in that.

15. A ship (70) for transporting a fluid, The ship includes a double hull (72) and a sealed heat-insulated tank (71) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 installed in the double hull (72). A ship (70) characterized by that.

16. A fluid transfer system, The ship (70) according to claim 15, Heat-insulating pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the sealed heat-insulated tank (71) of the ship to a floating or onshore storage facility (77), A pump for driving the fluid from the floating or onshore storage facility to the sealed heat-insulated tank of the ship or from the sealed heat-insulated tank of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility through the heat-insulating pipe, A transfer system characterized by comprising.

17. A method of loading or unloading the ship (70) according to claim 15, The fluid is transported from a floating or onshore storage facility (77) to the tank (71) of the ship or from the tank (71) of the ship to the floating or onshore storage facility (77) through heat-insulating pipes (73, 79, 76, 81). A method characterized by that.

Images