Method for closing a sealing membrane for a sealed tank and welding system

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26), comprising the steps of: - installing a groove wall comprising a thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) and a sealing membrane (24, 26), the thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) comprising an edge portion (232, 252), - A metal connecting angle iron (30) is fixed at the horizontal position of the edge insulating block (232, 252). The metal connecting angle iron (30) includes a first flange (31) and a second flange (32). The first flange (31) is welded to a portion of the support wall by a welding bead. The second flange (32) is connected to the sealing membrane (24, 26). The welding step is performed by an automatic welding machine (40) that moves on a welding support (50). The welding support (50) includes a fixed surface and a supporting surface (53). The welding machine (40) includes a welding torch (43). During the generation of the welding bead, the fixed surface of the welding support (50) is fixed to the edge portion (232, 252).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sealing tanks, and more specifically, to sealing and thermally insulating membrane tanks. More specifically, this invention relates to the field of sealing and thermally insulating tanks for storing liquefied gases at cryogenic temperatures, such as tanks for storing liquefied natural gas (LNG) at approximately -162°C and atmospheric pressure. These tanks can be installed on land or on a floating structure. In the case of a floating structure, the tank can be intended for transporting or receiving liquefied gases as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure. Prior Technology

[0002] Prior art sealing and thermal insulation channels are integrated into a support structure for use as ground storage installations, including a primary thermal insulation barrier, a primary sealing membrane, a primary thermal insulation barrier, and a primary sealing membrane. The channel comprises a plurality of channel walls assembled together with each other.

[0003] In this type of structure, the sealing membrane closes at the edge of the wall or at the level of an opening to allow, for example, loading / unloading pipes to pass through.

[0004] During these closure periods, the secondary or primary sealing membrane is connected to the support structure in a sealing manner. This connection is made by means of a component bent at 90°, which is typically welded to the support structure on one side and connected to the sealing membrane on the other.

[0005] These welding operations are performed manually. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One of the ideas behind this invention is to simplify the welding operation in one of the closed areas of the sealing membrane.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for closing a sealing membrane in a sealing groove, the groove being particularly thermally insulated, the method comprising the following steps: - A groove wall is installed and fixed to a support wall, the groove wall including a thermally insulating barrier and a sealing membrane fixed to the thermally insulating barrier in a thickness direction, the thermally insulating barrier including an edge portion located at one edge of the thermally insulating barrier in a first direction. - A first flange is welded to a metal portion of the support wall using a welding bead, and a metal connecting angle iron is fixed to the horizontal position of the edge portion by connecting the second flange to the sealing membrane. The metal connecting angle iron includes a first flange and a second flange connected to the first flange. The step of welding the first flange is performed using an automatic welding machine that moves on a welding support. The welding support includes a fixed surface and a support surface perpendicular to the fixed surface. The support surface includes a guide member, particularly a guide rail, extending along a second direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the thickness direction. The welding machine includes a displacement system that cooperates with the guide member, configured to move the welding machine forward parallel to the second direction. The welding machine also includes a welding torch. Furthermore, during the welding of the first flange, the fixed surface of the welding support is fixed to the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier, such that the support surface is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0008] Due to these characteristics, an automatic welding machine can be used within a sealed membrane closure area, thus simplifying the welding operation and limiting costs. Furthermore, the welding support allows the automatic welding machine to be guided and held by fixing it to the component already installed in the groove (i.e., an edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier). Therefore, when the sealed membrane is closed, no space needs to be allocated to the welding support or the machine.

[0009] Embodiments of such methods may include one or more of the following features.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the welding machine also includes an attachment rod fixed to the displacement system and having a first end and a second end remote from the displacement system, the first end and the second end being located on opposite sides of the displacement system along the thickness direction, the welding torch being fixed to the first end, and a counterweight being fixed to the second end.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the first flange is formed in a plane perpendicular to the first direction, and the second flange is formed in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the metal portion of the support wall is an anchor plate that protrudes from the support wall along the thickness direction and extends along the second direction, and the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier is adjacent to the anchor plate.

[0013] Therefore, the edge portion is either close to the anchor plate or separated from the anchor plate by a plywood plate.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the metal portion on the support wall is one of the metal portions of the support wall.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier includes a plurality of insulating blocks arranged side by side, and the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier includes an edge insulating block.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the welding bead is a first welding bead, a metal closing plate is fixed to at least a portion of the surface of one edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier opposite to the support wall, one edge of the sealing film is fixed to the metal closing plate, and during the step of fixing the connecting angle iron, the second flange is welded to the metal closing plate by the second welding bead.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the welding bead is a first welding bead, a metal closing plate is fixed to at least a portion of the surface of one of the edge portions of the thermal insulation barrier opposite to the support wall, and during the step of fixing the connecting angle iron, the second flange is welded to the metal closing plate, and one edge of the sealing film is also welded to the second flange.

[0018] Preferably, the edge of the sealing membrane is welded to the second flange of the connecting angle iron using only the automatic welding machine, thus forming a second weld bead. The second flange is welded to the metal closing plate by hand.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the shut-off plate includes fixing holes, the shut-off plate is fixed to the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier by means of an anchoring device inserted into the fixing holes, and during the generation of the first weld bead, the fixing surface of the weld support is fixed by means of the anchoring devices inserted into the fixing holes, the fixing holes being kept free by means of the means of anchoring the shut-off plate.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the fixed surface of the welding support is a first fixed surface, and the welding support includes a second fixed surface that is perpendicular to the first fixed surface and parallel to the support surface. During the generation of the second weld bead, the second fixed surface of the welding support is fixedly attached to the support wall such that the support surface is parallel to the sealing film and preferably coplanar with the sealing film. The second weld bead is generated by the automatic welding machine moving on the guide member of the welding support. The welding support is used to generate both the first weld bead and the second weld bead.

[0021] Therefore, the same welding support and the same welding machine can be used to weld the first flange of the connecting angle iron to the support wall, and the second flange of the connecting angle iron to the closing plate or the sealing membrane.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the support wall includes fixing holes, the insulating blocks are anchored to the support wall by means of anchoring devices inserted into the fixing holes, and during the generation of the second weld bead, the second fixing surface of the weld support is fixed by means of anchoring devices inserted into the fixing holes of the support wall, the fixing holes being kept free by means of means of anchoring the insulating blocks.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the tank wall is inclined relative to the horizontal, and the tank wall is preferably a vertical wall.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the second end of the attachment rod is provided with a wheel having a spring, such that the wheel remains in close contact with the support surface of the welding support during the generation of the weld bead.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the welding torch is an arc welding torch that advantageously requires no additional material and has an inert gas flow, such as a tungsten electrode welding torch having an argon flow, for example.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier is a primary thermal insulation barrier, and the sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane. The groove wall includes, in the thickness direction, a primary thermal insulation barrier at least partially disposed on the secondary sealing membrane and a primary sealing membrane fixed to the primary sealing membrane thermal insulation barrier and intended to contact a liquefied gas.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the secondary sealing membrane is made of a composite material comprising an aluminum sheet sandwiched between two glass fiber sheets.

[0028] According to one embodiment, one edge of the secondary sealing membrane is adhered to the metal closing plate or to the second flange.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier is a primary thermal insulation barrier, and the sealing film is a primary sealing film. The groove wall includes, in the thickness direction, a secondary thermal insulation barrier disposed between the primary thermal insulation barrier and the support wall, and a primary sealing film disposed between the secondary thermal insulation barrier and the primary thermal insulation barrier. A first portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier is disposed on the secondary sealing film, and a second portion is disposed in close contact with the support wall. The edge portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier is located in the second portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier. The first portion and the second portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier are adjacent to and aligned with the edge portion of the secondary thermal insulation barrier.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the present invention also provides a welding system comprising a welding support and an automatic welding machine, wherein the welding support includes a planar fixed surface and a planar support surface perpendicular to the fixed surface, the support surface carrying a guide member (e.g., a guide rail) extending in a direction, the welding machine including a displacement system cooperating with the guide member configured to move the welding machine along the direction of the guide rail, the welding machine also including an attachment rod fixed to the displacement system and having a first end and a second end remote from the displacement system, the first end and the second end being located on opposite sides of the displacement system, a welding torch fixed to the first end and a counterweight fixed to the second end in a direction parallel to the support surface and perpendicular to the guide member, to cooperate with the support surface at a distance from the guide member.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the fixed surface of the welded support is a first fixed surface, and the welded support further includes a second fixed surface that is perpendicular to the first fixed surface and parallel to the support surface. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0032] The invention will be better understood and other objects, details, features and advantages will become more apparent in the following description of specific embodiments of the invention, provided only by way of non-limiting drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a ground storage installation.

[0034] Figure 2 is an exploded view of one of the details II in Figure 1.

[0035] Figure 3 is an exploded view of one of the details III in Figure 1.

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic side view of one of the primary membrane shut-off regions according to a first embodiment during a first welding operation.

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic side view of one of the primary membrane shut-off areas according to a second embodiment during a first welding operation.

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic side view of one of the primary membrane closure zones according to one of the first embodiments during a first welding operation.

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic side view of one of the primary membrane closure zones during a second welding operation. Implementation

[0040] The present invention will be described below with reference to one of the liquefied gas storage installations marked with element symbol 1 in the following description. Installation 1 is suitable for storing a liquefied gas, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other liquefied gases, at a temperature of approximately -162°C and atmospheric pressure. Installation 1 is also suitable for storing other types of liquids, particularly at ambient temperatures.

[0041] The installation 1 mainly includes a support structure 10 and a sealed thermal insulation groove 20 installed in the internal space of the support structure 10.

[0042] The support structure 10 includes a bottom support wall 11 and a vertical support wall 12.

[0043] Installation 1 may be intended to be located on land. The bottom support wall 11 is typically horizontal, i.e., located in a plane perpendicular to the direction of gravitational acceleration, within dimensional tolerances. The bottom support wall 11 may be located on the ground or possibly below the ground. The support structure 10 is, for example, made of concrete.

[0044] Alternatively, the installation 1 may be intended to be installed on a floating structure, such as a ship. In this case, the support structure 10 is part of the double hull of the floating structure. When the floating structure is stationary, the bottom support wall 11 may not be horizontal, and may even be located in a plane parallel to the direction of gravitational acceleration, within dimensional tolerances.

[0045] The remainder of the description will focus more specifically on the ground storage installation 1. The outline of the bottom support wall 11 is intended to be a regular polygon with N sides, where N is a whole number greater than or equal to 3. N is preferably an even number. Devices 1 where N is equal to 8 or 56 have particular significance.

[0046] As can be more easily seen in Figure 1, the vertical support wall 12 forms a polygonal cylindrical surface, with its guideline serving as the polygonal outline of the bottom support wall 11. The vertical support wall 12 extends in a vertical direction, that is, within the dimensional tolerance, in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the bottom support wall 11.

[0047] At the edge of the vertical support wall 12, opposite to the bottom support wall 11, the support structure 10 includes a cover support wall 13 that closes the internal space defined by the bottom support wall 11 and the vertical support wall 12. This cover support wall can support various types of equipment that can be used to transport liquefied gases from or to this internal space.

[0048] The sealed thermal insulation groove 20 is installed in the internal space of the support structure 10. The groove 20 includes a bottom wall 21 disposed on the bottom support wall 11 and a vertical wall 22 disposed on the vertical support wall 12.

[0049] In the direction of the self-supporting structure toward the interior space of the tank 20, the bottom wall 21 and the vertical wall 22 include a primary thermal insulation barrier 23, a primary sealing membrane 24, a primary thermal insulation barrier 25 and a primary sealing membrane 26, intended to contact the liquefied gas in the tank 20.

[0050] The bottom wall 21 and the vertical wall 22 may be produced by modular elements. In the embodiments described herein, these modular elements correspond to, for example, GST® technology sold by the applicant. For a description of certain modular elements, see also document US 6,035,795.

[0051] Such membrane grooves are described in particular as examples in patent applications WO2019239048, WO14057221, FR2691520 and FR2877638.

[0052] The following will describe in more detail two specific areas of the vertical wall 22: the closed area of ​​the secondary sealing membrane 24 and the closed area of ​​the primary sealing membrane 26. On the vertical wall 22 of the ground storage installation 1 shown in Figure 1, the secondary sealing membrane 24 and the secondary thermal insulation barrier 23 are intended to extend only from one lower edge of the vertical wall to a predetermined height of the vertical wall 22, maintaining a certain distance from the upper edge of the vertical wall. This predetermined height is, for example, approximately 5 m.

[0053] Therefore, the secondary sealing membrane 24 closes at a predetermined height to connect to the vertical support wall 12. Beyond this predetermined height of the vertical wall 22, and near the cover support wall 13, the vertical wall 22 comprises only a primary thermal insulation barrier 25 directly fixed to the vertical support wall 12 and the primary sealing membrane 26. Therefore, a method for closing the primary sealing membrane to connect it to the vertical support wall 12 is also provided near the cover support wall 13.

[0054] Figure 2 shows the closed area of ​​the secondary sealing membrane 24 in more detail, while Figure 3 shows the closed area of ​​the primary sealing membrane 26 in more detail.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2, the secondary thermal insulation barrier 23 comprises a plurality of secondary insulating blocks 231 arranged side by side and an edge secondary thermal insulation block 232 located at one edge of the secondary thermal insulation barrier 23, which is formed at a predetermined height of the vertical wall 22. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the secondary insulating blocks 231 are pre-assembled with a portion of the secondary sealing film 24 and one or more primary insulating blocks 251. These portions of the secondary sealing film 24 are then connected to each other by flexible tape (not shown).

[0056] The secondary sealing membrane 24 closes at the horizontal level of the edge secondary insulating block 232. The closure is achieved by a metal connecting angle iron 30, which includes a first flange 31 welded to a portion of the vertical support wall 12 and a second flange 32 connected to the secondary sealing membrane 24. As shown in FIG2, the first flange 31 and the second flange 32 form a right-angle portion positioned at the horizontal edge of the edge secondary insulating block 232. In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vertical support wall portion 12 is in particular an anchor plate 14 that protrudes from the vertical support wall 12 along the thickness direction of the vertical wall 22 and extends parallel to the side of the edge secondary insulating block 232.

[0057] A metal secondary shut-off plate 27 is fixed to one surface of an edge secondary insulating block 232 by a fixing device (not shown) passing through a hole 29 formed in the secondary shut-off plate 27, opposite to the vertical support wall 12. Depending on the type of sealing film used, one edge of a secondary sealing film 24 is fixed to the metal secondary shut-off plate 27 by adhesive or welding.

[0058] The second flange 32 of the connecting angle iron 30 is welded to the secondary closing plate 27 so as to connect the connecting angle iron 30 and the secondary sealing membrane 24 in a sealing manner.

[0059] The first flange 31 is welded to the anchor plate 14 by a first welding bead 33. The welding steps are explained below with reference to Figure 4. The second flange 32 is welded to the secondary closing plate 27 by a second welding bead 34. The welding steps are explained below with reference to Figure 7.

[0060] As shown in part of Figure 3, the primary thermal insulation barrier 25 includes a plurality of primary thermal insulation blocks arranged side by side and an edge primary thermal insulation block 252 located at one edge of the primary thermal insulation block 25, the edge primary thermal insulation block 252 being formed near the cover support wall 13.

[0061] In a manner analogous to the secondary sealing membrane 24, the primary sealing membrane (not shown) closes at the horizontal level of the edge primary insulating block 252. Closure is also achieved by metal connecting angle irons 30, including a first flange 31 welded to an anchor plate 14 of the vertical support wall 12 and a second flange 32 welded to a metal primary closing plate 28. The primary closing plate 28 is fixed to the surface of the edge primary insulating block 252 opposite to the vertical support wall 12.

[0062] As shown in Figure 3, but also effective at the level of the secondary sealing membrane 24, the connecting angle irons 30 are welded to each other to form a continuous closure on the vertical wall 22 around the bottom wall 21.

[0063] Figures 4 and 5 show the steps of the two embodiments in which the first weld bead 33 is generated between the portion of the first flange 31 and the vertical support wall 12 to cause the secondary sealing membrane 24 to close.

[0064] Welding is performed using a welding support 50 and an automatic welding machine 40. The welding support 50 includes a first planar fixed surface 51, a second planar fixed surface 52 perpendicularly connected to the first fixed surface 51, and a planar support surface 53 perpendicularly connected to the first fixed surface 51 and parallel to the second fixed surface 52. According to the first embodiment shown in FIG4, the support surface 53 is equipped with a guide rail 54 extending parallel to the anchor plate 14.

[0065] The automatic welding machine 40 includes a displacement system 41 that cooperates with a guide rail 54. This displacement system is configured to move the welding machine 40 forward in a direction parallel to the guide rail 54. The welding machine 40 also includes an attachment rod 42 fixed to the displacement system 41 and having a first end and a second end located away from the displacement system 41. The first and second ends are located on opposite sides of the displacement system 41. A welding torch 43 is fixed to the first end of the attachment rod 42, and a counterweight 44 is fixed to the second end. The second end of the attachment rod 42 is also equipped with a wheel 45 with a spring, such that the wheel 45 is always in close contact with the support surface 53 of the welding support 50.

[0066] During the generation of the first weld bead 33, the first fixing surface 51 of the welding support 50 is fixed to the edge secondary insulating block 232, such that the support surface 53 is perpendicular to the vertical support wall 12. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, one or more anchoring devices 60 pass through holes 29 in the secondary closing plate 27 to fix the first fixing surface 51 to the edge secondary insulating block 232. Therefore, the welding machine 40 moves on the support surface 53 such that the welding torch 43 is located near the area to be welded between the first flange 31 and the anchoring plate 14.

[0067] The second embodiment illustrated in Figure 5 differs from the embodiment in Figure 4 in that the first flange 31 is not welded to an anchor plate, but rather welded to a fixed metal portion 15 parallel to the vertical support wall 12. In the case where the vertical support wall 12 is made of metal, this metal portion 15 is simply a part of the vertical support wall 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first flange 31 includes a bent end that extends away from the second flange 32, parallel to the metal portion 15. Thus, the bent end and the metal portion 15 are welded together by first weld beads 33.

[0068] This welding step is performed analogously to that used for a primary sealing membrane, whether in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 or in the second embodiment (not shown). In fact, the welding machine 40 is also used to weld a first flange 31 of a connecting angle iron 30 to an anchoring plate 14 at the horizontal level of the edge primary insulating block 252 of the primary thermal insulating barrier 25 by means of a second welding bead 33. The welding support 50 is also fixed at the horizontal level of the first fixed surface 51 to a surface of the edge primary insulating block 252 opposite the vertical support wall 12 by means of one or more anchoring devices 60. The second flange 32 is welded to a primary closing plate 28. Subsequently, an edge of the primary sealing membrane is welded to the second flange 32, or alternatively to the primary closing plate 28.

[0069] Figure 7 illustrates the steps of creating a second weld bead 34 between the second flange 32 and the secondary shut-off plate 27 to close the secondary sealing membrane 24.

[0070] During the generation of the second weld bead 34, the second fixing surface 52 of the welding support 50 is fixed to the vertical support wall 12 such that the support surface 53 is parallel to the surface of the edge secondary insulating block 232 opposite to the vertical support wall 12. As shown in FIG7, one or more anchoring devices 60 pass through holes 16 formed in the vertical support wall 12 to fix the second fixing surface 52 to the vertical support wall 12. In addition, the welding support 50 may include a fixing bracket 55, which is fixed to the support surface 53 on one hand and to the vertical support wall 12 at the same level as other holes 16 on the other hand, in order to increase the number of anchoring points. Thus, the welding machine 40 moves on the support surface 53 such that the welding torch 43 is located in the area to be welded between the second wing 32 and the secondary closing plate 27.

[0071] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it is obvious that the invention is not limited thereto, and if such embodiments fall within the scope of the invention, the invention includes all technical equivalents of the described components and combinations thereof.

[0072] The use of the verbs “including” or “contains” and their conjugate forms does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those within the scope of a patent application.

[0073] In the scope of the patent application, any element symbols between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application.

[0074] 1: Ground storage installation 10: Supporting Structure 11: Bottom support wall 12: Vertical support wall 13: Cover support wall 14: Anchoring Plate 15: Metal Parts 16: Kong 20: Sealed thermal insulation groove 21:Bottom wall 22: Vertical wall 23: Secondary thermal insulation barrier 24: Secondary sealing membrane 25: Primary thermal insulation barrier 26: Primary sealing membrane 27: Metal secondary shut-off plate 28: Metal primary shut-off plate 29: Kong 30: Metal connecting angle iron 31: First flange 32: Second flange 33: First welding bead 34: Second welding bead 40: Automatic welding machine 41: Displacement System 42: Attachment rod 43: Welding torch 44: Counterweight 45: Wheel 50: Welded support 51: First fixed surface 52: Second fixed surface 53: Supporting surface 54: Guide rail / guide component 55: Fixed bracket 60: Anchoring device 231: Secondary insulating block 232: Edge secondary insulation block 251: Primary Insulating Block 252: Edge primary insulation block

Claims

1. A method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove, specifically, the groove being thermally insulated, the method comprising the steps of: installing a groove wall fixed to a support wall, the groove wall including a thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) in a thickness direction and a sealing membrane (24, 26) fixed to the thermally insulating barrier (23, 25), the thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) including an edge portion located at an edge of the thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) in a first direction; welding a first flange (31) to a metal portion of the support wall by means of a welding bead (33, 34); and fixing a metal connecting angle iron (30) at the horizontal position of the edge portion by means of connecting a second flange (32) to the sealing membrane (24, 26), the metal connecting angle iron (30) including the first flange (31) and the second flange (32) connected to the first flange (31). The welding of the first flange is performed by an automatic welding machine (40) that moves on a welding support (50). The welding support (50) includes a fixed surface and a support surface (53) perpendicular to the fixed surface. The support surface (53) includes a guide member (54), specifically a guide rail, which extends along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the thickness direction. The automatic welding machine (40) includes a displacement system (41) that cooperates with the guide member (54) and is configured to move the automatic welding machine (40) forward parallel to the second direction. The automatic welding machine (40) also includes a welding torch (43). During the welding of the first flange, the fixed surface of the welding support (50) is fixed to the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier, such that the support surface (53) is perpendicular to the first direction.

2. The method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the welding machine also includes an attachment rod (42) fixed to the displacement system (41) and having a first end and a second end away from the displacement system (41), the first end and the second end being located on opposite sides of the displacement system along the thickness direction, the welding torch (43) being fixed to the first end, and a counterweight (44) being fixed to the second end.

3. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first flange (31) is formed in a plane perpendicular to the first direction, and the second flange (32) is formed in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction.

4. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the metal portion of the support wall is an anchor plate (14) that protrudes from the support wall along the thickness direction and extends along the second direction, and the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier is adjacent to the anchor plate.

5. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the metal portion on the support wall is a metal portion (15) of the support wall.

6. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thermal insulation barrier (23, 25) comprises a plurality of insulating blocks (231) arranged side by side, and the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier comprises an edge insulating block.

7. The method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the welding bead is a first welding bead (33), a metal closing plate is fixed to at least a portion of a surface of an edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier opposite to the support wall, an edge of the sealing membrane (24, 26) is fixed to the metal closing plate, and wherein during the step of fixing the metal connecting angle iron (30), the second flange (32) is welded to the metal closing plate by a second welding bead (34).

8. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 7, wherein the metal closing plate includes fixing holes (29), the metal closing plate is fixed to the edge portion of the thermal insulation barrier by means of an anchoring device inserted into the fixing holes, and wherein during the generation of the first weld bead (33), the fixing surface of the weld support (50) is fixed by means of an anchoring device (60) inserted into the fixing holes (29), the fixing holes (29) being kept free by means of the means of anchoring the metal closing plate.

9. The method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fixing surface of the welding support (50) is a first fixing surface, and the welding support (50) includes a second fixing surface (52) perpendicular to the first fixing surface and parallel to the support surface (53), and wherein during the generation of the second welding bead (34), the second fixing surface (52) of the welding support (50) is fixedly attached to the support wall such that the support surface (53) is parallel to the sealing membrane (24, 26) and preferably coplanar with the sealing membrane (24, 26), the second welding bead is generated by the movement of the automatic welding machine (40) on the guide member of the welding support (50), the welding support (50) being used to generate both the first welding bead and the second welding bead.

10. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 9, wherein the thermally insulating barrier (23, 25) comprises a plurality of insulating blocks (231) arranged side by side, and the edge portion of the thermally insulating barrier comprises an edge insulating block, and wherein the support wall comprises fixing holes (16), the insulating blocks (231) being anchored to the support wall by anchoring devices inserted into the fixing holes (16), and wherein during the generation of the second weld bead (34), the second fixing surface (52) of the weld support (50) is fixed by anchoring devices (60) inserted into the fixing holes (16) of the support wall, the fixing holes (16) being kept free by the devices anchoring the insulating blocks (231).

11. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the groove wall is inclined relative to the horizontal and the groove wall is preferably a vertical wall (22).

12. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the welding torch (43) is an arc welding torch, which is advantageously free of material and uses an inert gas flow, such as a tungsten electrode torch using an argon flow, for example.

13. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thermal insulation barrier is a secondary thermal insulation barrier (23), and the sealing membrane is a secondary sealing membrane (24), and wherein the groove wall includes, in the thickness direction, a primary thermal insulation barrier (25) at least partially disposed on the secondary sealing membrane and a primary sealing membrane fixed to the primary sealing membrane thermal insulation barrier (25) and intended to contact a liquefied gas.

14. The method of closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 13, wherein the secondary sealing membrane (24) is made of a composite material comprising an aluminum sheet sandwiched between two glass fiber sheets.

15. A method for closing a sealing membrane (24, 26) of a sealing groove as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thermal insulation barrier is a primary thermal insulation barrier (25) and the sealing membrane is a primary sealing membrane, and wherein the groove wall includes, in the thickness direction, a secondary thermal insulation barrier (23) disposed between the primary thermal insulation barrier and the support wall and a primary sealing membrane (24) disposed between the secondary thermal insulation barrier and the primary thermal insulation barrier, a first portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier (25) disposed on the secondary sealing membrane (24) and a second portion disposed in close contact with the support wall, the edge portion (252) of the primary thermal insulation barrier (25) being located in the second portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier (25), and the first portion and the second portion of the primary thermal insulation barrier (25) being adjacent to and aligned with the edge portion (232) of the secondary thermal insulation barrier (23).

16. A welding system comprising a welding support (50) and an automatic welding machine (40), wherein the welding support (50) includes a planar fixed surface and a planar support surface (53) perpendicular to the fixed surface, the support surface (53) carrying a guide member (54) extending in a direction, and the automatic welding machine (40) including a displacement system (41) cooperating with the guide member (54), configured to move the automatic welding machine (40) in the direction of the guide member (54), the automatic welding machine... (40) also includes an attachment rod (42) fixed to the displacement system (41) and having a first end away from the displacement system (41) and a second end away from the displacement system, the first end and the second end being located on opposite sides of the displacement system (41), a welding torch (43) fixed to the first end and a counterweight (44) fixed to the second end in one of the directions parallel to the support surface and perpendicular to the guide member, to engage with the support surface at a distance from the guide member.

17. The welding system of claim 16, wherein the fixing surface of the welding support (50) is a first fixing surface, and the welding support (50) further includes a second fixing surface (52) that is perpendicular to the first fixing surface and parallel to the support surface (53).

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