Facility for storing a liquefied gas

The modified anchoring system for corner assemblies in thermally insulated tanks addresses insulation complexity and heat flux issues, improving thermal performance by aligning primary corner assemblies with secondary structures.

WO2026057489A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-03-19GAZTRANSPORT & TECHNIGAZ SA
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-09-08
Publication Date
2026-03-19

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing leak-proof and thermally insulated tanks for liquefied gases face challenges in simplifying insulation at corner areas, leading to increased heat fluxes and reduced insulating performance due to complex anchoring systems for corner insulating elements.

Method used

A modified anchoring system for primary corner assemblies, featuring recesses in insulating foam blocks and cover plates, allows for simpler insulation by aligning primary corner assemblies with secondary corner structures, reducing heat circulation.

Benefits of technology

The new anchoring system simplifies insulation in corner areas, enhancing thermal performance by minimizing heat flow and maintaining effective insulation across the tank's edge zones.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention relates to a facility (1) for storing a liquefied gas, in which the primary thermally insulating barrier (6) comprises a row of primary corner assemblies (14, 140) arranged along said internal angle region (8) and planar primary insulating panels (15), each primary corner assembly comprising two primary corner insulating panels (16), the primary corner insulating panels (16) being attached in pairs to one of the secondary corner structures (9) by means of an attachment plate (22) located on the transverse edges (21) of the base plates, in which the row of primary corner assemblies (14, 140) comprises a primary attachment corner assembly (140) having a recess (24) at a distance from the transverse edges (21) of the base plate (17), one of the planar primary insulating panels (15) being attached to the primary attachment corner assembly (140) using an anchoring system (25) comprising an anchoring plate (26) having a first portion (31) attached to the planar primary insulating panel and a second portion (32) located in the recess (24) and attached to the base plate (17).
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Description

Liquefied gas storage facility

[0001] The invention relates to the field of leak-proof and thermally insulated membrane tanks. In particular, the invention relates to the field of leak-proof and thermally insulated tanks for the storage and / or transport of liquefied gases at low temperatures, such as tanks for transporting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at temperatures ranging, for example, from -50°C to 0°C, or for transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at approximately -162°C at 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 used for transporting liquefied gas or for receiving liquefied gas to serve as fuel for the propulsion of the floating structure. Technological background

[0002] Document EP3707424 is known to have a sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising, in one thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary thermally insulating barrier fixed to a support surface of the load-bearing structure, a secondary sealed membrane resting against the secondary thermally insulating barrier, a primary thermally insulating barrier resting against the secondary sealed membrane, and a primary sealed membrane resting against the primary thermally insulating barrier and intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas.

[0003] At a corner zone of the tank, the secondary thermal insulation barrier comprises secondary corner structures, and the primary thermal insulation barrier comprises dihedral primary insulation blocks that are attached to the secondary corner structures by their transverse edges perpendicular to the tank edge. The primary thermal insulation barrier also includes flat primary insulation panels adjacent to the dihedral primary insulation blocks and anchored to these dihedral blocks by means of a support bar extending into the space between two adjacent dihedral blocks.

[0004] The juxtaposition of the fixing system for attaching the primary dihedral insulating blocks to the secondary corner structures, and of the support bar, complicates the insulation of the space between two adjacent dihedral blocks. Furthermore, this juxtaposition in the space between two adjacent dihedral blocks can generate significant local heat fluxes, reducing the insulating performance in the corner area.

[0005] One idea behind the invention is to modify the anchoring of the corner insulating elements in order to simplify insulation in this area and limit heat flow.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the invention provides a liquefied gas storage installation comprising a load-bearing structure and a sealed and thermally insulated tank supported by the load-bearing structure, the tank comprising, in a thickness direction from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary thermally insulating barrier fixed to a support surface of the load-bearing structure, a secondary sealed membrane resting against the secondary thermally insulating barrier, a primary thermally insulating barrier resting against the secondary sealed membrane, and a primary sealed membrane resting against the primary thermally insulating barrier and intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas, the support surface of the load-bearing structure having at least two planar regions forming an angle between them and meeting at an edge zone, the edge zone extending along an edge direction,wherein the secondary thermally insulating barrier comprises a row of secondary corner structures arranged along said edge zone and flat secondary insulating panels arranged on the flat regions on either side of the row of secondary corner structures; wherein the primary thermally insulating barrier comprises a row of primary corner assemblies arranged above the secondary corner structures along said edge zone and flat primary insulating panels arranged over the flat regions on either side of the row of primary corner assemblies; each primary corner assembly comprising two primary corner insulating panels respectively parallel to the flat regions and forming an angle with each other; the primary corner insulating panels comprising a base plate, a cover plate, and an insulating foam block situated between the base plate and the cover plate.the base plate comprising two longitudinal edges extending along the edge direction and two transverse edges perpendicular to the longitudinal edges, the primary corner insulation panels being fixed in pairs to one of the secondary corner structures by means of a fixing plate located on the transverse edges of the base plates of two adjacent primary corner insulation panels along the edge direction, the fixing plate being fixed to the secondary corner structure by at least one fixing device passing through the secondary waterproof membrane, wherein the row of primary corner assemblies comprises at least one primary corner fixing assembly having on at least one of the primary corner insulation panels a recess in the insulating foam block, the recess being located at a distance from the transverse edges of the base plate and being open at the right-hand side of one of the longitudinal edges,one of the flat primary insulating panels being fixed to the primary fixing corner assembly using an anchoring system, the anchoring system comprising an anchoring plate having a first part fixed to the flat primary insulating panel and a second part situated in the recess and fixed to the base plate of the primary fixing corner assembly using an anchoring device.

[0007] Thanks to these features, the fixing of the primary corner assemblies to the secondary corner structures and the anchoring of the primary flat insulation panels to the primary fixing corner assembly are no longer aligned in the thickness direction so that the insulation in the space between two primary corner assemblies is simpler to achieve and reduces the circulation of heat flows.

[0008] According to embodiments, such a storage facility may include one or more of the following characteristics.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the recess passes through the insulating foam block and the cover plate.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the primary corner fixing assembly has on each of the primary corner insulating panels a recess through the insulating foam block and the cover plate.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the first part of the anchor plate is fixed to a corner of the flat primary insulating panel.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the recess is located in the middle of one of the longitudinal edges of the base plate.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the cavity is filled with an insulating material, for example glass wool, polyurethane foam, polystyrene.

[0014] In one embodiment, the primary corner fixing assembly has a plurality of recesses on at least one of the primary corner insulation panels, each recess extending through the cover plate and at least partially through the insulating foam block. It is thus understood that several primary corner insulation panels are connected by a single base plate.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the storage installation includes an intermediate anchoring system located in at least one of the recesses, the intermediate anchoring system comprising, for example, a fixing plate and one or two fixing studs, the intermediate anchoring system fixing the primary fixing corner assembly to the secondary corner structure by passing through the secondary waterproof membrane.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the recess in which the intermediate anchoring system is located is distinct from the recess in which the second part of the anchoring system is located.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the primary corner sets of the row of primary corner sets are spaced two by two by a primary inter-panel space, the primary inter-panel space being filled with an insulating material.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the primary flat insulating panel comprises a bottom plate, a top plate and an insulating foam plate between the bottom plate and the top plate, the first part of the anchoring plate being fixed to the bottom plate.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the row of primary corner assemblies comprises at least two primary corner assemblies for fixing and the bottom plate of the flat primary insulating panel has two sides parallel to the edge direction, two sides perpendicular to the edge direction and four corners, the insulating foam plate of the flat primary insulating panel being hollowed out at the corners of the bottom plate, two of the corners located on one of the sides parallel to the edge direction being fixed each to one of the two primary corner assemblies for fixing.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the primary flat insulating panel is square or rectangular in shape.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the secondary watertight membrane comprises a plurality of parallel strakes, each strake having a central flat portion extending along the edge direction and two raised edges arranged on either side of the central flat portion and projecting towards the interior of the tank relative to the central portion.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the primary waterproof membrane comprises a plurality of metal angles, each fixed to the cover plates of one of the primary corner assemblies.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the metal angle bracket located on the primary fixing corner assembly has a cutout located at the right of the recess.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the primary waterproof membrane comprises a plurality of juxtaposed corrugated metal plates welded to each other along their edges, the corrugated metal plates located at the level of the flat primary insulating panels being welded to the metal angles.

[0025] Such a storage facility can be a land-based facility, for example for storing LNG, or a facility within a floating structure, whether coastal or deep-water, including an LNG carrier, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a floating production and storage unit (FPSO), and others. The tank of such a facility can also serve as a fuel tank in any type of vessel.

[0026] According to one embodiment, a ship for the transport of a cold liquid product comprises a double hull and the aforementioned storage facility, the load-bearing structure of the storage facility being made up of a portion of the double hull.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising the aforementioned vessel, insulated pipes arranged to connect the tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or land-based storage facility, and a pump to drive a flow of cold liquid product through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or land-based storage facility to or from the vessel's tank.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the invention also provides a method for loading or unloading a ship, in which a cold liquid product is conveyed through insulated pipes from or to a floating or land-based storage facility to or from the tank of the aforementioned ship. Brief description of the figures

[0029] The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] The diagram represents a schematic view of an edge zone of the storage facility, with only the load-bearing structure and the secondary thermally insulating barrier shown.

[0031] This is a perspective view from inside the storage facility according to an embodiment at the intersection between two tank walls.

[0032] This is a perspective view of detail III of the representation of a primary angle fixing assembly attached to the secondary angle structure.

[0033] Lare represents a cross-sectional view of detail IV of lare representing the anchoring system fixing the primary flat insulating panel to the primary fixing corner assembly.

[0034] The figure represents a perspective view of a primary fixing angle assembly, the figure being oriented to view the underside of the primary fixing angle assembly.

[0035] This is a schematic cutaway representation of a tank on an LNG carrier and a loading / unloading terminal for that tank.

[0036] By convention, the terms "external" and "internal", "upper" and "lower", "above" and "below", "lid" and "bottom" are used to define the relative position of one element with respect to another, by reference to the outside and inside of the tank, one element being above another element when it is located towards the inside of the tank relative to it.

[0037] A liquefied gas storage installation 1 comprising a load-bearing structure 2 and a sealed and thermally insulated tank 71 supported by the load-bearing structure 2 will be described later with reference to figures 1 to 4.

[0038] The liquefied gas intended for storage in tank 1 may be, in particular, liquefied natural gas (LNG), that is to say, a gaseous mixture consisting mainly of methane and one or more other hydrocarbons. The liquefied gas may also be ethane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), that is to say, a mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum refining consisting primarily of propane and butane.

[0039] The sealed and thermally insulating tank 71 comprises a plurality of tank walls 3 assembled together and fixed to a plurality of load-bearing walls defining the general shape of the tank, usually of polyhedral shape.

[0040] The load-bearing structure 2 may, in particular, be formed of self-supporting metal plates or, more generally, of any type of rigid bulkhead with suitable mechanical properties. The load-bearing structure may, in particular, be formed by a portion of the hull or double hull of a ship.

[0041] Each tank wall 3 has a multilayer structure comprising, from the outside to the inside of the tank 71, a secondary thermally insulating barrier 4 comprising secondary insulating elements juxtaposed and fixed to a support surface of the load-bearing structure 2, a secondary waterproof membrane 5 resting against the secondary thermally insulating barrier 4, a primary thermally insulating barrier 6 resting against the secondary waterproof membrane 5, and a primary waterproof membrane resting against the primary thermally insulating barrier 6 and intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank 71.

[0042] Figure 1 represents a schematic view of the load-bearing structure 2 and the secondary thermally insulating barrier 4 at the intersection between two tank walls 3. The support surface of the load-bearing structure thus presents two planar regions 7 forming an angle between them and meeting at an edge zone 8. The edge zone 8 extends along an edge direction A.

[0043] As can be seen in Figure 4, the secondary thermal insulation barrier 4 comprises a row of secondary corner structures 9 arranged along the edge zone 8 and anchored to the load-bearing structure 2 by means of secondary anchoring devices, not shown. The secondary thermal insulation barrier 4 also includes flat secondary insulation panels 10 arranged on the flat regions 7 on either side of the row of secondary corner structures 9. The flat secondary insulation panels 10 have a generally parallelepiped shape. The secondary corner structures 9, in turn, consist of a first secondary insulation panel on one of the flat regions 7 and a second secondary insulation panel on the other of the flat regions 7.

[0044] Laillustre storage installation 1 from inside tank 71 and at the intersection between two tank walls 3 during the assembly of tank walls 3.

[0045] The secondary waterproof membrane 5 comprises a continuous sheet of metal struts 11 with raised edges. Each strut 11 extends along the edge direction A and has a flat central portion 12 resting on the flat secondary insulation panels 10 and on the secondary corner structures 9. Each strut 11 also has two raised edges 13 positioned on either side of the flat central portion 12 and projecting inwards towards the tank relative to the central portion 12. The struts 11 are welded by their raised edges 13 to parallel weld supports that are fixed in grooves formed in the inner surface of the secondary insulation panels of the secondary corner structures 9 or the flat secondary insulation panels 10. The struts 11 are, for example, made of Invar®: that is, an iron-nickel alloy whose coefficient of thermal expansion is typically between 0.5 x 10⁻¹² and 10⁻¹². -6 and 2.10 -6 K-1 or in an iron and manganese alloy whose coefficient of expansion is typically between 7.10 -6 and 9.10 -6 K -1 .

[0046] As illustrated in, the primary thermally insulating barrier 6 comprises a row of primary corner assemblies 14 arranged above the secondary corner structures 9 along the edge area 8.

[0047] The primary thermally insulating barrier 6 also includes primary flat insulating panels 15 arranged at the plane regions 7 on either side of the row of primary corner assemblies 14, 140.

[0048] Each primary corner assembly 14, 140 comprises two primary corner insulation panels 16, respectively parallel to the planar regions 7 and forming an angle with each other. Each primary corner insulation panel 16 comprises a base plate 17, a cover plate 18, and an insulating foam block 19 located between the base plate 17 and the cover plate 18. The base plate 17 and cover plate 18 are, for example, made of plywood, and the insulating foam block 19 is, for example, made of polyurethane foam, optionally reinforced with fiberglass.

[0049] The base plate 17 comprises two longitudinal edges 20 extending along the edge direction A and two transverse edges 21 perpendicular to the longitudinal edges 20.

[0050] The primary corner insulation panels 16 are fixed in pairs to one of the secondary corner structures 9 by means of a fixing plate 22 located on the transverse edges 21 of the base plates 17 of two adjacent primary corner insulation panels 16 along the edge direction A. The fixing plate 22 thus presses the base plates 17 against the secondary waterproofing membrane 5. The fixing plate 22 is fixed by two fixing studs 23 to the secondary corner structure 9 passing through the secondary waterproofing membrane 5. The fixing plate 22 has a generally rectangular shape with chamfered corners.

[0051] The primary insulating panel 15 comprises a lower plate 27, an upper plate 28, and an insulating foam plate 29 between the lower plate 27 and the upper plate 28. The lower plate 27 of the primary insulating panel 15 has a rectangular shape with two longitudinal sides parallel to the edge direction A, two transverse sides perpendicular to the longitudinal sides, and four corners 30. The insulating foam plate 29 is hollowed out at the corners 30 of the lower plate 27.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1, the row of primary corner sets 14, 140 comprises main primary corner sets 14 and primary fixing corner sets 140 along the edge area 8. The number of main primary corner sets 14 between any two primary fixing corner sets 140 is determined by the dimension of the planar primary insulating panels 15 relative to the dimension of the primary corner sets 14, 140 in the edge direction. In the example shown in Figure 1, there are two main primary corner sets 14 surrounding one primary fixing corner set 140; this ultimately corresponds to the presence of one primary fixing corner set 140 every three primary corner sets 14, 140.

[0053] An insulating packing 36, for example foam and / or glass wool, is arranged between two adjacent primary corner sets 14, 140.

[0054] The primary corner fixing assemblies 140 specifically feature, as seen in, on each of the primary corner insulation panels 16 a recess 24 passing through the insulating foam block 19 and the cover plate 18. The recess 24 is located at a distance from the transverse edges 21 of the base plate 17, for example at mid-distance, and is open at one of the longitudinal edges 20 which is located on the side of the flat primary insulation panel 15. The recess 24 is through and open on the longitudinal edge 20 to allow an operator to access it from above or from the side during assembly.

[0055] The primary flat insulating panels 15 adjacent to the primary fixing corner assembly 140 are fixed to it using an anchoring system 25, more particularly illustrated in figures 4 and 5.

[0056] The anchoring system 25 includes an anchoring plate 26 having a first part 31 held pressed against a corner 30 of the lower plate 27 of each of the two adjacent flat primary insulating panels 15 and a second part 32 located in the recess 24 and fixed to the bottom plate 17 of the primary fixing corner assembly 140.

[0057] The anchoring system 25 includes an anchoring element 34, for example a bolt, with at one of its ends a nut 37 and Belleville-type elastic washers 38 holding the anchoring plate 26 against the base plate 17.

[0058] Nut 37 can advantageously be a split nut, as shown in.

[0059] The second part 32 is thus pressed, for example, against a cleat 33 of the base plate 17 and located in the recess. The second part 32 is held pressed against the base plate 17 by means of an anchoring device 34 fixed to the base plate 17.

[0060] As can be seen in, the lower surface of the base plate 17 of the primary fixing corner assembly 140 has a cutout 41 in which the head of the anchoring member 34 is disposed.

[0061] The anchoring system 25 may include an anti-rotation plate 42 through which the anchoring member 34 passes and which is disposed between the head of the anchoring member 34 and the base plate 17. The anti-rotation plate 42 also prevents marking of the base plate 17 during tightening and provides better distribution of tightening forces.

[0062] The anti-rotation plate 42 can also be screwed to the base plate 17, as seen in, to block the rotation of the anchoring system 25 after tightening and thus prevent loosening during use.

[0063] In one embodiment, the anti-rotation plate 42 can be welded after tightening to the head of the anchoring member 34 using a spot weld.

[0064] The first part 31 has two wings attached each to one of the corners 30 of the lower plate 27 of the two adjacent flat primary insulating panels 15.

[0065] An insulating material plug 40 fills the recess 24 after the anchoring system 25 is fixed. This plug 40 is, for example, made of glass wool, polyurethane foam, or polystyrene. In the example shown, the plug 40 consists of two plywood plates framing a block of insulating foam. The plug 40 also fills the space left at the corners 30 of the flat primary insulating panels 15.

[0066] The primary waterproofing membrane (not shown) comprises, for example, a plurality of juxtaposed corrugated metal plates welded to each other along their edges. The primary waterproofing membrane also comprises a plurality of metal angles 35, each fixed to the cover plates 18 of one of the primary corner assemblies 14, 140. The corrugated metal plates located opposite the flat primary insulation panels 16 are welded to the metal angles 35.

[0067] To fix the metal angle bracket 35 to a primary insulating corner panel 16, cylindrical wells are made in the base plate 17 and the insulating foam block so as to make a lower surface of the cover plate 18 accessible to an operator. Bolts (not shown) welded to the metal angle bracket are inserted through the cover plate 18 and nuts (not shown) are engaged on these bolts through the cylindrical wells to secure the metal angle bracket 35 to the cover plate 18. The cylindrical wells are then filled with tubes of insulating material 39.

[0068] With reference to the, a cutaway view of a methane tanker 70 shows a sealed and thermally insulating tank 71 of generally prismatic shape mounted in the double hull 72 of the ship 70. The wall of the tank 71 comprises a primary sealed membrane intended to be in contact with the LNG contained in the tank, a secondary sealed membrane arranged between the primary sealed membrane and the double hull 72 of the ship 70, and two thermally insulating barriers arranged respectively between the primary sealed membrane and the secondary sealed membrane and between the secondary sealed membrane and the double hull 72.

[0069] As is known per se, loading / unloading pipelines 73 arranged on the upper deck of the ship can be connected, by means of suitable connectors, to a marine or port terminal to transfer a cargo of LNG to or from the tank 71.

[0070] Figure 75 represents an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading berth 75, a subsea pipeline 76, and an onshore facility 77. The loading and unloading berth 75 is a fixed offshore facility comprising a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 that supports the movable arm 74. The movable arm 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipelines 73. The steerable movable arm 74 accommodates all LNG carrier sizes. An unshown connecting pipeline extends inside tower 78. The loading and unloading station 75 allows the loading and unloading of the LNG carrier 70 from or to the onshore facility 77. This facility includes liquefied gas storage tanks 80 and connecting pipelines 81 linked by the subsea pipeline 76 to the loading or unloading station 75.The subsea pipeline 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore facility 77 over a long distance, for example 5 km, which allows the LNG carrier 70 to be kept a long distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

[0071] To generate the pressure necessary for the transfer of the liquefied gas, pumps on board the ship 70 and / or pumps equipping the land installation 77 and / or pumps equipping the loading and unloading station 75 are used.

[0072] Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is clearly evident that it is by no means limited to them and that it includes all technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

[0073] The use of the verb "comporter", "comprendre" or "include" and its conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those stated in a claim.

[0074] In claims, any reference sign in parentheses shall not be interpreted as a limitation of the claim.

Claims

Liquefied gas storage installation (1) comprising a supporting structure (2) and a sealed and thermally insulated tank supported by the supporting structure (2), the tank having in a thickness direction, from the outside to the inside of the tank, a secondary thermally insulating barrier (4) fixed to a support surface of the supporting structure (2), a secondary sealed membrane (5) resting against the secondary thermally insulating barrier (4), a primary thermally insulating barrier (6) resting against the secondary sealed membrane (5), and a primary sealed membrane resting against the primary thermally insulating barrier (6) and intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas, the support surface of the supporting structure (2) having at least two planar regions (7) forming an angle between them and meeting at an edge zone (8), the edge zone (8) extending along an edge direction,in which the secondary thermally insulating barrier (4) comprises a row of secondary corner structures (9) arranged along said edge zone (8) and flat secondary insulating panels (10) arranged on the flat regions (7) on either side of the row of secondary corner structures (9), in which the primary thermally insulating barrier (6) comprises a row of primary corner assemblies (14, 140) arranged above the secondary corner structures (9) along said edge zone (8) and flat primary insulating panels (15) arranged over the flat regions (7) on either side of the row of primary corner assemblies (14, 140), each primary corner assembly comprising two primary corner insulating panels (16) respectively parallel to the flat regions (7) and forming an angle with each other, the primary corner insulating panels (16) comprising a base plate (17),a cover plate (18) and an insulating foam block (19) located between the base plate (17) and the cover plate (18), the base plate (17) comprising two longitudinal edges (20) extending along the edge direction and two transverse edges (21) perpendicular to the longitudinal edges (20), the primary corner insulation panels (16) being fixed in pairs to one of the secondary corner structures (9) by means of a fixing plate (22) located on the transverse edges (21) of the base plates of two adjacent primary corner insulation panels (16) along the edge direction, the fixing plate (22) being fixed to the secondary corner structure by at least one fixing device passing through the secondary waterproof membrane (5), in which the row of primary corner assemblies (14,140) comprises at least one primary corner fixing assembly (140) having on at least one of the primary corner insulation panels (16) a recess (24) in the insulating foam block (19), the recess (24) being located at a distance from the transverse edges (21) of the base plate (17) and being open at one of the longitudinal edges (20), one of the flat primary insulation panels (15) being fixed to the primary corner fixing assembly (140) by means of an anchoring system (25), the anchoring system (25) comprising an anchoring plate (26) having a first part (31) fixed to the flat primary insulation panel and a second part (32) located in the recess (24) and fixed to the base plate (17) of the primary corner fixing assembly (140) by means of an anchoring device (34),and wherein a lower surface of the base plate (17) of the primary fixing corner assembly (140) has a cutout (41) in which a head of the anchoring member (34) is disposed. Storage installation (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first part (31) of the anchor plate is fixed to a corner (30) of the flat primary insulating panel. Storage installation (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the recess (24) is located in the middle of one of the longitudinal edges (20) of the bottom plate (17). Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recess (24) passes through the insulating foam block (19) and the cover plate (18). Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the primary corner fixing assembly (140) has on at least one of the primary corner insulating panels (16) a plurality of recesses (24), each recess (24) extending through the cover plate (18) and at least partially through the insulating foam block (19). Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recess (24) is filled with an insulating material, for example glass wool, polyurethane foam, polystyrene. Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the primary flat insulating panel comprises a lower plate (27), an upper plate (28) and an insulating foam plate (29) between the lower plate (27) and the upper plate (28), the first part (31) of the anchoring plate being fixed to the lower plate (27). Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the row of primary corner assemblies (14, 140) comprises at least two primary corner fixing assemblies and the bottom plate (27) of the flat primary insulating panel has two sides parallel to the edge direction, two sides perpendicular to the edge direction and four corners (30), the insulating foam plate (29) of the flat primary insulating panel being hollowed out at the corners (30) of the bottom plate (27), two of the corners (30) located on one of the sides parallel to the edge direction being fixed each to one of the two primary corner fixing assemblies. Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the secondary sealing membrane (5) comprises a plurality of parallel strakes, each strake comprising a flat central portion extending along the edge direction and two raised edges arranged on either side of the flat central portion and projecting into the interior of the tank relative to the central portion. Storage installation (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the primary sealing membrane comprises a plurality of metal angles (35) each fixed to the cover plates of one of the primary corner assemblies (14, 140). Storage installation (1) according to claim 10, wherein the metal angle (35) located on the primary fixing corner assembly (140) has a cutout located at the recess (24). Storage installation (1) according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the primary waterproof membrane comprises a plurality of juxtaposed corrugated metal plates welded to each other along their edges, the corrugated metal plates located at the front of the flat primary insulating panels (15) being welded to the metal angles (35). Vessel (70) for the transport of a cold liquid product, the vessel comprising a double hull (72) and a storage facility (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the load-bearing structure (2) of the storage facility (1) being made by a portion of the double hull (72). Transfer system for a cold liquid product, the system comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 13, insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) arranged to connect the tank (71) installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or land-based storage facility (77) and a pump to drive a flow of cold liquid product through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or land-based storage facility to or from the vessel tank. Method of loading or unloading a ship (70), in which a cold liquid product is conveyed through insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) from or to a floating or land-based storage facility (77) to or from the tank (71) of the ship (70) according to claim 13.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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    EP3707424A1

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    CN117068326B

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    EP3707424B1