Segmented Cold Box Steel Structure for Height-Limited Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in transporting large-scale cold box steel structures for cryogenic air separation equipment, as their dimensions often exceed transportation height limits, leading to increased on-site installation workload, potential delays, and safety concerns due to the need for separate transportation and costly crane usage.
Innovation Solution
The cold box steel structure is prefabricated into two partial components with optimized heights to comply with transportation dimension restrictions, allowing for modular assembly and transportation, reducing on-site installation complexity and ensuring safe passage through highways or waterways.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cold box steel structure is prefabricated as a complete unit, then transportation efficiency is improved and on-site installation workload is reduced, but the structure height exceeds transportation dimension limits
Solution Approach 1:
The cold box steel structure is divided into multiple segments along its height direction, with each segment having a height that satisfies transportation dimension limits. The segments are prefabricated separately in the workshop and then assembled on-site through connection structures, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining overall structure integrity and complying with transportation height restrictions.
2Length of moving object
If equipment components are transported separately and assembled on-site, then transportation dimension limits are satisfied, but on-site installation workload increases and project time limit may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
Equipment components are pre-assembled inside the cold box steel structure segments in the workshop before transportation. This preliminary assembly action ensures that when the segments arrive at the site, minimal on-site work is required—only the connection of segments and installation of thermal isolation material are needed, thereby satisfying transportation dimension limits while minimizing installation time and avoiding project delays.
3Reliability
If the cold box case is prefabricated with large dimensions to accommodate equipment, then equipment protection is improved, but transportation becomes difficult due to height restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The large-dimension cold box steel structure is segmented into multiple smaller units, each with dimensions that satisfy transportation restrictions. The segmentation is designed such that equipment components remain protected within each segment during transportation, and the connection structures between segments ensure overall structural integrity and continued protection upon assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Equipment components are nested inside the cold box steel structure segments, with the equipment positioned within the protective enclosure. This nesting arrangement ensures that equipment is protected during transportation while the outer dimensions of each segment comply with transportation height limits, as the equipment fits within the segmented space.
4Length of moving object
If separate transportation of column body is performed, then transportation dimension limits are met, but additional costs for crane usage and manpower are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The column body and cold box steel structure segments are combined into integrated units during workshop prefabrication. The column body is positioned inside the segmented cold box structure, and both are transported together as a unified assembly. This merging eliminates the need for separate transportation of the column body and removes the requirement for expensive crane operations and additional manpower at the site, as the integrated units can be directly assembled using simple connection structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces on-site installation workload, minimizes the risk of component loss, and ensures safe and efficient transportation by adhering to height limits, thereby enhancing project efficiency and quality.
Implementation Method 1
for thermal isolation, a thermally isolating material such as expanded perlite or rock wool is generally packed into the box
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Disclosed in the present invention are a cold box steel structure and method for prefabricating and transporting the cold box steel structure. The cold box steel structure is a cuboid architecture, and has a long edge, a wide edge and a high edge of lengths L, W and H respectively, wherein L > W and L > H; the cold box steel structure comprises first and second rectangular base faces, each being an outer surface of the cuboid architecture comprising the long edge and the wide edge, and the cold box steel structure is prefabricated as two partial components taking a plane parallel to the rectangular base faces as a boundary; the total height of a first partial cold box steel structure component thereof, taking the first rectangular base face as a first transportation bottom face, is h1, and the total height of a second partial cold box steel structure component, taking the second rectangular base face as a second transportation bottom face, is h2; if the height difference between the transportation bottom face and the ground or a water surface is h, then (h1 + h) corresponds to a transportation height of the first partial cold box steel structure component, and (h2 + h) corresponds to a transportation height of the second partial cold box steel structure component; the transportation height of either of the cold box steel structure components should be smaller than a maximum permitted transportation height hmax.