Compressible Insulating Plugs for Cryogenic Tank Thermal Barriers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermally insulating tanks for cryogenic fluids face challenges in maintaining flatness of the primary sealing membrane due to dimensional mismatches between insulating plugs and recesses, leading to unevenness and potential damage, which affects thermal insulation and gas leakage.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing a thermal insulation barrier where insulating plugs made of polymer foam are irreversibly compressed to fit within recesses, ensuring precise adjustment and reducing unevenness, involving anchoring devices and support members to secure the plugs in place, allowing for increased tolerances and improved thermal insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If tight dimensional tolerances are used for insulating plugs to ensure precise fit in recesses, then thermal insulation continuity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional parameters of insulating plugs by providing compressible material between the plug and the membrane, allowing the plug to be compressed during installation. This enables the use of larger initial tolerances that are subsequently reduced through controlled compression, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by introducing a compressible element (such as a foam layer or spring mechanism) between the insulating plug and the membrane. This cushioning layer absorbs dimensional variations and allows the plug to be installed with larger tolerances while still achieving the required final precision after compression.
2Shape
If tight dimensional tolerances are used for insulating plugs, then flatness of the internal support surface is improved, but manufacturing cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows for parameter changes in the insulating plug dimensions by using compressible materials. The plug can be manufactured with larger tolerances and then compressed during installation to achieve the required flatness, thereby reducing manufacturing time and cost while maintaining the desired surface quality.
Solution Approach 2:
A compressible cushioning layer is placed between the insulating plug and the membrane beforehand. This cushioning layer compensates for dimensional variations in the plug, allowing faster manufacturing of plugs with relaxed tolerances while still achieving the required flatness after compression.
3Ease of manufacture
If larger dimensional tolerances are used for insulating plugs, then ease of manufacture is improved, but unevenness on the internal support surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes by using compressible material between the insulating plug and the membrane. This allows plugs to be manufactured with larger tolerances for ease of production, and then compressed during installation to achieve uniform dimensions and eliminate surface unevenness.
Solution Approach 2:
A compressible cushioning element is pre-installed between the insulating plug and the membrane. This cushioning layer absorbs dimensional variations from plugs manufactured with larger tolerances, ensuring a uniform internal support surface after compression without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances.
4Manufacturing precision
If compressible material is added between insulating plug and membrane, then tolerance requirements are relaxed, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes by introducing a compressible material layer between the insulating plug and the membrane. This simple addition allows for relaxed tolerance requirements on the plug dimensions while maintaining the required final precision, with minimal increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressible material used between the insulating plug and membrane is typically a simple, inexpensive component (such as foam or rubber) that can be easily manufactured and replaced if necessary. This approach relaxes tolerance requirements with minimal complexity increase, as the compressible element acts as a simple buffer rather than a complex mechanism.
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 method simplifies the manufacturing process, increases dimensional tolerances of insulating plugs, and minimizes unevenness on the internal support surface of the sealing membrane, enhancing the thermal insulation and leak-tightness of the tank while maintaining effective thermal performance.
Implementation Method 1
pushing the insulating plug towards the load-bearing structure until the insulating plug comes to rest against a support element located inside said opening; push the insulating plug, towards the supporting structure, against the support member so as to irreversibly damage the insulating plug at the point where it rests against the support member and to irreversibly reduce the dimension of the insulating plug
Implementation Method 2
a thermal insulation barrier for a wall of a sealed and thermally insulating tank integrated into a load-bearing structure; ensuring continuity of thermal insulation at the level of said opening
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a thermal insulation barrier (2, 5) for a wall (1) of a thermally insulating and tight vessel built into a structural frame (3), said method comprising the step of: pushing an insulating stopper (44, 57, 58, 59, 60) in the direction of the structural frame (3), against a supporting body (15, 82, 91), so as to irreversibly damage the insulating stopper (44, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95, 96) where it presses against the supporting body (15, 82, 91) and to irreversibly reduce the dimension of the insulating stopper (44, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95, 96) between an inner end (48, 61) of the insulating stopper (44, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95, 96) and the point of pressure of the insulating stopper (44, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95, 96) against the supporting body (15, 82, 91), until the inner end (48, 61) of the insulating body (44, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95, 96) reaches a predetermined position inside said recess (43, 55). The invention also relates to a thermal insulation barrier (2, 5) produced in this way.