Polygonal LNG Tank Membrane Layout for Corrugation Pitch Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing layout strategies for liquefied gas storage facilities struggle to maintain consistent angular-sector angles and metal-sheet lengths while accommodating varying corrugation pitches, limiting design flexibility and dimensional options, especially with longer corrugation pitches.
Innovation Solution
The layout strategy is improved by introducing a factor M that modulates the relationship between corrugation pitch and ring portion width, ensuring consistent angular-sector angles and metal-sheet sizes by increasing the total number of corrugations every M successive ring portions, allowing for more flexible design options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the corrugation pitch is increased to reduce the number of corrugations, then the manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the consistency of angular-sector angles and metal-plate lengths deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom wall is divided into multiple angular sectors, each sector being a replica of others through rotation. This segmentation allows the corrugated sealing membrane to be constructed with consistent metal plates and angular sectors that are replicated throughout the structure, maintaining manufacturing precision while using a modular approach that simplifies the overall design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the polygonal structure (number of sides N, sector angle 360°/N) to create a layout where the corrugation pitch can be increased while maintaining consistency. By adjusting these parameters, the design achieves a balance between reduced corrugation numbers and maintained manufacturing precision through optimized angular sector geometry.
2Ease of manufacture
If the layout strategy is simplified to reduce the number of different parts, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability to different corrugation pitches deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The angular sectors are designed as universal repeating units that can be rotated to form complete polygonal structures with different numbers of sides (N ≥ 4). This universal design allows the same basic sector template to be used across different configurations, maintaining ease of manufacture through part standardization while providing adaptability to various polygonal geometries and corrugation pitch requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces asymmetric positioning of the first vertical panel relative to the sector axis, where the sector axis is perpendicular to the first vertical panel. This asymmetric reference framework enables flexible adaptation to different polygonal configurations while maintaining consistent manufacturing procedures through the rotational symmetry of the overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquefied gas storage facility (1) has a load-bearing structure (10) having a bottom wall (11) and a vertical load-bearing wall (12) made up of N vertical load-bearing panels (14), and a tank comprising a bottom wall (21) and a vertical wall (22). The bottom wall (21) has a plurality of angular sectors. The corrugated sealing membrane (70, 170) of each angular sector (25) has first corrugations (72). The corrugated sealing membrane (70, 170) of each angular sector (25) has a plurality of metal plates (71) arranged to form ring portions (75). The ring portions (75) consist of a set of complete metal plates. The total number of first corrugations (72) present on the ring portions (75) increases in the direction of the vertical wall (22). The total number being increased only every M successive ring portions (75), where M is a natural integer greater than or equal to 2.