RU2755830C2 - Sealed and heat-insulated tank - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: storage; transportation.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of sealed and heat-insulated tanks with membranes. A sealed and heat-insulated tank for storing or transporting cooled fluid contains load-bearing walls that limit load-bearing structure (1), and tank walls attached to the inner surface of load-bearing walls, in which each tank wall contains sealing membrane and a heat-insulating barrier installed between sealing membrane and the load-bearing wall. The load-bearing structure contains lower load-bearing wall (2) having drainage hole (11) passing through the lower load-bearing wall and allowing drainage of the load-bearing structure. The lower load-bearing wall has protruding flange (10) for directing the liquid flow into the drainage hole. The protruding flange passes the flange along edges of lower load-bearing wall (2) at a distance from edges of the lower load-bearing wall continuously along the entire periphery of the lower load-bearing wall. Protruding flange (10), being covered with the heat-insulating barrier of the tank wall, is attached to the lower load-bearing wall.EFFECT: increase in the efficiency of the drainage hole by directing the drain or liquid flow to the inner surface of the load-bearing structure in the direction of the drainage hole.22 cl, 13 dwg

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of sealed and insulated tanks with membranes. In particular, the invention relates to the field of sealed and thermally insulated tanks for storing and / or transporting low temperature fluids, such as tanks for transporting liquefied petroleum gas (also called LPG) at temperatures, for example, between -50 ° C and 0 ° C, or for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a temperature of 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 may be designed to transport liquefied gas or to receive liquefied natural gas used as fuel to propel the floating structure.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

In the technology of sealed and thermally insulated membrane-type tanks, the supporting structure, for example, the hull of a ship, has load-bearing walls, the inner surface of which is covered with a multilayer structure that forms a sealing and thermal insulating wall of the tank, and this multilayer structure contains one or more sealing membranes and one or more thermal insulating barriers, located between the load-bearing wall and the sealing membrane (s).

When a tank is filled with a low temperature fluid, thermal leaks that occur through the tank wall tend to cause the inner surface of the supporting structure to reach a temperature lower than that of the surrounding atmosphere. If the moisture-laden ambient air has managed to enter the interior of the supporting structure, in particular between the supporting structure and the tank wall, this low temperature promotes the phenomenon of condensation and water drainage on the inner surface of the supporting structure.

Therefore, it is advisable to provide a drainage system to avoid the accumulation of water or other liquids on the lower load-bearing wall.

KR-A-20150120701 reveals a diaphragm LNG tank, the lower load-bearing wall of which contains a drain hole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The idea on which the invention is based is to improve the efficiency of the drain hole by directing the drain or flow of liquid onto the inner surface of the supporting structure in the direction of the drain hole.

This object of the invention is achieved by providing a sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing or transporting cooled fluid, comprising load-bearing walls defining the load-bearing structure and tank walls attached to the inner surface of the load-bearing walls, in which each tank wall comprises a sealing membrane and a thermally insulated barrier interposed between sealing membrane and supporting wall,

in which the load-bearing structure comprises a lower load-bearing wall having one or more drainage holes passing through the lower load-bearing wall and allowing drainage of the load-bearing structure,

the lower load-bearing wall has a projecting flange for directing the flow of liquid to the drainage opening, the projecting flange extending along the edges of the lower load-bearing wall at a distance from the edges of the lower load-bearing wall continuously along substantially the entire periphery of the lower load-bearing wall, the projecting flange being covered with a thermal insulating barrier of the tank wall, attached to the lower load-bearing wall.

Due to these characteristics, the projecting flange can retain liquid that flows downward along the side walls of the support structure into the boundary region located between the projecting flange and the edges of the lower support wall, and thus facilitates the flow of this liquid towards the drainage hole.

In preferred embodiments, such a reservoir may have one or more of the following characteristics.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange is interrupted at said drain hole or at each drain hole to allow fluid flow to flow in the direction of the drain hole.

Due to the rupture (s) in the protruding flange at the drain hole (s), liquid, such as condensation water, flows into the boundary region of the lower load-bearing wall located on the outside of the projecting flange, and liquid flows into the central region of the lower load-bearing wall located on the internal the side of the projecting flange can also reach the drain hole regardless of its position, i. e. in the center area, in the border area, or in the area encompassing the center area and the border area.

Alternatively, the projecting flange may be continuous and separate drain holes may be provided on both sides of the projecting flange.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange is close to the edge of the lower structural wall, for example, at a distance from the edge of the lower structural wall that is less than one tenth the size of the lower structural wall in a direction perpendicular to the corresponding edge of the structural wall.

In one embodiment, the distance between the projecting flange and the edge of the bottom structural wall is less than 1 meter.

Due to these characteristics, the boundary region is much smaller than the central region of the load-bearing wall.

So, for example, in the case of seawater penetration due to a watertightness problem in the sidewall of a ship, such as a collision or a welding defect during construction, the small size of the boundary region allows water to quickly enter the drainage hole, making it easier to detect the presence of water.

In one embodiment, the drain hole is equipped with a sensor for the presence of water.

Numerous materials can be used to produce a raised flange.

In one embodiment, the protruding flange comprises a bead made of polymer resin adhered to the lower structural wall. For this purpose, various polymer resins can be used, in particular polyurethane resins and epoxy resins.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange comprises a series of metal parts welded to the lower structural wall.

These metal parts can be, for example, beams or rods, butt welded or overlapped to form a continuous contour, excluding the drain hole (s).

Metal parts can also be used in combination with resin beads to form a raised flange. In this case, the balls of polymer resin can in particular be used to obtain sealed joints between metal parts, which eliminates the need to make these sealed joints by welding.

The support structure can have various geometric shapes, for example a substantially spherical shape or a prismatic shape, preferably with a flat-bottomed load-bearing wall.

In one embodiment, the supporting structure comprises at least one lateral supporting stack, vertical or inclined, connected to the edge of the lower supporting wall along the rib of the supporting structure, the projecting flange being parallel to the rib. The angle between the two bearing walls forming the rib can have different values, for example 90 °, 135 ° or another value.

In one embodiment, the thermal insulation barrier of the tank wall is made up of modules using superimposed insulation blocks on each load-bearing wall, in particular the lower load-bearing wall, so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the lower load-bearing wall.

Such insulating blocks may in particular comprise corner structures and / or flat insulating blocks.

This modular design offers the advantage that gaps remain between the superimposed insulation blocks.

In areas where it is necessary to facilitate the flow of fluids, these gaps can be made in the form of ducts, for example, by leaving free spaces or by using porous insulating materials in these gaps.

In one embodiment, the thermal barrier of the tank wall attached to the lower structural wall comprises a plurality of corner structures located along the edge of the structural structure, each corner structure comprising a first wing covering the boundary region of the lower structural wall and a second wing inclined with respect to the first wing and covering the boundary area of the side bearing wall.

The angle of inclination between two wings is generally equal to the angle between two bearing walls that form a rib.

Due to these characteristics, the fabrication of the thermal barrier on the rib (s) of the supporting structure can be accomplished in a simple way using angular structures that can be fabricated in advance.

The protruding flange can be positioned in various ways in relation to the thermal barrier.

In one embodiment, the projecting flange is located under the first wing of the corner structures, for example, along the outer side of the first wing of the corner structures opposite to the rib of the structure. In another embodiment, the projecting flange is located underneath the flat insulating blocks secured to the lower structural wall.

Due to these characteristics, the raised flange, especially when made of polymer resin, can simultaneously direct flow, support the thermal barrier and act as a spacer to compensate for differences between the inner surface of the bottom wall and the flat theoretical surface serving as a positioning reference level for the thermal barrier.

In one embodiment, the protruding flange comprises a bead made of polymer resin applied and adhered to the surface of the corner structures configured to be positioned against the supporting structure. Such a polymer resin bead can be formed in one piece, for example by being applied to a load-bearing wall.

Alternatively, it can be formed by successive interconnected sections. In this case, the corner structures can be arranged along the edge of the supporting structure in the form of a row containing intermediate spaces, and blocks of insulating material are inserted into the intermediate spaces between the corner structures of the row. In this case, the protruding flange contains sections of rollers made of polymer resin, applied and glued to the surface of corner structures, made with the ability to be located opposite the supporting structure, and connecting sections made of polymer resin applied and glued to the surface of blocks of insulating material, made so that the connecting sections connect the roller sections to each other.

In one embodiment, a strip of flexible insulating sealing material is inserted into the remainder of the intermediate space to limit heat transfer by convection.

In another embodiment, the projecting flange is located between two rows of insulating blocks, for example, between the first wing of the corner structures and the flat insulating blocks.

In one embodiment, the thermal barrier of a tank wall attached to a lower structural wall comprises a rigid plate enclosing an edge of the structural wall and representing a first edge abutting the lower portion of the structural wall and a second edge abutting a lateral structural wall, the protruding flange consisting of a bead of polymerizable resin disposed between the first edge of the rigid plate and the lower supporting wall to adhere the first edge of the rigid plate to the lower supporting wall by adhesion.

In this case, it is preferable that the second intermittent bead of polymerizable resin is placed between the second edge of the rigid plate and the side support wall in order to attach the second edge of the rigid plate to the side of the support wall by adhesion. Preferably, the tank wall thermal barrier comprises flat insulating blocks attached to the lower structural wall and to the lateral structural wall so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the lower structural wall and the lateral structural wall, the rigid plate being positioned between a series of flat insulating blocks secured to on the lower load-bearing wall and a row of flat insulating blocks fixed to the side load-bearing wall and flexible insulating material also mounted on a rigid plate between a row of flat insulating blocks fixed to the lower load-bearing wall and a row of flat insulating blocks fixed to the side load-bearing wall ...

The drain hole (s) can be positioned in various ways on the lower load-bearing wall and in relation to the protruding flange.

In one embodiment, the drainage hole is in line with the projecting flange, the projecting flange interrupting at the edge of the drainage hole.

In one embodiment, the edges of the bottom structural wall are located on the outside of the projecting flange and the drain is located on the inside of the projecting flange opposite to the outside.

In this case, it is preferable that the thermal insulating barrier of the tank wall comprises flat insulating blocks attached to the lower supporting wall on the inner side of the protruding flange, and a flat insulating block located between the break in the protruding flange, and the drain hole contains a recess forming a flow in the lower surface of the flat an insulating block, and the duct passes transversely to the protruding flange.

In embodiments, the bottom load-bearing wall is flat and rectangular or trapezoidal, especially in the forward tank of a ship.

The tanks described above can be used in various types of installations, such as onshore installations, or in a floating structure such as an LNG carrier or other vessel.

In one embodiment, the support structure is a ship's hull, with the drain being located near the edge of the bottom load-bearing wall towards the rear of the ship.

The invention also discloses a vessel for transporting a refrigerated liquid product, the vessel comprising a hull and the aforementioned reservoir in which the supporting structure consists of the hull of the vessel.

The invention also discloses a method for loading or unloading such a vessel, in which the cooled liquid product is directed through insulated pipes from a floating or onshore storage facility to or from a vessel's tank to a floating or onshore storage facility.

The invention also discloses a transfer system for a refrigerated liquid product, the system comprising the aforementioned vessel, insulated pipes positioned to connect a vessel installed in the ship's hull to a floating or onshore storage facility, and a pump for creating a flow of the cooled liquid product through insulated pipes from a floating or onshore storage or to or from a vessel's tank to a floating or onshore storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will be better understood and other objects, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will become clearer in the course of the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention, given by way of illustration only and in a non-limiting manner, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prismatic support structure in which a sealed and thermally insulated tank can be constructed.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tank wall according to a first embodiment taken along line II-II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a tank wall according to a first embodiment taken along line III-III in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a tank wall according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tank wall according to a second embodiment along line V-V in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of region VI in FIG. 1 showing a tank wall according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tank wall according to a third embodiment taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a tank wall according to a third embodiment, taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tank wall according to a variant of the third embodiment, showing the drain hole and the flow path formed in the bottom surface of the insulating body.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of an LNG carrier and a loading / unloading terminal for that vessel.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a detail of a tank wall according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another detail of the tank wall according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an insert that can be used in a tank wall according to a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a generally prismatic supporting structure 1 which can be formed by the hull of a vessel for transporting liquefied gas and is intended to obtain a multi-layer coating consisting of modules on its inner surface to form a sealed and thermally insulated reservoir.

The load-bearing structure 1 contains metal load-bearing walls, namely, in this case, a flat bottom wall 2, a flat ceiling wall 3 parallel to the bottom wall 2, two flat transverse end walls perpendicular to the axis of the vessel, namely, a front transverse wall 4 and a rear transverse wall 5, and two opposite longitudinal walls, each time formed by three flat parts, namely the lower inclined part 6, the vertical part 7 and the upper inclined part 8. The inclined parts are inclined around the longitudinal axis of the vessel, for example at an angle of 45 °. The load-bearing walls are connected at the ribs 9 shown in FIG. 1 as continuous lines or broken lines, depending on whether they are visible or hidden.

The projecting flange 10 is formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 2, which in this case is rectangular.

The protruding flange 10 runs along the four edges of the bottom wall 2 at a short distance from these edges to define a boundary region 15 in which water can thus be retained, which flows along the transverse end walls or longitudinal walls.

The protruding flange 10 is interrupted only in two drain holes 11, which are located near the rear transverse wall 5 in the example shown. In other words, the projecting flange 10 has a straight section 101 that extends continuously along the front edge of the bottom wall 2, two straight sections 102 and 103 that extend continuously along each of the two side edges of the bottom wall 2, and whose front ends are continuously connected to the two ends. a straight section 101, and a straight section 104 that extends along the rear edge of the bottom wall 2, the two ends of which are continuously connected to the rear ends of the two straight sections 102 and 103.

In this example, straight section 104 is interrupted twice.

FIG. 1, the projecting flange 10 has the general shape of a rectangular frame. This shape can be changed, in particular by the rounded sections at the corners of the bottom wall 2. The main function of the protruding flange 10 is to direct the waste water in the boundary region 15 to the drain holes 11 and therefore prevent the migration of this waste water into the central section. 14 bottom wall 2.

Each drainage hole 11 extends through the thickness of the bottom wall 2 and opens into a drainage pipe 12 carrying drained fluids towards an evacuation system, which is not shown. The protruding flange 10 is then interrupted at the edges of the two drain holes 11. Thus, each drain 11 can collect both liquids from the boundary region 15 and liquids from the central region 14 of the bottom wall 2 located on the other side of the protruding flange 10.

In the case of a ship's tank, after unloading cargo from the tank, the ballast tanks of the ship can be filled in such a way as to tilt the ship's hull with a slope in the rearward direction, which causes the liquid accumulated in the boundary region 15 of the bottom wall around the protruding flange 10 to flow under the action of force gravity in the direction of the drain holes 11 located at the rear of the tank.

A description will now be given of several embodiments of the protruding flange 10 and several embodiments of a multilayer modular coating forming the vessel wall. The combinations disclosed below are not limiting, and each protruding flange embodiment can be used with different layered modular coating embodiments.

A first embodiment is shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The protruding flange 10 is in this case formed by elongated metal parts 20 welded on the bottom wall 2.

The metal portion 20 can be seen in cross section in FIG. 2. The metal portion 20 is not cut in FIG. 3, but its end located at the edge of the opening 11 is visible.

The tank wall consists of pre-fabricated insulating blocks, consisting of modules, superimposed on each other on load-bearing walls. These modular insulating blocks include flat insulating blocks 21 for covering flat areas and corner insulating blocks 22 for covering ribbed areas. The insulating block 21 or 22 each contains a secondary insulating barrier element 23, a secondary sealed barrier element 24 and a primary insulating barrier element 25. The insulating blocks 21 and 22 can be fixed to the supporting structure in various ways, by gluing and / or by means of mechanical fasteners, such as bolts and nuts.

The corner insulating block 22 comprises two wings bent at an angle equal to the angle between the bottom wall 2 and the adjacent side wall, namely 135 ° on the rib 29 between the bottom wall 2 and the lower inclined part 6 in FIG. 2 and 90 ° on the rib 28 between the bottom wall 2 and the rear transverse wall 5 in FIG. 3.

The projecting flange 10 is positioned each time between a row of corner insulating blocks 22, which covers the rib 28, 29, and a row of flat insulating blocks 21, which rests on the bottom wall 2 after the row of corner insulating blocks 22. Thus, the metal parts 20 provide a positioning stop for the end surface of the wing of the corner insulating block 22, which rests on the bottom wall 2, facilitating the installation of the corner insulating blocks 22.

A polymerizable resin roller 27, such as an epoxy putty, may be positioned along the side of the metal portions 20 oriented towards the corner grip blocks 22 to fine-tune the position of the corner grip blocks 22 with respect to the metal portions 20. The polymerize resin roller 27 can also seal the joint. between two consecutive metal parts 20, especially if these parts are not welded together. Finally, as seen in FIG. 2, a polymerizable resin bead 27 may also be positioned at least partially under the wing of the corner insulating block 22 that rests on the bottom wall 2 to serve as a spacer to compensate for unevenness in the supporting structure.

An insulating lining 31, such as glass wool or other material, is positioned between the two rows of insulating blocks above the protruding flange 10 to minimize voids in the secondary insulating barrier.

The primary sealing membrane 26 is located on the upper surface of the insulating blocks 21 and 22 and can be obtained in various ways.

Further details regarding embodiments of sealing membranes and insulating blocks can be found in publications FR-A-2691520, US-A-5586513 and US-A-6035795.

A second embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 will now be described.

Like reference numbers designate elements similar or identical to those in Figures 2 and 3 and will not be described again.

In a second embodiment, the protruding flange 10 is formed exclusively by a polymerizable resin bead 30.

A bead of polymerizable resin 30 is positioned under the wing of an angled block 22 that rests on the bottom wall 2 at the end of the wall away from the ridge 28 or 29. Here, again, in addition to retaining the drainage of water, the bead of polymerizable resin 30 can serve as a spacer to compensate for unevenness of the supporting structure.

The polymerizable resin roller 30 may be an epoxy filler. The putty is a paste-like material consisting of epoxy resin and a hardener that cures the putty after application. The putty is applied to the surface of the insulating blocks made with the ability to be located opposite the supporting structure.

Before the putty hardens, install insulating blocks. The putty is ground in this installation. Rigid spacers, designated 34 in FIG. 11 can be placed on the load-bearing wall to control the final thickness of the putty and to ensure the surface flatness of the insulating blocks placed on the same load-bearing wall.

As can be seen in Figures 4, 5 and 11, the corner structure 22 can be formed by two parts fastened together, namely a main part 32 and an added part 33 that extends parallel to the rib along the outer surface of the main part 32 oriented in the opposite direction to the rib. ... The added part 33 takes the form of an elongated parallelepiped block of the same thickness as the main part 32 and is attached by gluing or other means to the outer surface of the main part 32. Its width can be tailored according to the dimensional tolerances of the load-bearing wall.

In this case, a polymerizable resin bead 30 may be positioned under the added portion 33 of the corner structures 22. This facilitates the installation of the polymerizable resin roll 30. More precisely, the assembly of the corner structures 22 begins with the installation of the main parts 32 without the added parts 33. The corner structures 22 are arranged as rows along the ridge. The added portions 33 are installed in a second step by pre-coating with successive portions of the polymerizable resin roller 30 on their inner surface. Thus, the added portions 33 are glued simultaneously to the bottom wall 2 and to the main portions 32 of the corner structures 22.

As can be seen in FIG. 12, when a series of corner structures 22 represent interstitial spaces 35 that are preferred to facilitate assembly of the tank wall, the roll sections 36 located below successive corner structures 22 are not necessarily sufficient to form a continuous flange. For example, the intermediate space 35 may have a width of 10 to 50 mm, in particular about 30 mm. To connect the roller sections 36, the connecting sections 37, also made of polymerizable resin, are used. In this case, the roller sections 36 and the connecting sections 37 together form a polymerizable resin roller 30.

Since the height of the polymerizable resin bead 30, in particular the connecting sections 37, is not necessarily sufficient to perform the function of draining the flow without the risk of overfilling, an insert 38 is used in the intermediate space 35 between the two corner structures 22 to raise the protruding flange at this point. The insert 38 is preferably glued with its side surfaces to the additional portions 33 of the corner structures 22 and to the bottom wall 2 through the connecting sections 37 of the polymerizable resin roll. It reaches, for example, a height of approximately 50 mm.

As can be seen in FIG. 13, insert 38 may comprise, like the corner structures 22, a rigid bottom plate 39, for example made of plywood, and a covering layer of insulating polymer foam 46, which are assembled by gluing. The connecting section 37 of the polymerizable resin roller is initially applied to the surface of the bottom plate 39, configured to be positioned against the supporting structure.

Preferably, a strip of flexible insulating sealing material, such as glass wool, is inserted in the spaces between the corner structures 22 and the flat insulating blocks 21 and in the remainder of the intermediate space 35 to limit heat transfer by convection. Between the two corner structures 22, the combination of an insert 38 at the bottom of the intermediate space 35 and a flexible strip in the remainder of the intermediate space 35 allows the flow of liquid to be directed without any risk of overflow, while still allowing the corner structures 22 to move or slightly deform in the intermediate space. 35, especially in response to the deformations of the bottom wall 2 at sea.

The primary seal diaphragm has been omitted in Figures 4 and 5. Further details regarding embodiments of seal diaphragms and isolation blocks can be found in WO-A-2014167214 and WO-A-2017006044.

A third embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 6-9. Like reference numbers designate elements similar or identical to those in Figures 1-5 and will not be described again.

FIG. 6 shows ribs 28 and 29 joining at the corner of the supporting structure. Along each edge 28, 29, the tank wall comprises a series of rigid plates 40, for example of plywood. The rigid plate 40 surrounds the rib 28 or 29 of the supporting structure and represents the first edge adhered to the lower inclined part 6 or the transverse wall 4 or 5 by means of a polymerizable resin roll 42. The polymerizable resin roll 41 is continuous and constitutes a protruding flange 10. The polymerizable roll resin 42 is intermittent so as not to impede the flow of water to the bottom wall 2.

The thermal insulation barrier of the tank wall in this case consists of insulating bodies 43, for example of wood, filled with an insulating material such as glass wool, perlite or other material. The insulating bodies 43 are superimposed on one another on the load-bearing walls in such a way as to substantially cover the inner surface of the load-bearing structure.

In Figures 7 and 8, a rigid plate 40 is each time positioned between a number of insulating bodies 43 fixed on the bottom wall 2 and a number of insulating bodies 43 fixed on a transverse wall 4 or 5 or a longitudinal wall. An insulating lining 45, for example of glass wool or other flexible insulating material, is also mounted on a rigid plate 40 between two rows of insulating bodies 43.

FIG. 9 shows an insulating body 50 that may be located on the bottom wall 2 at the drain hole 11 when the drain hole is removed from the protruding flange formed here by the polymerizable resin roller 41 under the rigid plate 40. Here the drain hole 11 is offset towards the central region 14 of the bottom walls 2. Other insulating bodies have been omitted in this figure for readability reasons.

The insulating body 50 is located between the rigid plate 40 and the drainage hole 11 and contains a recess in its bottom plate, which forms a duct 51 with a rectangular cross-section passing through the entire width of the insulating body 50. The duct 51 extends across the polymerizable resin roller 41. The polymerizable resin roller 41 represents a rupture, not shown, at one end of the duct 51, oriented towards the rigid plate 40 to allow water or liquid from the boundary region 15 to flow through the duct 51 into the drainage hole 11.

FIG. 6 also shows fastening plates 60 which are welded to the bottom wall 2 and the inclined portion 6 for attaching a ring for connecting sealing membranes according to known technology.

The rigid plates 40 and the resin roll 41 below them are interrupted at each backing plate 60, but the resin roll 41 is sealed to two surfaces of each backing plate 60. In addition, on the rib 29, it can be seen that the holding plates 60 have holes 61 to create a fluid passage.

Sealing diaphragms are omitted in Figures 7 and 8. Further details regarding seal diaphragm and insulating body embodiments can be found in publications FR-A-2867831 and FR-A-2798358.

As seen in FIG. 9, the drain hole or each drain hole 11 is preferably covered with a grid 55 to filter possible solid waste and stop it from entering the evacuation system.

As can be seen in FIG. 10, a cross-sectional view of an LNG carrier 70 shows a sealed and insulated tank 71 of a generally prismatic shape mounted in a double hull 72 of the vessel.

The tank wall 71 comprises a primary pressurized barrier for contact with the liquefied gas contained in the tank, a secondary pressurized barrier installed between the primary pressurized barrier and the double hull 72 of the vessel, and two isolation barriers positioned respectively between the primary pressurized barrier and the secondary containment barrier, and between the sealed secondary barrier and the double hull 72. In a simplified embodiment, the vessel comprises a single hull.

Conventionally, loading / unloading pipes 73 located on the upper deck of the ship can be connected by suitable connectors to a marine or port terminal for transferring cargo in the form of liquefied gas from or into the tank 71.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a marine terminal comprising a loading and unloading station 75, a subsea pipeline 76, and an onshore installation 77.

Loading and unloading station 75 is a stationary offshore installation comprising a movable arm 74 and a tower 78 that supports the movable boom 74. The movable boom 74 carries a bundle of insulated flexible pipes 79 that can be connected to the loading / unloading pipelines 73. The adjustable movable arm 74 fits all sizes of LNG carriers.

A connecting pipe (not shown) extends into the interior of tower 78. Loading and unloading station 75 allows loading and unloading of a vessel 70 for transporting LNG from or to onshore facility 77. This installation contains tanks 80 for storing liquefied gas and connecting pipes 81 connected by a subsea pipeline 76 to a loading or unloading station 75. Subsea pipeline 76 allows the transfer of liquefied gas between the loading or unloading station 75 and the onshore unit 77 over a long distance, for example, 5 km, which allows the LNG carrier 70 to be at a great distance from the coast during loading and unloading operations.

Pumps on board 70 and / or pumps equipping onshore unit 77 and / or pumps equipping loading and unloading station 75 are used to generate the pressure required to transfer the liquefied gas.

The use of the verbs "consist", "contain" or "include" and their conjugated forms does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps other than those indicated in the claims.

The use of the singular for an item or step does not exclude, unless otherwise indicated, multiple such items or steps.

In the claims, any reference position in parentheses should not be interpreted as limiting the claims.

Claims (29)

1. A sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing or transporting chilled fluid, comprising load-bearing walls defining the load-bearing structure (1) and tank walls attached to the inner surface of the load-bearing walls, in which each tank wall contains a sealing membrane and a thermal insulating barrier installed between sealing membrane and supporting wall, in which the load-bearing structure comprises a lower load-bearing wall (2) having a drainage hole (11) passing through the lower load-bearing wall and allowing drainage of the load-bearing structure, in which the lower load-bearing wall has a protruding flange (10) for directing the liquid flow into the drainage hole, and the protruding flange runs along the edges of the lower load-bearing wall (2) at a distance from the edges of the lower load-bearing wall continuously along the entire periphery of the lower load-bearing wall, while the protruding the flange (10), being covered with a thermal insulation barrier of the tank wall, is attached to the lower load-bearing wall. 2. A sealed and thermally insulated tank for storing or transporting cooled fluid, a tank containing load-bearing walls defining the load-bearing structure (1), and tank walls attached to the inner surface of the load-bearing walls, in which each tank wall contains a sealing membrane and a thermal insulating barrier, installed between the sealing membrane and the bearing wall, in which the load-bearing structure comprises a lower load-bearing wall (2) having a drainage hole (11) passing through the lower load-bearing wall and allowing drainage of the load-bearing structure, in which the lower bearing wall has a protruding flange (10) for directing the flow of liquid into the drainage hole, the protruding flange extending along the edges of the lower bearing wall (2) at a distance from the edges of the lower bearing wall and is interrupted only at the said drainage hole, while the protruding flange (10), being covered with a thermal barrier of the tank wall, is attached to the lower load-bearing wall. 3. A reservoir according to claim 1 or 2, in which the protruding flange (10) comprises a bead (41, 30, 27) made of polymer resin adhered to the lower load-bearing wall (2). 4. The reservoir according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, in which the protruding flange (10) contains a number of metal parts (20) welded to the lower bearing wall (2). 5. The reservoir according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, in which the bearing structure comprises at least one side bearing wall (4, 5, 6), vertical or inclined, connected to the edge of the lower bearing wall (2) along the rib (28, 29) of the bearing structure, and the protruding flange located parallel to the rib. 6. The tank according to claim 5, wherein the thermal insulating barrier of the tank wall, attached to the lower load-bearing wall, comprises a plurality of corner structures (22) installed along the rib of the load-bearing structure, and each corner structure (22) comprises a first wing covering the boundary region of the lower bearing wall (2), and a second wing, inclined relative to the first wing and covering the boundary region of the side bearing wall (4, 5, 6). 7. A reservoir according to claim 6, wherein the projecting flange is located under the first wing of the corner structures (22), along the outer side of the first wing of the corner structures opposite to the rib (28, 29) of the supporting structure. 8. A reservoir according to claim 6, wherein the thermal barrier of the reservoir wall also comprises a plurality of flat insulating blocks (21) attached to the lower supporting wall so as to substantially cover the inner surface of the lower support wall (2), and in which the protruding flange (10) is located between the first wing of the corner structures (22) and the flat insulating blocks (21). 9. The tank according to claim a side bearing wall, the protruding flange consisting of a bead of polymerizable resin (41) located between the first edge of the rigid plate and the lower bearing wall (2) to secure the first edge of the rigid plate to the lower bearing wall by gluing. 10. A tank according to claim. 9, in which the thermal insulating barrier of the tank wall comprises flat insulating blocks (43) attached to the lower load-bearing wall (2) and to the side load-bearing wall (4, 5, 6) so as to substantially cover the inner the surface of the lower load-bearing wall and the side load-bearing wall, wherein a rigid plate (40) is installed between a number of flat insulating blocks fixed on the lower load-bearing wall and a number of flat insulating blocks fixed on the side load-bearing wall, while a flexible insulating material (45) is also installed on a rigid plate (40) between a row of flat insulating blocks fixed to the lower bearing wall and a row of flat insulating blocks fixed to the lateral bearing wall. 11. A reservoir according to claim 7, wherein the protruding flange (10) comprises a bead (30) made of polymer resin applied and glued to the surface of the corner structures (22) adapted to be positioned against the supporting structure. 12. A reservoir according to claim 11, in which the corner structures (22) are arranged along the rib of the supporting structure in the form of a row containing intermediate spaces (35), and in which blocks of insulating material (38) are inserted into the intermediate space (35) between the corner constructions (22) of the row, moreover, the protruding flange (10) contains sections (36) of rollers made of polymer resin, applied and glued to the surface of the corner structures (22), made with the ability to be located opposite the supporting structure, and connecting sections (37) made of polymer resin, applied and adhered to the surface of blocks of insulating material (38), configured to be located opposite the supporting structure, so that the connecting sections (37) connect the sections (36) of the rollers to each other. 13. A reservoir according to claim 12, wherein a strip of flexible insulating sealing material is inserted into the remainder of the intermediate space (35) to limit heat transfer by convection. 14. The tank according to any one of paragraphs. 2-13, in which the protruding flange is interrupted at the drain hole (11) to allow fluid flow towards the drain hole. 15. A reservoir according to claim. 14, in which the edges of the lower supporting wall (2) are located on the outside of the protruding flange (10), and the drain hole (11) is located on the inside of the protruding flange (10) opposite to the outside, the thermal insulating barrier of the tank wall contains flat insulating blocks (43) attached to the lower bearing wall on the inner side of the protruding flange, and a flat insulating block (50) located between the rupture of the protruding flange (10) and the drain hole (11) contains a recess defining a passage (51) in the lower surface of the flat insulating block (50), the duct extending across the protruding flange. 16. A reservoir according to claim 14, wherein the drain hole (11) is in line with the protruding flange (10), the protruding flange interrupting at the edge of the drain hole. 17. The reservoir according to any one of paragraphs. 1-16, in which the supporting structure is a ship's hull (70), and the drainage hole is located near the edge of the lower supporting wall (2), located towards the rear part (5) of the ship. 18. The tank according to any one of paragraphs. 1-17, in which the projecting flange (10) is located at a distance from the edge of the lower supporting wall (2), which is less than one tenth the size of the lower supporting wall in a direction perpendicular to said edge of the lower supporting wall. 19. The reservoir according to any one of paragraphs. 1-18, in which the drain hole is equipped with a sensor for the presence of water. 20. The vessel (70) for the transport of a cooled liquid product, containing a body (72) and a tank according to one of paragraphs. 1-19, in which the supporting structure consists of the hull (72) of the ship. 21. A method for loading or unloading a ship (70) according to claim 20, wherein the cooled liquid product is directed through insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) from a floating or onshore storage (77) or into a vessel's tank (71), or from it to a floating or onshore storage. 22. A transfer system for a chilled liquid product, comprising a vessel (70) according to claim 20, insulated pipes (73, 79, 76, 81) installed in such a way as to connect a tank (71) installed in the ship's hull with a floating or onshore storage (77), and a pump for creating a flow of chilled liquid product through insulated pipes from a floating or onshore storage facility to or from a vessel's tank to a floating or onshore storage facility.

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