Sealed and thermally insulating tank equipped with a reinforcing piece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10139048-B2
Application number	US-201615742718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A sealed and thermally insulating tank having a sealing membrane, a thermal insulation barrier, and a reinforcing piece for reinforcing the sealing membrane against the pressure of the fluid contained in the tank. The thermal insulation barrier has a groove parallel to the longitudinal direction of the corrugation, and the reinforcing piece has a retaining rib engaged in the groove, the retaining rib forming a lug extending in the groove beyond a longitudinal end of the main body in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation. A stop element attached to the thermal insulation barrier stops the reinforcing piece in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation in a first direction and cooperates with the lug to stop the reinforcing piece in a direction moving away from the support surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sealed and thermally insulating tank intended for transport of a fluid, said tank comprising a tank wall fixed to a carrier wall ( 99 ), the tank wall comprising:
a sealing membrane ( 69 ) intended to be in contact with the fluid contained in the tank, the sealing membrane comprising a layer of corrugated metal sheet with at least one series of parallel corrugations ( 6 ) protruding towards the inside of the tank, and flat portions situated between the corrugations,
a thermal insulation barrier ( 51 , 53 ) arranged between the carrier wall and the sealing membrane and having a support surface ( 58 , 68 ) on which the flat portions of the sealing membrane rest,
and a reinforcing piece ( 15 , 115 , 215 , 315 ) for reinforcing the sealing membrane against the pressure of the fluid contained in the tank, the reinforcing piece comprising a main body ( 16 , 116 ) inserted in a corrugation of the sealing membrane between the sealing membrane and the support surface, the main body having an elongate form in a longitudinal direction of the corrugation and a base surface ( 18 ) resting on the support surface,
wherein the thermal insulation barrier comprises a groove ( 83 , 84 , 183 , 184 , 36 , 37 ) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the corrugation and opening through the support surface, and the reinforcing piece comprises a retaining rib ( 17 , 117 ) protruding relative to the base surface of the main body and engaged in the groove of the thermal insulation barrier, the retaining rib forming a first end lug ( 22 , 122 ) extending in the groove beyond a first longitudinal end of the main body in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation,
the tank wall also comprising a stop element ( 24 , 124 , 224 , 324 , 424 , 524 , 624 , 724 ) attached to the thermal insulation barrier and arranged on the support surface at a position adjacent to the first longitudinal end of the main body level with the first end lug ( 22 , 122 ), such that the stop element cooperates with the first longitudinal end of the main body to stop the reinforcing piece in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation in a first direction, and with the first end lug to stop the reinforcing piece in a direction moving away from the support surface.

2. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retaining rib ( 17 , 117 ) forms a second end lug ( 22 , 122 ) extending in the groove beyond a second longitudinal end of the main body in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation,
the tank wall also comprising a second stop element attached to the thermal insulation barrier and arranged on the support surface at a position adjacent to the second longitudinal end of the main body level with the second end lug, such that the second stop element cooperates with the second longitudinal end of the main body to stop the reinforcing piece in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation in the second direction, and with the second end lug to stop the reinforcing piece in the direction moving away from the support surface of the thermal insulation barrier.

3. The tank as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the retaining rib ( 17 , 117 ) has a length which is greater than the length of the main body ( 16 , 116 ), so as to extend over the entire length of the main body and form the first end lug ( 22 , 122 ) and the second end lug ( 22 , 122 ) extending in the groove beyond the two longitudinal ends of the main body in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation.

4. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retaining rib ( 17 ) is positioned halfway across the width of the base surface of the main body.

5. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retaining rib is a first retaining rib ( 117 ) which is laterally offset in a first direction relative to half the width of the base surface ( 18 ) of the main body, and wherein the reinforcing piece ( 215 , 315 ) also comprises a second retaining rib ( 117 ) protruding relative to the base surface of the main body and laterally offset in a second direction relative to half the width of the base surface ( 18 ) of the main body,
the thermal insulation barrier also comprising a second groove ( 36 , 37 ) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the corrugation, which opens through the support surface and in which the second retaining rib is engaged, the second retaining rib forming an end lug ( 122 ) extending in the second groove beyond the first or second longitudinal end of the main body in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation,
the tank wall also comprising a stop element attached to the thermal insulation barrier and arranged on the support surface at a position adjacent to the first or second longitudinal end of the main body level with the end lug of the second retaining rib, such that the stop element cooperates with the first or second longitudinal end of the main body to stop the reinforcing piece in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation in the first or second direction, and with the end lug of the second retaining rib to stop the reinforcing piece in the direction moving away from the support surface.

6. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each stop element ( 24 , 124 , 224 , 324 , 424 , 524 , 624 , 724 ) straddles the groove in which the first or second end lug, that must cooperate with the stop element, is engaged.

7. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each stop element ( 24 , 324 , 424 , 624 ) is attached to the thermal insulation barrier on a single side of the groove in which the first or second end lug, that must cooperate with the stop element, is engaged.

8. The tank as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the or each stop element ( 124 , 224 , 524 ) is attached to the thermal insulation barrier on both sides of the groove in which the first or second end lug, that must cooperate with the stop element, is engaged.

9. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , in which the reinforcing piece ( 15 ) also comprises a thickness shim ( 26 , 27 ) fixed to a side face of the retaining rib ( 17 ) to adapt a thickness of the retaining rib to a width of the groove in which the retaining rib is engaged.

10. The tank as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the reinforcing piece comprises an elongate shim ( 27 ) of the same length as the retaining rib ( 17 ), the elongate shim having a U-shaped profile engaged on the retaining rib by the open side of the U-shaped profile, and having a first and a second fixing tab ( 28 ) straddling the open side of the U-shaped profile at the two longitudinal ends of the elongate shim, in order to cooperate with an upper surface of the first end lug ( 22 ) and an upper surface of the second end lug ( 22 ).

11. The tank as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first and second stop elements ( 324 , 424 ) are formed integrally with the elongate shim.

12. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the main body ( 16 , 116 ) of the reinforcing piece has a hollow tubular form open at the two longitudinal ends ( 23 ) of the main body.

13. The tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing piece is a first reinforcing piece ( 15 , 115 ), the tank also comprising a second reinforcing piece ( 15 , 115 ) comprising a main body inserted in said corrugation of the sealing membrane between the sealing membrane and the support surface in the alignment of the first reinforcing piece, on the side of the first longitudinal end of the first reinforcing piece, the main body of the second reinforcing piece having an elongate form in the longitudinal direction of the corrugation and a base surface resting on the support surface, the second reinforcing piece comprisi

Assignees

• Gaztransport Et Technigaz

Inventors

• Sassi Mohamed
• Philippe Antoine
• Couteau Julien

Classifications

• F17C2203/0631

  Three or more walls · CPC title

• F17C13/004 Primary

  for large storage vessels not under pressure (F17C13/008 and F17C13/02 - F17C13/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• F17C2203/0682

  with liquid or gas layer · CPC title

• B65D90/027

  Corrugated or zig-zag structures; Folded plate · CPC title

• F17C2270/0107

  Wall panels · CPC title