Free-standing liner unit and method of building tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364939-B2
Application number	US-201314395562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Apr 26, 2012
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A free-standing liner unit ( 1 ) is formed by integrating a planar outer tank liner plate ( 2 ), a planar secondary barrier plate ( 3 ), and a cold insulator layer ( 4 ) that is interposed between the outer tank liner plate ( 2 ) and the secondary barrier plate ( 3 ) into a single unit. According to this free-standing liner unit ( 1 ), when building a tank, it is possible to shorten the construction period by performing the formation of the outer tank shell plates and the formation of the tank internal structure concurrently with each other, and to achieve an improvement in the handleability of the free-standing liner unit ( 1 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A free-standing liner unit comprising:
a planar outer tank liner plate which makes up a portion of an outer tank liner when the outer tank liner plate is erected on top of a base slab;
a planar secondary barrier plate which makes up a portion of a secondary barrier, which surrounds a bottom portion of an inner tank and is configured to block leakage of liquefied natural gas when liquefied natural gas leaks out from the inner tank, when the secondary barrier plate is erected on top of the base slab; and
a cold insulator layer that is interposed between the outer tank liner plate and the secondary barrier plate and makes up a portion of a cold insulating layer which surrounds an entire circumference of the secondary barrier when the cold insulator layer is erected on top of the base slab,
wherein the outer tank liner plate, the secondary barrier plate, and the cold insulator layer are integrated into a single unit,

A) wherein a position of a bottom edge of the secondary barrier plate, which is a lowermost position of the secondary barrier plate in a height direction, is at a same position as a bottom edge of the outer tank liner plate, which is a lowermost position of the outer tank liner plate in the height direction, and
B) wherein the single unit of the free-standing liner unit is configured for being erected on top of the base slab with the bottom edges of the secondary barrier plate and the outer tank liner plate aligned in direct contact with the base slab.

2. The free-standing liner unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a reinforcing means that is fixed to at least one of the outer tank liner plate, the secondary barrier plate, and the cold insulator layer, and provides improved rigidity.

3. The free-standing liner unit according to claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing means takes the form of anchor bolts that penetrate the outer tank liner plate, the secondary barrier plate, and the cold insulator layer.

4. The free-standing liner unit according to claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing means takes the form of ribs that are fixed to the outer tank liner plate.

5. A method of building a tank comprising:
a step of erecting free-standing liner units according to claim 1 ;
a step of forming outer tank shell plates that are made of concrete on the outer tank liner plate side of the free-standing liner units; and
a step of forming a tank internal structure on the secondary barrier plate side of the free-standing liner units concurrently with the step of forming the outer tank shell plates.

6. The free-standing liner unit according to claim 1 , wherein a top edge portion of the secondary barrier plate is bent towards the outer tank liner plate so that the top edge portion of the secondary barrier plate is connected to the outer tank liner plate.

7. The free-standing liner unit according to claim 1 , wherein the outer tank liner plate, the secondary barrier plate, and the cold insulator layer are integrated into a single free-standing unit which is separable as a unit from the base slab.

Assignees

• Ihi Corp

Inventors

• Uchiyama Norio

Classifications

• F17C3/04

  by insulating layers (F17C3/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F17C2203/0678

  Concrete · CPC title

• E04H7/18 Primary

  mainly of concrete, e.g. reinforced concrete, or other stone-like material · CPC title

• F17C2223/033

  Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas · CPC title

• F17C2223/0161

  cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG · CPC title