Sealed and thermally insulating tank having anti-convection insulating seals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12038136-B2
Application number	US-202017771783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2020
Priority date	Nov 13, 2019
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

A sealed and thermally insulating tank including a thermally insulating barrier suitable for being anchored to a load-bearing structure is disclosed. The thermally insulating barrier including a plurality of insulating panels juxtaposed in a regular pattern, two adjacent insulating panels defining an inter-panel space, the inter-panel space including an outer portion and an inner portion superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, the outer portion being suitable for being situated close to the load-bearing structure and the inner portion being close to the inside of the tank, the tank further including insulating seals, the insulating seals including two outer insulating seals, the said outer insulating seals being arranged juxtaposed in the outer portion of the inter-panel space so that they have two adjacent edges, and an inner insulating seal, the inner insulating seal being arranged in the inner portion of the inter-panel space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sealed and thermally insulating tank including a thermally insulating barrier suitable for being anchored to a load-bearing structure, the thermally insulating barrier including two adjacent insulating panels, an inter-panel space being defined between the two adjacent insulating panels, said inter-panel space including an outer portion and an inner portion that are superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, the outer portion and the inner portion being further away from and closer to the inside of the tank respectively,
the tank further including:
two outer insulating seals juxtaposed in the outer portion of the inter-panel space so that they have two adjacent edges, and
an inner insulating seal arranged in the inner portion of the inter-panel space, the inner insulating seal being superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier on the two outer insulating seals so that it covers the two adjacent edges of said outer insulating seals, and

wherein the outer insulating seals and/or the inner insulating seal further comprise a core of compressible porous material and a sleeve fully or partially surrounding said core.

2. A sealed and thermally insulating tank including a thermally insulating barrier suitable for being anchored to a load-bearing structure, the thermally insulating barrier including two adjacent insulating panels, an inter-panel space being defined between the two adjacent insulating panels, said inter-panel space including an outer portion and an inner portion that are superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, the outer portion and the inner portion being further away from and closer to the inside of the tank respectively,
the tank further including:
two outer insulating seals juxtaposed in the outer portion of the inter-panel space so that they have two adjacent edges, and
an inner insulating seal arranged in the inner portion of the inter-panel space, the inner insulating seal being superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier on the two outer insulating seals so that it covers the two adjacent edges of said outer insulating seals, and

wherein one said outer insulating seal has, in the free state, a width larger than or equal to a width of the inter-panel space.

3. A sealed and thermally insulating tank including a thermally insulating barrier suitable for being anchored to a load-bearing structure, the thermally insulating barrier including two adjacent insulating panels, an inter-panel space being defined between the two adjacent insulating panels, said inter-panel space including an outer portion and an inner portion that are superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, the outer portion and the inner portion being further away from and closer to the inside of the tank respectively,
the tank further including:
a first outer insulating seal and a second outer insulating seal which are juxtaposed in the outer portion of the inter-panel space so that they have two adjacent edges, and
an inner insulating seal arranged in the inner portion of the inter-panel space, the inner insulating seal being superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier on the two outer insulating seals so that it covers the two adjacent edges of said outer insulating seals, and

wherein said second outer insulating seal is juxtaposed to said first outer insulating seal in a longitudinal direction of the inter-panel space in order that the second outer insulating seal is arranged in an extension of the first outer insulating seal according to the longitudinal direction of the inter-panel space.

4. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the inner insulating seal and/or the first and second outer insulating seals are gas-permeable.

5. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the inner insulating seal has, in the free state, a width larger than a width of one said outer insulating seal in the free state.

6. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which one said outer insulating seal has, in the free state, a width larger than or equal to a width of the inter-panel space.

7. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the outer and inner insulating seals are made from solid materials and have elastic properties so that they can adopt, under the action of a compressive stress, a compressed state in which said insulating seals have a width smaller than a width of the inter-panel space so that they can be inserted into said inter-panel space and, when said insulating seals are inserted into said inter-panel space and in the absence of said compressive stress, can adopt a semi-expanded state in which said insulating seals are constrained by the insulating panels forming the inter-panel space and fill the width of said inter-panel space.

8. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the outer insulating seals and the inner insulating seal have a different height in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier.

9. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the outer and inner insulating seals are parallelepipedal.

10. The sealed and thermally insulating tank as claimed in claim 3 , in which the outer insulating seals and the inner insulating seal have a rectangular parallelepipedal shape defined by first and second faces opposite each other in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, third and fourth faces opposite each other in a longitudinal direction of the inter-panel space, and fifth and sixth faces opposite each other in a transverse direction of the inter-panel space, and the outer insulating seals and the inner insulating seal each comprise a core of compressible material and at least one compressible insulating strip rigidly connected to the core of compressible material and forming at least one of the first face, second face, third face and fourth face of said outer or inner insulating seal.

11. A vessel for transporting a cold liquid product, the vessel including a double hull and the tank as claimed in claim 3 arranged in the double hull.

12. A system for transferring a cold liquid product, the system including the vessel as claimed in claim 11 , insulated pipes arranged so that they connect the tank installed in the hull of the vessel to a floating or onshore storage installation and a pump for conveying a cold liquid product through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or onshore storage installation to or from the tank of the vessel.

13. A method for loading or unloading the vessel, the method comprising:
providing the vessel as claimed in claim 11 , and
conveying a cold liquid product through insulated pipes from or to a floating or onshore storage installation to or from the tank of the vessel.

14. A sealed and thermally insulating tank including a thermally insulating barrier suitable for being anchored to a load-bearing structure, the thermally insulating barrier including insulating panels juxtaposed in a regular pattern and inter-panel spaces, said inter-panel spaces each being defined by two of the adjacent insulating panels, said inter-panel spaces each including an outer portion and an inner portion superposed in the direction of the thickness of the thermally insulating barrier, the outer portion and the inner portion being respectively further away fr

Assignees

• Gaztransport Et Technigaz

Inventors

• Deletre Bruno
• Le Stang Jean-Yves
• Gimbert Charles
• Capdeville Jean-Damien
• Lorin Vincent
• Brugiere Edouard

Classifications

• F17C2260/033

  by enhancing insulation · CPC title

• F17C2223/0161

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

• F17C2209/238

  Filling of insulants · CPC title

• F17C2203/0358

  in form of panels · CPC title

• F17C2209/232

  of walls · CPC title