Apparatus for transporting fluids at low temperature

Patent · Tue Jul 11 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6077427

Guilem, J R; Jean, P

France's Gaz Transport has designed an LNG cargo tank that allows thermal expansion and contraction with respect to the supporting structure. Defining a volume of revolution whose meridian is a curve without any sharp angle, the tank has radially sliding joints positioned between an annular ring and an annular plate. The annular ring bears on the annular plate through spacers of a heat-insulating supporting material, positioned between the sliding joints and thick enough that the sliding joints do not serve as supports. The sliding joints are made of a female member hving a U-shaped section and a rectangular male member. Located between the male and the female members of each sliding joint, on opposite sides of the male members, are sliding spacers. The sliding spacers and the supporting spacers positioned between the sliding joints are made of a wood impregnated with a plastic material, for example, a laminate impregnated with epoxy resin. For each sliding joint, the female member is fixed to the annular plate and the male member to the annular ring. The sliding joints are distributed regularly about the periphery of the tank.

• Assignee: Gaz Transport
• Patent Number(s): US 4099649
• OSTI ID: 6077427
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
032000* -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
CONTAINERS
DESIGN
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
JOINTS
LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS
MARITIME TRANSPORT
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
NATURAL GAS
PLATES
SHIPS
SPACERS
SUPPORTS
TANKER SHIPS
TANKS
THERMAL INSULATION
TRANSPORT