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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Sliding radial key support for LNG ship tanks

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6724442
Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.'s new support design securely holds spherical-type LNG cargo tanks in position while accommodating the tank's thermal expansion and contraction. The tanks are held in place by support keys mounted on ring plates around the periphery of each tank in a horizontal direction. Each key has a pair of opposing vertical key-contact faces positioned to lie in a vertical plane radial to the vertical axis of the tank. Beneath each key is a support keyway whose base consists in part of load-supporting material and is joined to the hold wall by a metal plate. Each keyway has opposing contact faces in contact with the vertical faces of the support keys. The keys and keyways are placed so that an adjoining keyway-contact face lies in mating contact with an adjoining key-contact face. Despite thermal expansion and contraction of the tank, parallel sliding contact is always maintained between the mating key-contact and keyway-contact faces, keeping the tank in position against the horizontal forces applied to the tank.
Assignee:
Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.
Patent Number(s):
US 3908574
OSTI ID:
6724442
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English