초록 ▼

A liquid containment system for an ocean-going vessel. The liquid containment system includes a tank having converging upper walls. The converging upper walls of the tank contain a substantial portion of the liquid therebetween and reduce the free surface area associated with the liquid. The upper

A liquid containment system for an ocean-going vessel. The liquid containment system includes a tank having converging upper walls. The converging upper walls of the tank contain a substantial portion of the liquid therebetween and reduce the free surface area associated with the liquid. The upper converging walls of the tank extend above the horizontal deck of the vessel, but still allow sufficient deck space for supporting various required equipment. In one embodiment, the liquid containment system is a prismatic membrane tank designed to receive and hold liquefied natural gas (LNG).

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A ship comprising: a non-spherical tank defining a total internal volume; and a deck presenting a substantially flat, substantially horizontal upper surface, said tank including at least three upwardly converging walls defining therebetween at least about 10 percent of the to

What is claimed is: 1. A ship comprising: a non-spherical tank defining a total internal volume; and a deck presenting a substantially flat, substantially horizontal upper surface, said tank including at least three upwardly converging walls defining therebetween at least about 10 percent of the total internal volume, said upper surface of the deck defining a substantially horizontal plane that intersects the converging walls of the tank above the lower edges of the converging walls, said converging walls including a pair of opposing, laterally spaced, converging side walls, each of said side walls extending upwardly at an angle in the range of from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from horizontal. 2. The ship according to claim 1, said converging walls defining therebetween an upper portion of the total internal volume, said upper portion having a volume that is at least 15 percent of the total internal volume. 3. The ship according to claim 2, said upper portion having a volume that is in the range of from about 20 percent to about 40 percent of the total internal volume. 4. The ship according to claim 1, each of said converging walls presenting a substantially planar inner surface defining a portion of the internal volume. 5. The ship according to claim 1, each of said side walls presenting front and rear edges, said converging walls including a front wall extending between the front edges of the side wall, said front wall extending upwardly at a angle that is at least about 10 degrees from horizontal. 6. The ship according to claim 5, said front wall extending upwardly at a angle in the range of from about 15 degrees to 60 degrees from horizontal. 7. The ship according to claim 5, said tank including a rear wall extending between the rear edges of the side walls, said rear wall extending upwardly at an angle that is at least about 10 degrees from horizontal. 8. The ship according to claim 7, said rear wall extending upwardly at an angle in the range of from about 15 degrees to about 60 degrees from horizontal. 9. The ship according to claim 1, at least 2 percent of said total internal volume being located above the elevation of the upper surface. 10. The ship according to claim 1, said upper surface extending outwardly from two opposite sides of the tank. 11. The ship according to claim 1, said upper surface circumscribing the tank. 12. The ship according to claim 1, said ship comprising at least two of said tanks, said upper surface extending between the tanks. 13. The ship according to claim 12; and a mooring winch supported on the upper surface of the deck between the tanks. 14. The ship according to claim 1, said upper surface having a cumulative width that is at least 25 percent of the maximum width of the ship at all locations where a cross-section that is orthogonal to the direction of elongation of the ship and extends through the tank can be taken. 15. The ship according to claim 1, said tank being a prismatic membrane tank. 16. The ship according to claim 1, said ship including at least three of said tanks. 17. A ship comprising: a non-spherical tank defining a total internal volume, said tank including at least three upwardly converging walls defining therebetween at least about 10 percent of the total internal volume, said converging walls including a pair of opposing, laterally spaced, converging side walls, each of said side walls extending upwardly at an angle that is at least about 20 degrees from horizontal, each of said side walls presenting front and rear edges, said converging walls including a front wall extending between the front edges of the side walls, said front wall extending upwardly at an angle that is at least about 10 degrees from horizontal, said tank including a rear wall extending between the rear edges of the side walls, said rear wall extending upwardly at an angle that is at least about 10 degrees from horizontal, said rear wall extending substantially vertically. 18. A tanker-ship for transporting a liquid, said ship comprising: a tank defining therein an internal volume for receiving and holding the liquid; and a deck presenting a substantially flat, substantially horizontal upper surface, said internal volume presenting a pair of laterally spaced, upwardly converging side faces, each of said side faces presenting an upper edge and a lower edge, said internal volume including a top face extending between the upper edges, said upper and lower edges being vertically spaced from one another by a minimum vertical distance that is at least 20 percent of the maximum lateral distance between the lower edges, said internal volume including a third face converging upwardly with the side faces said upper surface of the deck defining a substantially horizontal plane that intersects the side faces of the tank above the lower edges of the side faces. 19. A ship according to claim 18, said upper and lower edges being vertically spaced from one another by a minimum vertical distance in the range of from about 30 to about 70 percent of the maximum lateral distance between the lower edges. 20. A ship according to claim 18, said upper edges being substantially coplanar, said lower edges being substantially coplanar. 21. A ship according to claim 18, said upper edges extending substantially parallel to one another, said lower edges extending substantially parallel to one another. 22. A ship according to claim 18, said top and side faces being substantially flat. 23. A ship according to claim 18, said top face being substantially horizontal. 24. A ship according to claim 18, each of said side faces extending upwardly at an angle that is in the range of from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from horizontal. 25. A ship according to claim 18, each of said side faces extending upwardly at a 40 degrees to 50 degrees angle from horizontal. 26. A ship according to claim 18, said side faces being closest to one another at the upper edges and farthest from one another at the lower edges. 27. A ship according to claim 18, said upper edges being laterally spaced from one another by a minimum lateral distance that is at least about 5 percent of the maximum lateral distance between the lower edges. 28. A ship according to claim 18, said upper edges being laterally spaced from one another by a minimum lateral distance that is 10 to 25 percent of the maximum lateral distance between the lower edges. 29. A ship according to claim 18, said tank including a pair of converging side walls defining the pair of side faces, said pair of side walls defining therebetween an upper portion of the internal volume, said upper portion having a volume that is at least 15 percent of the total volume of the internal volume. 30. A ship according to claim 29, said upper portion having a volume that is in the range of from about 20 to about 40 percent of the total volume of the internal volume. 31. A ship according to claim 29, said tank including a cap cooperating with the side walls to define the upper portion, said cap extending between the side walls and defining the top face. 32. A ship according to claim 18, said liquid comprising LNG. 33. A tanker-ship for transporting LNG, said ship comprising: a plurality of individual tanks; and a structural deck presenting an exposed, substantially horizontal upper surface, each of said tanks defining therein a respective total internal volume for receiving and holding a quantity of the LNG, each of said tanks including at least three converging walls defining therebetween an upper portion of the total internal volume, said upper portion presenting at least three substantially flat faces defined by the converging side walls, said upper portion of the total internal volume having a volume that is in the range of from about 20 to about 40 percent of the total internal volume, at least a portion of said upper portion of the total internal volume extending above the deck, said upper surface of the deck defining a substantially horizontal plane that intersects the converging walls of the tank above the lower edges of the converging walls. 34. The ship according to claim 33, said substantially flat faces including a pair of laterally spaced side faces, each of said side faces extending upwardly at an angle in the range of from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from horizontal. 35. The ship according to claim 34, said substantially flat faces including a front face extending between the side faces, said front face extending upwardly at an angle in the range of from about 15 degrees to about 60 degrees from horizontal. 36. The ship according to claim 35, said upper portion of the total internal volume including a substantially vertical rear face extending between the side faces. 37. The ship according to claim 33, said upper portion of the total internal volume having a volume that is 25 to 35 percent of the total internal volume. 38. The ship according to claim 33, each of said tanks being a prismatic membrane tank.