APPARATUS FOR GAS STORAGE AND TRANSPORT

Abstract

An assembly for storing and transporting compressed fluid, such as compressed natural gas (CNG) that includes; a plurality of hexagonally stacked pipe stored in a cargo hold in or on a vessel, such as a ship or barge, that includes a lower support, side supports and a forcing mechanism that presses so strongly down on the pipes that they cannot move relative to themselves or relative to the vessel on which they are placed in any service situation. The friction between each of the pipes causes the plurality of pipes to act as part of the vessel in terms of its structure. Each of the pipes in the plurality of pipes is connected to a manifold system to allow or the loading and unloading of the compressed fluid.

Claims

1. An assembly for transporting fluid comprising: a. a cargo hold including a lower support and a side support on each side of the lower support; and b. a plurality of pipes for fluid containment, each pipe of the plurality of pipes having at least one end that is open, the plurality of pipes being supported on the lower support between the side support; and c. the plurality of pipes is stacked in a hexagonal manner with linear contact between adjacent pipes; and d. an upper forcing member that is configured to forcefully bear down on the plurality of pipes via a forcing mechanism to apply sufficient compressive force to the plurality of pipes stacked in the cargo area so that friction between the pipes will prevent any significant relative movement of the pipes caused by motions of the barge or ship, or by flexing of the barge or ship, or by strains caused by differential temperature or pressure; and e. a fluid line system connected to the open ends of the plurality of pipes for filling and unloading fluid to the pipes; and f. a barge or ship upon or within which the plurality of pipes is installed to allow the stored fluid to be transported.

2. The assembly of claim 1 where the pipes are made from steel.

3. The assembly of claim 1 where the fluid containment pipes are surrounded by a plurality of empty pipes of substantially the same outer diameter of the fluid containment pipes.

4. The assembly of claim 1 where the forcing mechanism is a plurality of jacks between the hold down beam and the top fixed deck of the hold.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein a friction element is placed between the pipes. This friction element could be a roughening of the pipe surface or otherwise preparing the pipe surface to maximize friction between the pipes.

6. The assembly of claim 1 where the space in the cargo hold is filled with an inert gas, for example nitrogen.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the forcing mechanism includes a tightening mechanism to permit pressing the upper forcing member down over the plurality of pipes after the first force is applied to accommodate settling in the plurality of pipes.

8. The method whereby a plurality of hexagonally stacked pipes carried on or in a vessel are forced together so strongly that any motion of the vessel, including flexing of the vessel itself, does not induce relative motion between the pipes themselves or between the pipes and the vessel. In other words, the plurality of pipes contributes to the strength of the vessel and so they move together as though they were one.

9. The method of claim 8 where the vessel is a barge.

10. The method of claim 8 where the vessel is a ship.

11. The method in claim 8 where the pipes act as pressure vessels.

12. The method on claim 8 where the pipes carry compressed gases such as compressed natural gas.

13. A fluid transport assembly comprising: a lower support having a first side and a second side; a first side support affixed to said first side of said lower support, said first side support approximately perpendicular to said lower support; a second side support affixed to said second side of said lower support, said second side support approximately perpendicular to said lower support; wherein said first side support, said lower support and said second side support define a pipe receiving area; a plurality of pipes stacked in a hexagonal pattern on said lower support, between said side supports, in said pipe receiving area; a top support above said pipe receiving area; a forcing member adjacent of said lower support, said first side support, said second side support and said top support, said forcing member for forcefully applying pressure to said plurality of pipes for applying compressive force to said plurality of pipes for increasing static friction between adjacent ones of said plurality of pipes and between ones of said plurality of pipes and adjacent structure selected from said lower support, said first side support, said second side support and said top support.

14. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 13 wherein: said forcing mechanism applies a force in a force direction; and further comprising bracing structure for providing restraint in a direction perpendicular to said force direction.

15. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 13 further comprising: stress spreading structure for spreading concentrated stresses generated by compressive forces exerted by said forcing mechanism.

16. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 15 wherein said stress spreading structure is a layer of empty pipe between said forcing mechanism and said plurality of pipes.

17. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 15 wherein said stress spreading structures is a layer of empty pipe surrounding said plurality of pipes.

18. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 13 further comprising a means for connecting each one of said plurality of pipes to a filling or emptying mechanism.

19. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 18 wherein said filling or emptying mechanism is a manifold system.

20. A fluid transport assembly comprising: a ship having a hull, a forward cargo bulkhead, an aft cargo bulkhead, a centerline longitudinal bulkhead for diving sais hull into a starboard cargo hold and a port cargo hold; a plurality of bottom support members incorporated in a bottom of said hull; a plurality of side support members comprising starboard hull side support members, starboard centerline side support members, port hull side support members, port centerline side support members; wherein said plurality of side support members and said plurality of bottom support members are equally spaced and aligned with one another along a length of said hull; a plurality of pipes in said starboard hull, said pipe extending from proximate said forward cargo bulkhead to proximate said aft cargo bulkhead, said plurality of pipe stacked in a hexagonal pattern, said plurality of pipe defining an outer layer of pipe and an interior grouping of pipe; a plurality of pipes in said port hull, said plurality of pipes having a first end proximate said forward cargo bulkhead, said plurality of pipes having a second end proximate said aft cargo bulkhead, said plurality of pipe stacked in a hexagonal pattern, said plurality of pipe defining a an outer layer of pipe and an interior grouping of pipe; a top support member (fixed) above said plurality of pipes in said starboard hull and above said plurality of pipes in said port hull; a forcing beam adjacent to an upper portion of said plurality of pipes; a plurality of top forcing mechanisms, e.g., jacks, in between said top support member and said forcing beam, each of said plurality of top forcing mechanisms aligned with one of said plurality side support members, wherein said top forcing mechanisms are provided with bracing arms for preventing longitudinal loads from pushing said forcing beam out of alignment, wherein the bracing arms are affixed at a first end to said forcing beam and at a second end to said forcing mechanism ; wherein said outer layer of pipe for remaining empty and for distributing loads generated by said forcing mechanism; a manifold system adjacent at least one of said first end and said second end of said plurality of pipes for filling and emptying said pipe.

21. A fluid transport assembly comprising: a plurality of bottom support members; a plurality of side support members; wherein said plurality of side support members and said plurality of bottom support members are equally spaced and aligned with one another along a length of the assembly, said side support members and said bottom support members defining a pipe receiving area; a plurality of pipes in said pipe receiving area, said plurality of pipe stacked in a hexagonal pattern, said plurality of pipe defining an outer layer of pipe and an interior grouping of pipe; a top support member (fixed) above said plurality of pipes in said pipe receiving area and above said plurality of pipes; a forcing beam adjacent to an upper portion of said plurality of pipes; a plurality of top forcing mechanisms, e.g., jacks, in between said top support member and said forcing beam, each of said plurality of top forcing mechanisms aligned with one of said plurality side support members, wherein said top forcing mechanisms are provided with bracing arms for preventing longitudinal loads from pushing said forcing beam out of alignment, wherein the bracing arms are affixed at a first end to said forcing beam and at a second end to said forcing mechanism ; wherein said outer layer of pipe for remaining empty and for distributing loads generated by said forcing mechanism; a manifold system adjacent at least one of said first end and said second end of said plurality of pipes for filling and emptying said pipe.

22. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 21 wherein the assembly is located within a hull of a vessel.

23. The fluid transport assembly according to claim 21 wherein the assembly is located on a deck of a vessel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Referring to the drawings, several aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation, wherein:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a ship according to the present invention;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a plan view of ships according to the present invention

[0035] FIG. 3 is a section along 3-3 of FIG. 1, wherein a gas storage assembly according to the invention is more clearly shown;

[0036] FIG. 4A is an enlarged portion of FIG. 3 showing the forcing beam 9, and the forcing mechanism, which in this case is a series of jacks 10, to create the force on the forcing beam.

[0037] FIG. 4B is an enlarged potion of FIG. 4A showing how the force from the forcing beam can be exerted on all of the pipe, even if one or more pipes are not flush with the forcing beam;

[0038] FIG. 4C is a section 4C-4C of FIG. 4A showing how the forcing beams themselves are braced to resist the substantial longitudinal forces caused by the ships motion to ensure that they do not move relative to the pipes.

[0039] FIG. 5A is a front elevation view of a small portion of the manifold system showing two of the manifold pipes joining two rows of the plurality of pipes containing gas.

[0040] FIG. 5B is a side elevation view of a small portion of the manifold showing how the manifold is connected the gas containing pipes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] The description that follows and the embodiments described therein, are provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles of various aspects of the present invention. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention in its various aspects. In the description, similar parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order more clearly to depict certain features.

[0042] A compressed gas transport assembly is disclosed. The assembly of the invention may be installed on or in a ship or barge for marine transport of compressed gas such as CNG. For the purpose of this detailed description of the embodiments a ship is shown with the assembly inside the ship's hull. This is intended as a means of describing the invention and is not a limitation. It is readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the assembly could be modified by to be placed on the deck of a ship or barge, or in the hull of a barge.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, shown is a side elevation of a transport vessel, such as a ship. Gas transport assembly is enclosed within the hull of the ship, contained between the forward cargo bulkhead 1 and aft cargo bulkhead 2. A centerline longitudinal bulkhead 7, shown in FIG. 2, divides the ship into two cargo holds, a starboard cargo hold and a port cargo hold. A plurality of pipes 3 is supported on bottom support members 5, which may be incorporated in the bottom of the ship's hull. Plurality of pipes 3 are located between a plurality of side support members 4, which may be part of the side hull of the ship and may be part of the centerline longitudinal bulkhead. These support members are spaced along the length of the cargo hold, typically equally spaced and aligned with each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This embodiment of the invention shows that the cargo hold is free from any transverse bulkheads so the pipes can stretch almost the entire length of the cargo hold. If water tight transverse bulkheads are required, then these can be provided by means disclosed in Canadian patent no. 2,283,008, such as placing a sealing material between the spaces formed by the hexagonally stacked pipes.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2, is a plan view of the ship is shown. Top forcing members 6 are spaced so top forcing members 6 align with the side support members, but are not connected to them. Centerline bulkhead 7 separates the port and starboard cargo holds and may incorporate the interior side support members.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, shown is a cross-section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1. For illustrative purposes, FIG. 3 shows port cargo hold 8 without the plurality of pipes and shows the starboard cargo hold with the plurality of pipes 3 located therein. In practice, both the port and starboard cargo holds would be filled with pipe. The hull of the ship 9 surrounds the port and starboard cargo holds. In one embodiment, hull 9 incorporates the outside vertical support members, the top support members and the bottom support members. Longitudinal bulkhead 7 is part of the ship structure and also incorporates the inner side support members.

[0046] The forcing member 6 is shown with the forcing mechanism being a plurality of jacks 10 between a forcing beam and the fixed top support member, which is part of the top deck of the ship. Other means of generating the force required are contemplated. However, the force must be substantial enough to prevent movement of the pipes as described previously. In the embodiment of the invention described here the approximate range of force per jack is between 25 tonne and 125 tonne.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 4A which is an expanded view of portions of FIG. 3. The plurality of pipe containing gas is surrounded by a layer of pipe 12 that will always be empty. The empty pipe 12 is denoted as MT and the gas filled pipe is denoted as GAS. The purpose of the empty pipe is to distribute the loads generated by the forcing mechanism as it pushes the empty pipes against the support members. The empty pipes distribute that concentrated load into the gas containing pipes to avoid concentrated loading of the gas carrying pipes. Other means of spreading the load such as using wooden poles or other materials are also contemplated.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 4B there is one empty pipe shown to be slightly lower than the forcing beam. The gap could be caused by small differences in pipe geometry such as variances in diameter, out of roundness or other such differences. A gap would be found by visual inspection prior to applying the forcing mechanism. Shims 13 may be driven in the gap if the gap is visually obvious. If the gap is not visually obvious then the tightening of the jacks will ensure that some give will occur in one pipe and that the load will be equally shared. Also shown in FIG. 4B is the fixed top support member 11 which is preferably fixed to the side support members 4. In this embodiment the support members are integrated into the ship's hull.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 4C there is a means of bracing the forcing member 6 in the longitudinal direction to prevent any longitudinal loads pushing the forcing beam out of alignment. The bracing arms 14 provide support for the forcing beam in the longitudinal direction. The bracing arms are firmly secured after the forcing beam 6 has been fully loaded by the jacking system 10. One typical way to secure the bracing arms would be through a bolted flange 15 on the forcing beam and a similar bolted flange 16 on the top support member.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 5A and 5B, there is a means of filling each gas containing pipe with compressed gas using a manifold system. There are many ways to provide this required manifold system and these methods are generally known. FIG. 5A and 5B shows a preferred embodiment of a manifold system that maximizes the space for connection. Each pipe of the plurality of pipes has one tapered end and one closed end. The pipes are stacked so that each adjacent touching row has the open tapered end at alternating sides of the assemble. For example, all of the tapered open ends of the odd numbered rows would stacked so the open tapered end is forward and all of the even rows stacked so the open tapered end is aft. Each row of gas containing pipe 16 is connected to a manifold pipe 17. In this embodiment the connection is by means of a bolted flange 18. This and other joining mechanisms are well known, such as welding.

[0051] Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such changes and modifications are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the claims.