Flexible double hull for liquid cargo vessels
OwnerRudolph Kassinger, Panos Zachariadisinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system of puncture-resistant and tear-resistant flexible skin, placed inside the steel cargo tanks of existing or newly-built crude/product carriers (oil tankers), enclosing their liquid cargo with a leak-proof seal while creating a void space between the outer surface of the flexible skin and the inner surface of the steel tanks. The purpose of the invention is to prevent leakage of cargo to the sea in case of groundings or collisions, wherein the steel bottom or side hull of the ship is breached but the flexible inner skin remains intact due to the distance separating it from the steel outer hull and its property to deform, yield or "give". Arrangements and means of attachment are further described.
Claims32
In a liquid cargo vessel having an outer, substantially watertight structural hull comprising a bottom portion and upstanding side wall portions and one or more horizontally disposed decks defining, in combination, a maximum closed liquid cargo space, said vessel further having a plurality of interior bulkheads, at least some of which are fastened at extreme ends to said hull, and a plurality of vertical walls which are spaced away from said hull side walls and intersect said bulkheads;
- said hull side walls, portions of said bottom portion and said bulkheads and selected ones of said vertical walls forming exterior compartments and said other portions of said bottom portion and said bulkheads and said vertical walls forming interior compartments within said cargo space, apparatus for preventing the discharge of liquid cargo from said cargo compartments when said vessel is subjected to puncture below the cargo line by a foreign object comprising:
- a flexible, free-hanging composite liner impermeable to a desired liquid cargo material having an area extending across at least one of said compartments at least in the vicinity of the portion of the hull forming said at least one compartment;
- and
- means for fastening said liner within said compartment in a sagging manner retain said liquid cargo therein and to provide cargo-free space between said hull and said liner, the minimum distance between said hull and said liner when said liner contains cargo being selected and the location within said compartment of said means for fastening being selected such that said cargo is retained within said liner despite puncture and entry into said hull by a foreign object to a distance greater than said minimum distance.
A method for preventing the discharge of liquid cargo from a vessel when such vessel is subjected to puncture below the cargo line by a foreign object, wherein said vessel comprises an outer substantially water tight structural hull having at least a bottom and side walls enclosing, in cooperation with decking, a cargo space, the vessel further comprising;
- a plurality of interior rigid bulkheads, at least some of which are fastened to said hull, to define compartments within the cargo space;
- the method comprising:
- suspending in a sagging manner within each liquid cargo compartment so as to be free-hanging a flexible liner impermeable to a desired liquid cargo material having an area extending across at least one of said compartments at least in the vicinity of a portion of the hull forming said at least one compartment;
- and
- fastening said liner within said compartment to retain said liquid cargo therein and to provide cargo-free space between said hull and said liner, the minimum distance between said hull and said liner when said liner contains cargo being selected and the location within said compartment of said fastening being selected such that such cargo is retained within said liner despite puncture and entry into said hull by a foreign object to a distance greater than said minimum distance.
Apparatus for preventing the discharge of liquid cargo from a vessel when such vessel is subjected to puncture below the cargo line by a foreign object comprising;
- an outer substantially water tight structural hull having at least a bottom and side walls enclosing an interior cargo space and normally separating said space from surrounding exterior water;
- a plurality of interior rigid bulkheads, at least some of which are fastened to said hull, to define compartments within said cargo space;
- a flexible, free-hanging liner impermeable to a desired liquid cargo material having an area extending across at least one of said compartments at least in the vicinity of the portion of said hull forming said at least one compartment;
- and
- means for fastening said liner within said compartment in a sagging manner to retain said liquid cargo therein and to provide cargo-free space between said hull and said liner, the minimum distance between said hull and said liner when said liner contains cargo being selected and the location within said compartment of said means for fastening being selected such that said cargo is retained within said liner despite puncture and entry into said hull by a foreign object to a distance greater than said minimum distance.
In a liquid cargo vessel having a hull with at least one cargo compartment, the improvement comprising at least one open-top, flexible free-hanging liner operatively arranged to sag in a respective one of the at least one compartment and made of a material impermeable to liquid cargo carried by the vessel, said liner being configured and dimensioned to define a predetermined minimum distance from at least one of the bottom and sides of the hull such that said liquid cargo is retained within said liner despite puncture and entry into said hull by a foreign object to a distance greater than said minimum distance.
In a liquid cargo vessel having an outer, substantially watertight structural hull comprising a bottom portion and upstanding side wall portions and one or more horizontally disposed decks defining, in combination, a maximum closed liquid cargo space, a plurality of interior bulkheads, at least some of which are fastened at extreme ends to said hull, and a plurality of vertical walls which are spaced away from said hull side walls and intersect said bulkheads;
- said hull side walls, portions of said bottom portion and said bulkheads and selected ones of said vertical walls forming exterior compartments, and said other portions of said bottom portion and said bulkheads and said vertical walls forming interior compartments within said cargo space,
- the improvement comprising apparatus for preventing discharge of liquid cargo from said cargo compartments when said vessel is subjected to puncture below the cargo line by a foreign object comprising a flexible, open top, free-hanging liner made from a material that is impermeable to a predetermined liquid cargo material, said liner having a sagging bottom and vertical walls and extending across at least the bottom area of at least one of said compartments, said liner being shaped and configured so as to remain at a predetermined minimum distance from said compartments bottom and at least one of walls and hull, when said liner is loaded with the liquid cargo material;
- and
- means for fastening a top boundary of said liner within said compartment in a sagging manner to retain said liquid cargo material therein and to aid positioning of said liner at said predetermined minimum distance away from said compartments walls so that said cargo is retained within said liner notwithstanding puncture of and entry into at least one of said hull and said compartment by a foreign object to a distance equal to or greater than said predetermined minimum distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.