Cryogenic tank wall
AssigneeAgence Spatiale Europeenne
InventorChristian Francois Michel Dujarric
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A structural cryogenic tank wall has an outer skin and an inner skin between which is a cavity containing a thermally insulative structure. The cavity is empty of any gas and contains at least one sensor for continuously verifying that the vacuum is maintained in order to monitor the structural integrity of the outer and inner skins and sealing of the cryogenic tank.
Claims11
A structural cryogenic tank wall having a modular structure constructed by juxtaposing a plurality of adjacent panels, each of said panels having an outer skin and an inner skin delimiting a cavity containing a thermally insulating structure empty of any gas and in which is installed at least one sensor for continuously verifying that a vacuum is maintained in said cavity in order to monitor a structural integrity of said outer and inner skins and a sealing of said cryogenic tank wall.
A structural cryogenic tank wall having a modular structure constructed by juxtaposing a plurality of adjacent panels, each of said panels having an outer skin and an inner skin delimiting a cavity containing a thermally insulating structure empty of any gas and in which is installed at least one sensor for continuously verifying that a vacuum is maintained in said cavity in order to monitor a structural integrity of said outer and inner skins and a sealing of said cryogenic tank, said panels having lateral walls delimiting with lateral walls of adjacent panels a space which is empty of any gas and covered by a first capping member and a second capping member, said capping members being cruciform or T-shaped and being respectively attached to said outer skins and said inner skins of said adjacent panels, said space containing a sensor for verifying that a vacuum is maintained in said space.
A method of manufacturing a cryogenic wall comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of panels each of which has been constructed by assembling an outer skin and an inner skin with an evacuated cavity and a sensor between said skins;
- juxtaposing said plurality of panels and forming at least one cavity between adjacent ones of said panels;
- progressively assembling said panels using intermediate force transfer members and assembly end members, which assembly end members have a geometry which matches required geometrical and mechanical characteristics of said wall, so as to seal each said cavity between said panels;
- covering each said cavity between said panels with capping members which are forcibly inserted and then glued into housings in said outer skins and said inner skins of said panels;
- and
- covering joints between ends of consecutive capping members with auxiliary capping members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.