Insulated sphere, insulation system therefore, and method of installing same

• US 10,302,253 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Insultherm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Insultherm, Inc.
• Inventors: McBride, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Castellano, Stephen J
• Application Number:
  US15/617,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20180202607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 220565, 2205922, 2205672
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/06 Coverings, e.g. for insulating purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/00 Apparatus or devices for dispensing beverages on draught B67D3/00 takes precedence; apparatus for making beverages A47J31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 1/12 with provision for thermal insulation F17C1/14, F17C1/16 take precedence; thermal insulation in general F16L59/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/0128 spherical or elliptical
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/054 medium (>1 m3)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0325 Aerogel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0329 Foam
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0345 Fibres
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0358 in form of panels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0643 Stainless steels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0646 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0648 Alloys or compositions of metals
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2209/228 by screws, bolts or rivets
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/015 Facilitating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/033 by enhancing insulation
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/042 Reducing risk of explosion
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/01 for fluid transport or storage
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 3/04 by insulating layers F17C3/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An insulated spherical pressure vessel, such as a sphere, having an insulation system installed thereon. The insulation system includes an equatorial support including an equatorial support bar having upper and lower rods attached to upper and lower sides, and a plurality of clips perpendicular to the bar, the clips having one or more holes for additional rods. One or more insulation layers are installed and held against the sphere wall by metal bands. A cable support matrix including metal straps and horizontal cables is installed over the insulation layers, and then insulation panels are secured to the matrix cables using fasteners. The insulation panels each include insulation material and an exterior metal jacket. The panels are secured to horizontally adjacent insulation panels with standing seams. The cables are not secured to the metal straps in any way, but are allowed to freely move through belt loops of the metal straps.

Claims

1. An insulated sphere comprising:

a) a sphere having a sphere wall, a sphere wall exterior surface, and a sphere radius of curvature;

b) an insulation system installed on the sphere wall exterior surface, the insulation system comprising;

i) an equatorial support comprising;

A) a metal generally horizontal equatorial support bar having upper and lower metal rods attached to a plurality of metal tabs that are in turn attached to respective upper and lower sides of the bar, the equatorial support bar having a radius of curvature greater than the radius of curvature of the sphere;

B) the equatorial support bar further comprising a plurality of metal clips extending away from a major surface of the bar, the clips each having one or more passages configured to accept one or more additional metal rods;

C) one or more bolting plates securing ends of the equatorial support bar, or corresponding ends of segments of same;

ii) one or more insulation layers held to the sphere wall exterior surface, each layer held by a plurality of arcuate laterally spaced metal bands each having first and second ends, the first ends secured to one of the metal rods, the second ends secured to top or bottom sphere collars;

iii) a cable support matrix comprising a plurality of horizontal metal tensioned cables and a plurality of arcuate laterally spaced metal straps, each of the metal straps having a plurality of arcuate latitudinally spaced loops facing away from the sphere wall external surface, each arcuate loop defining a passage therethrough, the arcuate loops on each of the metal straps corresponding in number to the plurality of cables, each of the plurality of metal cables routed through horizontally aligned arcuate loops of the arcuate laterally spaced metal straps; and

iv) a plurality of insulation panels secured to the cables of the cable support matrix by a plurality of fasteners, each insulation panel comprising insulation material and an exterior metal jacket, each insulation panel positioned between horizontally adjacent insulation panels configured with standing seams.

2. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein the plurality of metal clips extend perpendicularly away from the equatorial support bar.

3. The insulated sphere of claim 2 wherein the plurality of metal clips extending perpendicularly away from the equatorial support bar each have same thickness and are metal plates comprising a base welded to the exterior surface of the equatorial support bar, the metal plates devoid of passages other than the one or more passages for the one or more additional rods.

4. The insulated sphere of claim 1 comprising an equatorial cover strip flashing and a C-channel flashing, a long end of the C-channel flashing inserted under a bottom edge of the equatorial cover strip flashing, then pop riveted, creating a seal, the C-channel flashing installed between the horizontally adjacent insulation panels and further riveted thereto and to the standing seam.

5. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein the plurality of horizontal metal tensioned cables are not attached to the plurality of arcuate laterally spaced metal straps of the cable support matrix in any way.

6. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of insulation panels have dunnage attached thereto to prevent cable telegraphing.

7. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein the insulation material is selected from the group consisting of aerogel, glass fiber, mineral fiber, cellular glass foam, polyisocyanurate foam, and combinations and composites thereof.

8. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein the exterior metal jacket is selected from the group consisting of aluminum sheet, stainless steel sheet, sheets of alloys of zinc and aluminum, and combinations and composites thereof.

9. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein an upper portion of each of the plurality of insulation panels secured to an upper hemisphere of the sphere are secured to a top center cap using a plurality of threaded members, and a lower portion of each of the plurality of insulation panels secured to a lower hemisphere of the sphere are secured to a bottom center cap using a plurality of threaded members.

10. The insulated sphere of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of horizontal metal tensioned cables is selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and a solid-solution alloy having a melting point range of 2370 to 2460°

F. (1300 to 1350°

C.) consisting essentially of from 28 to 34 percent copper, a minimum of 63 percent nickel, a maximum of 2.0 percent manganese, a maximum of 2.5 percent iron, a maximum of 0.3 percent carbon, a maximum of 0.024 percent sulfur, and a maximum of 0.5 percent silicon.

11. The insulated sphere of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of horizontal metal tensioned cables is tensioned to at least 100 lb near first and second poles of the sphere, and up to a tension of about 500 lb for cables near an equator of the sphere.

12. A sphere insulation system or kit comprising:

i) an equatorial support comprising;

A) a metal equatorial support bar configured to have upper and lower metal rods attached thereto, the metal rods configured to be attached to a plurality of metal tabs that are in turn configured to be attached to respective upper and lower sides of the bar, the equatorial support bar configured to have a radius of curvature greater than a radius of curvature of a sphere to be insulated, the sphere having an external surface;

B) the equatorial support bar further configured to have a plurality of metal clips extending away from a major surface of the bar, the clips each having one or more passages configured to accept one or more additional metal rods;

C) one or more bolting plates configured to secure ends of the equatorial support bar, or corresponding ends of segments of same;

ii) one or more insulation layers and a plurality of metal bands each having first and second ends, the insulation layers configured to be held to an external surface of the sphere, each layer configured to be held by some of the plurality of metal bands arcuately shaped and laterally spaced about the sphere, the first ends secured to one of the metal rods, the second ends secured to top or bottom sphere collars;

iii) a cable support matrix comprising a plurality of metal cables and a plurality of metal straps, the metal cables and metal straps configured to be arcuately shaped about the sphere, each metal strap configured to have a plurality of spaced apart arcuate loops extending away from a first major surface of each metal strap, the metal straps figured to be positioned so that the arcuate loops extend away from the sphere external surface, each arcuate loop defining a passage therethrough configured to accept one of the metal cables, the arcuate loops on each of the metal straps corresponding in number at least to the plurality of cables, each of the plurality of metal cables configured to be routed through horizontally aligned passages in the arcuate loops of the arcuately shaped laterally spaced metal straps; and

iv) a plurality of insulation panels configured to be secured to the plurality of metal cables by a plurality of fasteners, each insulation panel comprising insulation material and an exterior metal jacket, each insulation panel configured to be positioned between horizontally adjacent insulation panels configured with standing seams.

13. The sphere insulation system or kit of claim 12 wherein the plurality of metal clips extend perpendicularly away from the equatorial support bar.

14. The sphere insulation system or kit of claim 13 wherein the plurality of metal clips extending perpendicularly away from the equatorial support bar and each have the same thickness and are metal plates comprising a base welded to the exterior surface of the equatorial support bar, the metal plates devoid of passages other than the one or more passages for the one or more additional rods.

15. The sphere insulation system or kit of claim 12 comprising an equatorial cover strip flashing and a C-channel flashing, a long end of the C-channel flashing adapted to be inserted under a bottom edge of the equatorial cover strip flashing, then pop riveted, creating a seal, the C-channel flashing configured to be installed between the horizontally adjacent insulation panels and further riveted thereto and to the standing seam.

16. The sphere insulation system or kit of claim 12 wherein the insulation material is selected from the group consisting of aerogel, glass fiber, mineral fiber, cellular glass foam, polyisocyanurate foam, and combinations and composites thereof.

17. The sphere insulation system of kit of claim 12 wherein the exterior metal jacket is selected from the group consisting of aluminum sheet, stainless steel sheet, sheets of alloys of zinc and aluminum, and combinations and composites thereof.

18. The sphere insulation system or kit of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of horizontal metal tensioned cables is selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and a solid-solution alloy having a melting point range of 2370 to 2460°

F. (1300 to 1350°

C.) consisting essentially of from 28 to 34 percent copper, a minimum of 63 percent nickel, a maximum of 2.0 percent manganese, a maximum of 2.5 percent iron, a maximum of 0.3 percent carbon, a maximum of 0.024 percent sulfur, and a maximum of 0.5 percent silicon.

19. A method of insulating a spherical pressure vessel, the spherical pressure vessel having a spherical pressure vessel wall, a spherical pressure vessel wall exterior surface, and a spherical pressure vessel radius of curvature, the method comprising:

(a) attaching an equatorial support to the spherical pressure vessel wall exterior surface, the equatorial support comprising;

i) a metal generally horizontal equatorial support bar having upper and lower metal rods attached to a plurality of metal tabs that are in turn attached to respective upper and lower sides of the bar, the equatorial support bar having a radius of curvature greater than the radius of curvature of the spherical pressure vessel;

ii) the equatorial support bar further comprising a plurality of metal clips extending away from a major surface of the bar, the clips each having one or more passages configured to accept one or more additional metal rods;

iii) one or more bolting plates securing ends of the equatorial support bar, or corresponding ends of segments of same;

b) attaching one or more insulation layers to the spherical pressure vessel wall by

i) placing insulation material against the spherical pressure vessel wall exterior surface;

ii) laterally spacing a plurality of arcuately shaped metal bands about the spherical pressure vessel, each having first and second ends,

iii) attaching the first end of each metal band to one of the metal rods, and

iv) attaching the second end of each metal band to top or bottom sphere collars;

c) installing a cable support matrix over the one or more insulation layers of step (b), by

i) placing a plurality of arcuate laterally spaced metal straps over the one or more insulation layers, the metal straps having a plurality of spaced apart arcuate loops on external surfaces of the straps facing away from the spherical pressure vessel wall external surface,

ii) selecting a plurality of cables comprising metal selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and a solid-solution alloy having a melting point range of 2370 to 2460°

F. (1300 to 1350°

C.) consisting essentially of from 28 to 34 percent copper, a minimum of 63 percent nickel, a maximum of 2.0 percent manganese, a maximum of 2.5 percent iron, a maximum of 0.3 percent carbon, a maximum of 0.024 percent sulfur, and a maximum of 0.5 percent silicon,

iii) routing each of the plurality of cables comprising metal through horizontally aligned passages in horizontally aligned arcuate loops, the arcuate loops on each strap corresponding in number to the plurality of cables comprising metal; and

iv) tensioning the cables comprising metal; and

d) securing a plurality of insulation panels to the cables comprising metal of the cable support matrix by use of a plurality of fasteners, each of the plurality of insulation panels comprising insulation material and an exterior metal jacket, each of the plurality of insulation panels positioned between horizontally adjacent insulation panels with standing seams.