FACILITY AND METHOD FOR STORING DANGEROUS MATERIALS PACKAGED INTO CONTAINERS

• US 20120039694A1
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jean-Marc Suzanne
• Original Assignee: Jean-Marc Suzanne
• Inventors: Suzanne, Jean-Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,899,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/339
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/045 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 5/02 Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial purposes, e.g. for power-plants or factories buildings forming part of cooling plants E04H5/10

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semi-buried facility for storing dangerous materials packaged into containers (10), including: at least one cell (2) defined by buried vertical firewalls (3a) forming a pit containing said containers; and each cell being surrounded by a chamber including vertical firewalls (7a) extending above the ground; and at least one container (10) depositing and receiving area (6; 25), such as a roadway (6) for trucks (6a), and/or an area (25) for handling containers (10) from or to a railway transport line (22); and a corridor-shaped depositing area (5) inside each of said chambers between each of said buried cells and a longitudinal chamber wall (7a); and a motor-driven container handling gantry crane (8) capable of moving one of said containers (8c) that has been suspended to a height greater than that of said chamber walls (7a).

Claims

1. A semi-buried storage facility for hazardous materials packaged in containers comprising:

at least one cell extending in a longitudinal direction XX′

, and delimited by buried vertical firewalls forming a pit containing the said containers containing hazardous materials of different categories, and

the or each cell being surrounded by an enclosure comprising vertical firewalls extending above the ground, and

at least one depositing and receiving area for containers comprising a roadway for trucks and/or a handling area for containers arriving from or destined for a rail transport line, said depositing and receiving area extending in the said longitudinal direction XX′

outside a longitudinal enclosure wall over at least the entire length of the cell or cells, and

a corridor-shaped depositing strip inside each said enclosure extending in the longitudinal direction XX′

between the or each said buried cell and the said longitudinal enclosure wall, and

a motor-driven container handling gantry capable of moving a said suspended container between the or each depositing and receiving area and a said cell, horizontally in a transverse direction YY′

at a height greater than the height of the said enclosure walls then vertically down to the bottom of each said cell, the said gantry being capable of being moved in the longitudinal direction XX′

above the said enclosure walls.

2. The storage facility according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises roofing whose cladding comprises or cooperates with means preventing the passing through the roofing of objects of size greater than 0.1 m² and comprising or cooperating with means for evacuating air through the roofing in the event of overpressure on the underside of the roofing, the said roofing being supported by posts, the said roofing covering at least the said enclosure and the said gantry and the space between the upper end of the enclosure walls and the said roofing not impeding the circulation of air between the inside and outside of the facility in the said space.

3. The storage facility according to claim 2, wherein the said roofing comprises a closed weatherproof cladding comprising regions called overpressure regions capable of opening in the event of overpressure on the underside of the roofing, the said roofing further comprising roof wire nets, mesh or grating on the underside of the roofing and above the roofing and/or above the roofing at least in front of the said overpressure regions.

4. The installation according to claim 3 wherein the said roofing comprises a metal beam framework supporting a closed cladding formed of panels in steel and/or fireproof composite material, some of said panels called “

pressure relief panels”

being capable of opening or rupturing on and after a given overpressure value between the underside of the roofing and the outside above the roofing in front of said pressure relief panels.

5. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein:

each cell open on the topside is laterally delimited by four buried, vertical firewalls resting on a floor, the four vertical walls comprising two longitudinal cell walls extending parallel in a longitudinal direction XX′ and

two transverse cell walls extending parallel in a transverse direction YY′

perpendicular to the longitudinal direction XX′

between the two longitudinal cell walls, and

each said enclosure comprises four vertical firewalls comprising two longitudinal enclosure walls extending over a height of at least 4 m above the ground parallel in a longitudinal direction XX′ and

two transverse enclosure walls extending parallel in a transverse direction YY′

perpendicular to the longitudinal direction XX′

between the two longitudinal enclosure walls, the two transverse enclosure walls being of greater height than the longitudinal enclosure walls preferably a height of at least 7 m, and

the or each depositing and receiving area extends in the said longitudinal direction XX′

outside first longitudinal enclosure wall(s) over at least the entire length of the cell(s), and

the said corridor-shaped depositing strip inside each said enclosure extending in the longitudinal direction XX′

between each said buried cell and the said longitudinal enclosure wall, and

the said motor-driven container handling gantry capable of moving a said container, hung from a first carriage, horizontally along a beam in the said transverse direction YY′

at a height greater than the height of the said longitudinal enclosure walls, preferably at a height lower than the height of the said transverse enclosure walls, then vertically down to the bottom of a said cell onto a said floor, and the said beam cooperating with second means such as longitudinal-guiding rails or slides and with second carriages capable of moving the said beam along the said second guiding means above the said transverse enclosure walls in the longitudinal direction XX′

.

6. The storage facility according to claim 2 wherein the said roofing is positioned at a height H1 above the upper end of the said transverse enclosure walls, H1 having to allow the longitudinal movement of the said unloaded gantry above the said transverse walls and the transverse movement of a said container hung from the said gantry above the said longitudinal enclosure walls but preventing the longitudinal movement of a said container hung from the said gantry above the said transverse enclosure walls.

7. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein it comprises at least three said cells successively in the longitudinal direction XX′

having one same width in the said transverse direction YY′

, and two adjacent successive cells have in common a said transverse enclosure wall of greater height, and the said longitudinal enclosure walls of the different cells form on each side one same longitudinal enclosure wall continuous over the entire length of the facility, the second longitudinal enclosure wall located on the side opposite the side of the said depositing strip extends in the height-wise continuity of the second buried longitudinal cell walls and forms one same longitudinal enclosure wall therewith, and the said transverse enclosure walls extend in the height-wise continuity of the said transverse cell walls and form one same wall therewith.

8. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein at least one said cell comprises channelling means capable of directing effluent from the said bottom floor of the cell towards a large retention tank of volume at least equal to that of a container, the said large retention tank being offset outside the cell.

9. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein the bottom of each cell is partitioned by supporting dwarf walls rising above a floor, each container at the bottom of a cell or column of containers resting on two said supporting dwarf walls delimiting effluent containments underneath the said container or column of containers, and the said floor is slightly sloped towards a transverse sloped drainage channel directs the effluent from the said containments towards a large retention tank outside the said cell.

10. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein at least one said cell comprises at least one column of containers called “

effluent containers”

, the said effluent having initially escaped from containers filled with hazardous material towards the bottom floor of the cell, then towards a large retention tank offset outside the cell, and in that the said effluent containers collect the effluent retained in the said large retention tank conveyed via channels between the said large retention tank and the said effluent containers pumped by pumping means installed outside the cell.

11. The storage facility according to claim 10 wherein the said cell comprises at least one enclosed stairway buried outside the cell providing access to the height of each effluent container of a column of effluent containers for inspection of the effluent containers.

12. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein at least one cell is partitioned by inner transverse partitions of same height as the said longitudinal cell walls, so as to delimit sub cells isolated from each other inside the said cell.

13. The storage facility according to claim 2, wherein the said facility comprises second outside wire mesh or netting protecting against flying debris and extending vertically from the edges of the said roofing down below the upper end of said longitudinal enclosure walls and said transverse enclosure walls.

14. The storage facility according to claim 1 wherein it further comprises:

detection means to detect leaks of products contained in the containers onto the floor of a said cell, and

fire and explosion detection means inside a said cell, and

means for injecting pressurized water in the form of vertical curtains of water on the periphery of the said cell creating a surround of vertical water curtains around each column of containers, and

devices to ground all the containers, as well as a lightning conductor ensuring protection of the storage facility against lightning strikes.

15. A method for storing hazardous materials packaged in containers using a storage facility according to claim 1 wherein the following steps are conducted:

1) a container is brought to the or each depositing and receiving area as far as the level of a cell intended to receive the category of hazardous materials contained in the container to be stored by moving a truck delivering containers along the roadway, or by moving a wagon delivering containers on the rail transport line and conveying the container from the wagon to the handling area, the containers being placed in the different cells in relation to the type and/or class of hazardous material of the product contained in the container,

2) a said container is moved from the depositing and receiving area to the said depositing strip by means of a said handling gantry by moving the container from the truck travelling on the said roadway or by moving the container originating from the wagon from the handling area, and

3) a said container is moved from the said depositing strip to inside the said cell by means of the said handling gantry, the containers being deposited on supporting dwarf walls at the bottom of the cell or on top of a column comprising one container or two stacked containers.