US1948477A - Lined container - Google Patents

Description

' Febkzo, 1934.

' H. ZENNER LINED CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2:, 1952 lun r" W 77 Patented F eb. 20, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LINED CONTAINER George H. Zenner, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to The Linde Air Products Company, a corporation of Ohio Application beptember 23.1932 Serial No. 634,540

10, Claims.

This invention relates to lined containers for liquefied gases and more particularly to means for supporting the inner linings from the walls of pressure containers.

The invention has for its object generally an improved construction and arrangement of parts for lined containers whereby the same may be economically and readily manufactured and a relatively high degree of operating efficiency attained.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for supporting an inner lining or vessel within a relatively thick walled outer vessel or pressure container whereby both mechanical strength and low heat conductivity is achieved.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the fea- 2l tures of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a container constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of a support before being shaped to its final form;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary edgewise view of the support shown in Fig. 2 after being shaped;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged edgewise view of another 40 suppor Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in section of another form of container;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section through a portion of the liner shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view of another modified support.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, 10 is a relatively heavy walled container here shown as substantially spherical in form and constructed by joining two hemispherical portions by means of a welded joint 11. Disposed within the container 10 is a relatively thin walled metal vessel 12 for holding a liquefied gas. The vessel 12 is also shown as substantially spherical in form, but of a smaller diameter than the diameter of the inner wall of container 10 and is supported within the container by means shown generally at 13, 14 and 15, for maintaining the wall of container 10 and vessel 12 separated by a desired interval 16. The principal purpose of the interval 16 is to provide a means for substantially retarding the flow of .heat from container 10 into the liquid held in vessel 12. The supporting means 13, 14 and 15 for vessel 12 are so arranged that as little heat as possible may be conducted by them from wall to walland comprise strips of thin metal of relatively low heat conductivity bent flatwise and attached by one edge to the inner vessel 12, so that they project radially from its surface.

The strips 13 and 14 have the form shown in Fig. 2 before they are bent. The outstanding edge is partly cut away or notched, as shown at 17. The notches serve to reduce the area of contact of the edges of strips 13 and 15 with the 7s inner surface of container 10. The strips 13 and 14 are preferably bent laterally in convolute form, as shown in the edgewise view in Fig. 3. The bends 18 are for the purpose of stiffening the strips so that when they are mounted with the so unnotched edge on the surface of the inner vessel 12, they will remain upright under the influence of stresses to which they may be subjected. Since the inner vessel 12 is preferably thin walled, it may be deformed by the weight of the liquid 35 contained within it. The liquid pressure is greatest on the lowest portion of vessel 12 and decreases to a minimum at the uppermost portions. The supporting means are, therefore, spaced relatively close together at the lowest portion and the distance between supports is gradually in-- creased as the upper rim 19 is approached. To this end supports 13 extend radially over the lower surface of vessel 12 from points on a rela- Y tively small circle concentric with the verticle axis. Near the joint 11 it is advantageous to mount the strips 14 circumferentially about the vessel 12 to avoid interference with the joint 11. On the upper portion of vessel 12 where the supports 15 are relatively, far apart, it is advanta- 0 geous to bend the support strips into shape illustrated by the end view Fig. 4. For introducing liquid into the vessel 12, there is provided an inlet conduit 20 passing through the wall of container 10, and for withdrawing liquid a conduit 21 con- 05 nected with the lower portion of vessel 12 passes through the wall of container 10. I

It will be seen that the supporting strips 13, 14 and 15 provide adequate support for vessel 12 at the points where such support is required,

while the contact area between the supports and the wall of container 10 is relatively small, so that the conduction of heat from the container 10 to the vessel through the supporting means 12 is substantially retarded.

A modified form of supporting means is illustrated in the view of Fig. where is a portion of the container within which is disposed the relatively thin walled vessel 22. The supporting means here comprise conical projections 23 of the wall of vessel 22 forming substantially point contact with the inner surface of the wall of container 10. The form of the projections is shown in the enlarged fragmentary view Fig. 6 of a section through one of the projections 23. As

the projections are disposed the more closely together, the nearer they are to the lower portion of vessel 22 where the liquid pressure is higher, the surface between supports being greatest where the pressure is lowest and conversely.

In Fig. '7 is shown a sectional view of a modified form of supporting means. The material of the inner vessel 12 is not formed into projections,

but the conical projections 24 are formed in relarigidity.

' above atmospheric.

A container constructed in accordance with the present invention is particularly suitable for holding liquefied gases when it is desired to increase the-pressure of the gas material substantially The wall of the container 10 may be made relatively thick to resist the desired internal pressures, while the wall of the inner vessel 12 is made relatively thin so that its specific heat capacity may be small. Thus when filling the container with a liquefied gas, the wall of the inner vessel 12 will be cooled rapidly to the temperature of the liquid with the vaporization of relatively little of the liquid and heat conduction from the container 10 into the liquid will be substantially retarded. vaporization of the liquid during the filling operation and immediately thereafter is substantially reduced to a desired low rate.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative .and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a lined container, the combination with a relatively thick-walled vessel, of a relatively thin-walled vessel disposed within the firstnamed vessel and having a form similar to that of the first-named vessel but adapted to clear the inner wall of the first-named vessel by a narrow interval, and means for compressively supporting the inner vessel and maintaining said interval having a form making relatively good thermal contactwith the wall of said inner vessel and relatively poor thermal contact with the wall of the first-named vessel.

2. The combination with a relatively hea walled vessel, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said heavy-walled vessel, and metallic means for supporting the inner vessel at a desired interval from the inner wall of said heavy-walled vessel comprising strips of thin metal having relatively low heat conductivity mounted edgewise on the surface of said vessel and shaped to make relatively good thermal and mechanical contacts with the outer wall of said inner vessel and mechanical contacts of relatively small area with the inner wall of said heavy-walled vessel.

3. The combination with a relatively heavy walled container, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said container, and metallic means for supporting said vessel at a desired interval from the wall of said container comprising strips of thin metal having relatively low heat conductivity bent laterally and mounted edgewise on the surface of said vessel and having the outstanding edge notched to reduce the area of contact of the outstanding edge with the wall of said container.

4. The combination with a relatively heavy walled container, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said container, and metallic means for supporting said vessel at a desired interval from the wall of said container comprising strips of thin metal having relatively low heat conduc tivity bent laterally and mounted edgewise on the surface of said vessel and having the outstanding edge notched to reduce the area of contact of the outstanding edge with the wall of said container, said strips being so arranged that they are spaced closer together where the hydraulic pressure of the liquid held in the vessel is greatest.

5. The combination with a relatively heavy walled container, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said container, and metallic means for supporting said vessel at a desired interval from the wall of said container comprising projections of the wall of said vessel making substantially point contact with the wall of said container.

6. The combination with a relatively heavy walled container, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said container, and metallic means for supporting said vessel at a desired interval from the wall of said container comprising projections of the wall of said vessel making substantially point contact with the wall of said container, said projections being spaced at closer intervals where the pressure of the liquid held in the vessel is greatest.

7. The combination with a relatively heavy walled container, of a relatively thin vessel disposed within said container, and metallic means for supporting said vessel at a desired interval from the wall of said container comprising projections of thin metal mounted on the surface of said vessel formed to have the desired operative rigidity and disposed to makesubstantially point contact with the wall of said container, said projections being spaced at closer intervals where the presssure of the liquid held in the vessel is greatest.

8. In a lined container, the combination with a relatively thick walled vessel, of a relatively thin walled vessel disposed within the first named vessel having a form similar to that of the first named vessel but adapted to clear the inner wall of the first named vessel by a narrow interval, and means in said interval for maintaining the same comprising convolute supporting strips disposed edgewise between said vessels and shaped to make good mechanical contact with the outer wall of said thin-walled vessel and cut away to make contact at relatively few points with the inner wall of said thick-walled vessel.

9. In a lined container, the combination with a relatively thick walled vessel, of a relatively thin walled vessel disposed within the first named vessel having a form similar to that of the first named vessel but adapted to clear the inner wall of the first named vessel by a narrow interval, and means for maintaining said interval comprising convolute supporting strips disposed edgewise between said vessels and of a character having relatively low heat conductivity; the disposition of said strips in said clearance space becoming denser near the lower portion of said vessels GEORGE H. ZENNER.

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