This invention pertains to the domain of liquefied hydrocarbon gases, ammonia and petrochemical carriages with operable pumping and interim storage of the latter. The tank container renders it possible to fill in and discharge the liquefied hydrocarbon gases and petrochemicals while using the available specific tank car loading racks which are equipped with two hoses for filling and discharging the liquid phase and additionally one hose for the drainage of steam and media in the gas phase in general.

State of the art is a tank container which is equipped with a frame-mounted reservoir having a liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling and discharge stub duct at the top of reservoir with a seat for the loading and discharge flexible pipe fitting (see the utility model CN 201 180019, B65D 88/12, 14.01.2009).

Presently known tank-containers, e.g. CN 201 180019, B65D 88/12 of 14.01.2009 and SU 1502895, FO4C 13/00 CM of 23.08.1989 allow to perform transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gases by railroad transport, by trucks and other vehicles. But, firstly, they are not universal, i.e. can be used in docks either with top or bottom locations of a charge-discharge unit, which substantially reduces the scope of their application for intermodal (multimodal) schemes especially for trans-national traffic. Secondarily, they have a fairly low throughput capacity of charge and discharge operations limited by a presently used technology of empting and filling tank-containers when one charge-discharge unit is used for a liquid phase and the other one is used for a vapor phase.

Said tank container renders it possible to transport liquefied hydrocarbon gas by railway as well as by motor vehicle transport and by the other means of transportation. However, the tank filling and discharge operations through the single top stub duct take comparatively much time what accordingly restricts the usability of the container.

Another tank container which comes close to this state of the art has a reservoir for transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gas by a means of transport that is equipped with a liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauge and a liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling and discharge stub duct with a shutoff valve at the bottom of the reservoir. The steam and gas phase of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas drainage branch pipe is located in the top part of the reservoir, and also the safety valve is located in the top part of the reservoir (see the Inventor's Certificate SU 1502895, F04C13/00, 23.08.1989).

However, this tank container offers only a low flow efficiency when carrying out the liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling and discharge operations. The capacity is limited due to the existing technology of the tank container filling when connecting the filling and discharge flexible pipe.

As closest state of the art, US 5 211 202 discloses a Fluid Apparatus with pressure-tight recessed well. In column 4, line 47 it says: Third, at the insistence of regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) outlets are generally prohibited in such obviously vulnerable locations on transportation vessels as the bottoms and ends of thank cars carrying flammable gases and liquids. Therefore, the nozzles are moved to the top of the vessel which is an area less likely to suffer impacts. The aim of this Fluid Apparatus is it then, to provide a practical containment system for hazardous and/or obnoxius materials with improved abilities to withstand catastrophic assaults (column 5, line 63-66), and .... whose valves and other fittings are more likely to survive impacts.... (column 6, line 2-3), .... a safer containment system.... (column 6, line 5), ..... whose fittings can be easily, safely and comfortably serviced.... (column 6, line 16) .... which is safer to personnel working on the fittings thereof. (column 6, line 26-27). These are mainly safety concerns. And this aim is basically achieved by a pressure vessel of puncture resistant material, preferably metal, using the basic shapes of the cylinder, spheroid and ellipsoid, and constructed so that no significant nozzles, bosses, flanges or other appurtenances extend beyond the basic smoothly curved external surface of the vessel. (column 6, line 40-45). All points of piping connection to the system, preferably including nozzles equipped with pressure relief valves, are protected by suitable internal valves. The system includes three submerged wells, on the top center area of the tank, as prescibed by the US-regulations. This Fluid Apparatus further comprises well near the bottom of the tank which is again recessed into the interior of the tank. This bottom well allows for a true bottom outlet for the car and true gravity drainage, which is a distinct advantage in unloading liquified gases into stotage tanks. Such valve arrangement is be good for safety reasons, but it does not allow the charging and discharging at existing docks, that is existing charge-discharge stations, neither in the Russian Federation nor in Western Europe. For this purpose, the valves must be accessed from the side of the tank, either in the top region or in the bottom region. Therefore, the vessel according to US 5 211 202 could not be used for the purpose of the present invention, since the valves are all submerged into the tank.

The prior art containers are, firstly, of a low flow efficiency when carrying out the liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling and discharge operations which is due to the existing technology which requires one filling and discharge flexible pipe for the liquid phase and one for the steam and gas phase, and secondarily - they can be used only at the tank loading racks, which have correspondingly either only the top or only the bottom filling and discharge capacities.

The objective of the present invention is to make a universal type of a tankcontainer suitable for intermodal (multimodal) transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gases, liquefied ammonia and petrochemical products by railway transport, by trucks, by sea and river vessels including trans-national traffic. Moreover, it is an objective of the invention to cut shorter the tank container filling and discharge time. A further task is it to prevent the occurrence of emergency cases and the ensuring of safety of the personnel when carrying out the filling and discharge operations.

This objective is solved by a tank container for the transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gas, ammonia and petrochemical products by a transportation means, comprising: a reservoir with the liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauge, a filling and discharge stub duct for liquefied hydrocarbon gas with shutoff valves placed in the bottom part of the reservoir, and a branch pipe for drainage of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves placed in the top part of the reservoir, and a safety valve located in the top part of the reservoir, and which has the characteristic features of patent claim 1.

The technical result achieved by this invention is an increase of productivity when carrying out the liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling into the tank, and also the discharging from the tank container on the now available tank loading racks. Besides, the tank container filling and discharge operations may be carried out at any rack, regardless of the filling and discharge method applied at the tank loading rack, the tank can be filled and discharged either from the top or from the bottom and therefore adapt to the existing existing docks, that is existing charge-discharge stations in the Russian Federation and in Western Europe. At the same time, the required level of safety in the operation of the existing tank loading racks is being maintained. And ensured is the use of the tank loading racks for filling and discharging both the tank containers or railroad tank cars which are equipped with filling and discharge devices both for top or bottom filling and discharge. The solution will essentially expand the sphere of application of the tank container and will allow to use the tank container for liquefied hydrocarbon gas transportation both in the CIS countries where, basically, tank loading racks are being used which are designed for the top filling and discharge, and across the countries of Europe, Asia and America, where the bottom filling and discharge method is being applied. Hence, the offered solution allows to avoid the introduction of modifications of the technological workflow of the filling and discharge rack elements and also the tank loading rack design as a whole, and the claimed tank container can therefore be used for the transnational carriage.

The specified task is to be solved and the technical result is reached due to the fact that this tank container for transportation purpose has the reservoir for transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gas equipped with the liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauge and liquefied hydrocarbon gas filling and discharge stub duct with shutoff valve in the reservoir bottom. The tank container also has a steam and gas phase of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas drainage branch pipe with shutoff valve, located in the top part of the reservoir and in the top part of the reservoir a safety valve is located. Additionally the said reservoir is now equipped with a second filling and discharge stub duct with shutoff valves, and a second branch pipe for the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase drainage with shutoff valves. The filling and discharge stub ducts with shutoff valves and branch pipe for the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase drainage with shutoff valves are grouped into two independent blocks. One of these blocks is located in the top part of the reservoir and the second one is placed in the bottom part of the reservoir, and they are both placed into the top and bottom lockable armature compartments respectively. The top block comprises the branch pipe for drainage of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves, and the second filling and discharge stub duct with shutoff valves, and the bottom block comprises the filling and discharge stub duct with shutoff valves, and the second branch pipe for drainage of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves. The liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauge is equipped with a warning device located in the bottom armature compartments, and also the branch pipes for drainage of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves are equipped with the pressure gages mounted on them.

A third stub duct for filling and discharge of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas in liquid phase with shutoff valves may be placed in top armature compartments.

The described tank container is schematically shown in the figure.

The tank container comprises the reservoir 1 equipped with the liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauge which is not shown in the drawn figure since it is located in the interior of the reservoir 1. The reservoir 1 of the tank container for transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon gas by various means of transportation is mounted on a frame 2. A safety valve 3 is located in the top part of the reservoir 1. The top lockable armature compartment 4 and bottom lockable armature compartment 5 are located, accordingly, in the top part of the reservoir 1 and in the bottom part of the reservoir 1. The second 6 and the third 7 stub ducts (if any) for filling and discharging of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas liquid phase with shutoff valves, and the branch pipe 8 for drainage of liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves are located in the top lockable armature compartment 4. The duct stub for filling and discharging of the gas liquid phase 9 with shutoff valves and the second branch pipe 10 for drainage of liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves, as well as the warning device 11 of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauges, are located in the bottom lockable armature compartment 5. The branch pipes 8 and 10 for drainage of liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase with shutoff valves are made with the pressure gauges mounted on them. The pressure gauge 12 for the branch pipe 8 is located in the top armature compartment 4, and the pressure gauge 13 for the branch pipe 10 is located in the bottom lockable armature compartment 5.

The tank container may be equipped wih a sun screen 14 or shady shielding screen, further with a manhole 19 with lid, and an upper access platform with stairway 16 and one or several ladders 17 and additional safety valves of various principles of action. The liquefied hydrocarbon gas level gauges warning devices can be mounted on both armature compartments 4, 5.

When the tank container reservoir 1 has to be filled or discharged, the tank container is moved to the filling and discharge rack, and the filling and discharge rack's flexible pipes are connected correspondingly to the stub ducts 6, 7, 8 in the top compartment, and the stub ducts 9 and 10 in the bottom compartment. That done, leak-proofness of the connection of all joints involved into the operation is inspected and liquefied hydrocarbon gas liquid phase is then discharged simultaneousely through the stub ducts 6 and 7 with shutoff valves in case of a discharge rack with the top discharge, and through the stub duct 9 with shutoff valve in case of a discharge rack with the bottom discharge. The reservoir 1 may be filled with liquefied hydrocarbon gas liquid phase through the same stub ducts 6, 7 and 9. Hoses for drainage of the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase are connected to stub duct 8 in case of filling and discharging from the top and to stub duct 10 in case of filling and discharging from the bottom, correspondingly.

In practical operation, it was shown that the tank container filling time was at least cut half as the result of use of the here proposed design. This was confirmed by pilot testing at the railway filling rack of CJSC "Syrt" of Orenburg helium refinery (Limited liability company "Orenburggazprom", Russia).

In addition, the claimed invention provides an opportunity to fill and discharge the tank containers at the railway racks both in the CIS countries and in the EU countries without introducing expensive changes into the technological chain and the racks' design. It becomes possible since the existing filling railway racks for liquefied hydrocarbon gases loading are equipped, as a rule and standard, with two hoses for loading of the liquid phase and with one hose for the liquefied hydrocarbon gas steam and gas phase.

The present utility model can be used in the oil and gas, petrochemical and other industries where liquefied hydrocarbon gas and petrochemicals need to be transported.