TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of low-temperature liquefied
gas storage, and more particularly, to a cryogenic full containment storage tank having
a low liquid level material extraction device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Substances that are gaseous at normal temperature and pressure but can be liquefied
after proper freezing can be safely and efficiently stored in storage tanks with low
temperature and normal pressure. Substances in the petrochemical industry that meet
this characteristic include methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane, butene,
butane and other hydrocarbons , and substances in the chemical industry that meet
this characteristic include ammonia . As methane is the main component of natural
gas, and propane and butane are the main components of liquefied gas, they are mainly
used as industrial and civil clean energy. As people pay more attention to environmental
issues around the world, the consumption of clean energy such as liquefied hydrocarbons
and liquefied natural gas (hereinafter referred to as LNG) is increasing. In addition,
the number and scale of production of petrochemical enterprises that deeply process
hydrocarbons as raw materials are also increasing, and the demand for large low-temperature
storage tanks to store these clean energy and liquefied hydrocarbons also rises. Based
on considerations for safety, the existing large cryogenic full containment storage
tanks are not allowed to open holes on the wall and bottom. The pipelines connected
to the storage tank are all in a top-in and top-out way, that is, the liquid is inputted
and outputted from the roof of the storage tank. Due to the large diameter and the
large height of the storage tank, the height of the tank dome plus the height of the
tank wall is far greater than the suction vacuum height that the liquid can be pumped
up to, so the discharging pump can only work under the liquid, that is, the discharging
pump is a cryogenic submersible pump.
[0003] The cryogenic submersible pump requires sufficient low-temperature medium in the
storage tank when starting, so the minimum liquid level must not be lower than the
minimum operable liquid level required by the cryogenic submersible pump. At present,
the minimum operable liquid level of the cryogenic submersible pump plus a certain
safety margin is usually about 1.2 m, that is, the zone below 1.2 m from the bottom
of the cryogenic full containment storage tank is usually a "dead zone" for operation,
which results in a large ineffective working volume at the bottom of the tank. For
example, an inner tank diameter of 50000 m
3 cryogenic full containment storage tank is about Φ 46 m, so a volume with a height
of 1.2 m is about 1994 m
3. An inner tank diameter of 80000 m
3 cryogenic full containment storage tank is about Φ 59 m, so a volume with a height
of 1.2 m height is about 3280 m
3. An inner tank diameter of 160000 m
3 cryogenic full containment storage tank is about Φ 87 m, and a volume with a height
of 1.2 m height is about 7134 m
3.
[0004] The material at a bottom of the tank in range of the ineffective working volume cannot
be discharged out of the tank through the cryogenic submersible pump. If the storage
tank needs to perform outage maintenances, the material at the bottom can only be
discharged by vaporization, which consumes a lot of energy and also needs a long period
of time.
SUMMARY
[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cryogenic full containment storage
tank having a low liquid level material extraction device, so as to solve the technical
problem in the prior art that the ineffective working volume at the bottom of the
storage tank is too large and there are too much residual medium that cannot be extracted.
[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present disclosure
adopts the following technical solutions: a cryogenic full containment storage tank
having a low liquid level material extraction device, comprising: an inner tank, an
outer tank surrounding a periphery of the inner tank, an operation platform arranged
on a top of the outer tank, and a material extraction device capable of extracting
low liquid level material. The material extraction device capable of extracting low
liquid level material comprises: a material circulation tank arranged on the operation
platform, which is configured to contain low-temperature medium; a first Venturi mixer
arranged at a bottom of the inner tank, wherein two ends of the first Venturi mixer
are respectively an inlet and an outlet, and an outer periphery of the first Venturi
mixer is provided with a suction hole; an inlet pipeline connected an outlet of the
material circulation tank to the inlet of the first Venturi mixer; an outlet pipeline
connected the outlet of the first Venturi mixer to an inlet of the material circulation
tank; and a cryopump, arranged on the operation platform, and connected to the inlet
pipeline; wherein while performing a medium extraction, the low-temperature medium
in the material circulation tank enter the first Venturi mixer through the cryopump
and the inlet pipeline, so that the low-temperature medium in the inner tank is capable
of entering the first Venturi mixer through the suction hole under an action of a
pressure difference, and entering the material circulation tank through the outlet
pipeline after mixing.
[0007] The first Venturi mixer comprises a constriction section, a throat section and a
diffusion section connected in sequence. A large-end opening of the constriction section
is configured as the inlet of the first Venturi mixer, and is connected to the inlet
pipeline. A large-end opening of the diffusion section is configured as the outlet
of the first Venturi mixer, and is connected to the outlet pipeline. Two ends of the
throat section are respectively connected to a small-end opening of the constriction
section and a small-end opening of the diffusion section. The suction hole is opened
corresponding to an outer periphery of the throat section, and is communicated with
an interior of the throat section. The first Venturi mixer is placed horizontally
in the inner tank.
[0008] The first Venturi mixer further comprises a suction cavity arranged around the outer
periphery of the throat section and communicated with the interior of the throat section.
Two ends of the suction cavity are respectively connected to an outer wall of the
constriction section and an outer wall of the diffusion section. The suction hole
is opened on an outer peripheral wall of the suction cavity.
[0009] The suction hole of the first Venturi mixer is opened on an outer peripheral wall
of the throat section. The first Venturi mixer further comprises a suction pipe correspondingly
arranged at the suction hole, and the suction pipe is communicated with an interior
of the inner tank. The material circulation tank is further provided with a medium
output port for outputting the low-temperature medium to the outside, and a liquid
level control mechanism is provided to control an opening and closing of the medium
output port when a preset liquid level is reached, and the preset liquid level is
higher than a liquid level required for an operation of the cryopump during medium
extraction.
[0010] The liquid level control mechanism is an overflow weir arranged in the material circulation
tank. An outlet of the material circulation tank is communicated with an inner space
of the overflow weir, and the medium output port is communicated with an outer space
of the overflow weir.
[0011] The liquid level control mechanism is an overflow port arranged on a side wall of
the material circulation tank, wherein a height of the overflow port is higher than
the outlet of the material circulation tank, and the overflow port is communicated
with the medium output port.
[0012] The liquid level control mechanism comprises an electrically connected liquid level
gauge and a valve, wherein the liquid level gauge is configured to detect a liquid
level in the material circulation tank, and the valve is correspondingly arranged
at the medium output port.
[0013] The inlet pipeline is provided with a control valve to adjust a flow rate in the
inlet pipeline, the control valve is located outside the outer tank, and the cryopump
is located between the material circulation tank and the control valve.
[0014] The material extraction device further comprises a pressurizing unit, which is arranged
on the outlet pipeline to increase a power for the low-temperature medium to flow
to the material circulation tank.
[0015] The pressurizing unit comprises: a second Venturi mixer, a suction hole and an outlet
of which are connected in series to the outlet pipeline; a pressurizing inlet pipeline
connected an inlet of the second Venturi mixer to the outlet of the material circulation
tank; and a pressurizing control valve arranged on the pressurizing inlet pipeline
to adjust a flow rate in the pressurizing inlet pipeline.
[0016] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the present disclosure has
at least the following advantages and positive effects: the cryogenic full containment
storage tank of the present disclosure is equipped with a material extraction device
capable of extracting low liquid level material, The material extraction device comprises
a material circulation tank, a cryopump arranged at an operation platform at a top
of the tank, a Venturi mixer located at a bottom of the inner tank and corresponding
connecting pipelines. The low-temperature medium in the material circulation tank
enters the Venturi mixer through the cryopump. According to Bernoulli's principle
and momentum transfer principle, the low-temperature medium will form a local low-pressure
and high-speed flow entrainment effect in the Venturi mixer, making the low-temperature
medium enter the Venturi mixer through the suction hole under the action of the pressure
difference, and the mixed low-temperature medium returns to the material circulation
tank together. During the cycle, the flow rate of the low-temperature medium returned
to the material circulation tank is greater than the flow rate of the low-temperature
medium pumped out from the material circulation tank, and the difference is the extracted
low-temperature medium.
[0017] The material extraction device is mainly used as a supplementary discharge measure
after the submersible pump in the cryogenic full containment storage tank is pumped
to the minimum liquid level and shut down. This extraction device can extract the
low liquid level low-temperature medium that is originally in the "dead zone" for
operation, and the low-temperature medium above the liquid level where the suction
hole of the Venturi mixer is located can be extracted by the material extraction device.
As a result, the liquid level of the cryogenic full containment storage tank can be
lowered to the position where the suction hole or the suction pipe of the first Venturi
mixer is located, which is significantly lower than the minimum operable liquid level
required by the submersible pump in the prior art, so that the ineffective volume
of the cryogenic full containment storage tank can be significantly reduced, and the
volume utilization rate of the tank can be improved. In the case of the same tank
size, the effective working volume of the full containment storage tank can be increased.
In the case of the same tank size, the effective working volume of the full containment
storage tank can be increased. In the case of a certain effective working volume,
the height of the inner and outer tanks can be reduced, thereby saving engineering
investment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cryogenic full containment storage tank
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a material extraction device in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a mixing principle of the low-temperature medium
in a first Venturi mixer in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the cryogenic full containment storage
tank according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the material extraction device in FIG.
4.
FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another Venturi mixer.
[0019] The descriptions of the reference numerals are as follows: 1- inner tank; 2- outer
tank; 3-operation platform; 4- pump column; 5- submersible pump; 6/6a- material extraction
device; 61/61a- material circulation tank; 6101/6101a- outlet; 6102/6102a- inlet;
6103/6103a- medium outlet; 6104a- overflow outlet; 611- overflow weir; 62- first Venturi
mixer; 621- constriction section; 622/622b- throat section; 623- diffusion section;
624- suction cavity; 62b- Venturi mixer; 625b- suction pipe; 6201- inlet; 6202/6202b-
suction hole; 6203- outlet; 63- inlet pipeline; 64/64a- outlet pipeline; 641a- first
outlet section; 642a- second outlet section; 65-cryopump; 66- control valve; 67- pressurizing
unit; 671- second Venturi mixer; 6711- inlet; 6712- suction hole ; 6713- outlet; 672-
pressurizing inlet pipeline; 673- pressurizing control valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Exemplary embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present disclosure
will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood
that the present disclosure may have various changes in different embodiments without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and the descriptions and drawings
therein are essentially used for illustrating rather than limiting the present disclosure.
[0021] The present disclosure provides a cryogenic full containment storage tank for storing
liquefied low-temperature medium. The low-temperature medium may be a hydrocarbon
such as methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane, butene and butane, and may
also be ammonia commonly used in the chemical industry.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, the cryogenic full containment storage tank provided in this
embodiment generally includes an inner tank 1 for storing the low-temperature medium,
an outer tank 2 surrounding a periphery of the inner tank 1, an operation platform
3 arranged on a top of the outer tank 2, a pump column 4 extends through the top of
the outer tank 2 to a bottom of the inner tank 1, a submersible pump 5 arranged in
the pump column 4, and a material extraction device 6 for extracting the low liquid
level material from the bottom of the inner tank 1.
[0023] Each of the inner tank 1 and the outer tank 2 generally includes a bottom plate arranged
horizontally and a cylindrical body erected on the bottom plate. A heat insulating
layer is provided between the bottom plate of the inner tank 1 and the bottom plate
of the outer tank 2, and a heat insulating layer is provided between the cylindrical
body of the inner tank 1 and the cylindrical body of the outer tank 2. A dome is provided
on the top of the outer tank 2, a top plate is suspended below the dome, and a heat
insulating layer is also arranged between the dome and the top plate. The top plate
is connected to the inner tank 1 in a soft sealing manner. The pump column 4 extends
through the top of the outer tank 2 to the bottom of the inner tank 1. The submersible
pump 5 is arranged at a bottom of the pump column 4 and is immersed in the low-temperature
medium of the inner tank 1, which is configured to transport the low-temperature medium
in the inner tank 1 to the outside through the pump column 4. The operation platform
3 is fixed on the top of the outer tank 2, which may be configured to accommodate
various pipeline valves and working accessories which the cryogenic full containment
storage tank is equipped with, allowing operators to perform work and maintenance
on it.
[0024] Compared to the cryogenic full containment storage tank in the prior art, the cryogenic
full containment storage tank in this embodiment is equipped with a material extraction
device 6, which is used as a supplementary discharge device after the submersible
pump 5 is pumped to the minimum liquid level L1 and shuts down, so as to reduce the
ineffective volume of the cryogenic full containment storage tank. It is worth mentioning
that the material extraction device 6 involved in the present disclosure can not only
extract the low liquid level material (that is, the low-temperature medium below the
minimum operable liquid level L1 of the submersible pump 5), but also operate in the
liquid level range where the submersible pump 5 in the pump column 4 can function.
Therefore, in some cases, it may also be used as a backup facility with a small flow
output other than the submersible pump 5. The material extraction device 6 will be
described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2, and other specific structures
including the inner tank 1, the outer tank 2, the operation platform 3, the pump column
4, and the submersible pump 5 can be referred to the structure of the related technology
of the full-containment tank, which will not be described in detail herein.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the material extraction device 6 of this embodiment includes
a material circulation tank 61, a first Venturi mixer 62, an inlet pipeline 63, an
outlet pipeline 64 and a cryopump 65. Further, a control valve 66 is further provided
on the inlet pipeline 63.
[0026] The material circulation tank 61 in this embodiment is a horizontal low-temperature
tank, which is arranged on the operation platform 3. An inside of the material circulation
tank 61 is configured to contain the low-temperature medium, and an outside of the
material circulation tank 61 may be wrapped with cold insulating material.
[0027] Taking the view direction of FIG. 2 as a reference, an overflow weir 611 is arranged
in the material circulation tank 61, and the overflow weir 611 divides the internal
space of the material circulation tank 61 into two parts. When the low-temperature
medium in the overflow weir 611 (i.e., a left side of the overflow weir 611 in the
figure) exceeds a height of the overflow weir 611, the low-temperature medium overflow
outside the overflow weir 611 (i.e., a right side of the overflow weir 611 in the
figure). The space on the left side of the overflow weir 611 should meet the circulating
volume requirements for medium extraction of the low-temperature medium, and the height
of the overflow weir 611 should meet the requirements of the minimum operable liquid
level of the cryopump 65. On this basis, the height of the overflow weir 611 is set
according to the practice situation.
[0028] An outlet 6101 is provided at a bottom of a left end of the material circulation
tank 61, and the outlet 6101 is communicated with the space enclosed by the overflow
weir 611, which is configured to output the low-temperature medium during medium extraction.
[0029] A medium output port 6103 is further provided at a bottom of a right end of the material
circulation tank 61, and the medium output port 6103 is communicated with the space
outside the overflow weir 611 in the material circulation tank 61, which is configured
to output the low-temperature medium to the outside.
[0030] An inlet 6102 is provided on a left side of a top of the material circulation tank
61, which is configured to receive the low-temperature medium.
[0031] The first Venturi mixer 62 is placed horizontally on a bottom plate of the inner
tank 1 so as to have a low installation height. The first Venturi mixer 62 is a liquid-liquid
mixer, which mainly includes a constriction section 621, a throat section 622 and
a diffusion section 623 connected in sequence. In this embodiment, the first Venturi
mixer 62 is further provided with a suction cavity 624.
[0032] Each one of the constriction section 621 and the diffusion section 623 is a hollow
structure with gradient cross-section, a large-end opening of the constriction section
621 configured as an inlet 6201 of the first Venturi mixer 62, and a large-end opening
of the diffusion section 623 configured as an outlet 6203 of the first Venturi mixer
62. One end of the throat section 622 is connected to a small-end opening of the constriction
section 621, and the other end thereof is aligned with a small-end opening of the
diffusion section 623.
[0033] The suction cavity 624 is circumferentially arranged on a periphery of the throat
section 622, forming a dual cavity structure at the throat section 622. Two ends of
the suction cavity 624 are respectively connected to an outer wall of the constriction
section 621 and an outer wall of the diffusion section 623. An outer peripheral wall
of the suction cavity 624 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 6202, and
these suction holes 6202 are communicated with an interior of the inner tank 1, so
that the low-temperature medium in the inner tank 1 can be sucked into the suction
cavity 624. An annular cavity is formed between the suction cavity 624 and the throat
section 622, and the suction cavity 624 is communicated with an interior of the throat
section 622, so the low-temperature medium in the suction cavity 624 can further enter
the throat section 622.
[0034] The inlet pipeline 63 extends through the top of the outer tank 2, and connects the
inlet 6201 of the first Venturi mixer 62 to the outlet 6101 of the material circulation
tank 61, so as to guide the low-temperature medium in the material circulation tank
61 into the first Venturi mixer 62 for extraction.
[0035] The outlet pipeline 64 also extends through the top of the outer tank 2, and connects
the inlet 6102 of the material circulation tank 61 to the outlet 6203 of the first
Venturi mixer 62, so as to guide the low-temperature medium in the first Venturi mixer
62 into the material circulation tank 61.
[0036] The cryopump 65 is arranged on the operation platform 3 and is connected to the inlet
pipeline 63 to provide power for the flow of the low-temperature medium. The cryopump
65 is a non-submerged pump, that is, it is not required to be immersed in the low-temperature
medium, and it may be a non-submerged pump with any structure.
[0037] The control valve 66 is arranged on the inlet pipeline 63, so that it can not only
control the opening and closing of the inlet pipeline 63, but also adjust a flow rate
of the low-temperature medium in the inlet pipeline 63. The control valve 66 is located
downstream of the cryopump 65, but outside the outer tank 2.
[0038] The above-mentioned material circulation tank 61, the first Venturi mixer 62, the
inlet pipeline 63, the extraction pipeline 64, the cryopump 65 and the control valve
66 are all required to be able to withstand the temperature of the extracted low-temperature
medium, so they are made of low-temperature materials capable of withstanding the
corresponding temperature.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the working principle of the material extraction device 6
is as follows. While extracting medium, the low-temperature medium in the material
circulation tank 61 is driven by the power of the cryopump 65 and enters the first
Venturi mixer 62 through the inlet pipeline 63. For ease of understanding, the low-temperature
medium guided into the first Venturi mixer 62 from the material circulation tank 61
is referred to as initial low-temperature medium F0. According to the Bernoulli's
(energy conservation) principle and the momentum transfer principle (momentum conservation),
after the initial low-temperature medium F0 enters the first Venturi mixer 62, in
the process of flowing from the constriction section 621 to the throat section 622,
due to a decrease of the flow cross-sectional area, the flow speed increases, and
the pressure decreases, resulting in an entrainment effect of local low pressure and
high-speed flow at the throat section 622, so that the low-temperature medium Fi in
the inner tank 1 enters the first Venturi mixer 62 through the suction holes 6202
under the action of the pressure difference. The sucked low-temperature medium Fi
is mixed with the initial low-temperature medium F0. Due to an increase of the flow
cross-section area, the flow speed reduces, and the pressure increases, the mixed
low-temperature medium Fm in the diffusion section 623 enters the material circulation
tank 61 through the lead-outlet pipeline 64. In this embodiment, the suction cavity
624 is further provided on a periphery of the throat section 622 of the first Venturi
mixer 62, and the low-temperature medium in the inner tank 1 is first sucked into
the suction cavity 624, and then enters the throat section 622 for mixing, so that
the momentum of the initial low-temperature medium F0 can be more effectively utilized,
and the mixed low-temperature medium can flow back to the material circulation tank
61 more smoothly.
[0040] The flow rate of the low-temperature medium reaching the material circulation tank
61 is greater than the flow rate of the initial low-temperature medium initially pumped
into the first Venturi mixer 62 from the material circulation tank 61, and the excess
part is the low-temperature medium extracted from the inner tank 1. After the above-mentioned
continuous circulation process, the low-temperature medium in the inner tank 1 can
be continuously extracted into the material circulation tank 61.
[0041] The low-temperature medium located in the overflow weir 611 in the material circulation
tank 61 is used to maintain the medium extraction operation. When the low-temperature
medium in the material circulation tank 61 exceeds the overflow weir 611, the low-temperature
medium beyond the height of the overflow weir 611 can be transported outward through
the medium output port 6103.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 4-5, in another embodiment of the cryogenic full containment storage
tank, the material extraction device 6a is further provided with a pressurizing unit
67 on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, and the pressurizing unit 67 is provided
on the outlet pipeline 64, and the pressurizing unit 67 is configured to increase
the power of the mixed low-temperature medium to flow to the material circulation
tank 61a, so that the low-temperature medium can flow back to the material circulation
tank 61a more smoothly. It is suitable for situations with a larger pumping height,
such as a cryogenic full containment storage tank with a larger height. In this embodiment,
the pressurizing unit 67 includes a second Venturi mixer 671, a pressurizing inlet
pipeline 672 and a pressurizing control valve 673.
[0043] A composition structure of the second Venturi mixer 671 may be the same as that of
the first Venturi mixer 62. A suction hole 6712 and an outlet 6713 of the second Venturi
mixer 671 are connected in series to the outlet pipeline 64a. Specifically, the outlet
pipeline 64a is divided into a first outlet section 641a and a second outlet section
642a, and the first outlet section 641a connects the outlet 6203 of the first Venturi
mixer 62 to the suction hole 6712 of the second Venturi mixer 671, and the second
outlet section 642a connects the outlet 6713 of the second Venturi mixer 671 to the
inlet 6102a of the material circulation tank 61a.
[0044] The pressurizing inlet pipeline 672 communicates the inlet 6711 of the second Venturi
mixer 671 with the outlet 6101a of the material circulation tank 61a, so as to guide
a certain amount of initial low-temperature medium from the material circulation tank
61a into the second Venturi mixer 671. The initial low-temperature medium is further
mixed with the mixed low-temperature medium from the first Venturi mixer 62 in the
second Venturi mixer 671 to increase the pressure, so that the low-temperature medium
has greater power to return to the material circulation tank 61a from the second outlet
section 642a.
[0045] The pressurizing control valve 673 is arranged on the pressurizing inlet pipeline
672. On the one hand, it controls the opening and closing of the pressurizing inlet
pipeline 672 , and on the other hand, it also regulates a flow rate in the pressurizing
inlet pipeline 672.
[0046] Similar to the previous embodiment, the second Venturi mixer 671, the pressurizing
inlet pipeline 672 and the pressurizing control valve 673 are also required to be
able to withstand the temperature of the extracted low-temperature medium, so they
are made of low-temperature materials capable of withstanding the corresponding temperature.
[0047] In this embodiment, the second Venturi mixer 671 is configured to increase the refluxing
power of the low-temperature medium, and forms a two-stage series extraction process.
In other embodiments, if the extraction height is higher and the return power is insufficient,
more Venturi mixers may be connected in series to the outlet pipeline 64/64a to form
a multi-stage series extraction process. The connection method of multi-stage series
extraction may be deduced by analogy.
[0048] Compared to the previous embodiment, another difference of this embodiment is that
the material circulation tank 61a is a vertical storage tank. The inlet 6102a of the
material circulation tank 61a is located at the top, and the outlet 6101a of the material
circulation tank 61a is located on the side wall close to the bottom. There is no
overflow weir 611 in the material circulation tank 61a, but an overflow port 6104a
is provided on the side wall of the material circulation tank 61a. The height of the
overflow port 6104a is higher than the outlet 6101a of the material circulation tank
61a, and is higher than the liquid level required for medium extraction. The medium
outlet port 6103a is extended out from and communicated with the overflow port 6104a.
[0049] The structure of the vertical material circulation tank 61a is also applicable to
the material extraction device 6 in the previous embodiment.
[0050] In the above two embodiments, the material circulation tank 61/61a adopts the structure
of the overflow weir 611 and the overflow port 6104a to form a liquid level control
mechanism, so as to control the opening and closing of the medium output port 6103/6103a
when the preset liquid level is reached. In other not-shown embodiments, the liquid
level control mechanism may further include an electrically connected liquid level
gauge and a valve, the liquid level gauge is configured to detect the liquid level
in the material circulation tank, and the valve is correspondingly arranged at the
medium output port.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 6, the Venturi mixers 62/671 in the above embodiments can also
be replaced with a structure shown in FIG. 6. In the structure shown in FIG. 6, the
Venturi mixer 62b is not equipped with the suction cavity 624, but a plurality of
suction holes 6202b are opened on the outer peripheral wall of the throat section
622b, and each suction hole 6202b is further provided with a suction pipe 625b correspondingly.
When the initial low-temperature medium F0 is guided into the constriction section
621 of the Venturi mixer 62b, under the action of the pressure difference, the low-temperature
medium Fi in the inner tank 1 can be guided into the throat section 622b through the
suction pipes 625b, and is mixed with the initial low-temperature medium Fi, and the
mixed low-temperature medium Fm is guided to the next process.
[0052] In some other not shown embodiments, the suction pipes 625b may also be removed,
and the low-temperature medium Fi in the inner tank 1 is directly sucked through the
suction hole 6202b on the outer peripheral wall of the throat section 622b. In addition,
for the structure of the first Venturi mixer 62 in the above-mentioned embodiment,
a suction pipe may also be added at the suction hole 6202 of the suction cavity 624.
Similarly, a suction pipe may also be added at the suction hole 6712 of the second
Venturi mixer 671.
[0053] Based on the above description, when the cryogenic full containment storage tank
in each embodiment of the present disclosure is in normal operation, the low-temperature
medium is outputted through the pump column 4 under the power of the submersible pump
5. According to the minimum operable liquid level required to start and maintain the
operation of the submersible pump 5, the submersible pump 5 can reduce the liquid
level in the cryogenic full containment storage tank to the minimum position L1 shown
in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. According to the requirements of the general submersible pump
5 in the prior art, L1 is roughly about 1.2 m. When the liquid level in the cryogenic
full containment storage tank drops to L1, the submersible pump 5 is stopped. If it
is necessary to further extract the low-temperature medium from the inner tank 1,
the material extraction device 6/6a is adopted to carry out the extraction, and the
material extraction device 6/6a continuously extracts the low-temperature medium at
the bottom of the inner tank 1 according to the working principle described above,
until the liquid level drops to the first Venturi mixer 62, and the liquid level in
this circumstance is located at L2. The L2 may be approximately 0.2 m to 0.3 m. Compared
to the 1.2 m of L1, the liquid level in the inner tank 1 may be reduced by about 1m,
which significantly reduces the ineffective volume of the cryogenic full containment
storage tank, and improves the volume utilization rate of the cryogenic full containment
storage tank.
[0054] In this cryogenic full containment storage tank, the power part and the control part
of the material extraction device 6/6a are arranged outside the outer tank 2. Except
that the Venturi mixer 62/671/62b and the pipeline part need to be immersed in the
low-temperature medium, no other equipment or cables are immersed in the low-temperature
medium, and the components in the tank can achieve maintenance-free operation throughout
the life of the tank. It is worth mentioning that when the liquid level of the cryogenic
full containment storage tank is higher than L1, the material circulation tank 61/61a
of the material extraction device 6/6a may not store the low-temperature medium. When
it is required to extract the low liquid level medium, the material circulation tank
61/61a may be filled with a certain amount of low-temperature medium as the initial
power medium.
[0055] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to several exemplary
embodiments, it should be understood that the terminology used is used for description
and illustration, and not for limitation. Since the present disclosure can be embodied
in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the disclosure, it should
be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing
details, but are to be construed broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the
appended claims. Therefore, all changes and modifications that come within the scope
of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.
1. A cryogenic full containment storage tank having a low liquid level material extraction
device, comprising:
an inner tank;
an outer tank surrounding a periphery of the inner tank;
an operation platform arranged on a top of the outer tank; and
a material extraction device capable of extracting low liquid level material, comprising:
a material circulation tank arranged on the operation platform, which is configured
to contain low-temperature medium;
a first Venturi mixer arranged at a bottom of the inner tank, wherein two ends of
the first Venturi mixer are respectively an inlet and an outlet, and an outer periphery
of the first Venturi mixer is provided with a suction hole;
an inlet pipeline connected an outlet of the material circulation tank to the inlet
of the first Venturi mixer;
an outlet pipeline connected the outlet of the first Venturi mixer to an inlet of
the material circulation tank; and
a cryopump, arranged on the operation platform, and connected to the inlet pipeline;
wherein while performing a medium extraction, the low-temperature medium in the material
circulation tank enters the first Venturi mixer through the cryopump and the inlet
pipeline, so that the low-temperature medium in the inner tank is capable of entering
the first Venturi mixer through the suction hole under an action of a pressure difference,
and entering the material circulation tank through the outlet pipeline after mixing.
2. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 1, wherein the first
Venturi mixer comprises a constriction section, a throat section and a diffusion section
connected in sequence, wherein a large-end opening of the constriction section is
configured as the inlet of the first Venturi mixer, and is connected to the inlet
pipeline, wherein a large-end opening of the diffusion section is configured as the
outlet of the first Venturi mixer, and is connected to the outlet pipeline, wherein
two ends of the throat section are respectively connected to a small-end opening of
the constriction section and a small-end opening of the diffusion section, wherein
the suction hole is opened corresponding to an outer periphery of the throat section,
and is communicated with an interior of the throat section, and wherein the first
Venturi mixer is placed horizontally in the inner tank.
3. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 2, wherein the first
Venturi mixer further comprises a suction cavity arranged around the outer periphery
of the throat section and communicated with the interior of the throat section, wherein
two ends of the suction cavity are respectively connected to an outer wall of the
constriction section and an outer wall of the diffusion section, wherein the suction
hole is opened on an outer peripheral wall of the suction cavity.
4. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 2, wherein the suction
hole of the first Venturi mixer is opened on an outer peripheral wall of the throat
section,
wherein the first Venturi mixer further comprises a suction pipe correspondingly arranged
at the suction hole, and the suction pipe is communicated with an interior of the
inner tank.
5. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 1, wherein the material
circulation tank is further provided with a medium output port for outputting the
low-temperature medium to the outside, and a liquid level control mechanism is provided
to control an opening and closing of the medium output port when a preset liquid level
is reached, and the preset liquid level is higher than a liquid level required for
an operation of the cryopump during medium extraction.
6. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 5, wherein the liquid
level control mechanism is an overflow weir arranged in the material circulation tank,
wherein an outlet of the material circulation tank is communicated with an inner space
of the overflow weir, and the medium output port is communicated with an outer space
of the overflow weir.
7. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 5, wherein the liquid
level control mechanism is an overflow port arranged on a side wall of the material
circulation tank, wherein a height of the overflow port is higher than the outlet
of the material circulation tank, and the overflow port is communicated with the medium
output port.
8. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 5, wherein the liquid
level control mechanism comprises an electrically connected liquid level gauge and
a valve, wherein the liquid level gauge is configured to detect a liquid level in
the material circulation tank, and the valve is correspondingly arranged at the medium
output port.
9. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 1, wherein the inlet
pipeline is provided with a control valve to adjust a flow rate in the inlet pipeline,
the control valve is located outside the outer tank, and the cryopump is located between
the material circulation tank and the control valve.
10. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 1, wherein the material
extraction device further comprises a pressurizing unit, which is arranged on the
outlet pipeline to increase a power for the low-temperature medium to flow to the
material circulation tank.
11. The cryogenic full containment storage tank according to claim 10, wherein the pressurizing
unit comprises:
a second Venturi mixer, a suction hole and an outlet of which are connected in series
to the outlet pipeline;
a pressurizing inlet pipeline, connected an inlet of the second Venturi mixer to the
outlet of the material circulation tank; and
a pressurizing control valve, arranged on the pressurizing inlet pipeline to adjust
a flow rate in the pressurizing inlet pipeline.