Patent ID: 7757621
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: B63B,F17C

Abstract:
1. A vessel comprising a number of storage tanks for transport of compressed natural gas (CNG) or a combination of gas and liquid, the tanks having an elongated, cylindrical intermediate section and a lower end and an upper end, the tanks being arranged side-by-side vertically standing in the vessel, wherein the tanks are made of a polymeric composite material with a lining of a thermoplastic material at an inner wall of the tanks as a diffusion barrier, wherein a hull, bulkheads and a deck of the vessel form a closed space enveloping all of the tanks except from the upper end of each tank or selected tanks, such that the upper end extends sealingly out of the closed space, wherein all feed-throughs in the tanks with couplings for loading and unloading are outside of the closed space, at the upper end of the tanks, and wherein the tanks are supported such that each tank can expand or contract freely within an operating range of the tanks with respect to pressure and temperature.