Publications

For the past 10 years the membrane concept has been used with great success for the storage and shipping of LNG. Based on that concept a new membrane technology has been developped for a safe and cost effective storage of liquified LPG.This new technology, called GMS 2000, uses a composite membrane, the Triplex. This membrane is made of an aluminum foil protected on each side with a glass cloth layer.The Triplex which provides an absolute liquid and gas tightness, is glued to the insulation panels. They transmit the hydrostatic load to the prestressed concrete shell of the tank.TECHNIGAS and COMPAGNIE FRANCAISE DES PETROLES have built in association a 2000m3 GMS prototype to demonstrate the properties of the GMS system in an industrial environment.In this paper, the construction of the prototype will be analysed step by step.Special attention will be given to the construction procedures and the quality control.The main advantages of GMS in terms of construction, maintenance, operation and cost will be pointed out.In conclusion, the know how gained from prototype construction will be analysed and the applications for large LPG tanks (up to 150 000m3) will be discussed.