LNG Membrane Containment

An LNG cargo-containment system in which a thin metal primary barrier (the membrane) holds the cargo and transfers its hydrostatic and dynamic load directly through insulation to the inner hull, so the hull itself supports the cargo. The two licensed designs are GTT’s Mark III (corrugated 304L stainless steel membrane on reinforced-polyurethane-foam panels) and NO96 (Invar 36 percent-nickel-alloy membranes on plywood boxes filled with perlite). Both use a full secondary barrier per IGC Code requirements. Membrane systems give flatter, hull-conforming tanks with higher volumetric efficiency than spherical tanks.