Floating cover

Abstract

A floating cover having a plurality of floating panels is provided. The floating panels are assembled to form the floating cover disposed in a storage tank. The floating panels are provided with extruded channels formed on each peripheral outside of a honeycomb. A trough or hollow inside is formed within the extruded channels. An inspection port is formed on the extruded channels to provide a user with an inspection for leakage without disassembling the floating cover and without taking out the floating cover from the storage tank. The inspection port provides the inspection of presence of moisture and condensate trapped in the inside of each of the floating panels and also provides the replacement of damaged or degraded one among the floating panels.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A panel alignable with a plurality of adjoining panels to form a floating cover for a storage tank, said panel comprising: 
 honeycomb insert bearing a plurality of discrete cells sealed at opposite ends by different planar members that are spaced-apart by said cells;    a frame bounding a peripheral wall formed between planar members by said cells, said frame having opposite flanges engaging corresponding different ones of said planar members and an end wall spaced-aprat form said peripheral wall joining said flanges together, a lower one of said flanges underlying and extending beneath and beyond an adjacent one of said planar members to form a though positioned between said end wall and said peripheral wall; and    an inspection port provided on upper one of said flanges in visual alignment with said trough.    
     
     
         2 . The panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a sealant interposed between an underside of said adjacent one of said planar members and said lower one of said flanges.  
     
     
         3 . The panel of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a sealant interposed on both surfaces of honeycomb core of said adjacent one of said planar members and said lower one of said flanges;    said adjacent one of said planar members and said lower one of said flanges channeling any product held by the storage tank beneath said panel, into said panel via said trough upon deterioration of said sealant.    
     
     
         4 . A floating cover in a storage tank, comprising: 
 a plurality of discrete panels assembled in an ordered array to form said floating cover, each of said panels having an internal honeycomb structure, each of said panels having a frame coupled to a peripheral side of said honeycomb structure and having a side wall spaced-apart from said peripheral side of said honeycomb structure, each of said panels having a hollow interior formed between said peripheral side of said honeycomb structure and said side wall of said frame; and    an inspection port formed on said frame providing direct communication into said hollow interior from a top side of said panels, while enabling visual inspection of said hollow interior from said top side of each of said floating panels.    
     
     
         5 . The floating cover of  claim 4 , further comprising a sealant disposed between said frame and said honeycomb structure.  
     
     
         6 . The floating cover of  claim 5 , further comprised of: 
 a lower extension disposed beneath said honeycomb structure; and    said frame comprising a floor extending from beneath said lower extension, beyond said peripheral side, and terminating said hollow interior, with said sealant disposed between said lower extension and said floor;    said lower extension and said floor channeling any product held by the storage tank into said panel via said floor upon deterioration of said sealant.    
     
     
         7 . The floating cover of  claim 6 , further comprised of said inspection port being visually aligned with said floor via said hollow interior.  
     
     
         8 . The floating cover of  claim 4 , with said frame comprising: 
 a lower frame providing said side wall, a lower extension extending from a lower end of said said wall, and an upright extension extended from an upper end of said side wall;    an upper frame having an upper extension parallel to said lower extension and spaced-apart from said lower extension by a length of said side wall, said upper frame providing an upright extension extending from said upper extension and mating with said upright extension of said lower frame;    said honeycomb structure positioned between and coupled to said lower extension and said upper extension; and    a trough defined by said lower extension, said upper extension, said side wall, and a peripheral side of said honeycomb structure disposed between said lower extension and said upper extension, having said hollow inside.    
     
     
         9 . The floating cover of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 said lower frame having a lower detent formed on said upper end of said side wall of said lower frame, having a groove formed between said lower detent and said upright extension of said lower frame; and    a first protrusion formed between said upper extension and said upright extension of said upper frame, located in said first groove when said lower frame, said upper frame, and said honeycomb structure are assembled to form said floating member.    
     
     
         10 . The floating cover of  claim 8 , with said upper frame comprising: 
 an upper detent formed on a distal end of said upright extension of said upper frame; and    a groove formed between said upper detent and said upright extension of said upper frame, receiving a distal end of said upright extension of said lower frame when said lower frame and said upper frame are assembled to form said floating member.    
     
     
         11 . The floating cover of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 an upper rib formed on said upper frame and coupled adjacent to upper rib formed on adjacent upper frame of adjacent floating member; and    a lower rib formed on said lower frame and coupled adjacent to lower rib formed on adjacent lower frame of adjacent floating member.    
     
     
         12 . The floating cover of  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 an upper clamping bar having a pair of coupling grooves receiving said upper ribs of two adjacent floating members;    a lower clamping bar having a pair of coupling grooves receiving said lower ribs of said two adjacent floating members; and    a fastener coupling said upper clamping bar to said lower clamping bar when said upper ribs and said lower ribs are inserted into respective coupling grooves of said upper clamping bar and said lower clamping bar.    
     
     
         13 . The floating cover of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 a serrated surface formed on said lower extension and said upper extension; and    a sealant disposed between said serrated surface of said lower extension and said honeycomb structure and between said serrated surface of said upper extension and said honeycomb structure.    
     
     
         14 . The floating cover of  claim 13 , further comprising an adhesive applied between said sealant said serrated surface of said upper extension and said honeycomb structure.  
     
     
         15 . A floating cover in a storage tank, comprising: 
 a plurality of discrete panels assembled to form said floating cover, each of said panels having an internal honeycomb structure, a lower frame, and an upper frame coupled to said lower frame, said honeycomb structure being disposed between and coupled to said lower frame and said upper frame;    said lower frame extending beyond a peripheral side of said honeycomb structure and forming a trough spaced below and apart from said honeycomb structure, said trough being defined by said lower frame and said peripheral side of said honeycomb structure; and    an inspection port formed on said upper frame providing direct communication into said trough while accommodating visual inspection of said trough from above each of said panels.    
     
     
         16 . The floating cover of  claim 15 , further comprising a sealant disposed between one of said lower and upper frames and said honeycomb structure.  
     
     
         17 . The floating cover of  claim 15 , further comprising 
 a sealant interposed between an underside of said honeycomb structure and said lower frame; and    said underside of said honeycomb structure and said lower frame channeling any product held by the storage tank into an interior of one of said panels upon deterioration of said sealant of said one of said panels.    
     
     
         18 . The floating cover of  claim 15 , any product held by the tank and introduced into an interior of one of said panels is visible from a top side of said one of said panels through said inspection port of said one of said panels.  
     
     
         19 . The floating cover of  claim 15 , with said frame comprising: 
 said lower frame having said side wall, a lower extension extended from a lower end of said wall, an upright extension extended from an upper end of said side wall; and    said upper frame having an upper extension being parallel to said lower extension and spaced-apart from said lower extension by a length of said side wall, having an upright extension extended from said honey structure is inserted between and coupled to said lower extension and said upper extension.    
     
     
         20 . The floating cover of  claim 19 , further comprising: 
 said lower frame having a lower detent formed on said upper end of said side wall of said lower frame, having a groove formed between said lower detent and said upright extension of said lower frame; and    a first protrusion formed between said upper extension and said upright extension of said upper frame, inserted into said first groove when said lower frame, said upper frame, and said honeycomb structure are assembled to form said floating member.    
     
     
         21 . The floating cover of  claim 19 , with said upper frame comprising: 
 an upper detent formed on a distal end of said upright extension of said upper frame; and    a groove formed between said upper detent and said upright extension of said upper frame, receiving a distal end of said upright extension of said lower frame when said lower frame and said upper frame are assembled to form said floating member.    
     
     
         22 . The floating cover of  claim 19 , further comprising: 
 an upper rib formed on said upper frame;    a lower rib formed on said lower frame;    an upper clamping bar having a pair of coupling grooves receiving said upper ribs of two adjacent floating members;    a lower clamping bar having a pair of coupling grooves receiving said lower ribs of said two adjacent floating members; and    a stud coupling said upper clamping bar to said lower clamping bar when said upper ribs and said lower ribs are inserted into respective coupling grooves of said upper clamping bar and said lower clamping bar.    
     
     
         23 . The floating cover of  claim 19 , further comprising: 
 a serrated surface formed on said lower extension and said upper extension; and    a sealant disposed between said serrated surface of said lower extension and said honeycomb structure and between said serrated surface of said upper extension and said honeycomb structure.