Corner profiles and/or corner reinforcement for liners and linings suitable for use with tanks and other storage/containment vessels

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to corner profiles and/or corner reinforcement for liners and linings that are suitable for use with tanks and other storage/containment vessels, such as process tanks, immersion tanks, indoor or outdoor containment pits, gravity feed conduits (e.g., concrete trench, canal, or drain, etc.) for transferring or conveying liquid, grain storage tanks or containers (e.g., dielectric or electrically non-conductive liners for grain storage, etc.), etc. The present disclosure also relates to tanks and other storage/containment vessels including liners and linings with corner profiles and/or corner reinforcement. Additionally, the present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for providing corner profiles and/or corner reinforcement for liners and linings.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for lining a storage/containment vessel including a plurality of walls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the walls including at least one pair of adjacent walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define at least one internal corner therebetween having a perpendicular profile, the apparatus comprising an elongate member having a hollow cross section, the elongate member positionable within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner and configured to change a profile of the at least one internal corner from the perpendicular profile to a non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member has a length equal to a height of the a least one pair of walls whereby the elongate member is configured to extend lengthwise along an entire length of the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of walls. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member comprises a hollow steel beam having a cross section shaped as a right triangle. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member has the hollow cross section in the shape of an isosceles right triangle such that a transition from each wall of the at least one pair of adjacent walls to the elongate member is at an angle of about 135 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member is configured such that a transition from each wall of the at least one pair of adjacent walls to the elongate member is at an obtuse angle. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a lining sheet positionable along the elongate member. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the lining sheet is extrusion welded along the elongate member to thereby provide the lining sheet along the at least one internal corner having the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a corner lining sheet having first and second opposite edge portions and positionable along the elongate member;   at least one or more side lining sheets having corresponding edge portions extrusion weldable to the first and second opposite edge portions of the corner lining sheet; and   a bottom lining sheet extrusion weldable to the corner lining sheet and the at least one or more side lining sheets.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of walls of the storage/containment vessel includes a plurality of adjacent pairs of walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define a plurality of internal corners therebetween each having a perpendicular profile; and   the apparatus comprises a plurality of elongate members each having a hollow cross section and positioned within the storage/containment vessel along a corresponding internal corner to thereby change the profile of the corresponding internal corner from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of walls comprise a bottom and sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel that define the internal volume usable for storage/containment of material; and   the apparatus includes a single lining sheet positionable along all of the sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel for providing the lining along all of the sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel that is defined by the single lining sheet instead of a plurality of lining sheets.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member having the hollow cross section is positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner, whereby the profile of the at least one internal corner is changed from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of walls comprise a bottom and sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel that define the internal volume usable for storage/containment of material;   the at least one pair of adjacent walls comprises at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define the at least one internal corner therebetween having the perpendicular profile; and   the elongate member is positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls, whereby the profile of the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls is changed from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the elongate member has a length equal to a height of the at least one pair of sidewalls such that the elongate member extends lengthwise along an entire length of the at least one internal corner from the bottom of the storage/containment vessel to a top of the at least one pair of sidewalls. 
     
     
         14 . A storage/containment vessel comprising:
 a plurality of walls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the walls including at least one pair of adjacent walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define at least one internal corner therebetween having a perpendicular profile; and   the apparatus of  claim 1  including the elongate member having the hollow cross section positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner, whereby the profile of the at least one internal corner is changed from the perpendicular profile to a non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         15 . A storage/containment vessel comprising:
 a bottom;   sidewalls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the sidewalls including at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define at least one internal corner therebetween having a perpendicular profile; and   the apparatus of  claim 1  including the elongate member having the hollow cross section positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner such that the profile of the at least one internal corner is changed from the perpendicular profile to a non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         16 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a corner lining sheet having first and second opposite edge portions and positioned along the elongate member;   at least one or more side lining sheets having corresponding edge portions extrusion welded to the first and second opposite edge portions of the corner lining sheet; and   a bottom lining sheet extrusion welded to the corner lining sheet and the at least one or more side lining sheets.   
     
     
         17 . A storage/containment vessel comprising:
 a plurality of walls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the walls including a plurality of adjacent pairs of walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define a plurality of internal corners therebetween each having a perpendicular profile; and   the apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of elongate members each having a hollow cross section and positioned within the storage/containment vessel along a corresponding internal corner to thereby change the profile of the corresponding internal corner from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         18 . A storage/containment vessel comprising:
 a plurality of walls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the walls including at least one pair of adjacent walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define at least one internal corner therebetween having a perpendicular profile; and   an elongate member having a hollow cross section, the elongate member positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner, whereby a profile of the at least one internal corner is changed from the perpendicular profile to a non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         19 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate member has a length equal to a height of the at least one pair of walls whereby the elongate member is configured to extend lengthwise along an entire length of the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of walls. 
     
     
         20 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate member comprises a hollow steel beam having a cross section shaped as a right triangle. 
     
     
         21 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate member has the hollow cross section in the shape of an isosceles right triangle such that a transition from each wall of the at least one pair of adjacent walls to the elongate member is at an angle of about 135 degrees. 
     
     
         22 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate member is configured such that a transition from each wall of the at least one pair of adjacent walls to the elongate member is at an obtuse angle. 
     
     
         23 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , further comprising a lining sheet extrusion welded along the elongate member to thereby provide the lining sheet along the at least one internal corner having the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile. 
     
     
         24 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a corner lining sheet having first and second opposite edge portions and positioned along the elongate member;   at least one or more side lining sheets having corresponding edge portions extrusion welded to the first and second opposite edge portions of the corner lining sheet; and   a bottom lining sheet extrusion welded to the corner lining sheet and the at least one or more side lining sheets.   
     
     
         25 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the plurality of walls of the storage/containment vessel includes a plurality of adjacent pairs of walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define a plurality of internal corners therebetween each having a perpendicular profile; and   the storage/containment vessel comprises a plurality of elongate members each having a hollow cross section and positioned within the storage/containment vessel along a corresponding internal corner to thereby change the profile of the corresponding internal corner from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile.   
     
     
         26 . The storage/containment vessel of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the plurality of walls comprise a bottom and sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel that define the internal volume usable for storage/containment of material;   the at least one pair of adjacent walls comprises at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define the at least one internal corner therebetween having the perpendicular profile;   the elongate member is positioned within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls, whereby the profile of the at least one internal corner defined between the at least one pair of adjacent sidewalls is changed from the perpendicular profile to the non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile; and   the storage/containment vessel includes a single lining sheet positioned along all of the sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel to thereby provide the lining along all of the sidewalls of the storage/containment vessel that is defined by the single lining sheet instead of a plurality of lining sheets.   
     
     
         27 . A method of lining a storage/containment vessel including a plurality of walls defining an internal volume usable for storage/containment of material, the walls including at least one pair of adjacent walls that intersect perpendicularly to thereby define at least one internal corner therebetween having a perpendicular profile, the method comprising positioning an elongate member within the storage/containment vessel along the at least one internal corner, whereby a profile of the at least one internal corner is changed from the perpendicular profile to a non-perpendicular and/or cornerless profile, wherein the elongate member has a hollow cross section.