SCANNING AS MUCH OF THE TANK BOTTOM AS POSSIBLE

Richard Foeke, Rosen Group, discusses how to manage uninspected areas aboveground storage tanks are important assets for terminal owners and operators. Keeping them in service as long as possible and minimising out-of-service time are crucial aspects for safe and efficient operation. Inspection and maintenance play an important role in guaranteeing that the tank is in good condition and set up for operation until the next scheduled turnaround. To make the most reliable statement about the condition of a certain tank component, e.g. the tank bottom, it is important to cover as much of this large area as possible. This means scanning as much of the surface as possible (every plate edge, crevice and corner) to collect high-quality, reliable data on even the hard-to-reach places. Most commonly, the tank bottom is inspected by means of an MFL/EC scanner. These large measuring units are pushed with a steer-drive component and manually guided across the surface of each tank bottom plate. Equipped with sensors, they collect data as they travel, which allows for an online analysis of the condition of each plate. Primarily, the technology detects and sizes metal loss features. Not all...