A TANK INSPECTION, REPAIR, MODIFICATION, AND TESTING OVERVIEW

Joe Mentzer from the Steel Tank Institute/Steel Plate Fabricators Association runs through the basics for field-erected storage tanks. Petroleum Institute’s (API) Tank Inspection Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction standard, API 653, was first published in 1991 and was a consensus standard created through input from tank fabricators, users, regulators, and others involved in the storage tank industry. API 653 addresses the tank shell, foundation, roof, and appurtenances, and is used to identify degradation of a storage tank due to use and exposure to the environment. The standard provides a mechanism to inspect tanks built to API tank construction standards and a process to repair or modify the tank to establish the tanks suitability for continued use. ‘The purpose of API 653 is to provide guidance for avoiding failures, product leaks and maintain overall integrity,’ says Brad Veath, vice president business development – USA for CB&I Storage Solutions. ‘The philosophy is to ensure a tank will remain structurally adequate and free of product leaks.’ INSPECTION The API tank inspection process has many levels including: Regular visual inspections of the...