ROBOTIC INSPECTIONS MEETING API 653 TEST STANDARDS

VERITANK, a Houston-based autonomous robotic tank inspection provider, has recently successfully completed a round of non-destructive testing (NDT) on a plate with known manufactured defects that meet the standards of API 653, Annex G.5.1, Qualification Test Plates. The testing took place at Veritank’s headquarters where the company has installed a high accuracy x,y,z submerged, 7’x 20’ (2.1 m x 6.1 m) motorised test table that is capable of scanning actual tank floor sections. In this round of testing, Veritank used the two NDT technologies currently available on their in-service inspection robot – Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) and Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) to inspect the API 653 test plate. The results demonstrated that their PAUT technology can accurately measure and characterise the thickness of a lowcarbon steel tank floor – meeting API 653 qualification standards. Throughout testing, all defect sizing results were within the permissible ±0.020 in (0.05 cm). The test results proved that the company’s PEC technology is a valuable screening tool and possesses an ability to scan through higher levels of sedimentation, which would inhibit good UT...