STREAMLINING TANK INSPECTIONS WITH VISUAL FEEDBACK

Optically activated pigments highlight areas in need of repair, explain Justin Hair and Michael Harrison from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine. For aboveground petroleum storage tank owners, 10-year inspection intervals often present some challenges. Inspections are necessary to ensure owner compliance, tank integrity and safety, but they also carry a high cost – sometimes upwards of US$500,000 (€424,000). The longer a tank is out of service for repairs, inspections and lining applications, the higher the cost due to lost storage capacity. The ongoing cost of ensuring tank integrity is unavoidable. Most often, the American Petroleum Institute’s API 653 standard (Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration and Reconstruction) is required or referenced. Depending on the tank, it will either require a thorough evaluation of an existing lining for return to service (if it’s performing as expected with only minor damage) or the installation of a new lining. The faster you can complete these activities, the quicker you can return the tank to service. An existing lining needs to be visually inspected. Such inspections can move much faster – and be more thorough – when the...