Ronald Tuls, Bron Hekkema

and Sebastian Ruik Beyhaut,

The ROSEN Group, describe
how a prioritisation plan
can be created for out of
service inspections at
tank terminals using a
risk based inspection
methodology.
RBI methodology and the t asks and respon sibil ities must be Data gathering
made clea r. RBI is a jxo,cess; t herefo re it can o nly be Many storage tan ks/spheres had been designed and bui lt by
implemented by the end user. The tank owner is responsible national or internat ional tank contractors. There is oft en
and needs to decide on the used methodology, assumptions minimal know ledge available to the asset owner to determine
and consequences. Each tank owner w ill have a different RBI w hether a new tank is des igned in accordance w ith commo n
process implementation, although the methodology used may codes, equipped w ith the cor rect accessories, or built for a
be the same. parti cu lar operati onal w indow (the strength of the t ank). A full
The final deliverable of an RBI methodology is an data gatheri ng was ca rr ied out , using local interv iews to
inspectio n plan for the t ank and its sub components. The perform a gap analysis for all missing t echnical data. Th e data
inspection plan details the activities rel ated to the current gathering results were then integrated into the RBI process.
operation from a safety/hea lth /environment perspective
and/or from an economic standpoint. For risks consi dered External in service inspections
unacceptable, the plan conta ins the mitigati o n actions that are The on stream inspection was carr ied out in accordance with
recommended to reduce the risk to an acceptable leve l. Th e the API 653 requi rements and led by a certified API 653
plan describes the t ype, scope and timing of inspector. As part of the external o n stream inspection s, the
inspecti ons/examinations reco mmended . inspection scope was defined as:
• Full detailed visual inspection of the ta nk, confo rming to
Case study: OCP Ecuador API 653 o n stream inspection requirement s.
At the beginning of 2011 , OCP approached Rosen wi th a • Tank shell thickness measurements by means of ultrasonic
request t o implement an RB I methodo logy fo r their tank equipped crawler.
terminal. The aim was to have a structured tank inspectio n • Thi ckness measurements of th e roof at va ri ous locations.
plan to optimi se asset avai lability, and reduce both asset • Fo r f loating roof tanks:
integrity ri sk and asset economica l ri sk. This project • Checking sleeves of t he roof supports for co rrosion.
implemented the t ools and provided the services requ ired for • Checking seals for degradation, fail ures and miss
OCP, using a RBI approach to establish an o ut of service o peration s.
inspect ion plan . • Ultrasoni c thi ckness measurement o n shell an d roof
A stepped approach was used to gather all required nozzles.
elements (Figure 1), w hich would allow an adequate • Tank differential settlement.
pri o rit isat ion pl an to be drawn up for 21 tanks. • Plumpness/pl anar t ilt.

In itial data integration

For the 21 identified t ank data sou rces, data was integrated
wi th in ROA IMS for tanks. Fo r these identified tanks, a number
of activities we re undertaken:
• Data hierarchy (structure).
• Tank creation.
• Integrati on of operat io n, mechanical and historical tank
information.
• Document upload into a central ised document repository.
• Inspection information upload into a ce ntralised tank
database.
• Data quality check.

Software implementation
Based on the outcome of the initial wo rk session, an
implementation wo rkfl ow was defined, w hi ch co nsidered
Figure 1. Project workflow. corporate IT guidel ines, soft ware setup, hardware and network
connect ions, as we ll as any connections to third party
instances (for examp le, rights management). Specialists then
implemented the system on a serve r with t he appropriate
hard wa re and acco rding soft wa re specifi cat ion (provided by
OCP Ecuador).
OCP Ecuado r was handed over a comp rehensive software
suite, incl uding all functiona lities, server installati on, data and
th e required capabi lities to operate and update its RBI plan for
the overall storage tank enviro nment.

Calculation and master reference plan

Figure 2. Corrosion degradation and rejection
Risk ba sed decision making processes have become
criteria within ROAIMS.
increas ingly important as t ools for managing a company's

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ENGINEERING
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Figure 3. Risk based inspection into master reference plan within ROAIM S.

acti vities, processes, products and services. RBI is o ne such

tool used to det ermi ne the prevent ive inspecti o n t ask
requ irements to achieve opti mal t ank avai lability wit h effi cient
maintenance efforts. W hile not inten ded as a ri gorous meth od
to det ermine design criteria , ta nk RBI bri ngs a consist ent
methodo logy of ri sk assessment t o maintenance, inspecti o n
and safeguarding o f an asset. All RBI ca lculations were
described in an RBI report, usi ng t he ROAIMS software for
ta nks.
The data required fo r establishing the next inspection
dates (i.e. shut downs) was based o n literature st udy, ex isting
inspecti on history and experiences, as wel l as t he RB I
methodo logy. The corrosion rates, as foun d w it hi n t he
literature and suggest ed w ithin t he software, we re compared
w ith contractor and owner experi ences, specifically t o Figure 4. OCP marine terminal, Ecuador.

\ \
 of co rrective actions based on repair ad vice. This repair advice
included suggestions as to how much effort should be
expended on repairs, while reviewing the changes in risk
associated with the next inspection interval of the tank. Into
the future, the RB is should be recalculated frequently using
the latest information on corrosion rates.
OCP has already implemented an RBI methodology for
tanks, which can be expanded into use with other assets, as
the foundations for such methodology are already built up. An
integrity approach for other assets (such as piping) has many
steps in order to achieve its full purpose and objective. An
initi al element of implementing such a protocol is to identify
the more significant threats / ri sks to the identified asset
integrity as part of the initial screening level risk assessment.
This wil l identify the most likely failure mechanisms that could
Figure 5. OCP marine terminal, Ecuador.
lead to a loss of integrity. Further, the severity of a given failure
is outlined so resources can be focused on the important
establish subsequent inspection dates for each individual tank, areas. A suitable inspection plan wil l be the result of this risk
thus forming a (MRP). analysis.

Training workshop, roles and Conclusion

responsibilities Establishing a prioritisation plan for a tank terminal is a time
RB I programs and integrity assessments of tank storage consuming activity. Howeve r, by using engineering experience,
systems heavily depend on the accuracy and rel iability of training, relevant code information and software solutions,
var ious input parameters to produce optimum results. OCP's operators can make more accurate decisions within short time
integrity team was trained to manage asset related data by windows, optimising tank availability.
means of a non-redundant and selectively accessible central Inspection costs can be more effectively managed through
database, thus supporting the integrity management the utilisation of RBI. Resources can be applied or shifted to
methodology. those areas identified as at higher ri sk or targeted based on the
OCP integrity engineers needed to update their selected strategy. A major benefit is the development of a
background or skills according to the latest best practices and proactive tank maintenance prioriti sation plan, which
regulations in order to conduct the entire RBI assessment in an systematica lly reduces the likelihood of failures by making
effective manner. As such, tailored training was organ ised at better use of the inspection resources and improving the
early stages of the project. reli abi lity of the facility. Part of this planning process is the
All team members (tank inspectors, tank maintenance staff, determination of what to inspect, how to inspect (technique),
operations staff, material/corrosion engineers, reliab ility and the extent of inspection (coverage), thus helping to
engineers, etc.) received training on RBI methodology and on optimise the total cost of ownership. i'!!
the program(s) being used. This training was primarily geared
towards facilitating understanding and effective application of Acknowledgement
RBI. Moreover, t he training helped them to further understand Rosen would like to thank Julio Asitimbay {OCP 's offshore
the technical integrity issues of tanks in general and the engineer) for his support and excel lent coordination
consequences of failure. throughout the lifetime of the project.

The way forward References

Once the first tank goes out of service and possible corros ion 1. API-571 Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the
Refining Industry, American Petroleum Institute, First Edition,
is found in the tank bottom, any RBis previously undertaken December 2003.
shou ld be reassessed as more data on corros ion rate s is 2. MYERS, Philip E. Aboveground Storage Ta nks. McGraw Hill, New
York, USA.
gathered. The corros ion rate used for the remaining life 3. EEMUA 159: European Commission Project OG 112/ FR/UK, Final
assessment of the bottom of the tank should be a realistic Report, 1999.
4. EEMUA 159: Users' guide to the inspection, maintenance and repair
va lue, not a worst case estimation, as used during the first RB I
of aboveground vertical cylindrical steel storage tanks.
calcu lations. A conservative approach means that the 5. API-653 Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration and Reconstruction,
assessment team considers using a higher corrosion rate than American Petroleum Institute, Third Edition, Addendum 1,
September 2003.
the actual expected rate. However, the initial conservat ism is 6. Risk-based Inspection, API-Recommended Practice 580 Tank
co rrected during reassessment. Furthermore, to determine the Inspection, American Petroleum In stitute, First Edition, May 2002.
7. PGS 29: Richtlijn voor bovengrondse opslag van brandbare
corrosion rate for RBI assessments, a corrosion handbook for vloeistoffen in verticale cilindrische tanks.
tank bottoms is started, and added to the corrosion books for 8. !PO: Kennisinventarisatie document 'vloeibare bulk op- en overslag
in tanks'.
shell and roof that are already available. 9. MEYER, R. HEKKEMA, B. ROSEN AIMS Services: Tank Risk Based
During the out of service inspection (bottom inspection) inspections. 'Guidelines for applying RBI for Conventional Storage
period, OCP had the opportunity to cross check the amount tanks'.

May 2012 HYDROCARBON

ENGINEERING