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Improvements in Maintenance Techniques of Large Above Storage Tanks to

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 Improvements in Maintenance Techniques of Large
Above Storage Tanks to Enhance Life Cycle
Muhammad Zain Yousaf ,
Electrical Engineering Department
Swansea University
Swansea, U.K
mzainy1f@gmail.com

Abstract—: In oil and gas industry, the above-ground storage tanks Storage units are critical part for trading of the petrochemical
plays a significant role for continuous movement of petroleum products. World oil consumption per day is 93,250,000 barrel
products. Oil is a valued product; the storing tank must undertake (Wikipedia), and in U.K it is 1,608,000 barrel/day. Large oil
regular maintenance. Characteristic AST inspection can be storage units are needed in order to store these huge amounts of
conducted under its usual operation, but the floor of large AST is consumption needed at this present. ASTs are the perfect choice
challenging to access during in-service. Due to inaccessibility of the to meet the demands to counteract the high levels of natural
floor, tanks need to be emptied and made out-of-service for resources intake. ASTs storage capacities can rise from anything
inspection and repair. This is a known expensive way both in terms
up to 1.5 million barrel per unit compare to underground storage,
of earning and the maintenance procedure itself. In this paper, the
which have less storage capacity [2], respectively the capacity
review of this condition and procedure of the AST is discussed with
the present limitation and possible improvements in inspection
of oil tank levels tend to decrease insignificantly for the supplier.
methods. The inspection of floor is a main focus, because it is a According to their allocated restricted. Typically 60,000 liters
prime factor that characterizes the out-of-service time. The main for small tanks, to large sizes in the tens of millions.
aim in the petrochemical industry is not only to minimize the Corrosion in the ASTs can cause failure. The failure to a tank
frequency and time of out-of-service interval, but can also shift can have an undesirable effect, especially with large tanks
towards in-service defect detection methods. In-service methods causing an impact not just to the environment but as well to the
can save major time and expense of not entering the tank for
local businesses [3, 4]. An example of this failure was in the Gulf
inspection. Both in-service and out-of-service strategies are
of Mexico on the 24 May 2010, when an estimated oil spill of
discussed for inspection of the floor in order to achieve the
objective goals. 4.9 million barrels leaked into the sea. This incident resulted loss
Keywords—above ground tanks (AST); non-destructive-testing of product and in fines costing more than $100 billion to BP
(NDR); in-service; out-of-service; life cycle. (British petroleum). It also had an effect on the environment
including the marine, wildlife, atmospheric changes, health
I. INTRODUCTION issues and tourism industry. BP faced adverse publicity, strong
economic loss and criminal charges because of this. This also
An important objective in supply distribution is to meet user raised question about integrity of BP supply chain.
demands on time and in a cost-effective manner. A balance
between supply and demand is required to achieve this goal. This Only can the periodic maintenance of the tank assure the
has been achieved in forms of storage units that rectify any short- integrity to provide a safe supply. Both Inspection and repair are
time fluctuation between demand and supply. the two key factors for this to be highly successful operation,
whilst reducing the cost at the same time. In-service
The utility industries provide a compelling case of persistent maintenance is a cost efficient path, because the tank remains in
flow in their chain of supply. In supply chain, water products, a productive and income generating state. But due to the
electricity provisions, petrochemical all have one point of accessibility, cost and technology barriers out-of-service
continuous flow common: ‘switch the tap on and process starts’. methods are currently practiced in this day of age [5].
The case of water supply is an interesting, in which water is
stored in tanks near inhabited safe areas. These large storage Therefore this paper’s mains focus is on the ASTs,
facilitates the water to locals via water pipes and downstream maintenance, improvements an overall benefits to the current
tanks [1]. methods. This paper also covers the basic of future possible
maintenance techniques, and comparison of them to current
World energy consumption sectors have been divided in to methods. In ASTs, the floor is a most difficult part to access at
different industries. Petroleum industry is the main division for time of in-service maintenance. Vice versa Out-of-service
meeting world energy consumption. Petroleum consumption techniques are currently used. As time goes on in-services
increases as it grows for each country, particularly in developed maintenance technologies are advancing forward.
and developing countries. Because of the Petroleum
consumption, the supply and demand chain is becoming a very This paper is to propose better ways for in-service maintenance
imperative factor. as well as improvements needed for out-of-service methods.
They are both advancing as we speak, each on their own merits.
 II. LARGE ASTS LIFECYCLE
Commissioning and Installation
Step. 2
The AST life cycle is demonstrated in diagram 1. The Life In-service time (Step. 1)
Start

Tank containing prodcut

cycle of the AST starts with installation to its final stages (In-service
In-service Tank Inspection)
of decommissioning (the end of life). This is when the AST

Above tank storage total life span Time-AST

Time x
Inspection
is going through its iterating process between in-service /
Don't Empty
out-of-service periods. YES Tank
During the in-service period, there are different Fit for Max. service
Failure
Purpose period
technologies available that are continuously monitor. reached
Period
NO Inspect using in-

Iteration k
Monitoring information helps to decides whether to either service corrosion
extend the in-service time or to do further investigation by 1. Monitored 2. Scheduled 3. Disaster
and leak detection
switching to out-of-service period. techniques
Out-of-service time Step. 3
Commissioning and Installation Empty and Clean YES

Tank Empty
Fit for
Purpose

Time y
YES, need repairing
In-service time Repair NO

Tank containing prodcut

Try to using In-
Tank Fit for service repairing, if
In-service Inspect
Time x Purpose not possible go to

Above tank storage total life span Time-AST

Inspection YES
NO Step. 3

YES Commissioning and Installation(Life of Tank Ends)

Fit for Max. service
Failure
Purpose period
Period Figure 2. This diagram is suggesting optimization in output
NO reached of the AST life cycle. Increasing in-service inspection time T-x
Iteration k

and decreasing out-of-service inspection time T-out,

1. Monitored 2. Scheduled 3. Disaster
optimization from the AST can be achieved. Life time of the
Out-of-service time AST is represented by T-AST, which is equal to T-x, T-y and T-
Empty and Clean out.
Tank Empty

T-AST= T-x +T-y + T-out

Time y

YES, need repairing

Repair
• T-x is in-service period without any inspection.
Fit for • T-y is in-service time with the efficient inspection.
Inspect
Purpose
YES • T-out is out-of-service maintenance period. During this
NO
time, an inspection and repairing happened.
Commissioning and Installation(Life of Tank Ends) Way to increase efficiency is to use the advance in-service
inspection technologies and improve the current out-of-service
Figure 1: Taken from paper by the permission of author. (Original figure inspection technologies.
presented in [2])
AST out-of-service maintenance and productivity have a A. The AST life cycle optimisation
close relation between each other. As the out-of-service The following three conditions can be applied when exiting
frequency is starts to increase, profit from life cycle of the AST the in-service period [2]:-
decreases with it. During the current life cycle of the AST, the  Monitored and Scheduled: AST can be examined by
inspection is done when it is out of service. Commercially advance inspection techniques. If assessment results
available inspection techniques don’t have the ability to allow
are satisfactory then there is no need for out-of-service
inspection of the tank during in-service. Therefore unable to tell
us anything about any corrosion that could be present in the tank inspection methods. If evaluation results suggests that
at that moment of time. further investigation is required, the tank will need to
be put out-of-service for detailed inspection.
From time to time, it is feasible for the AST to be taken  Disaster: Major or forecast failure causes the
out-of- service for proper inspection. It is like a MOT of a car, discharging of oil from the tank. In this case, repairing
to look for any signs of defects present from wear or tare. is not possible or even unprofitable.
Different countries have different rules of regulation for out-of- By using highly-efficient in-service inspection
service maintenance. Guidelines in API [9] and EEMUA [10] techniques, out-of-service period ratio can be
recommend out-of-service maintenance after every 10 years.
decreased. Allowing the percentage of in-service
Storage units are vast, making tiny pipe-type defects up-to inspection to increase, this can enhance the prolonged
few millimeters very difficult to detect on the floor, big as life, cost and efficiency of the AST.
football sized ASTs. It is impossible to detect, until the tank is
out of service, with technologies advancing. It can be possible in B. Purpose of the AST life cycle optimisation
the near future for in-service inspections. By keeping that in In present inspection methods, maintenance of these large tanks
mind, I have proposed a solution for optimizing the life cycle has three major limitations. First limitation is emptying and
and productivity of ASTs. cleaning the tank before internal inspection can take place. This
process shares 80 percent of the total cost of the maintenance
[6]. Most of the time, ASTs are taken out-of-service based on a
schedule when the stored product is sold or requested.
Depending on its size a tank farm would have one tank out-of- good. This leads to out-of-service path for further investigation.
service and then oil is shifted to the next tank until it is put back Ideal in-service monitoring should be giving us not only
into service. Adding weeks of loss to production incurring extra information about the condition (oil leaks, cracks) of the AST
costs to alternative storage facilities quickly, but also pointing the defected sections accurately.
By using advanced in-service inspection techniques, we can
point defected sections accurately. Fig 2 is suggesting the
Filled Tank
solution in which we can increase in-service time by using in-
commission inspection techniques. By doing this, possibility of
the out-of-service maintenance is decreasing. One more way of
Filled oil in another
tank
decreasing out-of-service period is to improve out-of-service
inspection techniques.
Emptying Tank Before proposing the advanced in-service inspection
techniques and ways to decrease out-of-service period, it is
important to understand the relation between maintenance and
life of the AST.
Cleaning and C. Maintenance and life of AST
Decontamination of
tank
The rate of maintenance alongside the life of the AST depend
upon on each other. Minimum maintenance is required when
the tank is newly manufactured [2]. As the time goes by
integrity of the AST starts to decline and likely to cause
decommissioning. One of the main reasons behind this is
Inspection and
Repair
corrosion of the tank. Interval maintenance is the only way to
prolong the life and the quality of any AST. It can also decrease
possible damage to it.
Presently out-of-service period is an important and expensive
procedure part of the maintenance process. In this period, the
Filled Tank
tank is emptied and cleaned for inspection. After inspection, it
has three outcomes [2]:-
1. Condition is suitable and can go to in-service
2. Further repairing and then re-commission
Figure 3. Maintenance cost increased extremely higher when cleaning process, 3. Not fit for use and it is uneconomic to repair.
non-productive and reduced service time taken into account. Oil transferred Out-of-service period has added a-lot of cost in its maintenance
from affected tank to another healthy tank, which adds cost of renting or buying budget.
spare tank as well. Outline of the out-of-service for maintenance in
petrochemical industry showing steps taken before inspection and repair. As the tank gets old, maintenance period starts to increase in
Reduced service time is not only the costly step, but emptying and filling oil in time and becomes more frequent, having a knock on effect for
alternative tank is in itself very expensive. (Original figure presented in [2]) in-service period as well. Resulting in a negative impact on the
Huge mass and complex shape of the AST make it total productivity and profit from any service period of the AST.
impossible to access the floor from beneath, and if tanks are It is interesting to see how maximum profit can be achieved
filled with products more difficulty is added. Is possible under from operational periods by reducing costly steps. However, is
certain circumstances. Expensive though. it possible to remove the corrosion permanently instead of
Accessing the floor of tank is most difficult when using the taking steps to maintain the AST for whole life cycle?
in-service maintenance procedure. Traditionally, out-of-service
methods are being used. The tank is shut down and inspected, IRON OXIDE STEEL
this is a highly costly step and decreases profit.
Out-of-service period has the direct impact on supply and
demand balance; it can cause fluctuation to the prices of oil. By
achieving in-service inspection and repair methods, we can save
time and money. In-service inspection with repair is the ideal REFINNING CORROSION
solution for taking care of the ASTs, but the question arises is it
possible? Accuracy, safety, costs and accessibility are the most
important factors in choosing in-service rather than out-of-
service methods.
There are only two ways to inspect the ASTs
during in-service period. One is to go inside of a big oil tank. MINNING IRON OXIDE
The other solution is to inspect from the outside. The first option
is not viable, as this is a health and safety concern. Second option
is viable. As we don’t need to go inside, because it can be easily Figure 4. Usually ASTs storage are made of steel. Main reason behind using
are, they are cheap, strong and easily store large amount of oil. Left hand side
inspected from the outside using sensors. This will not only shows the refining step to make steel, right hand side is showing corrosion
increase in-service time, but it will also increase the productivity effects on steels. Life cycle of ASTs and corrosion are related with each other.
of the AST life cycle. More corrosion in tank means short life cycle. (Original figure presented in
[11])
Though current monitoring technologies provide
information, accuracy in pointing the defected section is not
D. Corrosion and Carbon Steel Tanks Alternative:
Carbon steel is the prime material used for its simply strong ∆.H =0 (1).
structure, low-cost, good strength, and huge storage of crude
oil/ petroleum chemicals. The major setback against all these ∆.B = J (2).
advantages is corrosion in any carbon steel type. The corrosion • Vector B – magnetic field density.
and fracture in the tanks are caused because of the chemical and
electrochemical reaction, which also has an effect on the • Vector H – magnetic field strength
maintenance schedules, life cycle of the ASTs [7]. • Vector J – current density generated by permanent
If carbon steel floor is replaced by a non-corrosive material magnet [8].
with the same quality and strength, then maintenance doesn’t
require long and frequent out-of-service periods. This step will Magnet
reduce the overall maintenance cost. But presently carbon steel
has no substitute, which takes over in terms of good quality,
cost efficiency and strength to hold huge amount of oil [2].
Replacing carbon steel floor with non-corrosion material is a Hall
sensors
great idea, but keeping in mind the current limitation of cost and
strength it is not practical.
Steel
The only option left to make the life of an AST productive being
Wall
cost efficiency, ways of inspecting AST should be made better.
In return which can develop the in-service procedure whilst Magnetic flux
Leakage flux
reducing the out-of-service.
The rest of the paper has discussed the inspection services and
Metal loss
proposed improvements. It has been divided into two sections
Sections are: The principle of the MFL using Hall sensors
1. Out-of-service inspection techniques
2. In-service inspection techniques. Figure 5 (Original figure presented in [8]).

III. OUT-OF-SERVICE INSPECTION TECHNIQUES B. Possible improvement in out-of-service inspection

FOR ABOVEGROUND STORAGETANK FLOOR technique (MFL)
MONITORING The signal to noise ratio for MFL is very low. The fast approach
and sensitivity gives it an edge to the tank inspection industry.
There are different methods adapted for out-of-service
Different companies are finding ways to make improvements to
maintenance, but most common techniques are based on
its efficiency for MFL. Sensitivity of the MFL depends on
commercial survey:-
different factors. Air coupling magnetic field, geometry and
•MFL (Magnetic flux leakage) –
position of defect, anticorrosive coating, and roughen material
Commercially successful maintenance techniques are based on
effects sensitivity [12]. Air coupling magnetic field between
MFL method. Magnetic flux leakage approach has the ability to
sensors is quite big. This usually effect sensitivity of MFL and
cover large percentage of floor area quickly [2]
results in false alarms. False magnetic fields can be reduced by
•Ultrasonic inspection –
using the shielding structure [12]. This shielding structure has
For higher sensitivity automated ultrasonic is being applied.
the potential to decrease inspection time and increase the
Ultrasonic approach is to suspect areas which are badly affected
sensitivity of MFL devices.
i.e. weld plates and those sites where MFL readings are not
satisfactory.
Both these technologies follow a procedure. Special cleaning Magnetic
require of the AST. This makes the tanks free from dirt, leftover isolation board
products caused by corrosion and drying the floor [7]. Tank
owners prefer MFL devices for inspection because of their
speed to sensitivity ratio. Though it still needs emptying and
cleaning, keeping in mind the current limitations, it is the best Permanent Permanent
practice solution. magnet magnet

A. PRINCIPLES OF MFL
Magnetic Yoke
Magnetic lines of force are produced within the plate, when
a magnet is close to a steel. These magnetic lines (flux)
preferably like to travel within the plates than the air. A suitable II shape magnetic shielding device permeance princ
powerful magnet creates saturated flux within the plate.
Figure 6 is illustrating the principle of Magnetic shield structure (Original
Coil or Hall Effect sensors can be used to detect corrosion in figure presented in [8]).
the tanks; the corrosion can be identified by any irregularities
fluctuation in the magnetic flux [12]. Coil sensors works on the Another proposed solution is improvements in the sensors of
principle of Faradays law and the Hall Effect sensors which MFL. Generally most of the MFL devices are using Hall
generate a voltage signal dependent on flux density (Principle of sensors, but eddy current sensors can be used. Current motor
Lorentz force). speed of MFL devices for better sensitivity is constant. By using
eddy current sensors, we don’t need to worry about constant
Magnetic flux leakage principle can be understood by
solving Maxwell equations [12]. The differential forms are speed, and we can move it at swift rate. The old MFL sensors
are able to detect up to 22mm in the width of steel, but with B. In-service inspection methods for Corrosion detection.
these sensors it is possible to go up to 30mm [13]. Possible methods to detect corrosion in the ASTs during in-
Though these steps can improve the inspection service are
quality and speed, cleaning and emptying of the AST is still 1. Ultrasonic guided wave tomography
required. This means the tank has to be in an out-of-service 2. A.E (acoustic emission).
period. The Only way to overcome this problem is to use in-
service inspection techniques. The question is could in-service C. Ultrasonic guided wave tomography:
methods replace out-of-service inspections. Accuracy, Discussed out-of-service methods are quick but they lack the
accessibility, cost of in-service maintenance comes with its own factor of in-service inspection demand. The tank owner’s
restricted inspection. In the next section, I will discuss how in- preference is to have them in service, while inspection is
service inspection techniques can out way the impact when in carrying out. This can save money as no need of emptying tank,
the out-of-service state. New technologies are developing now cleaning and then inspection. Researchers are putting their
that have the potential to overcome the present limitation. efforts to move towards in-service non-destructive testing
applications. Small numbers of studies have been carried out
IV. IN-SERVICE INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE and the research is still in progress due to the problems
TECHNIQUES FOR ABOVEGROUND STORAGETANK encountered.
FLOOR MONITORING This section of paper is discussing the possible principle of
According to the stats, quite a lot of tanks, which were emptied using ultrasonic guided waves to inspect the floor of the ASTs.
and cleaned required less maintenance to be repaired. Statistics In this method, the generated and reflected waves are detected
show that only 43% need repairing, whereas only 9% do not by transducers coupled to the edge of the annular plate.
[6]. Measurements are carried out in different sections and
Inspection of ASTs received less attention in the technical directions across the tank to get accurate reading. Obtained
literature thus few papers have been presented on this issue. In information is processed by tomographic reconstruction
recent years, little research has been done on in-service techniques to give information about defects or plate settling of
maintenance. Different ideas have been presented on how to the ASTs floor. Computer image modelling of tomographic
inspect the ASTs, whilst they are in-service. techniques has been developed. This modelling considered the
Although research is still in progress to gain a better performance of transducers, the interaction between sound
understanding why in-service maintenance methods can work. wave and the scattering of wave. Main advantage of the
Currently ongoing recommendations to suggest better proposed method is the ability to detect corrosion on the tank
techniques, are being presented to better a solution in improving floors without the need to empty and clean the tank while it is
how we look after ASTs. Mostly concentrating in two major still in service.
areas being detecting leaks and corrosion.
 Tomographic Reconstruction:
A. Oil-Leak detection methods in the ASTs
Across all ASTs floors, the transmission and receiving
Methods to detects leaks in the ASTS are [6] of waves been carried differ in their directions. The
 Precision volumetric testing. amplitude of the waves is the function of attenuation
Is used to detect leaks in the storage tanks. But the location of due to corrosion and scattering effects in tanks [16].
leak cannot be easily identified [14]. The two main drawbacks
applied to this technique is quite significant. One being the
changes to the ASTs, the other being the petrochemical volume.
Due to the volume variation supply the demand can affect how
the evaluation results are obtained. Effects to the ASTs floor,
roof movement and temperature change stored chemicals have
impact on the results of inspection.
 Soil vapor monitoring measurement.
Soils vapor testing the exterior surroundings of the AST for
leaked product. This approach can detect very low level of leak,
it cannot determine the time of leak or reason behind it.
Accidental spills near the tank can have influence on readings
in soil vapor monitoring.
 Inventory control.
Over a given period detailed record of inclusion and removal of
product recorded. In same period, monitor level of product, any Figure6. Waves transmitted across the test tank shown. (Original figure
variation in records consider as a leak. Meter error, human error presented in [17]).
and temperature changes can easily influence records. Ultrasonic guided wave tomography has been implemented on
Although non-intrusive techniques are very the small above-ground tank, but accuracy needs more
useful maintenance methods, and they can detect any leaks in improvement to the big tank. Experimental procedure has been
AST. But they cannot identify location and depth of corrosion executed with steel plates (up to 6mm thick) on the 100m
in a tank. This is a major drawback in these techniques. Next diameter tank, showed promising results [16]. Things to
section of this paper is discussing possible corrosion detection improve in this technology are swift scanning, optimisation in
methods during in-service period. It is followed by optimization resolution and signal to noise ratio [16].
flowchart in maintenance methods.
 D. Acoustic emission
Parrallel interface (AE) is the process in which sudden release of energy from a
material will be detected in the form of elastic waves [15], and
it has been widely used as a non-destructive-testing tool. In the
Electronic section recent years, the A.E application for detection of corrosion on
consisted of the floor plate of ASTs is being adopted by petrochemical
 Driver Board. companies. The use of acoustic emission started first in the
Tank
 Motors Processing unit early 1980’s for examining the floor of the tanks [15]. However,
 Pulse. it was considered as an unreliable method, as this technology is
 Pre-processing progressing, the acoustic emission shows promising results. For
and amplifier. in-service maintenance, tank owners don’t need complex
testing methods to tell us about any leaks or corrosion in tank.
They need a much prominent method which will update the
condition of the floor, so that any inspection to repair can be
Receiving input completed before any loss in form of leakage or damage to the
tank has occurred. A.E is a non-destructive method, which can
be used for monitoring corrosion. In A.E, we don’t need to enter
the tank to determine its condition.
“AE testing has many benefits such as on-line testing, global
monitoring, rapid inspection, and cost reduction” [6]. Though,
this method has taken an on-line root for corrosion detection, it
Transmitter Receiver still can’t be treated as an in-service inspection technique. This
method may be defined as semi-in-service technique. In this
Distortion
Cracks due to in feedback method, ASTs are still under going off-service for a small
corrosion of AE-sensors duration. Before the tanks are tested they need to be shut down
anywhere between 6 to 12 hours, including all agitators, heater
Figure 7: The experimental ultrasonic tomography system (Original figure and oil pipe [6].
presented in [12]).

Acoustic Emission
Demonstration

Tank

AE signal send to the Deflected AE signal will be

large tank using powerful analyse in a system with
aerial AE acquisition card
Phase Phase

Time Time

Input signal output signal

AE sensors AE sensors

Distortion
Cracks due to in feedback
corrosion
of AE-sensors

Fig.8 Pulse of energy from the floor material can be detected by attaching sensors on the floor outside of the tank. The sensors and floor is acoustically coupled,
also special setup is required to improve transmission of the AE signals. (Original figure presented in [6]).
AE has the potential to replace current inspection techniques a) Flowchart of Complete maintenance for ASTs.
because the large tank doesn’t need emptying or cleaning. Ultrasonic wave guided Tomography or AE techniques can spot
However accuracy of the AE has raised some questions. Factors faults on the ASTs floor quicker both decreasing the chance of
effecting the AE results are discussed below:- emptying, cleaning and inspecting by other non-destructive
 Factors Effect Acoustic Emission Evaluation Results: testing (NDT) sources, thereby minimizing costs. They can
resolve any false results obtained from leak monitoring results.
1. Floor Material in ASTs If results are not accurate, then opening of the tank is needed
2. Medium in the tank for further investigation, on the other hand MFL may be used
3. Height of liquid in tank for inspection of floors in tanks. In addition, automated
4. Diameter of ASTs ultrasonic or MFL robots may be adopted for wall and roof of
Every material has its own AE characteristic. Material AE tanks. British Sliver Wing Group has crawler devices, which
characteristics can effects the attenuation and energy emitted to can access wall and roof of ASTs.
its rate of propagating signal. a) Conclusion of flowchart:
In A.E, sensors are installed outside of the ASTs. Propagation
The above flowchart concludes that combination of quickness
signals of A.E may be absorbed by the oil or other medium.
from Ultrasonic wave guided Tomography or AE, accuracy
Energy lost rate influence evaluation results.
from MFL, can provide a much better result. If AE findings are
While using the AE method for inspection, the height of liquid
satisfactory we don’t need to go any further, thus no need for
should reach up to 80-100% of ASTs [15].
any floor inspections by MFL. By following this procedure,
P= ρgh (3)
costly maintenance and time consuming paths can also be
Liquid’s height is proportional to the pressure of the floor.
avoided. This process can provide accurate evaluation and
Density of the liquid = ρ, gravity acceleration= g and h=height
optimal maintenance for safety of ASTs.
of the liquid.
For large ASTs the diameter has a bigger value. Release rate, b) Advance Robotic inspection:
amplitude and location are in relation with the ASTs diameter. Another proposed solution is to use a robotic mouse for floor
This can easily affect evaluation for large diameter tanks. inspection. The micro mouse can be used with transmitters
Corrosion cracks and ASTs material also varies with receivers attached to it as well as an added extra feature. It can
temperature change affecting the AE’s reading. move continuously covering vast areas of the tank whilst easily
 Location precision discussion. gathering data to be stored when receiving information from
Due to the short length of history we have, AE application within reflected signals to be analyzed at any point of time or be send
ASTs, testing tanks has not been so successful in this limited directly back to the control room via a wireless transmission for
time. Factors such as height, medium and diameter have huge ease. This information can be analyze by using some complex
effects on evaluation to AE readings. ASTs generally have larger algorithm.
diameters. Taking in to account these effects, false source and No research has been done on this idea, so no information is
lost source locations are easy to occur. available on an internet. Problem in making this technology can
Inspection results during experiments have shown that location be following:-
precision problems still need improvement. Theory shows that  Driving battery for mouse, it needs a lot of energy
10-20% location precision is ideal [15]. In most cases it can be  Material strength and quality use to make mouse. Cost
satisfied by selecting suitable inspection time, right instrument could be very high.
parameters. But ideal location precision is not easy to achieve.  Electronics implement on mouse must not be weighty.
Before formal AE inspection, electronic and other noise should  Moving mouse in the tank filled with oil is another big
be tracked to fulfill the test requirements. The area surrounding issue to cope with.
the tank must be relatively quiet too. At Refineries, AE can be Conclusion
prone to external noise. We are stuck with ASTs currently there is no alternative
available that can store large amount of oil to meet supply and
In summary, the primary job of AE testing is to tell whether a demand chain. Significant cost required for maintenance of the
tank has any corrosion or leak. It cannot tell us the exact depth AST. Distinct characteristic of maintenance is out-of-service
and severity of corrosion and cracks in ASTs. Though MFL is period, yet maintenance technologies are improving now. Good
out-of-service technique, it can precisely tell us the depth of information about the integrity of floor is the principle of
corrosion and cracks, up to 12mm in steel. It is more sensitive maintenance. This paper put forward ideas in the direction that
and accurate compared to AE, which we need to fulfil tests to if we implant in-service inspection, it would enhance the
the ASTs requirements. productivity of the AST lifecycle. This can be done by
Keeping in mind the current limitation of AE, it has potential for improving in-service and out-of-service period ratio.
continuous improvement. Technologies has been discussed, which can do this. Principle
The AE technique can spot faults on the ASTs floor decreasing of these technologies is to do in-service inspection without
the chance of emptying, cleaning and inspecting by other non- emptying and cleaning tank. Both economic and environmental
destructive testing (NDT) sources, thereby minimizing costs. If benefits can be achieved by doing this. Major drawback with
ASTs need opening for further investigation, MFL NDT may be these technologies is SNR value, which is not accurate. By
used for inspection of floors in tanks. sophisticated improvements over long period of time, it is
Ultra sound guided wave and AE are still in their developing potentially possible to extract information about floor by using
phases. They need further improvements. These technologies in-service inspection. In order to understand source and
can detect faults, but they don’t have the accuracy to tell us how characteristics of in-service inspections, still more laboratory
bad the fault has gotten. Researcher are working to rectify this and in-field work needed.
problem. Taking all these scenarios into account, I have
proposed a new feasible inspection procedure in next section.
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and starts inspection END
[17] Dr Chris Edwards. Condition monitoring of large oil and chemical storage
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and clean the tanks’. November 2006: TWI Ltd; 2014 p. 5-7.

Figure-9 Flowchart of complete inspection technique for the AST

E. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. John Mason of
Swansea University, for his supervision, advice and supports.
Dr John Mason lets me cooperate with Mr. Neil of Silver Wing
Group, who provides the useful information for me
REFERENCES

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