Inspection of Storage Tanks and Audit

Overview

The total cost of conventional inspections often far exceeds that of cleaning and inspection, with significant expenses tied to material transfer, product downgrades, and extended tank downtime. Additionally, the hidden costs of premature repairs can be substantial.

When tanks are emptied for conventional inspections, it disrupts operations, leading to the need for rapid inspections, which often carry a premium price and result in unnecessary repairs that may not be required for another five to ten years.

With TCR Engineering’s In-Tank Robotic Inspection service (deployed with our service partner company), you can drastically reduce these costs by performing API 653-compliant inspections of Above-Ground Storage Tanks (ASTs), including those filled with hydrocarbons or firewater, as well as Sumps, intake pipeline and Basins without needing to take them out of service for manual cleaning and inspection. This innovative approach minimises operational disruptions while ensuring thorough and accurate inspections.

These robots have been engineered to operate in hazardous environments, including hydrocarbon-filled tanks, with full compliance to ATEX certification by a European Notified Body and PESO approval from the Government of India. Our robotic inspection services deliver approximately 50 percent cost reduction and roughly ten times faster results against scaffolding-based methods, capturing high-density data of up to 200,000 ultrasonic thickness scans per tank, all while eliminating confined space entry and working-at-height hazards, which are major causes of industrial accidents.

The Robot is designed for in-service ultrasonic and visual inspection of storage tanks, significantly reducing the need for confined space entry. Our robotic crawlers perform high-density Ultrasonic Thickness (UT) scanning of storage tank floors, even while the tank is full, capturing up to 200,000 UT scans for comprehensive analysis. These inspections provide precise, real-time data on the tank’s condition, pinpointing areas of corrosion and quantifying remaining plate thickness without requiring the tank to be taken out of service or cleaned.

Its results provide valuable data, such as minimum remaining thickness, via extreme value analysis, and online in-depth analysis with colour mapping for easy interpretation. In line with API 653 and API RP 575, TCR's robotic solutions deliver more efficient and safer inspections of critical assets.

Our robotic systems have been successfully deployed at various reputable oil refineries and industrial sites. The ITAS Rover has completed internal inspections for over 14 in-service tanks at LNG terminals and other refineries. TCR has executed external shell inspections for 34 assets at a major petrochemical complex, demonstrating the versatility and capability of our MagRover technology. TCR can also develop custom robotic solutions tailored to specific inspection needs for pressure vessels, dome roof tanks, cross-country pipelines, jetty pile casing, pipe racks, and offshore riser pipes.

Key Benefits of TCR's In-Tank Robotic Inspection Services:

• No downtime: Conduct API 653 inspections while tanks remain in service.
• Faster inspections: Complete inspections in days rather than weeks or months.
• Cost-efficient: Avoid costly tank downtimes and unnecessary repairs.
• Safety and environmental advantages: Reduce safety risks and avoid cleaning-related waste disposal.
• Data-driven insights: Receive comprehensive data for informed decision-making, enabling repairs only when needed.

By utilising TCR Engineering’s robotic solutions, industries can ensure the integrity of their assets while minimising operational disruptions, environmental impact, and overall costs.

Tank Floor Inspection by Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing

At TCR Engineering, we utilize Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) testing as a highly effective Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) method to detect discontinuities such as corrosion, erosion, pitting, and circumferential cracks in finned ferromagnetic and carbon steel heat exchanger tubes, air coolers, and other large steel structures.

MFL is particularly well-suited for the inspection of Above Ground Storage Tanks (ASTs), especially the tank floor, due to its ability to quickly cover large surface areas. The method is recognized for its precision in identifying and sizing material loss with millimetre-level accuracy, providing valuable insights into the structural integrity of ferromagnetic assets.

Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) Testing is widely used in industries that require large-scale inspection, such as oil and gas, petrochemical, and storage sectors, and complies with standards like API 650 for ASTs. The method enables rapid scanning of tank floors, where a scanner equipped with an array of magnetic sensors can map material loss efficiently. This makes MFL an ideal technique for detecting corrosion and erosion in vast areas, often covering hundreds of square meters, and for ensuring compliance with relevant industry standards.

TCR’s Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) services are particularly useful in industries that prioritize safety and efficiency. We adhere to industry standards such as API 653 for tank inspections, ensuring that our clients meet regulatory compliance and maintain the highest levels of structural integrity. MFL is applied to a variety of use cases, including storage tanks, pressure vessels, and pipelines, providing quick and accurate results to guide maintenance and repair decisions.

By leveraging MFL technology, TCR Engineering provides clients with actionable data to identify and manage structural weaknesses, reduce downtime, and ensure the continued safe operation of critical assets.