A New Approach to the In-Service Inspection of Aboveground Storage Tank Floors

Timothé Falardeau, M.Sc., will present our aboveground storage tank floors inspection solution at the 2023 API Storage Tank Conference & Expo in Denver, Colorado. Join him at the Hilton Denver City Center, on October 12.

Assessing the integrity of aboveground storage tanks is an essential task in the oil and gas industry, as failure can lead to catastrophic events such as the release of products into the environment, forced shutdowns and fatal injuries to personnel. The most critical part of constructed storage tanks, according to API, is the floor. Inspection of the floor is usually carried out when the tank is out of service, but there is a movement in the industry to assess the floor when the tank is still in service. The most common method of inspecting an in-service tank floor is to use robotic tools. However, these tools are highly invasive, pose safety risks and cannot be used for all tank configurations.

Nucleom’s innovative solution for the in-service inspection of storage tank floors uses electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) to generate guided waves from the floor extension, into the tank. This solution allows for rapid corrosion screening of tank floors over a long length, through lap welds, without entering the tank. The main advantages are that it:

• Is non-invasive;
• Poses very little safety risks;
• Is non-contact and;
• Can be used with most types of products still in the tank and for most tank configurations.

Even though the results cannot replace a full internal inspection, the information can be used to evaluate the general condition of the floor, prioritize a tank inspection over another, as a high-efficiency inspection method in an RBI program or to estimate the budget for a next tank refurbishment.

The integrity assessment of aboveground storage tank floors is a critical task in the oil & gas industry. The most common method to inspect the floor of an in-service tank is using robotic tools. However, these tools are very invasive, pose safety risks and cannot be performed for all tank configurations. The goal of the presentation is to introduce a new innovative solution for the in-service inspection of storage tank floors.

Collaborate with Nucleom

Timothé is the Guided Wave department manager at Nucleom. He has extensive experience in the inspection of API built storage tanks. His fields of expertise are in integrity assessment, maintenance and repair of equipment built to API, ASME BPVC, STI & ULC, and in advance ultrasonic applications for the chemical and petrochemical industry. He is a registered engineer in Canada and has successfully completed a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He is currently certified: API 510, API 570, API 653, GUL GW L2: XB & QSR, SNT-TC-1A UT2 and ASNT Level 3.

Interested in learning more about our inspections compliant with the API 653 Standard? Our SALES TEAM will provide you with information about the process of certifying the compliance of your above-ground storage tanks.