Comprehensive Inspection and Evaluation Technique for Atmospheric Storage Tanks

In china, atmospheric storage tanks are not included in the management of special equipment, and therefore they are not required to be inspected compulsorily. There is large difference between China and developed countries on atmospheric storage tank inspection technology as compared with the other technologies on the inspection of pressure vessels. It is widely believed that the strength worsening and perforation of the tank is mainly caused by the serious corrosion at the bottom surface of tank floor. The present development of nondestructive examination on atmospheric storage tank was analyzed systematically in this paper, in which the principle, the usage of inspection equipments and the application of the acoustic emission testing technology and magnetic flux leakage testing in atmospheric storage tanks were mainly introduced. The problems existing in the inspection equipments usage were discussed. A practice for inspecting and evaluating atmosphere storage tanks using these testing methods was proposed.