Large storage tanks are prone to degradation by corrosion mechanisms, mainly in the bottom floor plates where as a consequence, leaks tend to occur. Leakage from corroded floor plates is a major environmental, safety and economic hazard in the petrochemical and oil industry. Leakages are prevented by industry recognized inspection procedures that include emptying the tanks for internal inspections, which implies large periods of equipment unavailability, with expensive, time consuming and hazardous cleaning processes, which involve high risk exposure of workers to chemicals. The purpose of the paper was to present an entirely new technology to be used in the in-service inspection of storage tanks for hazardous products in several different industries. Several research areas were investigated, fundamentally robotics and non-destructive test tools. Initial trials in laboratory were complemented with a field test program in near-real conditions. A new design of tool for in-service inspection of such equipments proved to be feasible to be constructed and operated and in accordance with current safety regulations. The authors developed a robotized tool for inspection of the floor and walls of in-service tanks, in order to allow an evaluation of the condition of the plates of these tanks, avoiding the long period, hazards and high costs necessary for creating the conditions for an out of service inspection. The novelty of the RobTank Inspec project could be evaluated from the two or three existing competitors in the world, and the results of the surveys undertaken. With the system developed by this project, the emphasis will be placed on oil and chemical leak prevention and condition evaluation of the storage tanks rather than leak detection, which is prevalent actually in some tank users industry. The inspection vehicle will be resistant to hostile environments and will comply with the necessary safety requirements.
RobTank Inspec - in service robotized inspection tool for hazardous products storage tanks
RobTank Inspec - ein robotisiertes Werkzeug für das Inbetriebprüfen von Gefahrgut-Lagerbehältern
The Industrial Robot ; 32 , 2 ; 157-162
2005
6 Seiten, 16 Bilder, 3 Quellen
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
Robotized assembly section relieves workers of heavy and hazardous manual labor
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