Research on metal atmospheric storage tank inspection method for standard in China

In China, the management and inspection of metal atmospheric storage tanks are still in a self-discipline or post-mortem mode. Therefore, the effective inspection is not carried out for most metal atmospheric storage tanks especially those being on service for more than 20 years. The potential leakage risk and environmental pollution are serious. In order to reduce the operating risk of metal storage tanks, effective inspection for metal atmospheric storage tanks is needed. Based on the practical situation of their management in China and the development process of the standard, an effective inspection method is proposed in this paper in which magnetic flux leakage testing and acoustic emission testing technologies are adopted. The method is used to verify the inspection results and the treatment for inspected defect is also put forward. The inspection results show that this method can be adopted in practical application.