INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT OF AMMONIA STORAGE TANK BY NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING

Ammonia is a very dangerous fluid, and it is so important that its storage tanks are safe. Fusion welded joints (in further text: welded joints) are the 'weakest' location in some structures, in this case - tanks, and the detection of defects in welded joints during manufacture is also very important, since defects may cause failure with catastrophic events. NDT techniques that have been performed on welded joints show insight into the quality of the performed welding technique, and results imply whether tanks are safe to be put into exploitation. Three different methods are used for testing: visual, penetrant, and ultrasonic (in this case a new method is used). The first two methods show no irregularities, but third NDT method shows the necessity for tank repair. All of these tests are performed in accordance with relevant standards that are discussed, as well as the used NDT methods in general, with their ability and restrictions.