Comparison of

EEMUA 159 to
API Standards

Mark A. Baker, P.E.

National Petroleum Management Association’s

Petro 2012

May 28 – 31, 2012

Washington D.C.
EEMUA 159
User’s Guide to the Inspection,
Maintenance and Repair of Aboveground
Vertical Cylindrical Steel Storage Tanks
Edition: 3rd
Engineering Equipment
and Materials Users
Association / Jan-2003 /
Amendments Feb-2004

2
API Standard 653
Tank Inspection, Repair,
Alteration, and
Reconstruction

Fourth Edition April 2009

Addendum 1, August 2010
Addendum 2, January 2012

3
API Standard 653
This document addresses:
Tanks built to API 650 and its predecessor
API 12C.
Minimum requirements for maintaining the
integrity
This standard employs the principles of API
650
Owner/operators may apply this standard to
any tank constructed to a tank specification.

4
EEMUA 159
This Standard addresses:
 Establishment of essential inspection requirements for tanks.
 Minimize problems and extend useful life.
 Gives guidance on design features, common problems
experienced during operation and on repair methods.
 This addresses tanks built in accordance with British Standards
 Where appropriate it refers to and makes use of international
standards and codes such as those from API.
 This publication is intended as a general inspection, maintenance
and repair guide applicable tanks

5
Inspector Qualifications
 API 653
◦ Authorized inspector
 Must have experience and pass a written examination
 Recertification is required every 6 years
◦ Owner/Operator Inspectors
 Must have knowledge tanks and local operating
conditions
 EEMUA 159
◦ No certification process for tank inspectors
◦ Inspectors should be experienced

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Inspection Requirements
Routine External Inspections
API 653:
◦ Required to be conducted on a Monthly Basis

EEMUA 159:
◦ Required to be conducted on every 3 Months

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Inspection Requirements

Formal External Inspections

 API 653:
◦ Required to be conducted the lesser of 5 years
or the quarter corrosion rate life of the shell.

8
Inspection Requirements

Formal External Inspections

 EEMUA 159:

◦ Ranges from 1 year to 15 year intervals.

Factors include climate and type of product..
◦ 5 years – crude oil, and refined products with
no internal liner
◦ 8 years finished products with internal liner
◦ 10 years for Jet A with internal liner

9
Table B.3-1

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Inspection Requirements
Formal Internal Inspections
 API 653:
◦ Based on the bottom corrosion rate not to exceed 20 years
◦ Risk based inspection can be used – See API 580, “Risk-Based
Inspection”.
MRT is:
 0.100 for with no RPB or thick film liner
 0.050 when RPB or Thick film liner is present
MRT = (Minimum of RTbc or RTip) – Or (StPr + UPr)
where:

MRT = minimum remaining thickness at the end of interval Or.

Or = in-service interval of operation (years to next internal inspection)
RTbc = minimum remaining thickness from bottom side corrosion after repairs,
RTip = minimum remaining thickness from internal corrosion after repairs,
StPr = maximum rate of corrosion not repaired on the top side.
UPr = maximum rate of corrosion on the bottom side.

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Inspection Requirements
 Formal Internal Inspections
 EEMUA 159:
◦ Based on Table B.3 Ranges from 3 years to 20 year
intervals. Factors include climate and type of product.
◦ 8 years – crude oil
◦ 16 years finished products with internal liner
◦ 10 years finished products with no liner
◦ Allows for use of probabilistic preventive maintenance
– detailed explanation and guidelines are given.
◦ MRT at next inspection 2.5 mm or 1.5 mm

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Inspection Requirements

Formal
Internal
Inspections

EEMUA 159:

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Bottom Extension
API 653 requires a minimum thickness of
0.100 inches at 3/8 inch from the shell-to-
bottom weld.

EEMUA 159 requires a minimum of 2.5

mm (0.098 in) at 9.5 mm (0.374 in) from
the shell-to-bottom weld

Approximatelythe same requirements for

each document.

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Inspection Requirements

Inspections
Checklists

Both API 653 and

EEMUA 159 use the
same checklists

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 Foundation Settlement
Differential Settlement
◦ API 653 requires a total of D/10 survey
locations with a minimum of 8. Tolerances
are given as
( L2 xYx11)
S 
2( ExH )
Where:
S = maximum permissible deflection inft
L = arc length between measurements points
in ft
YS = yield strength in lbf/in2
E = Young’s modulus in lbf/in2
H = tank height in ft

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Foundation Settlement
Differential Settlement
◦ EEMUA requires a total of D/10 survey
locations with a minimum of 8 with the
distance not exceeding 10 m.
◦ Tolerances are given as:
 100 mm (3.94 inches) between any two
points at 10 m intervals

◦ Alternatively

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Foundation Settlement
Differential Settlement
◦ Fixed roof tanks without an internal floating
cover

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Foundation Settlement
 Differential Settlement
◦ Floating roof tanks and large fixed roof tanks
equipped with internal floating covers of diameters
exceeding 40 m

(11000 xYSxL2 )
S 
2( ExH )
Where:
S = maximum permissible deflection in mm
L = arc length between measurements points
in meters
YS = yield strength in MPa
E = Young’s modulus in MPa
H = tank height in meters

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Foundation Settlement
Planar Settlement
◦ API 653 does not address planar tilt
tolerance
◦ EEMUA 159 permits a maximum out-of-
verticality should not exceed h/100

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Settlement
API 653 Edge Settlement

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Settlement
EEMUA 159 Edge Settlement
◦ Maximum permissible edge settlement to
125 mm (4.92 in)over 750 mm (29.5 in)
◦ If it is exceeded then the tank should be re-
leveled

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Settlement
API 653 Bottom
Depressions
◦ Maximum permissible
bottom settlement or
Bulges is given by:
BB = 0.37R
Where:
BB = maximum height of bulge or
depth of local depression, in
R = radius of inscribed circle in bulged
area or local depression, in ft

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Settlement
EEMUA 159 Bottom Depressions
◦ Depressions are acceptable provided
 The aspect ratio of height to width of the ripple is
not greater than 75:500 (mm:mm) i.e. 0.15 –
(3”:20”)
 They do not form a severe crease over any of
their length

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Settlement
Center-to-Edge Settlement (Sagging)
API 653 – Does not directly address the overall
center-to-edge settlement
EEMUA 159 – The maximum settlement is
given as

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Shell Thickness 2.6( H  1) DG
t min 
API SE
653

26
Shell Thickness
EEMUA 159
The procedure for evaluation of tmin is
essentially the same as API 653.
D
t min  (98W ( H  0.3)  P)
20SE
EEMUA adds a term for internal
pressure which is not considered in API
653.

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Shell Thickness
◦ API 653 allows for the authorized inspector
to determine the number and location of UT
measurements during an inspection
◦ EEMUA 159 requires a grid system for
obtaining UT measurements

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Roof Thickness
API 653
◦ Min of 0.090 in. in any 100 in2 area
◦ Structure corrosion is to be evaluated

EEMUA 159
◦ Min of 2 mm in a 500 mm by 500 mm area
(0.079 in. in 387.5 in2 area)
◦ Structure corrosion is limited to 25% before
replacement is required.

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Brittle Fracture
API 653
Assessment per
Section 5 of API 653

EEMUA 159
No specific guidance
for brittle fracture
considerations

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Repairs
API 653
Comprehensive repair section for the tank shell
and bottom including nondestructive
examination

Section 8 – Design Considerations for

Reconstructed Tanks
Section 9 – Tank Repair and Alteration
Section 10 – Dismantling and Reconstruction
Section 12 – Examination and Testing

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Repairs
EEMUA 159
◦ The document provides minimal guidance to
the user.
◦ The document refers the user to international
standards
◦ Appendix C has some examples for welding
sequence and tank jacking

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Hydrostatic Testing

API 653
◦ Comprehensive section detailing when a
hydrostatic test is required
◦ Provides calculation for maximum fill
level
◦ Provides rules for foundation settlement
surveys when settlement is anticipated.

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Hydrostatic Testing

EEMUA 159
◦ Provides a detailed filling sequence
◦ Water quality requirements
◦ Provides a reprint from API 653 as well
as discusses the BS 2654 requirements
◦ Discusses survey requirements

34
Filling Sequence

35
EEMUA 159

Hydrostatic Test
Flow Chart

36
Additional Requirements
EEMUA 159
Details not in API 653:
 Tank painting
 Cathodic protection
 Corrosion mechanisms
 Product characteristics
 Risk based inspection
 Tank jacking
 Detailed foundation design
 Tank relocation

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Other information
◦ Much of the information presented in EEMUA 159 is
present in other API standards:
 Tank painting - API 652
 Cathodic protection - API 651
 Corrosion mechanisms - API 570
 Product characteristics - API 570
 Risk based inspection - API 580
 Tank jacking - API SCAST
studying this issue for inclusion in API 653
 Foundation design - API 650 (Appendix B)
 Tank relocation - API 653 (reconstruction)

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Collaboration
No official collaboration between the two
standards is underway
TheChairman of the EEMUA 159
committee has attended API SCAST
meetings
Some members of the SCAST committee
have attended EEMUA 159 meetings

39
Conclusions
◦ API 653 and EEMUA 159 are both good
documents
◦ API 653 provides a procedure to demonstrate
that the tank inspector posses a minimum body
of knowledge and experience
◦ In general, API 653 is more conservative than
EEMUA 159
◦ EEMUA 159 contains information which fills in
topics not covered in API 653

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Thank you

Mark A. Baker, P.E.

Baker Consulting Group, Inc.
mark.baker@bakercgi.com
www.bakercgi.com