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Storing large quantities of anything is no easy task. Especially when what you
are storing is toxic, explosive, or hazardous in any other way. Luckily, that’s
what we have storage tanks for.
We’ve created this article to help you take care of your containers and
business. So, without further ado, let’s look at everything you need to know
about tanks and tank inspections.
chemical
petrochemical
cosmetic
plastic
steel
refineries
power and energy
graphic and paper
food and beverage
There are many different kinds of storage tanks — each with unique build
characteristics, intended uses, and necessary inspection requirements.
Depending on their specifics, we can divide these storage vessels into
different groups based on various factors.
1. Altitude/Location-based
Depending on where we place a storage tank, it can be either above ground
or underground. The main differences between the two are security and
accessibility.
Underground tanks are safer from vandals but are harder to access, making
underground tank inspections an issue. Meanwhile, above-ground tanks are
the exact opposite — less secure but easier to access and inspect.
2. Atmospheric
Depending on their design and build, tanks can be atmospheric or
pressurized. The difference is how much pressure they can withstand, which
dictates what resources they can contain.
Atmospheric tanks can withstand 2.5 psi and are typically used for various oils
(crude, heavy, gas, furnace), naphtha, gasoline, water, and certain gasses.
Meanwhile, even low-pressure tanks can withstand up to 15 psi and are used
for water, light crude oil, pentane, volatile chemicals, liquid oxygen, hydrogen,
etc.
Specific examples of tanks:
fixed-roof tanks
external floating roof tanks
domed external roof tanks
internal floating roof tanks
horizontal tanks
variable vapor space tanks
LNG (liquefied natural gas tanks)
low-pressure tanks
medium pressure tanks
high-pressure tanks
Risks associated with storage
tanks
Damaged or failing tanks can cause considerable damage. Leaks can pollute
the surrounding environment, cause a fire or result in an explosion.
The need for maintenance and inspections is clear. But before we explore
those, we should discuss how tank leaks happen.
Corrosion happens over time, which makes it particularly dangerous for older
tanks. Typically, it takes several years to cause real damage, but it could only
take a few months, depending on the conditions.
The speed at which your tanks corrode depends on local weather and
exposure to the elements, tank condition, and maintenance.
If too much metal rusts away, your tank can become unstable and shift or
burst under pressure, resulting in a dangerous leak. This also applies to pipes
and all other associated equipment, not just the storage unit itself.
The same thing can happen if you overfill your containers. Liquids change
their volume in different temperatures, so if you don’t leave room for the
necessary expansion, you could end up with a catastrophe.
Second, you need to create an inspection and testing plan (ITP). We’ll discuss
the possible inspection approaches in the next section. Finally, you need to
carry out regular maintenance and address any potential hazards as soon as
you discover them.
The process starts with risk analysis, where you assess the history of failures
and defects of your storage tanks. You can do this, for example, even with
an equipment maintenance checklist.
Instead of prioritizing the highest-risk components, with TBI, you try to find the
right interval for inspecting your entire facility.
However, just as with RBI, you need to consider a variety of aspects to find
the correct solution.
In doing so, you can improve your operation’s safety and efficiency, save
yourself the trouble of a potentially catastrophic malfunction, and spare
Earth’s natural resources.
Preventative Maintenance Checklist
Download a free Preventive Maintenance template to inspect the state of the
equipment or machinery
Download template
On top of that, digital also offers numerous benefits beyond ecology. It’ll allow
you to view all necessary information regarding your tank inspections in one
place, give you access to real-time data and reports, etc.
With resco.Inspections, you can create new inspection forms, checklists, and
reports on the fly and digitize old ones. Our form Designer not only gives you
access to 100+ features, saves your time and money, but also saves the
environment.