Abstract
The integrity of large storage tanks features significantly in the budget of maintenance and inspection departments within the petroleum and petrochemical industries. The unpredicted failure of a storage tank will not only seriously affect the operating flexibility within a company, but may lead to punitive action being taken by the authorities against the company for any pollution that may occur.
A great deal of effort, as well as expense, is expended in the monitoring and inspection of storage tanks to ensure their integrity. Techniques used in predicting and assessing the condition of storage tanks are improving steadily and this paper provides an insight into techniques that are currently being used and methods that are being developed. The paper also proposes areas of research which need to be undertaken if economies are to be realized in this expensive process.
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