抄録
The floor of an above ground storage tank is impossible to inspect using conventional methods with the tank still in-service. However, the cost of removing it from service is exceedingly high when cleaning and decontamination costs are taken into account. Since 1990 a database has been developed in Europe by opening and inspecting tanks after AE testing as an alternative in-service monitoring method to interpret tank floor condition. The method uses sensitive AE sensors on the outside of the tank to listen to the sound resulting from corrosion of the floor. It provides a very cost-effective maintenance planning tool for tank farm managers, proven by its use on more than 3, 000 tanks. This technique was introduced to the Japanese industry in 1999. Since then more than 20 field tests have been made on tanks with different diameters in Japan. Intensive laboratory tests on AE sources and AE wave propagation have been also made in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This article reviews current status of AE tank floor testing .
