The Cervic Corrosion in Storage Tank
The Cervic Corrosion in Storage Tank
The Cervic Corrosion in Storage Tank
ABSTRACT
Corrosion of crude oil storage tank roofs is a worldwide problem. The environmental and
application conditions of roof vapor spaces are unpredictable due to the high concentration of
acidic gases, relative humidity up to 100%, low pH and large variations in temperature. Due to
pitting and crevice corrosion, tanks can be taken out of operation for maintenance or replace the
roofs as often as every 5-10 years. Due to the described situations, there many well-known failures
(leakage and loss of product, contamination of environment, fires and explosions) that has
happened in many countries. To solve this problem, it is necessary to identify the critical areas and
then make timely repairs. This paper presents a system and technologies that allow diagnostic
corrosion conditions of internal and external surfaces of tank roofs. The presented new diagnostic
system allows evaluating the general and crevice corrosion, the condition of coatings on the
external and internal surfaces of tank roofs. The diagnostic results significantly reduce the risks of
accidents and provides recommendations on carrying out maintenance work on the most weakened
sections of tank roofs. This diagnostic system excludes the necessity to provide direct
measurement of tank roofs corrosion condition and greatly increases the service life of tanks.
Keywords: refineries, environment, contamination, fire, explosion
INTRODUCTION
The developed new systems and technologies [1-3] allow predicting corrosion conditions
and other possible damages of aboveground oil storage tanks, exclude loss of products,
contamination of environment, fire and explosion. In addition, this technology excludes the
necessary to have a professional team responsible to check directly the corrosion condition of tanks
roof. In all cases the direct measurement of corrosion conditions cannot guarantee absence of some
parts with critical corrosion rate.
The most critical are the areas under tanks roof where in addition to general corrosion (0.1-
0.5 mm/year), exists pitting (0.5-5.0 mm/year), crevice (0.3-8.0 mm/year) and galvanic (0.2-3.0
mm/year) corrosion [4-6] that cannot be checked directly (Fig.1). This situation occurs because
the vapor space in the tank roofs exist in a very aggressive corrosion environment (Table 1).
It became very important to focus on managing the refinery corrosion risk by focusing on
corrosion detection and accident prevention [7]. To solve these problems, developed highly
efficient corrosion protection systems, but they are did not implemented worldwide and does not
exclude the necessity diagnostic corrosion condition of the tank roofs due to unpredictable
corrosion condition under the tank roofs.
TABLE 1
EXAMPLES OF CORROSION ENVIRONMENT IN VAPOR SPACE
OF CRUDE OIL STORAGE TANKS [4]
o
Gases Temperature, C RH, %
O2(%) SO2(ppm) H2S(ppm)
10-55 40-100
10-20 1-20 3-25
The described problems in most cases can be eliminated by implementing the new
technologies based on modern methods of nondestructive diagnostic the corrosion condition of
tank roofs to ensure the operational safety of the oil storage tanks [3].
The developed new systems and technologies allow predicting corrosion conditions and
other possible damages of aboveground oil storage tanks roofs, exclude loss of products,
contamination of environment, and fire and explosion. In addition, this technology excludes the
necessary to have a professional team responsible to check directly the corrosion condition of tanks
roof. In all cases the direct measurement of corrosion condition cannot guarantee absence of some
parts with critical corrosion rate.
The main task of acoustic stress-strain State is to determine by the results of acoustic
measurements the component of tensors stresses (deformations) and recovery, based on the
processing of obtained data, paintings distribution of stresses and directions of action of efforts.
The "sole" type system is designed to monitor the actual integrity and condition of individual
tanks and their large parks. Monitoring of the condition of each controlled capacity is carried out
on a non-contact and permanent basis. Data on capacity parameters are updated once a week.
The special program monitors the changes in the parameters of each capacity, and in the case
of occurrence of critical levels in the state of one of the tanks, paints its symbolic image on the
circuit in the color of an accidental reddish tint with a gradation of the risk scale established by the
specialists, in order to attract attention of system operators and technical specialists to its state.
The principle of operation of the system "sole" is based on the remote collection from the
autonomous sensors, placed on the controlled tanks of information about all longitudinal or
transverse acoustic waves and their spectra, arising at each cycle pouring capacity and
triangulation method to determine the coordinates of hidden subsurface defects.
The depth of occurrence of the revealed cracks is determined taking into account the frequency
corresponding to the minimum value of the spectrum of the received signal and the orientation of
the crack.
The new developed diagnostic technology/systems in most cases allows solving the described
problems and finding out where and when it is necessary to provide maintenance and/or replace
the corrosion protection systems.
REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS OF OIL AND GAS STORAGE TANKS ROOF
USING CONTROLLED UNMANNED SYSTEMS TO ENSURE:
1. Long-term, cost-effective and safe operation of storage tanks, necessary to conduct systematic
diagnostic work - scanning the entire surface area of tanks roof that provide:
> Identification of all kinds of defects that change the initial state of the tanks, the state of
the protective coating and the corrosion deterioration of the outer and inner surfaces;
> Minimum costs of diagnostic work to evaluate the results;
> Recommendations (a reasonable work plan) for maintenance of storage tanks.
2. The integrated system’s tools consist of the following components:
> Command and Control Center for characterization and analysis of storage tank roofs
network integrity in real time,
> Sensors on a low altitude which collect the following data:
- dynamic stress-state calculation,
- condition of coating,
- external and internal average, pitting, stress creaking corrosion.
Monitoring is performed periodically. The frequency of monitoring is defined depending
on the tanks tape and application condition, corrosion activity of the environment, used corrosion
protection systems and initial corrosion condition of tanks roof internal and external surfaces. For
basics used previously collected information that allow to find out corrosion condition of tanks
roof after 1, 3, 5 and 10 years application.
This monitoring system is used to check the following possible problems:
1. Contamination of environment due to unexpected external and/or internal corrosion
of thanks roofs,
2. The necessity to take tanks out of operation to replace or conduct very expensive
maintenance work.
DIAGNOSTIC THE STORAGE TANKS ROOF CONDITION
To find out the condition of tanks roofs, a second system, similar to the first system was
developed and applied for diagnostic corrosion condition of underground and aboveground
pipelines [1-3] presented on Fig.3.
The measurement methodology based on:
➢ Magnetometer measurement of stress and strain
➢ Deciphering aerial photography
➢ 3D imaging based on induction instrumentation and photogrammetry
➢ Stress and strain calculations
➢ Risk assessment and prioritization
➢ Successful practice in place
Depending on the number of tanks, application conditions and specific requirements for
diagnostic of tank roofs can be used:
➢ The helicopter where all the necessary instruments for diagnostic are installed for
different/many storage tanks in different locations (Fig. 3a) or
➢ A stationary system (Fig, 3b), where installed only the necessary instruments and
equipment used in the unmanned system (Fig. 3a)
a b
Figure 3 - Diagnostic equipment for testing of multiple (a) and individual (b) storage
tanks, and c- Example of corrosion rate measurement results.
The above development based on the grate achievement by application of unnamed system
for diagnostic the corrosion condition and other damages during application of underground and
aboveground pipelines. The same can be achieved by application of this system for diagnosing the
corrosion condition and other damages that can happen on the storage tank roofs.
СONCLUSIONS
Leakage and explosion of oil storage tanks due to unexpected external and/or internal
corrosion of tanks roofs, loss of products, contamination of environment, fire and explosions are
well-known problems in most of countries.
1. Application of the new developed controlled technology is an unmanned system that allows
providing detailed inspection and diagnostic of oil storage tanks.
2. Find out the locations that must be frequency controlled and also identified the locations where
the parts of pipeline must be immediately maintained or replaced.
3. It has become clear that application of the developed technology will allow predicting location
of possible leaks and ruptures in the first place.
4. The application results allow making decisions that the developed and approved diagnostic
technology:
➢ easily applicable and allow recommendations on how to exclude the leakage,
environment contamination, fire and explosion of pipelines;
➢ will significantly (in many cases) decrease the duration and time to find out the
application condition of pipelines;
➢ increases service life of pipelines, exclude the necessity to take pipelines out of operation,
significantly decrease the cost of application.
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