Enhancing In-Service Tank Maintenance Through Industrial Internet of Things

Abstract

In the area of tank inspections across the industry, robots were introduced to replace human inspectors in selected operations. The technological gap in adoption of similar technologies by Zimbabwe's bulk fuel storage tanks operators motivated this research. The industry's current NDT practices were investigated, costs and inconveniences were identified, and improvements were explored. Operators of bulk fuel facilities and companies providing tank inspection services were engaged to establish the reasons for the gaps in technological assimilation. Emerging global technologies that enable in-service inspections were identified and their applicability to Zimbabwe's bulk fuel facilities was investigated. A combination of crawler based ultrasonic thickness tests for tank shells, and acoustic emission in-service tank bottom testing was observed to be the most convenient and relevant in-service tank inspection method for Zimbabwe's bulk fuel storage tanks industry. Internet-based remote connectivity and control was considered for data compilation, analysis, storage, and reporting.