Review of Underground Storage Tank Condition Monitoring Techniques

Abstract

This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on the condition monitoring techniques of underground storage tanks (UST). Generally, the UST has long been a favourite toxic substance reservation apparatus, thanks to its large capacity and minimum floor space requirement. Recently, attention has been drawn to the safety risks of the complex cylindrical-shaped system and its surrounding environment due to contamination resulting from unwanted subsurface leakage. Studies on related countermeasures shows that numerous efforts have been focused on the damage remediation process and fault detection practice; however, it has also been observed that there are uncertainties in present technical complications involving the effectiveness of corrective actions and the robustness of condition monitoring techniques. As an alternative means to deliver spatial information on structural integrity, the feasibility of integrating non- destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques with machine learning algorithms, on observing the degradation process of UST, so as to enhance condition monitoring competency, is discussed.