Research demonstrates effective online detection of crack defects in petroleum tank infrastructure, highlighting critical safety improvements.
Above-ground storage tanks (ASTs) represent critical infrastructure within the petroleum industry, with corrosion and crack defects posing significant threats to their structural integrity and operational safety. Traditional inspection techniques, such as magnetic particle, penetrant, eddy current, and radiographic testing, require tank shutdown and internal access, making them impractical for real-time monitoring. To address these limitations, this study investigates advanced online detection technologies, including Acoustic Emission Testing (AET), High-Frequency Guided Wave Testing (GW), Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT), and Field Gradient Imaging (FGI). Experiments conducted on storage tanks from a representative oilfield indicate that while Acoustic Emission Testing faces limitations in accurately detecting static defects due to environmental interferences, both Guided Wave and Phased Array technologies successfully detect and quantify internal crack defects. Field Gradient Imaging demonstrates notable advantages in visualizing crack geometry comprehensively. These findings provide valuable references for optimizing inspection strategies and ensuring the safe management of storage tanks.
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Ying et al. (2025) studied this question.