A study on acoustic emission technology for tank bottom corrosion inspection

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report an investigation into acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of the corrosion situation of the bottom of a large storage tank.

Design/methodology/approach

Guard sensors were applied in on‐line AE inspection of a tank bottom, and the AE signal characteristics of the corrosion areas of tank bottom were analyzed. The AE test results were compared with those from an internal tank internal test.

Findings

It was observed that guard sensors could shield effectively a large proportion of the extraneous noise signals inside the tank. The characteristics of AE signals from different types of corrosion were significantly different. A comparison of AE test results and tank internal inspection data showed a good agreement.

Originality/value

Characteristic AE signals from different types of corrosion were obtained for the first time, which assisted in the identification of the tank bottom corrosion situation.

Citation

Gang, D., Shijiu, J., Congying, Z. and Weikui, W. (2010), "A study on acoustic emission technology for tank bottom corrosion inspection", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 57 No. 6, pp. 275-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/00035591011087127