From Risk to Reliability: The Next Generation of Tank Floor Inspection

Tank floor inspections need to be fast, precise, and repeatable, yet traditional methods are slow, inconsistent, and prone to human error.

Tank floor inspections are time-sensitive due to financial, safety, and operational factors. The process must be both fast and accurate, requiring a balance between inspection speed and data quality. Several key challenges impact inspection efficiency:

• Acquisition Speed: Instruments must scan quickly without compromising data reliability. A poor signal-to-noise ratio can lead to missed defects or unnecessary downtime.
• Coverage Gaps: Traditional inspection methods leave unscanned areas, requiring supplemental techniques that slow the process. Ideally, the primary inspection tool should provide full tank floor coverage.
• Workflow Interruptions: Excessive interaction with software slows inspections. Operators should be able to start, stop, and resume scanning seamlessly without losing focus.
• Measurement Errors: Manual tape measurements introduce inconsistencies that affect defect localization, proving the need for automated defect marking and digital reporting.

MFL technology enables high-speed, high-accuracy scanning, automated reporting, and enhanced corrosion detection, ensuring complete tank floor coverage.

Maximizing Coverage and Reducing Dead Zones

Historically, MFL inspections have left coverage gaps, requiring additional verification steps. Curved scanning capabilities and multi-angle scanning enhancements now allow for greater inspection coverage in challenging areas, reducing reliance on secondary inspection methods. The automated scan path generation feature optimizes efficiency, ensuring a thorough assessment with minimal unscanned areas.

Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the difference between standard and enhanced MFL scanning coverage.

Figure 1: Tank floor coverage achieved with primary MFL equipment without curved scanning and custom scan capability.

Figure 2: Tank floor coverage is feasible with next-generation MFL equipment featuring curved and angled scanning.

Enhancing Workflow Automation and Data Accuracy

Modern MFL systems reduce operator workload by simplifying controls and automating defect marking. Minimal button-click functionality ensures that inspectors can operate the system with one hand, eliminating unnecessary movement. Integrated laser-guided defect marking improves accuracy, allowing defects to be rapidly pinpointed and correlated with real-time C-scan data. Digital reporting solutions eliminate manual documentation errors and ensure seamless compliance with industry standards such as API 653 and EEMUA 159.

What’s Next?

As industries continue to demand faster, more reliable, and higher-accuracy tank floor inspections, adopting advanced multi-technology MFL solutions is key to optimizing efficiency and ensuring asset integrity. With the ability to enhance detection, minimize downtime, and streamline workflows, this technology is setting a new standard in tank inspection.

To further improve your inspection process, consider how automated data management and reporting can complement your workflow.

Ready to take the next step? Contact our team today to discuss how our solution can fit your specific inspection needs to stay Beyond Current or request a demo to see it in action.