Acoustic Emission Testing of Metallic Pressure Equipment
Ensuring Safety, Compliance, and Efficiency for Your Storage Tanks
Ensuring Safety, Compliance, and Efficiency for Your Storage Tanks
Spherical metallic pressure vessels are commonly found in various industrial facilities and represent a significant capital investment, crucial to the operation of the facility. Additionally, the contents of such vessels can be highly flammable or, in general, hazardous. Therefore, maintaining such vessels in good condition is vital both from a cost and from a safety and environmental point of view.
Localised Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques such as Ultrasonic Testing (UT) may well be applied for welds and base metal inspection but are confined by certain objective limitations. Time and economics are a major issue; for instance, a typical 16m-diameter sphere has a surface of about 800 m2 while the total length of welds for a typical plate configuration is well over 400m. Understandably, 100% inspection is difficult and only a small fraction may be inspected within a reasonable time frame.
In addition, traditional inspection methods rely on acceptance criteria typically related to dimensions and characteristics of inherent weld discontinuities including geometric measurements such as length and height. The majority of Industry Standards used for weld assessment including the various ASME standards are specifically written to include Acceptance criteria for welds based on these characteristics.
Acoustic Emission Testing is a non-invasive, global NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) technique that listens for the stress waves produced by defects as they grow under stress. This method allows for the inspection of the entire structure, including welds and base materials, in a single pressurisation—detecting flaws early and minimising operational disruptions.
Detection
Detection
Piezoelectric sensors mounted on the vessel's surface capture elastic stress waves from active defects
Analysis
Analysis
Special multi-channel AE data acquisition equipment processes these signals, assessing the vessel's integrity
Grading
Grading
Results are presented in a Zone Intensity Plot, rating areas from A to E based on the severity of detected flaws
Our grading system, aligned with ASME V Article 12, provides clear, actionable insights into your vessel’s condition. This global assessment allows for targeted maintenance, focusing resources on areas that truly need attention—enhancing safety and reducing costs.
Inspects 100% of the structure, including difficult-to-reach areas, in one go.
Significantly reduces inspection time and costs by focusing on areas that require further inspection.
Conducted while the vessel is in service, causing minimal disruption to your operations.
Early detection of potentially critical flaws allows for timely corrective action.