As per API 653 regulation, monthly tank inspections are mandatory. Besides this, worldwide inspection services companiesare required to conduct 10-years internal inspection and 5-years in external service inspection.

Monthly inspections must be done by trained professionals only. However, the person may not necessarily be certified. It’s the responsibility of the tank operator to maintain a record of all the inspections done so far and provide it for review by the regulators.

In this blog, we are going to look deeper into the API 653 inspection standard.

Can API 653 Inspections Detect Moisture Under the Insulation? 

For tank inspection companies, inspecting heated and insulated tanks are challenging. There could be anything inside the insulation and metal jacketing. There are many instances where external inspections couldn’t trace corrosion under insulation that led to tank failure. When getting an API inspection, make sure it can detect moisture under the metal covering or insulation.

Corrosion Under Insulation – Are There Solutions For Repairing Damage and Preventing Further Corrosion?

What are the Ways to Repair the Tank and Prevent Further Damage?

There are cases where a tank started to leak with just three months of thorough 10-year-out-of-service inspection. The area behind the horizontal insulation panels, which went uncheck, started to leak. When such incidents happen, it can lead to great expense.

When conducting a tank inspection, it’s essential to scan every part of the tank. Insulation specialist should identify how the water may have intruded that may have caused the corrosion on the outer jacket. Once the team has tracked the source of water, the next step is to devise a solution to prevent further corrosion.

Can You Avoid Hidden Moisture Damage?

Many tank inspection specialists think that adopting a customer’s insulation program into their testing process is the best way to adhere to API 653.

Most tank inspection professionals expose the tank corner weld. This practice of increasing the tank insulation allows the inspection specialist to monitor the welded part, which is often most challenging to reach. Besides this, the exposed insulation jacked lets the tank owner or operator to look for moisture that may have seeped from the bottom of the tank.

With the help of inspection ports and ultrasonic thickness meter, the operators can regularly keep track of the condition of the vessel walls. Such ports are easy to install and use and doesn’t require hot work permits.

Insulation Support Systems

Using insulation support systems is another way to comply with API 653 standards. The support systems work as a robust platform to keep the insulation panels. This also makes it easier for tank inspection technicians to go scan critical areas that are hard to access otherwise. The support systems are available in different sizes and are wide enough to accommodate the insulation panels. To use the support system, attach the angle clips to the tank. However, one must be careful when using it as the support system is rigid.