The Problem

The American Petroleum Institute (API) 653 sets the standard for internal tank inspections. They give information as to what needs to be inspected, yet offer flexibility for how it can be inspected. If any part of the AST needs to be looked at beyond a ladders access, it requires an inspection company to build scaffolding or deploy a rope access team. It can cost over $1 million to scaffold an entire sphere tank without the certainty it even needed to be built in the first place. So how can this be improved upon?

Our Drone Solution

Drones bring value as visual aids during the inspection process. It can give better insight to any location in question before ever deciding to build scaffolding inside the tank. Even if scaffolding ultimately needs to be constructed, the Legacy One can give you confidence in knowing it was the right idea to further test this area with NDT methods. With features like the Photo Measurement Software, inspectors can effectively measure cracks, corrosion, and areas of concern in the post-processing software purchased with the vehicle. This gives API inspectors and asset owners the ability to more effectively track issues over a longer period.

 

Success Story

“As an owner/operator, having the ability to use the drone to take videos and still pictures inside the tank, I see a lot of value now and down the road in having the ability to get to inaccessible places without having to build a lot of scaffolding.”

–Earl Crotchet, Director of Engineering for Kinder Morgan
Past API AST Subcommittee Chairman

Industry Knowledge

API 653 requires Tank Roof Evaluations, making it one of the most challenging aspects of the inspection. Tank owners will typically have inspectors check the roof from the ground by looking with a flashlight to save money from building scaffolding. The Legacy One allows inspectors and OEM companies to gather standardized data very quickly and conveniently, without the worry of building scaffolding to any portion of the AST. Interactive Aerial knows their UAV is not an end-all answer for the entire API 653 internal inspection but can identify specific areas to repair during the outage, drastically shortening the downtime of an AST in comparison to scaffolding the whole interior.

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