LORUS (Long Range UltraSonics)

“On stream inspection of annular plates in storage tanks”

Fluid loading

Θ Annular plate
Floor plate

Hidden corrosion at hard-to-access locations often poses inspectors for great problems.
Full inspection often requires taking components out of service for access; this is a
time consuming and costly procedure. LORUS has been developed to detect hidden
corrosion over a considerable range from a single access point. In a number of
applications, LORUS may be considered for on stream component inspection.

Storage Tank Inspection proper angle to propagate underneath the

Storage tank inspection is usually performed
after shut down of the tank. A full package of
ultrasonic and magnetic tools is available for
complete tank inspection. These techniques
can be applied on empty, thoroughly cleaned
and gas-free tanks. The inspection costs are
often only a small percentage of the total shut
down and cleaning costs. In general, fixed
inspection intervals are imposed by
governmental bodies. In many cases, the tank
• In-service inspection floor is in good condition and repairs are not
of annular plates required; large amounts of money could have
• Tank inspection
• Principle been saved or spent on tanks that require
• Data presentation higher priority for inspection. An upcoming
• Performance
• Restrictions trend is the use of on stream screening
• Validation techniques to establish general tank
condition. Risk based analysis is then applied
to calculate optimal inspection intervals.
LORUS annular plate inspection
In tank inspection, high attention is paid to
the annular plate, supporting the tank shell.
This region is considered critical, due to high
stresses and failures may lead to large
product spills or endanger personnel and
environment. Tank construction codes
prescribe a section of at least 50 mm of the
annular plate to exceed the shell. This small
edge suffices to position the LORUS probe
and perform the scanning along the shell.
The ultrasonic beam is emitted under the
shell and inspect over a range up to 1 metre.
Equipment
Specially designed high sensitivity ultrasonic
probes are applied to achieve a considerable
inspection range. A compact manual scanner
with three axis encoders records probe
position and viewing direction. Ultrasonic
and data recording facilities are housed in a
rugged computer.
Technique
During a scan parallel to the tank shell, the
probe is articulated and squinted over a
small angle to interrogate corroded areas
under various angles. This technique
achieves maximum reflectivity rather
independent of defect shape and orientation
and allows detection of defects in line with
others.
Data presentation
Maximum reflection amplitudes from all
viewing directions are stored and coherent
images are composed. Top view maps readily
show corrosion location and extent.
Amplitude levels are displayed in colour
coding and can be dynamically varied
off-line to assist data interpretation. High
reproducibility makes LORUS suitable for
periodic corrosion growth monitoring.

QUALITY SERVICES
Making the invisible visible
7332 rev. 1
 Severity classification
To a limited extent, corrosion severity may be
estimated from the LORUS images. Reference
reflectors are used for reflectivity reference to
give a rough depth indication in a few
severity grades.
Performance
• range up to 1 metre
• suitable for any tank diameter
• suitable for annular plates in thickness
range of 6 to 25 mm
• able to detect severe (pitting) corrosion
• able to detect local gradual corrosion
• corrosion mapping and area estimation
• production 10 -15 metres per day
• suitable for corrosion growth monitoring
• reflectivity of corroded areas may be used
to estimate severity
Restrictions
• no complete coverage of the tank floor
(the outer ring only)
• no discrimination between top and reverse
side corrosion is possible
• the scanning surface must be free of
impurities, welding droplets, surface
corrosion and coating (well bonded paint
or coating is acceptable)
QUALITY SERVICES
Making the invisible visible
• poor annular plate condition may decrease
the inspection range
Validation
Various international trials for leading tank
operators show the added value of LORUS
inspection. Feedback from invasive
inspections shows good agreement. Further
validation of LORUS is in progress.
Integral inspection packages
LORUS may be part of on and off stream
tank inspection packages. For on stream
inspection, a combination of LORUS with
visual inspection, magnetic flux leakage wall
thickness mapping, ultrasonic wall thickness
mapping or other on stream techniques
provides useful information about tank
condition without the need to open the tank.
LORUS may be applied to cover the floor
region directly behind the tank shell and the
corner weld, which are hard to access with
standard techniques.
LORUS sometimes is applied to prioritise off
stream inspection.