Phoenix pioneers robot to prevent pollution disasters

Citation

(2000), "Phoenix pioneers robot to prevent pollution disasters", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 47 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2000.12847eaf.002

Phoenix pioneers robot to prevent pollution disasters

Phoenix pioneers robot to prevent pollution disasters

Keywords Phoenix Inspection Systems, Corrosion, Storage tanks, Pollution, Inspection, Robots

The film Erin Brockovich, in which actress Julia Roberts plays a legal secretary involved in an industrial pollution case, has highlighted what can happen when tanks containing noxious chemicals are allowed to leak into groundwater supplies.

Storage tanks holding hazardous liquids are used in a multitude of industries and represent a major environmental problem the world over. Yet disasters are hard to prevent, for once in service there is currently no satisfactory way to test for leaks or spot the early warning signs when tanks are likely to give way.

Now Phoenix Inspection Systems, the ultrasonic testing specialist based in Warrington, UK, has joined forces with organisations from the UK, Spain and Portugal to find a better solution.

Under the EU-funded project, Phoenix is helping to develop a submersible, explosion-proof robot which can be dropped into the tank while still in use and move over interior surfaces checking for leaks and corrosion. According to the EU, the system would result in worldwide savings of 1 billion Euros (£585 million) per year. Phoenix plans to develop the final prototype for sale to commercial users.

While tanks are primarily linked with the oil industry, they are also used extensively in wood pulp, electronics, photographic, chemical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and brewing industries.

An EU report states: "Leakage from corroded storage tanks, especially their floors, is a major environmental, economic and safety hazard, thus regular inspection of the structural integrity of the world supply of tanks is essential."

It says the world has a large supply of ageing tanks made up of large steel plates welded together.

According to American data, around 5 per cent of tanks in the USA are leaking through corrosion pits in the tank floor.

Even in more modern tanks, the weight of the contents can distort walls and floor, while hazardous liquids stored inside can corrode the metal and ground conditions in the soil underneath can "burn through" the floor of tanks as little as five months old.

According to Karl Quirk, managing director of Phoenix, legislation in many countries requires companies to test tanks regularly, using inspection methods such as ultrasonics to detect holes and corrosion. While the walls can be inspected externally, it is accessing the floor area that is the main problem.

He says: "Currently reliable results can only be achieved by internal inspection – an expensive, time-consuming and dangerous process which involves emptying the tank, transporting often hazardous contents to distant sites for storage, placing workers at risk of exposure to chemicals during the cleaning operation and weeks of lost production time.

"A robotic inspection system would represent a major step forward, since it could simply be dropped into the access hole and carry out the inspection automatically without having to remove the contents. The benefits in economic, environmental and safety terms would be immense."

The new system will be hydraulically operated to prevent the risk of explosions and be designed to withstand extreme conditions, such as corrosive fluids, high temperatures and high pressure. Once inside the tank, it will be linked to the outside by an umbilical cord.

Both a "walking" version, which grips the walls by use of suction cups-and a "rolling" version on magnetic wheels are being considered. The robot will carry banks of ultrasonic sensors, which test for metal thickness, and feed back information to a data analysis unit outside the tank.

Initial tests will be carried out on three sites, in an ammonia storage tank in a fertilizer plant, a liquor storage tank used in the production of bleached wood pulp, and a crude oil tank and light petroleum product storage tank.

However, it will be ideal for use in other types of storage tank, and may also be capable of adapting to fulfil a need for "climbing robots" for use on items such as ships, nuclear pressure vessels and outside walls of storage tanks.

Phoenix is a specialist in non-destructive testing (NDT). It designs and manufactures inspection equipment and has a worldwide reputation for producing robotic systems for use in hazardous environments such as the nuclear industry.

The project is part of the EU's competitive and sustainable growth research and development programme. Other partners are London's South Bank University; inspection specialists OIS, ISQ and Tecnatom; electronic instrumentation specialist EID; maintenance specialist MT; and Petrogal, an oil company.

Details available from: Phoenix Inspection Systems, Tel: +44 (0) 1925 826000.