Modern Corrosion Mapping of Storage Tank Bottoms--Notable Advancements in Critical Zone Coverage,Inspection Efficiency and Data Integrity

Every day,an NDT(Non-Destructive Testing)report will govern key decisions and inform inspection strategies that could affect the flow of millions of dollars which ultimately affects local environments and potential risk to life.There is a direct correlation between report quality and equipment capability.The more able the equipment is-in terms of efficient data gathering,signal to noise ratio,positioning,and coverage-the more actionable the report is.This results in optimal maintenance and repair strategies providing the report is clear and well presented.Furthermore,when considering tank floor storage inspection it is essential that asset owners have total confidence in inspection findings and the ensuing reports.Tank floor inspection equipment must not only be efficient and highly capable,but data sets should be traceable and integrity maintained throughout.Corrosion mapping of large surface areas such as storage tank bottoms is an inherently arduous and time-consuming process.MFL(magnetic flux leakage)based tank bottom scanners present a well-established and highly rated method for inspection.There are many benefits of using modern MFL technology to generate actionable reports.Chief among these includes efficiency of coverage while gaining valuable information regarding defect location,severity,surface origin and the extent of coverage.More recent advancements in modern MFL tank bottom scanners afford the ability to scan and record data sets at areas of the tank bottom which were previously classed as dead zones or areas not scanned due to physical restraints.An example of this includes scanning the CZ(critical zone)which is the area close to the annular to shell junction weld.Inclusion of these additional dead zones increases overall inspection coverage,quality and traceability.Inspection of the CZ areas allows engineers to quickly determine the integrity of arguably the most important area of the tank bottom.Herein we discuss notable developments in CZ coverage,inspection efficiency and data integrity that combines to deliver an actionable report.The asset owner can interrogate this report to develop pertinent and accurate maintenance and repair strategies.

Enhanced structural damage behavior of liquid-filled tank by reactive material projectile impact

A series of ballistic experiments were performed to investigate the damage behavior of high velocity reactive material projectiles(RMPs) impacting liquid-filled tanks,and the corresponding hydrodynamic ram(HRAM) was studied in detail.PTFE/Al/W RMPs with steel-like and aluminum-like densities were prepared by a pressing/sintering process.The projectiles impacted a liquid-filled steel tank with front aluminum panel at approximately 1250 m/s.The corresponding cavity evolution characteristics and HRAM pressure were recorded by high-speed camera and pressure acquisition system,and further compared to those of steel and aluminum projectiles.Significantly different from the conical cavity formed by the inert metal projectile,the cavity formed by the RMP appeared as an ellipsoid with a conical front.The RMPs were demonstrated to enhance the radial growth velocity of cavity,the global HRAM pressure amplitude and the front panel damage,indicating the enhanced HRAM and structural damage behavior.Furthermore,combining the impact-induced fragmentation and deflagration characteristics,the cavity evolution of RMPs under the combined effect of kinetic energy impact and chemical energy release was analyzed.The mechanism of enhanced HRAM pressure induced by the RMPs was further revealed based on the theoretical model of the initial impact wave and the impulse analysis.Finally,the linear correlation between the deformation-thickness ratio and the non-dimensional impulse for the front panel was obtained and analyzed.It was determined that the enhanced near-field impulse induced by the RMPs was the dominant reason for the enhanced structural damage behavior.

Explosion damage effects of aviation kerosene storage tank under strong ignition

In order to study the blast damage effects of aviation kerosene storage tanks,the out-field explosion experiments of 8 m3fixed-roof tanks were carried out.The fragments,shock wave and fireball thermal radiation of the tank in the presence of bottom oil,half oil and full oil,as well as empty tank,were investigated under internal explosion by various TNT charge contents(1.8 kg,3.5 kg and 6.2 kg).The results showed that the tank roof was the only fragment produced,and the damage forms could be divided into three types.The increase of TNT charge content and oil volume enlarged the deformation of the tank,while the hole ratio presented a trend of increase first and then decrease.The H_r,maxand V_(max)values positively increased as increasing the TNT charge content and oil volume(from empty to half oil),but decreased in full oil.The Pmaxvalues had a progressive increase with the increment of TNT charge content,but not the case with the increase in oil volumes.The development of fireball was divided into three stages:tank roof‘towed'flame,jet flow flame tumbling and rising,and jet flow flame extinguishing.The Dmaxand Hf,maxvalues both increased as increasing TNT charge content and oil volumes.The oscillation phenomenon of fireball temperature was observed in the cooling process.The average temperature of fireball surface was positively correlated with TNT charge content,and negatively correlated with oil volumes.

Effect of length-width ratio of rounded rectangle aquaculture tank in dual-diagonal-inlet layout on hydrodynamics

To adapt to the change of aquaculture workshop site,optimize the shape of aquaculture tanks and improve the utilization rate of breeding space,it is necessary to determine the appropriate length width ratio parameters of aquaculture tanks.In this paper,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)technology is adopted to study the flow field performance of aquaculture tanks with different L/B ratios(L:the length;B:the width,of aquaculture tank)and different jet direction conditions(lengthways jet and widthways jet).A three-dimensional numerical calculation model of turbulence in rounded rectangle aquaculture tanks in dual-diagonal-inlet layout was established.Jet directions are arranged lengthways and widthways,and the water flow velocity,resistance coefficient change,vorticity,etc.are analyzed under two working conditions.Results show that the flow field performance in aquaculture tank decreases with the increase of the L/B ratio.The flow field performed well when L/B was 1.0-1.3,sharply dropped at 1.4-1.6,and poor at 1.7-1.9.The results provided a theoretical basis for the design and optimization in flow field performance of the industrialized circulating aquaculture tanks.

The prediction of projectile-target intersection for moving tank based on adaptive robust constraint-following control and interval uncertainty analysis

To improve the hit probability of tank at high speed,a prediction method of projectile-target intersection based on adaptive robust constraint-following control and interval uncertainty analysis is proposed.The method proposed provides a novel way to predict the impact point of projectile for moving tank.First,bidirectional stability constraints and stability constraint-following error are constructed using the Udwadia-Kalaba theory,and an adaptive robust constraint-following controller is designed considering uncertainties.Second,the exterior ballistic ordinary differential equation with uncertainties is integrated into the controller,and the pointing control of stability system is extended to the impact-point control of projectile.Third,based on the interval uncertainty analysis method combining Chebyshev polynomial expansion and affine arithmetic,a prediction method of projectile-target intersection is proposed.Finally,the co-simulation experiment is performed by establishing the multi-body system dynamic model of tank and mathematical model of control system.The results demonstrate that the prediction method of projectile-target intersection based on uncertainty analysis can effectively decrease the uncertainties of system,improve the prediction accuracy,and increase the hit probability.The adaptive robust constraint-following control can effectively restrain the uncertainties caused by road excitation and model error.

Numerical Simulation of the Seismic Response of a Horizontal Storage Tank Based on a SPH-FEM Coupling Method

A coupled numerical calculation method combining smooth particle hydrodynamics(SPH)and the finite element method(FEM)was implemented to investigate the seismic response of horizontal storage tanks.Anumericalmodel of a horizontal storage tank featuring a free liquid surface under seismic action was constructed using the SPH–FEM coupling method.The stored liquid was discretized using SPH particles,while the tank and supports were discretized using the FEM.The interaction between the stored liquid and the tank was simulated by using the meshless particle contact method.Then,the numerical simulation results were compared and analyzed against seismic simulation shaking table test data to validate the method.Subsequently,a series of numerical models,considering different liquid storage volumes and seismic effects,were constructed to obtain time history data of base shear and top center displacement,which revealed the seismic performance of horizontal storage tanks.Numerical simulation results and experimental data showed good agreement,with an error rate of less than 18.85%.And this conformity signifies the rationality of the SPH-FEM coupling method.The base shear and top center displacement values obtained by the coupled SPH-FEM method were only 53.3% to 69.1% of those calculated by the equivalent mass method employed in the current code.As the stored liquid volume increased,the seismic response of the horizontal storage tank exhibited a gradual upward trend,with the seismic response increasing from 73% to 388% for every 35% increase in stored liquid volume.The maximum von Mises stress of the tank and the supports remained below the steel yield strength during the earthquake.The coupled SPH-FEM method holds certain advantages in studying the seismic problems of tanks with complex structural forms,particularly due to the representation of the flow field distribution during earthquakes by involving reservoir fluid participation.

Dynamic Response of A Group of Cylindrical Storage Tanks with Baffles Considering the Effect of Soil Foundation

The sloshing in a group of rigid cylindrical tanks with baffles and on soil foundation under horizontal excitation is studied analytically.The solutions for the velocity potential are derived out by the liquid subdomain method.Equivalent models with mass-spring oscillators are established to replace continuous fluid.Combined with the least square technique,Chebyshev polynomials are employed to fit horizontal,rocking and horizontal-rocking coupling impedances of soil,respectively.A lumped parameter model for impedance is presented to describe the effects of soil on tank structures.A mechanical model for the soil-foundation-tank-liquid-baffle system with small amount of calculation and high accuracy is proposed using the substructure technique.The analytical solutions are in comparison with data from reported literature and numerical codes to validate the effectiveness and correctness of the model.Detailed dynamic properties and seismic responses of the soil-tank system are given for the baffle number,size and location as well as soil parameter.

Numerical simulation of inlet placement on sewage characteristics in the rounded square aquaculture tank with single inlet

To improve the self-cleaning ability of aquaculture tank and the efficiency of circulating water,physical and numerical experiments were conducted on the influence of inlet structure on sewage discharge in a rounded square aquaculture tank with a single inlet.Based on the physical model of the tank,analysis of how inlet structure adjustment affects sewage discharge efficiency and flow field characteristics was conducted to provide suitable flow field conditions for sinkable solid particle discharge.In addition,an internal flow field simulation was conducted using the RNG k-εturbulence model in hydraulic drive mode.Then a solid-fluid multiphase model was created to investigate how the inlet structure affects sewage collection in the rounded square aquaculture tank with single inlet and outlet.The finding revealed that the impact of inlet structure is considerably affecting sewage collection.The conditions of C/B=0.07-0.11(the ratio of horizontal distance between the center of the inlet pipe and the tank wall(C)to length of the tank(B))andα=25°(αis the angle between the direction of the jet and the tangential direction of the arc angle)resulted in optimal sewage collection,which is similar to the flow field experiment in the rounded square aquaculture tank with single inlet and outlet.An excellent correlation was revealed between sewage collection and fluid circulation stability in the aquaculture tank.The present study provided a reference for design and optimization of circulating aquaculture tanks in aquaculture industry.

Rotating tank experiments for the study of geophysical fluid dynamics

Geophysical fluid dynamics(GFD)is an interdisciplinary field that studies the large-scale motion of fluids in the natural world.With a wide range of applications such as weather forecasts and climate prediction,GFD employs various research approaches including in-situ observations,satellite measurements,numerical simulations,theoretical analysis,artificial intelligence,and physical model experiments in laboratory.Among these approaches,rotating tank experiments provide a valuable tool for simulating naturally-occurring fluid motions in laboratories.With proportional scaling and proper techniques,scientists can reproduce multi-scale physical processes of stratified fluids in the rotation system,which allows for the simulation of essential characteristics of fluid motions in the atmosphere and oceans.In this review,rotating tanks of various scales in the world are introduced,as these tanks have been actively used to explore fundamental scientific questions in ocean and atmosphere dynamics.To illustrate the GFD experiments,three representative cases are presented to demonstrate the frontier achievements in the the GFD study by using rotating tank experiments:mesoscale eddies in the ocean,convection processes,and plume dynamics.Detailed references for the experimental procedures are provided.Future studies are encouraged to further explore the utilization of rotating tanks with improvements in experimental design and integration of other research methods.This is a promising direction of GFD to help enhance our understanding of the complex nature of fluid motions in the natural world and to address the challenges posed by global environmental changes.

Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics Simulation of Ship Motion and Tank Sloshing under the Effect of Regular Waves

Predicting the response of liquefied natural gas(LNG)contained in vessels subjected to external waves is extremely important to ensure the safety of the transportation process.In this study,the coupled behavior due to ship motion and liquid tank sloshing has been simulated by the Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics(SPH)method.Firstly,the sloshing flow in a rectangular tank was simulated and the related loads were analyzed to verify and validate the accuracy of the present SPH solver.Then,a three-dimensional simplified LNG carrier model,including two prismatic liquid tanks and a wave tank,was introduced.Different conditions were examined corresponding to different wave lengths,wave heights,wave heading angles,and tank loading rates.Finally,the effects of liquid tank loading rate on LNG ship motions and sloshing loading were analyzed,thereby showing that the SPH method can effectively provide useful indications for the design of liquid cargo ships.

Identification of the Diffusion Coefficients of Pollutants ( N O 3 - and Mn2+) through the Walls of Concrete Tank and Vulnerability of the Stored Water Quality

The populations of urban centers in Congo-Brazzaville have decided to develop various methods of water storage (concrete or masonry underground tanks) for domestic use, due to shortages in the distribution of water through the public network. However, questions remain as to the physico-chemical quality of the water stored in these tanks, when these structures are built in wet and relatively polluted areas. This paper presents a model of pollutant diffusion through the cementitious matrix (concrete) of tank walls simulated at a buried reservoir. The results of the experimental and numerical simulations show that certain concrete parameters, such as porosity, permeability and diffusivity, have a significant influence on the transfer of pollutants through the concrete walls, thus altering the physico-chemical quality of the stored water. The numerical models (1D) used to predict pollutant transfer and the quality of the stored water are consistent with those of the optimal control for identifying the diffusion coefficient. Major ion concentrations appear to be correlated with system porosity and diffusion coefficient. Nevertheless, the identification of the diffusion coefficient from the optimal control method, based on an explicit numerical resolution of a finite volume PDE for the approximation of the experiment, is not consistent with that of the optimal control method.

Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Seal Presence on the Behavior of Double-Deck Floating Roofs in Cylindrical Steel Storage Tanks

Liquid storage,particularly oil and petrochemical products which are considered hazardous liquid,are an important part of the oil industry.Thin-walled vertical cylindrical steel storage tanks are widely used in recent years.Due to high sensitivity of these structures in an earthquake and other external excitations may lead to catastrophic consequences.For instance,huge economic losses,environmental damages,and casualities,many studies have been done about these structures.past studies showed that liquid storage tanks,equipped with a floating roof,are potentially vulnerable while subjected to seismic loads and earthquake has been considered as one of the most destructive natural hazards.The reason is that such tanks are made of two separated parts(shell and roof)which each may have its own responses;sometimes causing resonance phenomenon and so that,roof movements,rooffluid interaction,roof-shell interaction,and also the way they are attached should still be investigated.Experimental tests of floating roof’s vertical fluctuation was performed in a full-scale reservoir tank and assessing of the results demonstrated that presence of a seal between floating roof and shell plate can significantly increase damping ratio in liquid sloshing and also suppress the roof`s vertical displacements.In other words,seal can control a floating roof and make it stop moving vertically over few cycles.

Tank模型在中小河流洪水气象风险预警中的应用

结合蒲河流域的气候条件和洪水特性,利用Tank模型模拟了该流域2019~2020年10次暴雨洪水过程,构建了适用于该流域的概念性暴雨致洪气象风险预警模型,并进行仿真模拟和精度评定。结果表明,改进后的水箱模型能直观地模拟出石角水文站不同时间尺度、不同基础水位条件下的水位变化过程曲线,能减少面雨量阈值的不确定性,预报精度为乙等;根据模拟结果逐级发布气象风险预警,技巧评分和命中率为100%;平均预警发布时间提前3 h以上,可代入预测降水进一步延长洪水预报预见期。

虾稻共作产汇流过程中TANK-MIKE 11耦合模型的应用

以构建的适合于平原灌区虾稻共作田降雨-径流过程模拟的TANK-MIKE 11耦合模型为工具,对四湖流域典型虾稻共作田区进行区域排涝影响研究。模拟了在不同降雨标准下,虾稻田种植面积占比、虾稻田上限排水深等条件变化对四新垸农排区径流的影响,结果表明:在不同历时暴雨重现期下,相较于50%现有虾稻共作种植面积,当虾稻田面积为10%与90%时,外排水量分别增加6%~28%和减少3%~18%;在各种设计暴雨下,相较于1.2 m虾沟上限排水深,1.3m时洪峰流量减小3.01%~5.62%。1.4 m时洪峰流量减小5.79%~10.36%。

Robust adaptive precision motion control of tank horizontal stabilizer based on unknown actuator backlash compensation

Backlash nonlinearity inevitably exists in the actuator of tank horizontal stabilizer and has adverse effect on the system control performance,however,how to effectively eliminate its effect remains a pending issue.To solve this problem,a robust adaptive precision motion controller is presented in this paper to address uncertainties and unknown actuator backlash of tank horizontal actuator.The controller handles the modeling uncertainties including parameter uncertainties and unmodeled disturbances by integrating adaptive feedforward compensation and continuous nonlinear robust law.Based on the backstepping method,a smooth backlash inverse model is constructed by combining the adaptive idea.Meanwhile,the unknown backlash parameters of the system can be approximated through the parameter adaptation,and the impact of the actuator backlash nonlinearity is effectively compensated via the inverse operation,which can availably improve the tracking performance.Moreover,the adaptive law can update the disturbance ranges of tank horizontal stabilizer online in real time,which enhances the feasibility in practical engineering applications.Furthermore,the stability analysis based on Lyapunov function shows that with the existence of unmodeled disturbances and unknown actuator backlash,the designed controller guarantees excellent asymptotic output tracking performance.Extensive comparative results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Effect of an Inclined Slots on the Power Consumption and Vortices Size in a Rushton Turbine Agitated Tank

Mechanical agitation in baffled vessels with turbines plays a vital role in achieving homogeneous fluid mixing and promoting various transfer operations.Therefore,designing vessels with optimal energy efficiency and flow dynamics is essential to enhance operational performance and eliminate flow perturbations.Hence,the present research focuses on a numerical investigation of the impact of inclined slots with different angles installed at the side-wall of a cylindrical vessel equipped with a Rushton turbine.This study explores power consumption and vortex size while considering various rotation directions of the impeller with different rotation speeds.The numerical simulations are conducted for Reynolds numbers ranging from 104 to 105,using the RANS k-εturbulence model to govern the flow inside the stirred vessel,accounting for mass and momentum balances.The results have shown that the installation of slots reduces power consumption and vortex size compared to conventional vessel configu-rations.Moreover,increasing the slot angle from 0 to 32.5°further reduces energy consumption and vortex size,especially with negative rotation speeds.On the other hand,increasing the Reynolds numbers leads to a decrease in power consumption and an increase in vortex size.The present research therefore proposes a design for con-structing Rushton-turbine stirred vessels offering optimal operation,characterized by reduced energy consumption and minimized vortex size.

Computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method simulation of stirred tank reactor for graphene production

Liquid phase exfoliation(LPE)process for graphene production is usually carried out in stirred tank reactor and the interactions between the solvent and the graphite particles are important as to improve the production efficiency.In this paper,these interactions were revealed by computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method(CFD-DEM)method.Based on simulation results,both liquid phase flow hydrodynamics and particle motion behavior have been analyzed,which gave the general information of the multiphase flow behavior inside the stirred tank reactor as to graphene production.By calculating the threshold at the beginning of graphite exfoliation process,the shear force from the slip velocity was determined as the active force.These results can support the optimization of the graphene production process.

Method for measuring the low-frequency sound power from a complex sound source based on sound-field correction in a non-anechoic tank

Similar to air reverberation chambers, non-anechoic water tanks are important acoustic measurement devices that can be used to measure the sound power radiated from complex underwater sound sources using diffusion field theory. However,the problem of the poor applicability of low-frequency measurements in these tanks has not yet been solved. Therefore,we propose a low-frequency acoustic measurement method based on sound-field correction(SFC) in an enclosed space that effectively solves the problem of measuring the sound power from complex sound sources below the Schroeder cutoff frequency in a non-anechoic tank. Using normal mode theory, the transfer relationship between the mean-square sound pressure in an underwater enclosed space and the free-field sound power of the sound source is established, and this is regarded as a correction term for the sound field between this enclosed space and the free field. This correction term can be obtained based on previous measurements of a known sound source. This term can then be used to correct the mean-square sound pressure excited by any sound source to be tested in this enclosed space and equivalently obtain its free-field sound power. Experiments were carried out in a non-anechoic water tank(9.0 m × 3.1 m × 1.7 m) to confirm the validity of the SFC method. Through measurements with a spherical sound source(whose free-field radiation characteristics are known),the correction term of the sound field between this water tank and the free field was obtained. On this basis, the sound power radiated from a cylindrical shell model under the action of mechanical excitation was measured. The measurement results were found to have a maximum deviation of 2.9 d B from the free-field results. These results show that the SFC method has good applicability in the frequency band above the first-order resonant frequency in a non-anechoic tank. This greatly expands the potential low-frequency applications of non-anechoic tanks.

Investigation on the Natural Modes of A Semi-Closed Floating Tank

Vessels with semi-closed tanks(i.e.,well docks)are widely applied in the military operation and maritime engineer-ing.The water is bound by the semi-closed floating tank and forced by both the incident waves and ship’s motions.The free surface oscillations inside the flooded well dock is thus distinctive and very complicated.So far,the natural modes of semi-closed floating tanks have not yet been studied.This paper investigates the characteristics of natural modes of a floating semi-closed tank by combining a mode-resolving model based on mild-slope equations and a hydrodynamic model based on computational fluid dynamics.Results show that the first three natural periods(i.e.,74,23.6,and 14 s)of the tank fall into the band of swell and infragravity waves and they could be triggered under certain circumstance.Multi-period free surface oscillations are observed inside the tank,including the longest natural period(i.e.,74 s),though the incident waves are monochromatic.A possible generation mechanism for the long-period mode is explained on the basis of liquid sloshing and harbor oscillations.Moreover,a long-period component with a period close to the natural mode of well dock is observed in the ship motions,which is generated by the interaction between the waves and ship.

Review on the Progress and Issues in Liquid Tank Sloshing of Ships

With the development of large liquid cargo ships,liquid tank sloshing has gradually become a hot research topic in the area of shipping and ocean Engineering.Liquid tank sloshing,characterized by strong nonlinearity and randomness,not only affects the stability of the ship but also generates a huge impact force on the wall of the tank.To further investigate liquid tank sloshing,a comprehensive review is given on the research process of the most focused subjects of liquid sloshing.Summarizing the existing research will help to identify issues in the current field and provide useful references.The methods for investigating sloshing,the research progress and the situations worldwide are discussed.The advantages and defects of experiments and numerical simulations are also explored.The problems which need to be explored in the future are subsequently proposed.