Storage-Tank Services
“Chances are good that somewhere on one of your plant locations, at least one storage tank is leaking.”
There are over 700,000 aboveground storage tanks in the U.S. with capacities ranging from 500 barrels to over 500,000 barrels. Many of these tanks leak. More importantly, many tanks leak without anyone knowing about it. Tank floor failures are insidious because they can leak product into the ground and groundwater for years before detected. With those facts in mind, chances are good that somewhere on one of your plant locations, at least one storage tank is leaking. And you may not even know it.
Many sources of storage-tank leaks
Many tank-bottom corrosion and mechanical failures are caused by tanks that have settled over the years, allowing standing water to penetrate under the tank. This water ingress can cause corrosion and erode the foundation under the floor. Large, floating-roof storage tanks are also particularly susceptible to bottom corrosion and leaks from both product-side and soil-side corrosion. They are more difficult to protect from corrosion using cathodic protection (CP) systems, plus they sometimes store highly corrosive crude feed stocks.
The Hendrix Group Inc. has been providing corrosion consulting, corrosion prevention, and corrosion-control services for more than 35 years. Our objectives are:
- to provide a high quality of service at a reasonable price
- to develop practical solutions to clients' corrosion problems
- to work with our clients as a team.
Raised stakes for storage-tank leaks
Current federal, state and local legislation has raised the stakes for facility owners that contaminate the environment as a result of storage tank failures. Several spectacular tank failures within the last few years have spawned new industry standards and regulations, which mandate tank integrity management and inspection programs. API 653, Tank Inspection, Alteration, Repair, and Reconstruction, has become the industry standard governing tank inspection. Its requirements are targeted at preventing tank-content releases due to brittle fracture and bottom leaks from corrosion.
API Certified and registered Professional Engineer
David Hendrix has been professionally involved with storage tanks for years. As a certified API Aboveground Storage Tank Inspector and a registered Professional Engineer, David possesses unique qualifications related to storage-tank integrity evaluations, inspection issues, and corrosion failures. In addition, he has authored numerous papers and publications on the subject of storage-tank corrosion and inspections.
Our work with storage tanks includes:
- Conducting root-cause analysis of failed storage tanks.
- Performing hazardous-waste storage-tank integrity assessments.
- Performing inspections of aboveground storage tanks to API 653.
- Consulting on legal cases involving storage-tank failures.
- Specifying coating and linings for storage-tank corrosion protection.
- Developing storage-tank inspection and repair specifications.