Corrosion durability estimation for steel shell of a tank used to store liquid fuels

Abstract

An original approach to forecasting the remaining safe service time of a corroded steel shell of a tank used to store liquid fuels is presented for the case where the reconstruction or repair is not planned. The estimated durability is determined by the forecast corrosion progress described based on the previous trends catalogued during earlier, periodically performed checks of the monitored structure. The analysis is conducted numerically on a three dimensional model of a tank, precisely replicating the real, imperfect geometry. Influence of the degradation due to the corrosion is superimposed over geometrical imperfections specific to the considered tank and identified as a result of geodetic measurements. Interaction of both phenomena results in local stress concentrations determining the durability sought for.