Automated NDT of floating production storage oil tanks with a swimming and climbing robot

Abstract

This paper describes the design and development of a prototype swimming and wall-climbing robot that gains access to internal tank wall and floor surfaces on Floating Production Storage Oil (FPSO) tanks for the purposes of carrying out Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of welds while the tank is in-service and full of oil. A brief description is given of the inspection environment and the three NDT techniques (ultrasonic phased arrays, eddy current arrays, and Alternating Current Field Measurement ACFM arrays) that will be used to detect weld cracks and floor corrosion and pitting. © 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg