The SR-3

DIESEL | MINING FACILITY

OVERVIEW

An international mining company had a need to inspect 5 diesel tanks at one of their domestic sites. The tanks were used as a back up power supply, but had never been inspected and had no tank drawings. Completing the inspection was critical, as tank failure could have major impacts, and the mining facility wanted to find an online solution.

SOLUTION

Square Robot performed a site visit to assess all 5 tanks, discovering that only 3 of the 5 were suitable for robotic inspection due to manway constraints. The team also performed a sediment assessment to confirm that the buildup of sediment wasn’t so thick that it would limit the robot. Following the assessment, Square Robot performed robotic inspection on the 3 accessible tanks, utilizing its phased array ultrasonics and other sensor packages to have a comprehensive view of tank integrity.

OUTCOME

Square Robot completed all three tank inspections in three days, keeping the tanks online and alleviating any operator concerns about taking the tank down. Following inspection, the operator also received a tank bottom layout based on the robotic inspection – helpful for future planning since they didn’t have the original drawings.

KEY IMPACT METRICS

✓ Eliminated > 150 confined space entry hours

✓ Contained >1,800 lbs CO₂ contained

✓ 3 inspection days vs. weeks for OOS

✓ API 653 inspection interval of 15-16 years for the 3 tanks