Leak Detection Services for Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST’s) - Safe, Accurate and Economical
Precision testing for aboveground fluid storage tanks provided by Mass Technology Corporation. Our mass measurement system, applicable to all types and sizes of tanks and viscous products, is safer, more economical, and more precise than conventional testing methods. It is field-proven and third-party certified. Employing exacting pressure-sensing transducers, accurate data collection, and our own expertise gained from practical applications, Mass Technology’s system detects leaks at a threshold of less than 0.80 gallons per hour in a 100,000 barrel aboveground storage tank.
Our technique involves lowering a bubbler unit to the tank bottom. A differential reference tube is placed just above the liquid surface. Nitrogen gas is conveyed to the bubbler unit at a precisely controlled rate, and an additional tube is attached that eliminates the friction and subsequent back-pressure affects on the differential pressure transducer. The pressure required to generate a stream of bubbles at tank bottom corresponds to the differential pressure as a result of the fluid mass. The pressure is measured by a micro-sensitive differential pressure transducer, which is recorded on a real-time basis and post processed. Data analysis routines accurately calculate any changes in the mass of fluid within the tank and determine if there is a loss.
- Accurately detect and measure aboveground storage tank leakage
- Supplement alternative inspection plans for API 653
- Defer API 653 tank entry inspections
- Evaluate tank bottom integrity after internal inspections
- Perform periodic tank bottom assessments to satisfy API 653 requirements
- Establish priority lists for future repairs to aboveground storage tanks
- Document tank bottom integrity in conjunction with a hydrostatic test
- Determine the existence of a suspected leak
- Comply with governmental regulations and company policies for leak detection programs
Mass Technology’s mass measurement system comes to your site in an enclosed trailer. Tank preparation is minimal. We run hoses and a bubbler unit into the aboveground storage tank and begin our leak testing. No tank entry is required. Although our mass measurement system is sophisticated and relies upon some precise measurement technology, implementation is relatively simple, quick, and efficient.