DEFORMATION MONITORING OF THE WALL OF A FLOATING ROOF TANK FOR OIL AND OIL PRODUCT STORING

The article is devoted to a well-known problem in the oil and gas industry related to the deformation of the tank walls due to soil displacement under its foundation. Diagnostics and forecasting of operated equipment state are important for preventing accidents and incidents that entail litigation, possible conflicts with victims, and penalties. The paper presents a technique for identifying and monitoring absolute displacements of the tank walls. To demonstrate the technique, three different situations were simulated, in which the test model was a tank with a floating roof on which eddy current sensors were fixed. The simulation for varioussituations of roof displacement and tank wall deformation was performed. The authors' technique for deformation determining in the tank structure, recommended for use as a tool for monitoring the state of storage systems and ensuring the reliability of tanks was proposed, numerical modeling of the deformation parameters was performed. The possibility of using the proposed technique in cases of tank roof displacement was proven. An analysis of possible problems associated with the displacement of the tank roof from the axis of the tank itself was performed, and methods for their elimination was proposed.