[Learning from Others] Yangzi Petrochemical adopts the new RBI inspection technology to inspect liquefied hydrocarbon spheres, reducing the maintenance cycle by 60 days

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Yangzi Petrochemical applies new technology for the inspection of liquefied hydrocarbon spheres. On June 11, 2024, the 4 liquefied hydrocarbon spheres at Yangzi Petrochemical’s storage and transportation facility successfully passed the RBI inspection (risk-based inspection) and were put into operation one after another. This is the first time the company has used RBI inspection technology to inspect spherical tanks, thereby expanding the application scope of this new technology. The liquid finished product handling area of Yangzi Petrochemical’s storage and transportation plant is equipped with 44 spherical tanks, and 10 of these tanks require inspection and maintenance work each year. In the past, during each inspection cycle, it was necessary to open the access hatches at the top and bottom of the spherical tank; after verification that everything was in order, a full-scale scaffold would be set up inside the tank so that the inspection team could examine the welds on its inner surface. This approach involves high operational risks and high costs as well. The RBI test is a new testing technique that enables risk ranking and the identification of weak points by conducting a scientific analysis of system hazards. In March this year, Yangzi Petrochemical had thorough discussions with the Jiangsu Provincial Institute for Safety Supervision and Inspection of Special Equipment, with the aim of testing new technologies applied to liquefied hydrocarbon spheres. The research institute reviewed the records of the spherical tanks provided by Yangzi Petrochemical and conducted on-site verifications. After assessing that the associated risks were within controllable limits, it prepared a safety assessment report for the spherical tank area in the liquid finished products processing zone, and determined a plan for conducting RBI inspections on the first batch of 4 spherical tanks in that zone that had reached their scheduled inspection period this year. In May, based on the evaluation report and testing plan, technicians entered the spherical tank area to carry out RBI inspections without opening the tanks. The use of this new testing technology not only eliminated the safety risks associated with maintenance work inside the spherical tanks, but it also **reduced the maintenance time; the 4 spherical tanks experienced a 60-day reduction in their maintenance cycle, thereby helping to alleviate the pressures related to the storage and transportation of liquefied hydrocarbon materials.