Houston Chronicle by Marissa Luck May 30, 2019
An autonomous robot has completed its first in-service inspection of an above-ground diesel storage tank for Houston-based refiner Phillips 66.
The unmanned robot, made by Boston-based robotics company Square Robot, can inspect petroleum product storage tank floors while product remains in the tank, saving both time and money.
Above-ground storage tanks usually have to be removed from service, drained, opened and cleaned before tank bottoms can be evaluated, an expensive process. The use of robots, which snap high-resolution images of the interior and take readings of the tank's sediment levels and coating conditions, means personnel don't have to enter the tank for inspection.
The successful first tank inspection comes more than a year after Phillips 66 first announced it would be collaborating with Square Root to develop the unmanned robot. The companies planned to deploy the first robot inspection in mid-2018, but delays in permitting pushed back the first inspection date, Phillips 66 spokeswoman Hillary Bruton said.
She said the company plans to deploy unmanned robots across several of its refineries and plants.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Phillips-66-s-autonomous-robot-completes-first-13906573.php
