Digital Twin × IIoT: Revolutionizing Refinery Asset Management — 2025-2026 OutlookNew!!
Refineries and petrochemical plants are among the most complex industrial facilities on earth, and their maintenance costs scale accordingly. Two technologies — digital twins and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) — are now combining to fundamentally change how operators manage asset integrity, inspection scheduling, and turnaround (TAR) campaigns. This article surveys the state of […]
Acoustic Emission (AE) Testing for Online Monitoring of Storage Tank FloorsNew!!
Large storage tanks at petroleum and chemical plants and liquid cargo terminals suffer primarily from floor-plate corrosion, which has historically required tank-opening (internal) inspection to confirm integrity. Thanks to the maturation of Acoustic Emission (AE) testing, however, corrosion activity can now be monitored in real time without taking the tank out of service. This article […]
Computer Vision × Drones: Making Tank Exterior Inspection UnmannedNew!!
Large storage tanks at petroleum and chemical plants demand periodic exterior inspection for corrosion and coating degradation. It is a fundamental maintenance task, yet it comes with serious height-related risks and enormous scaffolding costs. Rapid advances in drones (UAVs) and computer vision are now turning "unmanned exterior inspection" into reality. This article explains how CV-powered […]
How PAUT Is Transforming Plant Inspection: TFM/FMC and On-Stream Corrosion Mapping [2026 Update]New!!
Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) has evolved from "another UT method" into the cornerstone of modern plant inspection. The latest generation adds TFM (Total Focusing Method) and FMC (Full Matrix Capture), allowing high-resolution imaging that captures wall-thickness variations across complex geometries in a single scan. Coupled with the trend toward on-stream (in-service) corrosion mapping, PAUT […]
ASME BPVC Section V 2025 Revisions: Key Changes NDT Engineers Must Know (Mandatory from January 2026)New!!
The ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section V, which defines nondestructive examination requirements, was substantially revised in its 2025 edition and became mandatory from January 1, 2026. The updates reflect the adoption of advanced UT techniques, digital workflow integration, and tighter personnel qualification rules. NDT engineers working in the oil, gas, and petrochemical […]
Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) for Continuous Pipeline Monitoring — The Next Step Beyond AE in Online NDT [2026 Update]New!!
Following our previous article on Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring of tank floor plates, this post focuses on another rapidly expanding online monitoring technology for process piping: Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS). While AE excels at localized acoustic detection, DFOS turns a single optical fiber cable, spanning tens of kilometers, into a continuous chain of virtual […]