Detecting leaks in hydrocarbon storage tanks using electrical resistance tomography
Large volumes of hydrocarbons are stored worldwide in surface and underground tanks. It is well documented [1] that all too often these tanks are found to leak, resulting in not only a loss of stored inventory but, more importantly, contamination to soil and groundwater. Two field experiments are reported herein to evaluate the utility of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) for detecting and locating leaks as well as delineating any resulting plumes emanating from steel underground storage tanks (UST). Current leak detection methods for single shell tanks require careful inventory monitoring, usually from liquid level sensors within the tank, or placement of chemical sensors in the soil under and around the tank. Liquid level sensors can signal a leak but are limited in sensitivity and, of course, give no information about the location or the leak or the distribution of the resulting plume. External sensors are expensive to retrofit and must be very densely spaced to assure reliable detection, especially in heterogeneous soils. The rational for using subsurface tomography is that it may have none of these shortcomings.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 109525
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC--120547; CONF-9511130--1; ON: DE96000086
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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