High-altitude storage tanks are critical equipment widely used in petrochemical and chemical industries. Safe and stable operation of these facilities is essential for enterprise production and business development. Nevertheless, inspection and maintenance of tall storage tanks bring prominent challenges to field operators. Traditional manual inspection methods come with low working efficiency and notable safety hazards. Manual climbing puts technicians at risk of falls, and it is difficult to guarantee measurement accuracy and full-range inspection coverage. For a long time, the industry has been searching for safer, more efficient inspection and maintenance solutions for high-altitude storage tanks.
Magnetic wall-climbing robotic inspection systems have become an effective technical solution to solve high-altitude tank inspection difficulties. Such robotic inspection equipment shows broad application prospects in various heavy-industry scenarios, and delivers unique advantages for corrosion assessment and condition monitoring of high-altitude storage tanks.
Mikrosize’s eThick-4000 Pen-Style EMAT Thickness Gauge and Crawler System requires no scaffolding and no liquid couplant. Operators can complete rapid wall-thickness corrosion inspection on high-altitude ferromagnetic tank surfaces via remote control. Fitted with high-strength rare-earth permanent magnetic wheels, the crawler stays firmly attached to metal surfaces even in case of unexpected power failure and will not drop from the workpiece. It supports multi-posture movement on ferromagnetic structures, including horizontal travelling, vertical climbing and inverted operation.
The eThick-4000 system can quickly and accurately measure tank wall thickness, detect material corrosion loss and identify surface and subsurface cracks. Through systematic data analysis, potential safety risks can be spotted in advance, providing accurate reference data for maintenance teams to formulate targeted repair plans. This automated inspection method improves inspection efficiency and testing quality, reduces on-site safety risks and helps enterprises cut overall maintenance costs.
Core Product Features
- Compact and Portable: Pen-style design supports convenient handheld operation and easy transportation for on-site work.
- Wireless Connectivity: The main unit establishes wireless connection with tablets or smartwatches for flexible on-site data access.
- Low Surface Preparation Requirements: Enables non-contact measurement on rough surfaces without grinding or polishing work.
- Coating-Insensitive: Realizes valid thickness measurement through intact surface coatings without removing paints or protective layers.
- No Couplant Required: Supports high-temperature thickness measurement with built-in temperature compensation function.
- Interchangeable Probes: Probes for normal-temperature and high-temperature working conditions can be swapped rapidly to adapt to diverse field environments.
- Multi-Function Integration: Integrated A-scan and B-scan modes combine defect detection and thickness measurement into one single device.
Primary Product Applications
- Corrosion detection and wall thickness monitoring for petrochemical pipelines
- Wall thickness inspection of special equipment such as boilers, pressure vessels and storage tanks
- Metal thickness measurement under high-temperature operating conditions
- Precision thickness measurement of components for machinery and automotive manufacturing
- High-precision non-destructive inspection for aerospace manufacturing parts
- Thickness monitoring during metal smelting and rolling production processes
- Corrosion and wall-thickness inspection for offshore platforms and marine vessels
Technical Specifications
Item | Parameters |
Robot Body | |
Dimensions | (200×230×210) mm |
Travel Speed | (0–3) m/min |
Net Weight | Approx. 3.6 KG |
Main Material | Aluminum Alloy 6061 / ABS |
Power Input | 12.6 V, 2 A |
Battery Type | Li–ion Battery |
Operating Endurance | 3 hours |
Camera Module | Quantity：2 pcs |
Physical Pixel：2 MP Video Resolution：1080P / 720P | |
Remote Controller | Display Screen：7–inch High–Brightness Display, 1920 × 1200 pixels |
System Configuration：Android 9.0 | |
Storage：4 GB RAM, 64 GB Storage | |
Charging Time：3.5 h (30 W Fast Charge) | |
Operating Endurance：10 hours | |
Waterproof Rating：IP4X | |
Effective Remote Control Range：(0–24) KM | |
Operating Environment | Operating Temperature：-10 ℃ ~ 50 ℃ |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Do I need scaffolding or rope-access equipment for high-altitude storage tank inspection with eThick-4000?
A: No. The magnetic crawler robot can climb ferromagnetic tank surfaces independently. Operators do not need to build scaffolding or arrange technicians to climb tanks manually, which greatly lowers safety risks during high-altitude operations.
Q2: Is surface grinding or coating removal required before thickness measurement?
A: Powered by EMAT non-contact measurement principle, the system works on rough surfaces and intact coatings. In most regular inspection tasks, grinding, polishing and coating stripping procedures can be skipped to reduce pre-processing workload.
Q3: Can this system carry out thickness measurement for high-temperature metal components?
A: Yes. The system works without liquid couplant and is equipped with temperature compensation. Users can replace with dedicated high-temperature probes to finish wall-thickness testing on hot metal workpieces.
Q4: What inspection data can the system generate?
A: It supports A-scan waveform output and B-scan cross-section imaging. Real-time thickness data, defect images and on-site video can be stored locally for later asset integrity review and inspection report generation.
Q5: Will the crawler fall off when power is cut off during vertical wall climbing?
A: The crawler is equipped with high-strength rare-earth permanent magnetic wheels. Even if unexpected power loss occurs, permanent magnet force keeps the robot firmly attached to steel surfaces and prevents falling accidents.
Q6: Is eThick-4000 suitable for corrosion inspection on offshore platforms and marine vessels?
A: Absolutely. This system fits multiple heavy-duty industrial scenarios. It supports corrosion inspection for offshore platform steel structures and marine vessel hull wall-thickness monitoring, alongside inspection tasks for petrochemical tanks and pipelines.
Conclusion
Corrosion assessment and wall-thickness testing for high-altitude storage tanks are essential non-destructive testing requirements for petrochemical, energy and heavy-manufacturing enterprises. Traditional manual inspection methods are constrained by safety risks, incomplete coverage and low operational efficiency.
Mikrosize’s eThick-4000 Pen-Style EMAT Thickness Gauge and Crawler System integrates pen-style portable EMAT measurement technology and magnetic wall-climbing robot capability. It eliminates the need for scaffolding and liquid couplant, supports measurement through coatings and high-temperature measurement, and provides both A-scan and B-scan non-destructive testing functions. This solution adapts to various assets including storage tanks, pressure vessels, pipelines, offshore facilities and high-temperature process equipment.
As a professional measurement solution provider, Mikrosize delivers one-stop high-precision measurement solutions, covering hardware supply, application guidance and full-range technical support. Enterprises seeking to optimize asset integrity inspection workflows can adopt this combined crawler-and-gauge solution to improve site safety, expand inspection coverage, cut operating expenses and acquire reliable quantitative data for equipment health evaluation and predictive maintenance.
