Services · Robotic and AI-Assisted Inspection
Robotic Tank Inspection per API 653
A three-year robotic tank inspection contract with WTCO commenced in the first quarter of 2025, delivered through TCR Arabia. Floor scanning runs to API 653 with eight ultrasonic transducers and no degassing.
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In brief
TCR Engineering and the TCR Arabia joint venture provide robotic tank inspection to API 653, scanning above-ground storage tank floors in service, with no man-entry or degassing, in India and Saudi Arabia. Known in the industry as OTIS, the service is delivered with partner robots TCR does not own, among them the ATEX and PESO certified ITAS Rover.
Which tanks can the robotic rover inspect?
The ITAS Rover, a partner robot, inspects above-ground storage tanks up to 25 m high and 100 m in diameter, with an 8-transducer ultrasonic array that fits the API 653 floor scanning workflow. Against scaffolding-based methods it costs approximately 50 percent less and works roughly ten times faster. A tank that is opened is scanned by magnetic flux leakage instead.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tank height range | Up to 25 m |
| Tank diameter range | Up to 100 m |
| UT probes | 8-transducer array (compatible with API 653 floor scanning workflow) |
| Cost reduction | Approximately 50 percent (vs. scaffolding-based methods) |
| Speed | Approximately 10x scaffolding-based methods |
The ITAS Rover is one of the partner robots with which TCR delivers OTIS (in-service robotic tank inspection per API 653, 8-transducer ultrasonic, no degassing). TCR Arabia delivers the three-year WTCO robotic tank inspection contract, which commenced in the first quarter of 2025, led by TCR Arabia project leads.
- Service: OTIS, the industry name for in-service robotic tank inspection per API 653, delivered by TCR with partner robots, 8-transducer ultrasonics and no degassing.
- Contract: the WTCO three-year robotic tank inspection contract, commenced Q1 2025.
- Delivery: TCR Arabia, through its own project leads.
OTIS, In-Service Robotic Tank Inspection
OTIS, the On-line or On-stream Tank Inspection System, is the industry name for inspecting a storage tank floor in service: the floor is scanned to API 653 with an 8-transducer ultrasonic array, without emptying the tank. TCR delivers it under TCR Arabia and TCR Engineering engagements with partner robots it does not own. The robotic platforms TCR owns, ARTiS and the pipeline RT crawlers, sit under robotic inspection.
- Compliance: API 653.
- Scanning: 8-transducer ultrasonic scanning of tank floors, without emptying the tank.
- Name: the industry name for the service; TCR delivers it with partner robots and does not own them.
- Deployment: under TCR Arabia and TCR Engineering engagements, with partner robots such as the ITAS Rover.
Tank robots on video
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Frequently asked questions
Can a storage tank floor be inspected without taking the tank out of service?
Yes. TCR inspects tank floors to API 653 without emptying the tank and with no degassing, a service known in the industry as OTIS. It uses partner robots, among them the ATEX and PESO certified ITAS Rover, whose 8-transducer ultrasonic array scans floor plates in service, so the tank stays in operation throughout the inspection.
What tank sizes can the robotic rover inspect?
The ITAS Rover inspects above-ground storage tanks up to 25 m in height and up to 100 m in diameter. Its 8-transducer ultrasonic probe array is compatible with the API 653 floor scanning workflow, covering the floor plate area that conventional inspection reaches only after emptying and cleaning.
How does robotic tank inspection compare with scaffolding-based methods?
Robotic inspection reduces cost by approximately 50 percent against scaffolding-based methods and completes the work roughly ten times faster. Under the WTCO robotic tank inspection contract, a three-year programme that commenced in the first quarter of 2025, the rover has been deployed through TCR Arabia.