»It’s great to see that my work is important. Large-scale installations and refineries offer particularly clear demonstrations of the effects of time on the vessels and the importance of regular maintenance. After all, they often contain substances that are hazardous to health and that must be prevented from contaminating the air or groundwater. We constantly advance our technology in order to offer our customers the maximum safety and efficiency, and acoustic emissions testing is a major step in this direction. I still find the measurement process exciting even after all these years in the job––especially the moment when pressure starts to rise in the vessel!

My specialist area is very large flat-bottom tanks, and we are currently working on a technology that will allow full-scale testing without the need to send an inspector into the tank. Sensors are affixed while the tank is operational and measurement starts as soon as they are connected up. Then we listen for a couple of hours. Or rather, we watch; the monitor captures sounds that are inaudible to the human ear, but which indicate the presence of faults. But as AE testing comes up against its limits with flat-bottomed tanks, we are developing a new technology using submersible robots. We will soon be able not only to identify corrosion and cracking in tank bottoms, but also to measure the precise wall thickness. All-round service for our customers!«