Prashant Gunjan
Welded steel storage tanks are extensively used in the petroleum, petrochemical, chemical, power, and water industries for the storage of atmospheric liquids. Due to the large volume of hazardous and valuable products stored, maintaining the structural integrity of these tanks during construction is of paramount importance. The American Petroleum Institute (API) Standard 650 provides internationally accepted requirements for the design, material selection, fabrication, erection, welding, inspection, testing, and acceptance of above-ground welded steel storage tanks. This paper presents a comprehensive inspection and quality assurance framework based on the engineering principles of API 650 and practical industrial inspection experience. The study examines critical inspection activities including material verification, hydraulic jacking, fit-up inspection, welding quality control, non-destructive examination (NDE), dimensional inspection, nozzle orientation, coating inspection, hydrostatic testing, and documentation. In addition, the paper discusses occupational safety requirements during tank erection and the emerging role of Industry 5.0 technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, drones, and digital inspection systems in improving inspection accuracy and reducing construction defects. The proposed framework demonstrates that systematic inspection throughout the construction process significantly improves weld quality, dimensional accuracy, corrosion resistance, and structural reliability while reducing rework, leakage, and operational failures. The findings provide practical guidance for quality engineers, welding inspectors, project managers, and construction organizations involved in the fabrication and erection of API 650 storage tanks.