Digital Twin NDT Reporting Software — Every Reading on the 3D Asset

Cloud-based NDT reporting software for field use, with results on the 3D asset

Atlantis Digital Twin reporting is cloud-based NDT reporting built for field use. Technicians capture method-specific reports on site, offline if needed, and sync when they have signal. After review and approval, each result is placed on a 3D model of the asset at its CML, TML, weld or floor plate. The signed PDF stays attached to every result. Inspectors and clients then read thickness and findings by location, campaign by campaign.

How CML and TML data is organized on the model

Thickness data is the backbone of most inspection programs, and the hardest to read in tables. On the model it is organized in layers. Each layer has one job.

A note on terms. API 570 (5th edition, February 2024) and API 510 (11th edition, 2022) use "condition monitoring location", or CML. Many sites still say TML for the thickness points. On the model, the TMLs are the points inside a CML. The CML ID is what lets a reading from this year sit next to a reading from five years ago.

Two values are deliberately not invented by the software: the minimum required thickness and the color thresholds. Those come from the owner's inspector or engineer, per component. The model shows them. It does not decide them.

Worked example: an API 653 out-of-service inspection on a crude tank

Here is how a typical internal tank inspection moves from field to model. The tank is a field-erected crude tank at a Gulf Coast terminal, out of service for its internal inspection.

Before mobilization

The location scheme is fixed first. Shell courses are numbered from the bottom. CMLs on each course keep their IDs from the last inspection. The floor plates take their numbers from the bottom layout drawing, and the annular ring is split into segments. Settlement points are numbered around the shell from a stated datum. The field team gets the ID list before it leaves the yard. In the public demo of the Digital Twin Reporter, this corresponds to the asset-definition step, with shell and floor readings then loaded as CSV inputs against it.

In the field

The MFL crew scans the floor plate by plate and flags indications. UT technicians prove up each flagged location and record the remaining thickness with its plate number and position. Shell UT is taken at each course's CMLs. Where spot readings scatter on the lower course, near the door sheet or around nozzles, a corrosion-mapping grid replaces single points. Welds the owner's inspector selects get VT, MT or PT. The survey crew records elevations at the settlement points. Every report is captured against the agreed IDs, offline where needed, with photos inside the report.

Review and approval

A reviewer checks each report: calibration, coverage against the scan plan, and prove-up against the MFL indications. Approved reports move to the model. Drafts do not.

On the model

The floor shows each plate, with flagged areas and prove-up thickness at the exact spot. The annular ring shows separately, because it is evaluated separately. Shell courses show readings at their CMLs, with the previous internal inspection one click away. Settlement points sit around the base. Each item links to its signed report.

What the inspector does with it

The owner's API 653 inspector reviews the data on the model and in the reports. The inspector decides the repairs, the minimum thickness used and the next internal interval, and signs the inspection report. When repairs are made, the new plates and their examination records go on as a repair layer. They become the baseline for the next campaign. Atlantis does not make these decisions and is not the Authorized Inspector. For the NDE scope itself, see aboveground storage tank inspection. For how floor techniques compare, read MFL vs UT tank floor scanning.

What the terminal sees afterwards

Once the campaign is approved, the tank's history is a set of layers rather than a binder. The maintenance planner can see which plates were replaced and when. The integrity engineer can compare floor condition across tanks in the same service, side by side. When the next external inspection comes round, the shell CMLs and their last readings are already on the model, so the field team knows exactly where to measure. Nobody has to rebuild the location scheme from an old report.

Worked example: a piping circuit across three campaigns

Tanks show the value of area data. Piping shows the value of history.

Take a process piping circuit with an injection point, several elbows downstream of it, a straight run and a short dead leg. CMLs sit at each elbow's outer radius, just downstream of the injection point, on the straight run and at the dead leg. Three turnaround campaigns of UT readings are loaded with their original dates and report links.

On the model, most CMLs show little change between campaigns. One elbow just downstream of the injection point shows a clear drop in the latest campaign. In a spreadsheet, that number sits in row 140 of a tab nobody opens. On the model, it is the one point that changed color.

The reviewer's first job is to check the reading, not to panic. The provenance answers the obvious questions. Was the same probe type used? Was the surface hot, and was the temperature recorded? Was the reading taken through coating? Does the position match the earlier campaigns, or was it taken a few inches off the CML? If the reading holds up, the owner's API 570 inspector decides what happens next. That might mean adding CMLs, ordering a corrosion-mapping scan of the elbow, or adjusting the next inspection date. The inspector calculates and documents the corrosion rates under the code. When the scan is done, its grid sits on the same elbow, next to the spot readings that raised the question. See corrosion mapping for how area scans are performed.

There is a second lesson in this example. The three campaigns were not all done by the same contractor. Because every contractor reported against the same CML IDs, their readings line up on the same points. The provenance on each reading shows who took it and with what equipment. When a step change coincides with a change of contractor or technique, the reviewer can see that straight away and ask the right question before anyone orders repair work.

Data quality rules that keep the model honest

A 3D model makes bad data more visible, and also more persuasive. These rules keep it honest:

• Growth readings get flagged, not hidden. A reading thicker than last time usually means a position error, a different technique or a coating effect. Flag it for review rather than averaging it in.
• Hot readings carry their temperature. Sound velocity changes with temperature. A reading without a recorded surface temperature is hard to compare with a cold one.
• Coated readings record the technique. Readings through paint taken with different techniques do not compare directly. Record which one was used.
• One CML ID, forever. If a component is replaced, the new component gets a new baseline. Old readings are archived, not overwritten.
• Units are fixed per site. Mixed inches and millimeters in one circuit cause silent errors.
• Every contractor reports against the same IDs. Issue the CML and weld list with the purchase order, and reject reports that use their own numbering.
• Nothing unapproved reaches the model. Drafts stay in the reporting workflow until a named reviewer approves them.

For background on the measurement itself, read the UT thickness measurement guide.

Field use in the cloud: what to check before you buy

"Cloud-based" and "works in the field" mean different things to different vendors. Ask these questions of any NDT reporting software, including ours:

• Does capture work with no signal at all? Tank interiors, pipe racks and remote right-of-way often have none. Drafts and photos must be stored on the device and sync later.
• Which devices does it run on? Technicians use tablets, rugged phones and laptops. An installable web app avoids device lock-in.
• Is the report method-specific? A UT thickness report needs readings by direction. A generic form pushes that structure back onto the technician.
• Are location IDs enforced? If technicians can type free-text locations, results will not land on the model.
• Who can see what? Each client should see only its own assets and reports.
• Is the signed record preserved? A revised report should replace its earlier revision with the change recorded, not overwrite it silently.

For a wider market view, see NDT reporting software compared. Field capture runs through the NDT Reports app, so reports are reviewed and approved before they reach the model. To test this on your own asset, see Digital Twin reporting with one completed report and its drawing.

Deliverables and who signs what

3D reporting adds a view. It does not change who is responsible for each record.

Who gets the most from 3D reporting

• Tank terminal operators with many tanks on different inspection cycles, who need floor and shell history by tank.
• Refinery and chemical plant inspection groups with large CML registers and several contractors reporting into them.
• NDT contractors who want a handover that clients can use without a meeting.
• Owners preparing a turnaround who need last campaign's findings visible on the asset.

For the platform view, including how a twin sits beside EAM and historian systems, go to the Digital Twins hub. For regional context, see Texas and the Gulf Coast, Louisiana and California.

Getting your first asset onto the model

The quickest way to judge 3D reporting is to see one of your own assets on it. A first asset usually follows these steps:

1. Pick one asset with history. A tank with two internal inspections, or a piping circuit with three campaigns of thickness data, shows the most.
2. Send the drawing and the ID list. The tank bottom layout or the isometric, plus the CML and weld numbers you use today.
3. Send the last reports. PDFs or spreadsheets from the previous campaigns. Readings are placed with their original dates and report references.
4. Agree the display rules with your inspector. Minimum thickness values and color bands per component, written down and attributed.
5. Review it together. Your inspector checks that every reading landed on the right point, before anyone relies on it.
6. Run the next campaign live. The field team reports straight into the location scheme, and the new layer appears after approval.

Expect the first asset to raise questions about your own records, such as a CML that moved or a report with no position. That is useful. It is the same clean-up every later asset will need. When you are ready, see Digital Twin reporting on that first asset.

Frequently asked questions

Is this cloud-based NDT reporting software for field use?

Yes. Reports are captured in the field through an installable web app that works offline and syncs when a connection returns. Approved results are then placed on the 3D model of the asset.

Can technicians capture reports on a laptop or tablet?

Yes. The field app runs in a browser on laptops, tablets and phones. It includes a method picker, photo capture, on-screen signature and PDF preview.

Is this API 653 tank inspection software?

It is reporting software that places API 653 inspection data on a model of the tank: shell CMLs, floor MFL with prove-up, annular segments, settlement points and repairs. The interval and repair decisions remain with the owner's API 653 inspector.

What is the difference between a CML and a TML?

A CML is the fixed location where condition is monitored. TMLs are the thickness points read within it. Current API 510 and 570 editions use the CML term. Many sites still use TML for the individual points.

How are hot or coated readings handled?

Each reading records its technique and, where relevant, the surface temperature. That lets the reviewer compare like with like. Suspect readings are flagged for review rather than averaged in.

Does the software decide whether a component passes?

No. Color bands and minimum thickness values are set by the owner's inspector or engineer. Acceptance and interval decisions belong to the inspector of record.

Is it affordable for a small inspection company?

Pricing is quote on request and depends on the number of assets, users and integrations. A small contractor can start with one client and one asset type. See Digital Twin reporting and we will send a quote within 24 hours.

Can readings from different contractors go on the same model?

Yes, as long as every contractor reports against the owner's CML and weld IDs. Each reading keeps its provenance, so the reviewer can see which contractor, technician and instrument produced it.

How do we compare NDT reporting software options?

Test offline capture, method-specific report types, approval workflow, client report formats and data export. Then load one real report from your last job and see how long it takes to find a result.