TÜV AUSTRIA Italia – founded in 2004 as Blu Solutions srl – has its roots in a pioneering idea by engineer Poillucci, a new method for ten-year inspections of underground tanks in the LPG sector. At a period when integrity checks were almost exclusively invasive, lengthy, and costly, the real revolution was to apply an advanced technique used in high-tech industry: Acoustic Emission (AE).
Since its founding, Blu Solutions has been able to count on the training and collaboration of the TÜV AUSTRIA Group, an international leader in the field of inspections, monitoring, and certification of products and systems, as well as the creator of modern techniques and procedures based on acoustic emission.
This technical and cultural synergy has been a fundamental element in the development of an innovative, repeatable, and reliable testing methodology.
At the same time, thanks to the investment and technological contribution of the Loccioni Group—a global front-runner in industrial measurement and automation—Blu Solutions has succeeded in bringing AE to the market through advanced systems that are fully compliant with regulatory requirements, transforming a technical insight into a true innovation for the LPG sector.
The collaboration with TÜV AUSTRIA not only strengthened the quality and scientific soundness of the method, but also represented the natural starting point for the process that, in 2011, led Blu Solutions to officially join the TÜV AUSTRIA Group as the wholly owned subsidiary TÜV AUSTRIA Italia.
It is precisely by retracing this path that we arrive at a particularly significant moment in our history.
20 Years of Acoustic Emissions in Italy
In December 2005, Blu Solutions srl issued its historic first sales invoices for the initial acoustic emission testing of LPG tanks. The pioneering engineering company furthermore implemented the then newly established ISPESL (now INAIL, the National Institute of Work Accident Assurance) procedure, obtaining acceptance of the acoustic emissions tests carried out and working closely with the institute on all subsequent developments and updates to the technique. The owners of these first LPG tanks have been loyal and valued customers to this day, setting a pattern for the Italian upstart enterprise.
Blu Solutions srl – now TÜV AUSTRIA ITALIA spa – has been the undisputed leader in Italy in the application of acoustic emissions testing. AE has already been used to test over 233,000 tanks and has now been extended to a wide range of pressure vessels: roadside dispensers, underground LPG storage tanks, buried and insulated above-ground tanks, reactors, columns, spheres, pipes, and autoclaves containing LPG, hazardous and non-hazardous gases, with operating pressures ranging from a few bar to over 2000 bar.
Reflects managing director and renowned materials engineering Ing. Crescenzo di Fratta: “What was “just” a vision in 2004—symbolized by a girl lauching her kite safely next to a tank in a clean environment—is now a national and international best practice”.
The AE method is recognized by law in Italy and other countries for performing innovative integrity tests and inspections, di Fratta continues, with investigative capabilities far superior to traditional techniques. “Acoustic emissions testing is extremely safe for operating personnel and for subsequent plant operation,” TÜV AUSTRIA Italia managing director Crescenzo di Fratta explains, highlighting its non-invasive nature:”AE is totally sustainable in environmental, economic, and social terms.”
Acoustic emissions testing has not only changed the way tanks are tested, but has also helped to raise safety and environmental protection standards across the entire sector.
Special thanks go to the AE Team at TÜV AUSTRIA Italia — Antonio Ferraro, Claudio De Tommasi, Giuseppe Rosella, Umberto Masone, Giacomo Mura, Francesco Iannunzio, Giuseppe Russo, Thomas Papalini, Donato Torrillo, Nicola Iadanza, and Vincenzo Mollica — for their valuable contribution to achieving this important milestone.
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