20 years of innovation: the history of acoustic emission in Italy with TÜV AUSTRIA Italia

TÜV AUSTRIA Italia – founded in 2004 under the name Blu Solutions srl – has its origins in a pioneering idea by engineer Poillucci, a new ten-year inspection method for underground tanks in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector. At a time when integrity checks were almost exclusively invasive, time-consuming and costly, the real revolution was to apply an advanced technique used in cutting-edge industry: Acoustic Emission (AE).

Since its creation, Blu Solutions has been able to count on the training and collaboration of the TÜV AUSTRIA group, an international leader in the inspection, 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, reproducible and reliable test methodology.

At the same time, thanks to the investment and technological contribution of the Loccioni Group, a world leader in the field of industrial measurement and automation, Blu Solutions was able to bring AE to market with advanced systems fully compliant with regulatory requirements, transforming a technical idea into a genuine innovation for the LPG sector.

The collaboration with TÜV AUSTRIA not only reinforced 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 a 100% subsidiary of TÜV AUSTRIA Italia.

As we retrace this path, we come to a particularly significant moment in our history.

In December 2005, Blu Solutions srl issued its first historic sales invoices for the first acoustic emissions tests on LPG tanks. The pioneering engineering company also implemented the ISPESL (now INAIL, the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work) procedure, newly created at the time, obtaining acceptance for the acoustic emissions tests carried out and working closely with the institute on all subsequent developments and updates of the technique. The owners of these first LPG tanks have remained loyal and valued customers to this day, setting a model for the fledgling Italian company.

Blu Solutions srl – now TÜV AUSTRIA ITALIA spa – has been the undisputed leader in Italy in the application of acoustic emission testing. AE has already been used to test over 233,000 tanks, and has now been extended to a wide range of pressure vessels: road dispensers, underground LPG storage tanks, buried and insulated overhead tanks, reactors, columns, spheres, pipes and autoclaves containing LPG, hazardous and non-hazardous gases, with operating pressures ranging from a few bars to over 2,000 bars.

Managing Director and renowned materials engineer Ing. Crescenzo di Fratta: “What was ‘just’ a vision in 2004 – symbolized by a young girl safely launching her kite next to a tank in a clean environment – is today national and international best practice.”

The AE method is recognized by law in Italy and other countries for carrying out innovative integrity tests and inspections, di Fratta continues, with far greater investigative capabilities than traditional techniques. “Acoustic emissions testing is extremely safe for operating personnel and for subsequent plant operation”, explains Crescenzo di Fratta, Managing Director of TÜV AUSTRIA Italia, emphasizing its non-invasive nature: “EA is totally sustainable in environmental, economic and social terms.”

Acoustic emissions testing has not only changed the way tanks are tested, it has also helped to raise safety and environmental standards across the industry.

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 invaluable contribution to the achievement of this milestone.