The storage tank is an indispensable part of large-scale mechanical equipment,and the problem of detection of excess materials such as iron filings and welding slag inside it needs to be solved.In order to realize the intelligent detection of excess objects in tank,through the focusing algorithm based on time reversal principle,and using LabVIEW and MATLAB joint programming,an excess detection system based on LabVIEW software platform for data acquisition,analysis,processing and acoustic emission source positioning was designed.The system can be used to effectively judge the presence and location of excess objects in tank,and display the location of the acoustic emission source with an intensity map.After many tests,the positioning error is controlled within 5%,which meets the engineering needs.