35 level gauges for Total's Island View blend plant
February 2001
Level Measurement & Control
The Total oil blend plant situated at Island View in Durban has a full tank gauging system installed on its 35 storage tanks. The tanks, which are a combination of vertical and horizontal vessels, are used for the storage of base oils, automotive, industrial and marine oils used in the blending process. Sizes vary widely in height from 2,4 m on the horizontal (bullet) tanks to over 19 m on the vertical tanks. The volumes range from 14 to 2336 cubic metres.
Total South Africa chose the Saab PRO radar level gauge for this application and the turnkey project, which included mechanical and electrical installation as well as commissioning, was handled by Tyco MeasureTech, which is the local agent for the Saab product.
The mechanical and electrical work was done by Durban-based contractors, the commissioning being handled by the Tyco MeasureTech Engineering Division.
The noncontact radar method of level measurement used meant that very little work had to be done on the existing tank nozzles and, because all instrumentation (radar gauges and temperature sensors), are fitted from the top of the vessels, there was no requirement for the removal of product from the tanks. Production was able to continue normally throughout the installation and commissioning period. Level and temperature data is transmitted from the field instruments to two field control units, which in turn communicate with Saab's Tankmaster tank farm management software package, conveniently located in the operator's office. Temperature signals are multiplexed through Saab's intrinsically safe independent data acquisition unit. The use of Modbus data communication considerably reduced installation time and proved very cost effective from a wiring point of view.
The Windows-based Tankmaster software permits the operator to call up any of the 35 tanks to view the level, rate of change as well as other information relating to level changes in the vessel. The system allows for the setting of alarms to prevent spills and to alert the operator should the production be at risk due to a low level of product in any of the tanks. In addition the program allows the insertion of strapping tables to give an accurate indication of tank volume.
The introduction of a state-of-the-art, maintenance-free tank level measurement and inventory system at the blend plant results in a more accurate method of controlling stock levels and does away with need for regular tank dipping, a laborious and often dangerous task.
[email protected]
www.tyco.com
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