Tank Gauging Solution Real-Time andWireless - Emmanuel Quellier

The Tanzanian & Italian Petroleum Company (TIPER) was looking for a tank gauging solution; they found their perfect solution in a wireless Modbus Tankvision system, combining the knowledge of two experts.

Tank gauging refers to the measurement of product in large storage tanks using level, pressure and temperature gauges; it is used frequently in the Oil & Gas and petrochemical industries. The information obtained in this way is used to provide inventory data, assist with internal reconciliations, track movements of product, place orders and detect leakages.

In an effort to overcome the shortcomings of existing tank gauging methods Endress+Hauser developed Tankvision, a tank inventory system based on open browser technology. The technology enables Tankvision to make tank walls truly transparent for authorised users without any increased cost per access point. Users can access real-time information about any tank from anywhere in the world. All that is required is a computer, webbrowser and Internet access. They can even group tanks from different parts of the world to obtain a view of the worldwide stock of a specific product. The system also enables users to request a variety of inventory reports including trending. Since its introduction two years ago, approximately 1000 Tankvision Workstation Systems have been installed worldwide, keeping an eye on more than 5000 tanks.

Tankvision is a far cry from the often imprecise, laborintensive gauging devices that TIPER was using before.With 30 bulk storage tanks spread over a 1km2 area, storing roughly 180 million liters of fuel when utilised at full capacity; accurate inventory control was number one on the client wish list. “We looked at all the options and selected on a technical basis rather than price,” comments TIPER manager, Piet Niewoudt.