ISS Projects (UK) Ltd Tank-in-Touch Gauging panel with Leak Detection
The ISS Projects (UK) Ltd Tank-in-Touch system provides greater flexibility in today’s process environment; combining level measurement, process control, inventory monitoring and leak detection.
We were approached by a well-known multinational company looking to upgrade its old TM Technology gauging system with a new system incorporating unauthorized product movement monitoring (leak detection).
The application required fourteen underground tanks containing various solvents to be gauged and monitored for unauthorised product movement. Due to the nature of the products the system is required to comply with ATEX standards. We selected Magnetrol magnetostrictive probes to provide us with a high level of accuracy (accuracy being a fundamental element to the function of the leak detection monitoring). The system uses Pepperl + Fuchs (P+F) field barriers for ATEX conformance and a P+F gateway for the HART variables.
Our industry proven Tank-in-Touch gauge was used as the platform to build the leak detection system.
The leak detection has a start and duration time for each day; monitoring tolerances are configured by the user. Once the leak detection mode is enabled, the system allows a lower tolerance for the first hour before increasing the tolerance this allows for product stabilization thus reducing false alarms.
When the leak detection system is active it will monitor the level in each of the tanks; if the product in any of the tanks moves out of its set tolerance an audible alarm will sound (which can be disabled if site is unattended), emails and SMS alerts are generated. All alarms are recorded in a log file and stored on the gauge.
At the end of the high tolerance period the system creates a report which is emailed at set time each day. The totals are accumulated for a one month period and a report is generated and distributed by email, enabling trends to be identified.
The whole package not only monitors for any possible loss of product (which has an environmental as well as a financial cost), it also enables a more efficient stock control and ordering system which ultimately can save costs.