Tomas Hasselgren, global business development manager for tank gauging at Emerson, explains how emulation technology helps organisations replace old or malfunctioning equipment for safer operations.
Many of the world’s bulk liquid storage tanks have been in service for a long time and rely on ageing tank gauging systems to support both overfill prevention and inventory management. Many systems are based on level measurement devices using servo technology. Although widely used, these devices have numerous drawbacks, including a poor reliability record and the need for regular maintenance.
Servo gauges are mechanical devices with many moving parts, suffering constant wear and tear. Hence, regular maintenance and recalibration, and a large spare parts stock is needed. Servo gauges have a mean time between failures (MTBF) of less than five years and, because their accuracy depends on external conditions such as hysteresis, temperature and density, they are prone to measurement errors.
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