Measuring Diesel Fuel Tank Level -122808

Application Example ______________________________________________________________________

Sensing Diesel Fuel Level

Market: Transportation Industry

Sensing Diesel Fuel Level in Storage Tanks

STI Automation Products Group’s IRU2225 Ultrasonic was chosen because it has a 25’ range and a Teflon faced 150# flange which resists the chemical effects of the fuel. The sensor also has a 4/20mA output and (2) NPN trip points. The 4/20mA output was hooked to a digital meter to provide for local display as well as the (2) NPN outputs that provided the high and low alarms. The sensors analog and discreet outputs are easily scalable for the 18’ span of the tank through the windows based PC software. All the factory set default parameters were used for the application except that the sample rate was lowered to 1 “ping” per second to allow the sensor to operate better in the enclosed environment of the tank.

A Midwest based rail carrier maintains a facility for the repair and maintenance of rail cars and locomotives. Within the facility is a diesel fuel storage and dispensing station comprised of two 18’ tall steel tanks that each hold 20,000 gallons of fuel. Their requirements were to have an accurate local display as well as high and low alarms. The low alarm would alert the operators when to order more fuel and the high alarm would aid the fuel delivery personnel during fill to prevent overflowing the tanks. Ultrasonic sensors provide an ideal solution for sensing diesel fuel levels in storage tanks. Their non-contact method of level sensing eliminates the gumming up and sticking problems associated with most mechanical float sensors.

For More Information Contact: Brian McMorris XACT Sensing, Inc. Phone: 952-594-0474 Email: [email protected]

IRU2225 Flanged Ultrasonic Sensors • 1 to 25 ft. detection range • Easy to Install • Analog and trip point outputs • Internal temperature compensation • Easy to install • Programmable response time • Maintenance free • Programmable filtering