Improve Safety and Reduce Cost with Remote Tank Monitoring

Siemens remote tank monitoring puts tank data
at your fingertips with secure wire- less communications,
an extensive instrumentation portfolio and MindSphere.

Siemens offers digital solutions for tank monitoring and other process variables in the upstream market. Manual tank monitoring is time consuming due to the long distances between sites and the time needed for manual measurements. Additionally, opening the hatch on the tanks presents a safety hazard to operators. Siemens remote tank monitoring solutions are fully customizable to meet your needs, including their MindSphere app designed to put real-time tank data directly in the hands of operators in the field and management in central monitoring stations. Siemens MindSphere cloud platform and industrial wireless communications technology combined with our extensive line of instrumentation improves asset management which reduces cost and improves safety.

Get more from tank data with MindSphere.

SITRANS LR250 is a 2-wire, 25 GHz pulse radar
level transmitter for continuous monitoring of liquids
and slurries in storage and process vessels including
high temperature and pressure, to a range
of 20 m (66 ft).

At the core of Siemens remote tank monitoring solution is MindSphere, which serves as a central data hub for all of the tanks net- worked to the cloud platform. Within MindSphere, tank data is aggregated to produce diagnostics and build a behavioral profile and enable predictive maintenance. The data can also be processed to calculate other key measures such as volume within the cloud to meet your tank monitoring needs. With their tank monitoring app, you’ll be able to view the status, measurements, diagnostics, alerts and historical trends data from tanks across the network via a web- based platform on handheld devices and desktop computers, providing access to the data whenever and wherever you need it.

Choose the communications infrastructure to best suit your needs.

Siemens industrial wireless communications equipment is the necessary link between field instrumentation data and MindSphere. Their mobile wireless routers enable data transfer to MindSphere in remote locations and come with options for multiple cellular communications standards including LTE, UMTS, and GSM. This extended offering ensures the best signal for data transfer and the most reliable network for installations. Siemens adheres to the highest security standards in network security, and all communications solutions are encrypted with firewall protection to defend against unauthorized access and cyber threats. No matter the size of the network, their scalable and secure industrial communications technology is capable of delivering the solid foundation required for safe and efficient tank monitoring.

Maximize efficiency and return on investment with Siemens instrumentation.

Siemens' comprehensive portfolio of field instrumentation can be fitted to tanks to serve a variety of applications. Depending on the measurement accuracy, environmental conditions, and performance needed, Siemens offers a variety of instrumentation for pressure, temperature, level, and flow measurement. SITRANS LR250 is the first choice level radar transmitter for liquids in storage and process vessels. This transmitter is able to provide measurements for corrosive and aggressive materials, making it an excellent choice for crude oil measurement. Siemens wide selection of instrumentation ensures the right products are installed for optimal efficiency and return on investment.

Manual tank monitoring can be costly, time consuming and unsafe. As digitalization expands within the upstream market the need for the efficient management of resources while leveraging existing oilfield technologies is required to maintain a competitive advantage. Remote tank monitoring is a solution that enables the effective management of tank battery resources in preparation for the efficient deployment of transport for collection and maintenance.

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For more information on Siemens products, contact Ives Equipment by calling (877) 768-1600 or visit their web site at https://ivesequipment.com.

SIEMENS SITRANS LR250

The SIEMENS SITRANS LR250 is a great choice for liquid level measurement in storage and process vessels up to 66 feet (20 meters). With a variety of antennas, the LR250 can handle a broad scope of level applications. The SITRANS LR250 flanged and hygienic encapsulated antennas mean corrosive or aggressive materials and hygienic or sanitary requirements are no challenge for this transmitter.

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Measuring Level of Highly Concentrated Sulfuric Acid

SITRANS LR250

For fairly obvious reasons a US chemical company was having a very difficult time finding a process level instrument for a tank containing 93% sulfuric acid. Not many materials can stand up to the corrosive nature of even dilute sulfuric acid, not to mention the concentrated form. Level sensors with special wetted parts would only last a few months and the transmitters would have to be replaced on a regular basis. Downtime was very high and the maintenance was very costly.

Recommendation

SIEMENS recommended the SITRANS LR250 Radar PVDF for the application. The SITRANS LR250 with threaded PVDF antenna is a 2-wire, 25 GHz pulse radar level transmitter for continuous monitoring of liquids and slurries in storage and process vessels including corrosives or aggressive materials.

After having the unit installed for a few months, the unit was taken out and inspected. Signal profiles were taken and compared to the signal profiles when the unit was first installed. These profiles demonstrated strong performance by the SITRANS LR250 in that the acid level was being tracked reliably and the inspection of the PVDF encapsulated horn antenna showed no compatibility issues.

Conclusion

The Siemens SITRANS LR250 transmitter with its PVDF encapsulated horn antenna has proven to be the proper instrument for sulfuric acid applications. It provides a lower cost alternative to other instruments requiring exotic and expensive metal alloys. After being in operation for over three years, it has demonstrated a significantly increased life span.

Contact Ives Equipment for more information on the Siemens SITRANS LR250.

Download the full SIEMENS case study here.