White Paper: Locating Levels In Tanks And Silos Using Infrared Thermal Imaging

Instrumentation for locating levels in tanks and silos is often unreliable. The need for precise information about levels remains necessary, or even critical, in many instances. For example, in one situation a thermographer was employed to verify a liquid level in a large storage tank along the Gulf Coast prior to the arrival of a tanker ship. In continuous processes the operator must know how much capacity is available in each tank. Without that knowledge production may be impeded or, if an overfl ow occurs, a potentially dangerous situation created.

Sometimes traditional level indicating instruments simply cannot determine levels. Foams and waxes, for instance, are diffi cult to detect and measure accurately. A paper mill experienced a situation in which a tank was believed to be sized improperly, when in fact it was simply full of foam rather than liquid. De-foaming the tank proved more cost effective than unnecessarily replacing it with a larger one! A petrochemical plant hired a contractor to clean out a large tank. When the manway door was opened, sludge, which had settled to a depth high above the door, oozed forth creating a dangerous and environmentally damaging situation. For industries needing to comply with the safety and process requirements of OSHA 1910, thermography may prove to be a particularly costeffective tool to use.

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