Advantages of radar level meter upgrade system compared with traditional measurement methods

This article summarizes:
The replacement of measuring instruments and equipment in oil production stations is an important task. By upgrading related measuring instruments and supporting equipment, the labor intensity can be effectively reduced, the measurement accuracy can be improved, and the normal operation of production can be guaranteed.
This article introduces the transformation process of the oil tank measuring meter of an oil production station by example. Before the transformation of the station, the crude oil measurement work of the oil production station has always adopted the manual meter reading and gauge reading mode. The laboratory worker needs to test the oil from all directions every two hours, and when the water content is too high, it is necessary to encrypt the sample; the measurement work is repeated every two hours, that is, the meter needs to be read once every two hours, and the data is transmitted to the dispatcher regularly. In addition, the daily manual measurement work also includes the gauge inspection of each large tank and the sampling of the water content of crude oil in each large tank. In the end, these data will be summarized to the data clerk, who calculates the oil tank inventory based on the summarized basic data to guide the production operation.
This measurement work method is not only arduous, but the measurement data is also easily affected by external environmental factors and the level of employee operation experience. In order to improve the level of metering management, the oil production station uses advanced automated equipment radar level gauge to improve the original crude oil metering technology.
　

　
　The comparison between traditional metering and upgraded systems:
The traditional metering work mode has heavy metering tasks, and the metering results are easily affected by external environmental factors and the level of employee operation experience. The errors vary from person to person and there is great uncertainty; the traditional metering method cannot grasp the production data in real time, and cannot provide detailed and accurate data for production guidance. The production guidance lacks clear subjectivity; the traditional metering method cannot guarantee safe production, does not have a safety alarm function, and production is prone to liability accidents.
　　(I) Comparison between radar level gauge and mechanical level gauge
　　After the transformation of the oil production station warehouse, the innovation was carried out on the basis of the traditional mechanical level gauge. The radar level gauge was added to the oil storage tank, realizing the automation of the whole station metering work, which is more automated than before. The following is a specific comparative analysis.
　　1 Mechanical level gauge
　　For crude oil storage tanks, the main parameter of volume measurement is the tank level, which is called level measurement. The old liquid level measurement technology is mainly based on various steel belt float level gauges. The steel belt level gauge is a traditional liquid level gauge. It is designed and manufactured based on the principle of mechanical balance. It is composed of a liquid level detection device, a high-precision displacement transmission system, a constant force device, a display device, and other peripherals.
　　Working principle: The float immersed in the measured liquid is affected by gravity, buoyancy and the constant tension generated by the constant force device. When the vector sum of the three forces is equal to zero, the float is in a quasi-balanced static state. When the liquid level changes, the original mechanical balance will reach a new balance through the movement of the steel belt under the disturbance of the float by the buoyancy. The liquid level detection device (float) drives the steel belt to move according to the liquid level. The displacement transmission system drives the transmission pin to rotate through the movement of the steel belt, and then acts on the counter to display the liquid level.
　　Disadvantages: Its main disadvantage is that mechanical friction affects the accuracy and the error is large.
　　2 Radar level gauge
　　For crude oil storage tanks, the main parameter of volume measurement is the tank level, which is called liquid level measurement. The old liquid level measurement technology oil production station has undergone a comprehensive automation transformation and has been built into an information-based station with high automation control capabilities, and crude oil measurement has also made great progress. The promotion of microwave pulse technology provides a new direction for tank level measurement. The oil production station has undergone a comprehensive automation transformation and has been built into an information-based station with high automation control capabilities, and crude oil measurement has also made great progress.
　　Working principle: The guided wave radar level meter (Figure 1) is a radar level meter based on the time domain reflection principle. The electromagnetic pulse of the radar level meter propagates along the steel cable or probe at the speed of light. When encountering the surface of the measured medium, part of the pulse of the radar level meter is reflected to form an echo and returns to the pulse transmitter along the same path. The distance between the transmitter and the surface of the measured medium is proportional to the propagation time of the pulse in between, and the liquid level height is calculated.
　　Technical advantages of guided wave radar level meter: Radar level meter continuously measures the level of liquids, particles and slurries. The measurement of the radar level meter is not affected by medium changes, temperature changes, inert gases and steam, dust, foam, etc. The radar level meter has an accuracy of 5mm, a range of 60 meters, and is resistant to high temperatures of 250℃ and high pressures of 40 kg. It is suitable for explosion-hazardous areas. Even if the working conditions are complex, the echo of the material level can be accurately analyzed using the debugging software. The radar level meter realizes 24-hour uninterrupted automatic measurement of the tank level.
　　(II) Field application
　　At present, all 8 5000m3 storage tanks in the oil production station are equipped with radar level meters (Figure 2), which realize 24-hour real-time monitoring under any circumstances, and the measurement timeliness, accuracy, and anti-interference have been qualitatively improved. It is conducive to the on-duty personnel to make early warning judgments in advance, and it also has the function of storing and viewing the original records, which greatly improves the initiative of production command.
　　
Conclusion of this article
　　Studying the characteristics and technology of radar level meter, combining database technology, and developing related monitoring and network application software, organically connecting on-site automated measurement with office automation system can make full and reasonable use of information resources, solve the drawbacks of manual measurement, better serve production management and decision-making, improve the accuracy and timeliness of measurement work, and promote the continuous improvement of management level.