System and method for acoustic container volume calibration

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for calibrating the volume of storage containers using ultrasonic inspection techniques. The exemplary ultrasonic calibration system comprises a plurality of acousticdevices controllably deployed in respective positions on the outside surface of the container. The acoustic devices include a transducer for sending acoustic signals across the internal volume of thecontainer and sensors configured to detect the acoustic signals. The acoustic devices are in communication with a diagnostic computing device that controls the positioning and the operation of the acoustic devices and is further configured to determine the time time-of-flight of acoustic signals that travel between the various acoustic devices. Moreover, according to the specific arrangement of acoustic devices and the measured acoustic signal information, the control computer is configured to calculate the dimensions of the container and its internal volume.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to systems and methods for non-destructive testing of structures, and in particular to systems and methods for acoustically measuring the geometric dimensions of containers in a non-destructive manner. Background technique [0002] In the oil and gas industry, storage tanks for crude oil and refined products play a key role in the hydrocarbon supply chain. Knowing the exact volume of these storage devices plays a vital role when transferring product to and / or from the tank. Tank volumes can vary by as much as + / - 0.2% due to changes in external and internal conditions (ie temperature) and aging and also due to the weight of the liquid product (ie hydrostatic pressure). For a 250,000 barrel tank, this change would result in a volume change of + / - 500 barrel volume. [0003] Due to the high value of petroleum hydrocarbons, calibration of storage tanks is mandatory. Tanks used for custody transfer must be calibrated so tha...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

As a result, tanks are seldom calibrated / measured, resulting in incorrect tank volumes and lost sales revenue

[0006] Existing methods for tank calibration have significant disadvantages

For example, with current standards, performing a calibration can take 1-2 days of work

As a result, tanks are seldom calibrated, resulting in inaccurate measurements of actual volumes stored in or transferred to and from said tanks, which can be costly

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