Method and system for measuring the filling of an irregular fuel tank of a ship

Abstract

The application discloses a method and system for measuring the oil quantity of an irregular fuel tank of a ship, and belongs to the technical field of ship fuel management. The ship comprises a fuel main pipe, a ballast pipe, a seawater pump, a fuel injection pipe and a fuel tank. The method comprises the following steps: emptying the fuel in the fuel main pipe; starting the seawater pump to inject water into the fuel main pipe, and the water flows into an external storage tank through the fuel main pipe, the fuel tank and the ballast pipe in sequence, and the injection of water is stopped until the water in the external storage tank contains no oil; adding fuel into the fuel tank through the fuel injection pipe, and the fuel pushes the water in the tank to flow into the external storage tank through the ballast pipe, and the addition of fuel is stopped until the liquid flowing into the external storage tank through the ballast pipe becomes an oil-water mixture, and the reading of a flowmeter at this time is recorded; and the oil quantity is determined based on the reading of the flowmeter and the difference between the volume of the fuel main pipe and the ballast pipe. The method and system provided by the application can improve the measurement accuracy and reduce waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of marine fuel management technology, and in particular relates to a method and system for measuring the amount of fuel added to irregular fuel tanks on a ship. Background Technology

[0002] Ship fuel tanks typically use water to pressurize oil into an oil-water separator before it enters the day fuel tank; during refueling, oil is used to pressurize water out of the vessel. Because ship fuel tanks are generally irregularly shaped, and the piping cannot be positioned at the lowest point of the hull, it is difficult to accurately determine the actual amount of fuel used in each tank. Usually, only a rough estimate of the required amount can be made, which is detrimental to the operation of the ship.

[0003] In existing technologies, various electronic monitoring systems based on level sensors, pressure sensors, or ultrasonic sensors have emerged to address the problem of fuel quantity measurement. For example, these systems calculate the remaining fuel quantity by creating a three-dimensional model of the fuel tank and combining it with level data. However, these solutions have the following drawbacks: first, sensor installation is complex and costly; second, for irregularly shaped tanks, model calculation errors are significant; and third, the influence of pipeline volume on the actual usable fuel quantity cannot be eliminated, often resulting in measurement results that deviate from the true amount of extractable fuel. Furthermore, some oil-water displacement techniques are used to maintain the ship's dynamic balance, but they have not been applied to the accurate measurement of the actual usable fuel quantity in the fuel tank.

[0004] Therefore, from a practical standpoint, developing a method that can accurately measure the actual amount of fuel used in a fuel tank, is easy to operate, and is inexpensive is of great practical significance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method and system for measuring the amount of fuel added to irregularly shaped fuel tanks on ships, aiming to at least partially solve the technical problem that the actual usable fuel quantity is difficult to measure accurately due to the irregular shape and pipeline layout limitations of these tanks. Therefore, One aspect of this application provides a method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregular fuel tank on a ship, the ship including: a fuel main pipe, a replenishment pipe, a seawater pump, a fuel injection pipe, and a fuel tank; The outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel oil main pipe, and the other end of the fuel oil main pipe is connected to the fuel oil tank. One end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the oil outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank. The fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel inlet of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe; The method includes: Empty the fuel in the fuel main; Start the seawater pump to inject water into the fuel main pipe. The water flows through the fuel main pipe, the fuel tank and the replenishment pipe in sequence and then into the external storage tank. Stop injecting water when the water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets. Fuel is injected into the fuel tank through the fuel injection pipe. The fuel pushes the water in the tank through the weight replenishment pipe and into the external storage tank. The injection stops when the liquid flowing into the external storage tank through the weight replenishment pipe becomes an oil-water mixture, and the reading of the flow meter at this time is recorded. The amount of fuel to be added is determined based on the difference between the reading of the flow meter and the volume of the fuel main and the refill pipe.

[0006] In some embodiments, the number of fuel tanks is multiple; The fuel drained from the fuel main includes: Select one of the plurality of fuel tanks as the loading tank to receive the fuel discharged from the fuel main; Select another fuel tank from the plurality of fuel tanks as the fuel tank to be tested, and close the other fuel tanks from the plurality of fuel tanks.

[0007] In some embodiments, the fuel main is connected to the plurality of fuel tanks via multiple branch pipes, and each branch pipe is equipped with a shut-off valve.

[0008] In some embodiments, the supplementary weight pipe is connected to the external storage tank via a tooling pipe.

[0009] In some embodiments, the tooling tube is a detachable flexible tube.

[0010] In some embodiments, the external storage tank is a transparent container.

[0011] In some embodiments, the external storage tank has an inlet at the top and a drain at the bottom.

[0012] In some embodiments, the water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets, including: There was no visible oil film on the water surface inside the storage tank and no suspended oil droplets in the water.

[0013] In some embodiments, the liquid in the external storage tank becoming an oil-water mixture includes: Continuous oil droplets or an oil film begin to appear in the liquid in the external storage tank.

[0014] Another aspect of this application's embodiments provides a system for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship, applying the above-described method; the system includes: a fuel main pipe, a replenishment pipe, a seawater pump, a fuel injection pipe, and a fuel tank. The outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel oil main pipe, and the other end of the fuel oil main pipe is connected to the fuel oil tank. One end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the oil outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank. The fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel filler port of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe.

[0015] The embodiments of this application have at least the following beneficial effects: The method and system for measuring the amount of fuel added to irregular fuel tanks on ships provided in this application aim to eliminate fuel spillage and significantly reduce fuel waste during refueling. By first emptying the main fuel line and then using an oil-water replacement method to precisely control the refueling endpoint (with the flow of an oil-water mixture from the replenishment pipe as a signal), fuel spillage from the replenishment pipe due to overfilling is avoided, fundamentally solving the fuel leakage problem in the traditional refueling process. By subtracting the corrected volume of the main fuel line and the replenishment pipe from the flow meter reading, the actual usable amount of fuel in each fuel tank is accurately obtained, thereby enabling refueling as needed and avoiding waste caused by blindly adding too much or inaccurate estimation.

[0016] On the other hand, this method eliminates the need for 3D modeling of the hull or level sensors, directly measuring the actual extractable oil volume through physical oil-water displacement. This bypasses the measurement challenges caused by irregular hull shapes and the inability to place pipelines at the lowest possible level. Utilizing only the ship's existing piping system, onboard seawater pumps, and simple external tooling such as water tanks and flow meters, it avoids the need for complex electronic sensors or data processing modules, making implementation convenient and maintenance costs low. This method simulates actual operating conditions (using water pressure to extract oil), and the measured oil volume represents the amount of fuel that can be effectively extracted and used during actual navigation. It eliminates interference from dead oil zones or pipeline residues on the usable oil volume, providing accurate fuel parameters for ship operations. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregular fuel tank on a ship, according to an embodiment of this application, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0020] Furthermore, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples in this application. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, this application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0021] This application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments: The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is: in the prior art, due to the irregular shape and pipeline layout limitations of irregular fuel tanks on ships, it is difficult to accurately measure the actual usable fuel volume. The present invention provides a method and system for measuring the actual usable fuel volume of irregular fuel tanks on ships, which can accurately obtain the actual usable fuel volume of each fuel tank, eliminate fuel spillage, and reduce refueling waste.

[0022] See Figure 1 This application provides a method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregular fuel tank on a ship, and the measurement operation is carried out based on the ship's refueling system.

[0023] The vessel includes: a fuel main, a replenishment pipe, a seawater pump, a fuel injection pipe, and a fuel tank; the outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel main, and the other end of the fuel main is connected to the fuel tank; one end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the fuel outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank; the fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel inlet of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe.

[0024] The method includes: Empty the fuel in the fuel main; Start the seawater pump to inject water into the fuel main pipe. The water flows through the fuel main pipe, the fuel tank and the replenishment pipe in sequence and then into the external storage tank. Stop injecting water when the water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets. Fuel is injected into the fuel tank through the fuel injection pipe. The fuel pushes the water in the tank through the weight replenishment pipe and into the external storage tank. The injection stops when the liquid flowing into the external storage tank through the weight replenishment pipe becomes an oil-water mixture, and the reading of the flow meter at this time is recorded. The amount of fuel to be added is determined based on the difference between the reading of the flow meter and the volume of the fuel main and the refill pipe.

[0025] In some embodiments, considering that there are multiple fuel tanks, the fuel main is connected to the multiple fuel tanks through multiple branch pipes, and each branch pipe is equipped with a shut-off valve, the measurement operation of which can also be adaptively adjusted.

[0026] The fuel drained from the fuel main includes: Select one of the plurality of fuel tanks as the loading tank to receive the fuel discharged from the fuel main; Select another fuel tank from the plurality of fuel tanks as the fuel tank to be tested, and close the other fuel tanks from the plurality of fuel tanks.

[0027] Therefore, the entire injection measurement process may include: Empty the fuel main, close the shut-off valve on the branch pipe of the fuel main to other fuel tanks, open the shut-off valve of the fuel main to the loading fuel tank (the selected fuel tank for collecting fuel), and inject all the fuel in the fuel main into the loading fuel tank.

[0028] An external storage tank is installed, and another external storage tank is connected to the supplementary weight pipe.

[0029] To measure the first test chamber, close the shut-off valve connecting the fuel tank to the fuel main pipe, and open the shut-off valve connecting the test fuel tank to the fuel main pipe. Start the seawater pump to inject water into the fuel main pipe; the water flows through the fuel main pipe, the test fuel tank, and the replenishment pipe into the external storage tank. Continue injecting water until the water in the external storage tank is clear and free of oil slicks, then stop injecting water.

[0030] Refueling and recording: Begin refueling the fuel tank under test through the fuel injection pipe while observing the external storage tank. Immediately stop refueling when an oil-water mixture (i.e., oil droplets or an oil film in the water) begins to appear in the liquid flowing from the replenishment pipe into the external storage tank. Record the reading of the flow meter on the fuel injection pipe at this time, denoted as Vtotal.

[0031] The actual amount of fuel added is calculated by pre-measuring the volume of the fuel main pipe as V using the water injection method. 管1 The volume of the supplementary weight tube is V. 管2 The actual usable fuel quantity in the fuel tank to be tested is: V 实际 = V 总 - (V 管1 + V 管2 ).

[0032] Measure the remaining fuel tanks in sequence, following the steps above, to obtain the actual usable fuel quantity in each tank.

[0033] After measuring the loaded fuel tank and all six other fuel tanks have been measured, transfer the fuel from the loaded fuel tank to the other fuel tanks via the fuel main (ensuring the loaded fuel tank is empty). Then, measure the loaded fuel tank again following the steps described above to obtain its actual usable fuel quantity.

[0034] After applying the method of the present invention, no fuel overflow occurred at the refueling pipe during subsequent fuel refueling processes, and the amount of fuel added each time closely matched the actual consumption, significantly reducing fuel refueling waste.

[0035] The water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets, meaning that there is no visible oil film on the water surface and no suspended oil droplets in the water.

[0036] The liquid in the external storage tank becomes an oil-water mixture, including the appearance of continuous oil droplets in the liquid or the formation of an oil film on the water surface.

[0037] In some embodiments, the supplementary weight pipe is connected to the external storage tank via a tooling pipe to facilitate assembly operations.

[0038] In some embodiments, the tooling tube is a detachable flexible tube.

[0039] In some embodiments, the external storage tank is a transparent container for easy observation.

[0040] In some embodiments, the external storage tank has a water inlet at the top and a water outlet at the bottom, thereby enabling water to enter from the top for easy observation.

[0041] Another aspect of this application's embodiments provides a system for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship, applying the above-described method; the system includes: a fuel main pipe, a replenishment pipe, a seawater pump, a fuel injection pipe, and a fuel tank. The outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel oil main pipe, and the other end of the fuel oil main pipe is connected to the fuel oil tank. One end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the oil outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank. The fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel filler port of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe.

[0042] The embodiments of this application have at least the following beneficial effects: The method and system for measuring the amount of fuel added to irregular fuel tanks on ships provided in this application aim to eliminate fuel spillage and significantly reduce fuel waste during refueling. By first emptying the main fuel line and then using an oil-water replacement method to precisely control the refueling endpoint (with the flow of an oil-water mixture from the replenishment pipe as a signal), fuel spillage from the replenishment pipe due to overfilling is avoided, fundamentally solving the fuel leakage problem in the traditional refueling process. By subtracting the corrected volume of the main fuel line and the replenishment pipe from the flow meter reading, the actual usable amount of fuel in each fuel tank is accurately obtained, thereby enabling refueling as needed and avoiding waste caused by blindly adding too much or inaccurate estimation.

[0043] On the other hand, this method eliminates the need for 3D modeling of the hull or level sensors, directly measuring the actual extractable oil volume through physical oil-water displacement. This bypasses the measurement challenges caused by irregular hull shapes and the inability to place pipelines at the lowest possible level. Utilizing only the ship's existing piping system, onboard seawater pumps, and simple external tooling such as water tanks and flow meters, it avoids the need for complex electronic sensors or data processing modules, making implementation convenient and maintenance costs low. This method simulates actual operating conditions (using water pressure to extract oil), and the measured oil volume represents the amount of fuel that can be effectively extracted and used during actual navigation. It eliminates interference from dead oil zones or pipeline residues on the usable oil volume, providing accurate fuel parameters for ship operations.

[0044] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0046] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of this application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. In this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection" and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, the descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the aforementioned features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited.

[0047] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0048] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only if they are based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0049] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank of a ship, the ship comprising: The system comprises a main fuel line, a supplementary weight line, a seawater pump, a fuel injection line, and a fuel tank; its features include: The outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel oil main pipe, and the other end of the fuel oil main pipe is connected to the fuel oil tank. One end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the oil outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank. The fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel inlet of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe; The method includes: Empty the fuel in the fuel main; Start the seawater pump to inject water into the fuel main pipe. The water flows through the fuel main pipe, the fuel tank and the replenishment pipe in sequence and then into the external storage tank. Stop injecting water when the water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets. Fuel is injected into the fuel tank through the fuel injection pipe. The fuel pushes the water in the tank through the weight replenishment pipe and into the external storage tank. The injection stops when the liquid flowing into the external storage tank through the weight replenishment pipe becomes an oil-water mixture, and the reading of the flow meter at this time is recorded. The amount of fuel to be added is determined based on the difference between the reading of the flow meter and the volume of the fuel main and the refill pipe.

2. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of fuel tanks is multiple; The fuel drained from the fuel main includes: Select one of the plurality of fuel tanks as the loading tank to receive the fuel discharged from the fuel main; Select another fuel tank from the plurality of fuel tanks as the fuel tank to be tested, and close the other fuel tanks from the plurality of fuel tanks.

3. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The main fuel line is connected to the multiple fuel tanks via multiple branch pipes, and each branch pipe is equipped with a shut-off valve.

4. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The supplementary weight pipe is connected to the external storage tank via a tooling pipe.

5. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The tooling tube is a detachable flexible tube.

6. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The external storage tank is a transparent container.

7. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The external storage tank has an inlet at the top and a drain at the bottom.

8. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water in the external storage tank is free of oil droplets, including: There was no visible oil film on the water surface inside the storage tank and no suspended oil droplets in the water.

9. The method for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid in the external storage tank becomes an oil-water mixture, including: Continuous oil droplets or an oil film begin to appear in the liquid in the external storage tank.

10. A system for measuring the amount of fuel added to an irregularly shaped fuel tank on a ship, employing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; characterized in that, include: Fuel main pipe, weight replenishment pipe, seawater pump, fuel injection pipe, and fuel tank The outlet of the seawater pump is connected to one end of the fuel oil main pipe, and the other end of the fuel oil main pipe is connected to the fuel oil tank. One end of the replenishment pipe is connected to the oil outlet of the fuel tank, and the other end of the replenishment pipe is configured to connect to an external storage tank. The fuel injection pipe is connected to the fuel filler port of the fuel tank, and a flow meter is installed on the fuel injection pipe.

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