External Tank Level Sensing for Automated Overflow Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In oil and gas extraction operations, existing tank management systems require personnel to access the top of storage tanks for equipment installation, posing safety risks and increasing setup time and cost, while also lacking efficient overflow prevention mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An automated tank system comprising a plurality of storage tanks, a diversion tank, a fill manifold with control valves, and external sensors and control units that monitor fluid volume and actuate valves to redirect fluid flow to the diversion tank when capacity is reached, preventing overflow and overpressurization without requiring top access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If personnel access the top of storage tanks for equipment installation, then equipment can be installed on tanks, but safety risks increase and setup time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the sensor installation from the vertical dimension (top of tank requiring personnel access) to the horizontal dimension (external side of tank at ground level). This dimensional shift allows equipment installation without personnel needing to access the tank top, eliminating safety risks while maintaining installation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary external sensor that indirectly measures tank fluid volume without requiring direct access to the tank interior or top. This intermediary device transmits signals through the tank wall, enabling monitoring and control functions while keeping personnel ground-level and safe.
2Ease of manufacture
If personnel access the top of storage tanks for equipment installation, then equipment can be installed on tanks, but setup time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By moving sensor installation to the external side of the tank at ground level, the patent eliminates the time-consuming process of accessing tank tops, using ladders or lifts, and working at heights. This dimensional relocation dramatically reduces setup time while maintaining full equipment functionality.
3Measurement precision
If traditional tank monitoring systems are used, then tank fluid volume can be monitored, but personnel must access tank tops creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an external sensor as an intermediary that measures tank fluid volume through the tank wall without requiring personnel to enter or access the tank top. This intermediary measurement approach maintains monitoring precision while eliminating safety hazards associated with high-altitude access.
4Device complexity
If manual tank management is used, then simple systems are employed, but overflow prevention is inefficient and requires continuous human monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated feedback control system where external sensors continuously monitor tank fluid volume and transmit data to a control unit. When the fluid approaches the maximum level, the system automatically activates diversion valves to redirect flow, providing efficient overflow prevention without requiring continuous human monitoring or complex manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank management system performs self-monitoring and self-regulation through automated sensors and control mechanisms. The system serves itself by detecting fluid levels and automatically diverting excess fluid, eliminating the need for human operators to continuously watch and manually control the tanks, thereby大幅提高 overflow prevention efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of storing fluid from an oil well includes the steps: providing storage tanks; providing a diversion tank; coupling a fill manifold to the storage tanks and to the diversion tank, the fill manifold having a first control valve controlling flow of the fluid to the storage tanks, the fill manifold having a second control valve controlling flow of the fluid to the diversion tank; associating a sensor with at least one of the storage tanks without accessing a top of any of the storage tanks, the sensor being configured to determine a volume of the fluid within at least one of the storage tanks; associating a control system with the fill manifold and the sensor; and actuating the first and second control valves using the control system in response to at least one detection by the sensor to ensure that the storage tanks are not overfilled.