How to Cure 7 Common Tank Gauging Headaches #2
#2
Inadequate safety systems
Many plants and tank farms were built before today’s safety standards were widely distributed and followed. Overfill prevention might be nothing more than strategically placed mechanical switches designed to stop the flow in the nick of time. Unfortunately, few of these meet the requirements of IEC 61508 / 61511, and bringing older equipment into compliance is now more critical.
The kinds of radar level gauges available today provide a safety system with continuous surveillance of a tank’s contents, whether the level is going up, down or remaining static. Radar level gauges are certified and proven in use for storage tank safety applications, and are a critical part of an IEC 61508/61511, SIL 2 or SIL 3 as well as an API 2350 compliant system. Newer safety systems using these units maintain a much closer watch on filling operations as part of the overfill prevention system, and even have the ability to detect leakage if a decrease in level has no apparent operational cause.
The 2-in-1 gauge can serve the same function as two devices: one for normal level monitoring as required by the tank gauging system, and a second safety measurement in compliance with API 2350 and IEC 61511 with a SIS/SIL certificate. Both measurements are continuous, accurate and reliable – and they function completely independent of each other. One state-of-the art radar device, mounted in place of a single traditional float-and-tape level gauge, can thus perform both measurement and safety functions.
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