Design and implementation of a new non-radioactive remote oil tank monitoring system

In the oil industry, many applications require the measurement of more than one liquid level interface, often in challenging environments. In this paper, a new sonar technique has been developed for emulsion layer detection. A dedicated compact, low-cost, and programmable Multi-layer level measurement (MLLM) device has been designed and implemented. The advantages of the new method over the current methods include contactless distance measurement, higher accuracy, lower cost, user friendly, simpler setup, and using non-nuclear rays. Additionally, the use of sonar waves has the advantage over light-based methods of being insensitive to dusty and smoky environment and almost independent of the object material and surface. Preliminary experiments have been conducted on the device and evidence for the satisfactory performance is given.