In the management of caverned fuel oil inventory, a strict rule of fire control has always been the first priority due to the special conditions. It is always a challenge to perform automatic measurement by means of conventional electrical devices for inspecting oil tank level there. Introduced in this paper is a fiber optic gauging technique with millimeter precision for automatic measurement in caverned tanks. Instead of using any electrical device, it uses optical encoders and optical fibers for converting and transmitting signals. Its principle, specifications, installation and applications are discussed in detail. Theoretical analysis of the factors affecting its accuracy, stability, and special procedures adopted in the installation of the fiber optic gauge are also discussed.

Date Published: 29 December 2000
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 4202, Industrial Sensing Systems, (29 December 2000); doi: 10.1117/12.411725

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4202:
Industrial Sensing Systems
Anbo Wang; Eric Udd, Editor(s)