Never before has a level-measuring instrument solved so many problems The heavy Venezuelan crude oil refined at the CITGO Lake Charles (Louisiana) refinery has a high sulphur content that earlier resulted in high maintenance costs due to H S-induced corrosion in traditional mechanical gauge heads. The risks of tank overfilling due to level measurement inaccuracies have also been greatly reduced by installing Rosemount TankRadar gauges. CITGO has installed 34 gauges of which 10 are located at Lake Charles. Short payback time "The savings for us in buying TankRadar gauges lie in the non-contact measurement system, the lack of moving parts, reliability and extremely low maintenance costs", said CITGO Process Control Analyst Kevin Mothershed. "Up to 70% of our instrument technicians' time (in the oil movement area) has been spent on mechanical gauge maintenance. The radar gauges have also improved accuracy, so payback time on the investment has been short". Microwaves don't break down. They don't get stuck in a still pipe and they are relatively unaffected by a tank's temperature or contents. The radar gauges are not in contact with the contents of the tank. Only one component is located inside – the antenna at the top. "The costs of taking a tank out of service for gauge repair is approximately 2–3 times the cost of installing a tank radar gauge", explained Mothershed. "The parabolic antenna model works perfectly well in severe service, such as coker feed. Never before has such a measuring instrument solved so many problems".   Environmental safety Employee safety and environmental stewardship are high priorities at CITGO, another reason that the Rosemount Tank Gauging system was an attractive alternative for the facility. Every CITGO facility strives to be an accident-free workplace. Overfilling a tank is dangerous for employees, it can have negative environmental impact, and it can result in expensive cleanup activities. Reliable gauging prevents overfilling. The Rosemount TankRadar leakage alarm ensures tank levels are continuously checked for unexpected level changes that could indicate a possible leak. “We have had very few problems with the radar gauges and the products have always been backed up with a completely professional and service-minded organization”, Mothershed concluded.   A parabolic antenna still working after use in heavily contaminating double-blown bitumen. Print  |  Close