Tank Level Monitoring

 Solution

Tank Level Monitoring

Industry Pain Points

In industries reliant on tank storage—such as petroleum, chemical, food and beverage, environmental protection, and agriculture—the tank level monitoring process has long faced multiple challenges that severely constrain safety and operational efficiency:

Safety vs. Efficiency Conflict:​ Manual inspections require close contact with storage tanks. Especially for tanks containing hazardous media such as corrosive acids, volatile solvents, and liquefied gases, this approach poses significant risks of leaks, poisoning, and explosions. Moreover, manual recording is low-frequency (e.g., once or twice daily), making it impossible to capture sudden level fluctuations in real time. The result is low efficiency and severe data latency.

Poor Adaptability of Traditional Wired Solutions:​ In scenarios involving retrofitting older tanks or monitoring dispersed outdoor tanks, wired monitoring systems demand extensive cabling. This not only drives up installation costs (exceeding tens of thousands of RMB per kilometer) and extends project timelines, but also makes the system prone to line faults caused by rain and corrosion over time—dramatically increasing maintenance difficulty and ongoing costs.

Insufficient Data Accuracy and Regulatory Compliance:​ Some basic monitoring devices (such as float-type or ultrasonic sensors) suffer from measurement errors exceeding 10 mm and lack historical data logging capabilities. This not only leads to media leaks from overfilling or production disruptions from empty tanks, but also makes it difficult to meet the mandatory national work safety regulations requiring "real-time monitoring and traceable data."

Requirements：Storage tanks are typically used to hold liquid or gaseous materials and can be categorized by material into metal tanks and non-metal tanks. Metal tanks are mostly made of carbon steel or stainless steel, offering high pressure resistance and durability; non-metal tanks, constructed from materials such as fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) or polyethylene, are suitable for storing certain corrosive materials.

Level measurement and point-level detection for these tanks are critical to ensuring safe, efficient, and continuous operation. Whether storing corrosive acids, volatile solvents, or critical raw materials, reliable measuring instruments prevent overfilling, ensure accurate inventory, and satisfy safety regulation requirements. Our company has developed a wireless level monitoring system tailored to these storage tanks.

System Functions and Product Introduction

1 System Functions

Our company has developed a wireless monitoring system for liquid level and point-level detection applicable to various types of storage tanks. This system consists of front-end sensors, wireless transmission modules, a local display terminal, and a management platform.

The front-end sensors utilize 80 GHz millimeter-wave radar technology for level and distance measurement, and transmit data wirelessly. These sensors support multiple installation methods, making them convenient and easy to use.

The system's wireless communication supports LoRa/LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, and Cat 1 (4G). LoRa/LoRaWAN is suitable for monitoring a cluster of tanks within a concentrated area. Wi-Fi is ideal for locations that already have existing Wi-Fi coverage. Cat 1 (4G) is designed for scenarios where tanks are widely dispersed, with only a small number of tanks at each remote location.

The local display terminal is used for the unified management and visual display of liquid levels across multiple tanks in a centralized manner. It is installed at the entrance of the storage area, allowing management personnel to easily view the status on-site.

The management platform provides unified management, display, data storage, and alarm functions for the liquid and point levels of the tanks. Its block diagram is shown below:

2 Product Introduction

2.1 Wireless Millimeter-Wave Level Meter

• Features

The radar level meter series offers a maximum measuring range of up to 15 m, with a blind zone kept within 14 cm. Thanks to its higher operating frequency and wider bandwidth, it delivers higher measurement accuracy for media such as liquids, slurries, and solids.

The product features bracket-mounted installation, requiring no on-site wiring and making the setup quick and easy.

• Image

Product Parameters

2.2 Display Terminal

• Product Functions

The Display Terminal provides unified management for multiple sensor channels. It can simultaneously display multiple sensors on the screen, while saving, transmitting, and analyzing the connected sensor data. Via I/O and RS485 interfaces, the terminal can link with external control equipment such as sprayers, fans, and humidifiers. This terminal is designed to be mounted outside the monitored room.

Product Parameters

Application Industries

1 Crude Oil Storage Tanks

Crude oil storage tanks are large containers used in the petrochemical industry for storing crude oil, typically located at refineries, tank farms, or terminals. Due to the flammable, volatile, and prone-to-solidification characteristics of crude oil, precise liquid level monitoring is crucial for preventing overflow, controlling inventory, and ensuring production safety.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Real-time tracking of tank levels to prevent overflow or pumping dry;
• Support for remote monitoring to reduce the frequency of manual inspections;
• Data recording and analysis to optimize storage and transportation scheduling.

System Advantages:

Adopting 80GHz millimeter-wave radar technology, featuring strong penetration and resistance to steam and dust interference, suitable for various metal tanks. It achieves high-precision, non-contact level measurement, and uploads data to the management platform in real time via wireless transmission.

2 Finished Oil Tank Level Monitoring

Finished oil storage tanks are used to store refined oil products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, and are typically distributed across gas stations, tank farms, and distribution centers. Finished oil carries risks such as high volatility and susceptibility to leakage; therefore, level monitoring is key to ensuring safety and achieving accurate measurement.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Real-time monitoring of level changes to prevent leaks and overflows;
• Automatic generation of inventory reports to support inbound, outbound, and stock management;
• Abnormal condition alarms for prompt handling of level anomalies.

System Advantages:

The wireless millimeter-wave level meter features high precision and maintenance-free operation. It supports multiple communication methods (LoRa/Cat1/WiFi), adapts to various on-site environments, and enables unattended intelligent monitoring.

3 Chemical Tank Level Monitoring

Chemical storage tanks are commonly used to store corrosive or hazardous chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and solvents, imposing extremely high requirements on the corrosion resistance, sealing, and safety of measurement equipment.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Corrosion-resistant sensors adapted to strong acid and alkali environments;
• Explosion-proof design to ensure safe operation in hazardous areas;
• Real-time data upload with support for remote control and alarming.

System Advantages:

The radar level meter adopts a stainless steel enclosure and sealed design, making it suitable for various corrosive media. Combined with explosion-proof certification, it ensures stable and reliable operation in chemical environments.

4 Liquefied Gas Storage Tanks

Liquefied gas storage tanks are used to store high-pressure and low-temperature media such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Level monitoring is crucial for safe operation.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Reliable measurement under high-pressure and low-temperature conditions;
• Explosion-proof and leak-proof design;
• Real-time monitoring and interlock with emergency shut-off systems.

System Advantages:

The system supports relay output and can be interlocked with emergency shut-off valves to achieve automatic level-limit control, ensuring the safe operation of storage tanks under extreme working conditions.

5 Fermentation Tanks

Fermentation tanks are widely used in food, brewing, biopharmaceutical, and other industries for microbial fermentation processes. Level control directly affects fermentation efficiency and product quality.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Hygienic design for easy cleaning and zero residue;
• Real-time level monitoring to coordinate with process control;
• Data recording to support batch management and process optimization.

System Advantages:

The sensors are made of food-grade materials and support CIP (Clean-in-Place) cleaning, making them suitable for applications with high hygiene requirements. They can also work with the display terminal to enable on-site visual monitoring.

6 Blending Tanks

Blending tanks are used to mix multiple raw materials in proportion and are commonly found in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, and beverage production. Level monitoring is key to ensuring dosing accuracy and production consistency.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Synchronous monitoring of multiple level points;
• Integration with control systems to enable automatic batching/dosing;
• High precision and fast response to ensure uniform mixing.

System Advantages:

The system supports multi-sensor access. The display terminal can simultaneously show the levels of multiple tanks and interconnect with PLC/DCS systems via RS485 or I/O interfaces, enabling automated production.

7 Beverage Tanks

Beverage tanks are used to store liquid foods such as fruit juice, beer, and drinking water, and have strict requirements for hygiene grades and material safety.

Monitoring Requirements:

• Food-grade sensors that are non-toxic and pollution-free;
• Real-time level monitoring to ensure continuous production;
• Mold-proof and corrosion-resistant properties to adapt to humid environments.

System Advantages:

The wireless millimeter-wave level meter adopts 316L stainless steel material, featuring a smooth surface without dead corners, complying with food hygiene standards, and is suitable for various storage and buffer tanks in the beverage industry.