Remote tank farm level monitoring, alarms, and centralised dashboard
Distributed tank farms — fuel depots, chemical storage yards, water utility sites, and industrial parks — hold multiple tanks with different media, requiring individual technology selection per tank and a unified communication layer to bring level, volume, and alarm data to a central control room or enterprise system.
Confirm the site problem, the Volivue approach, and the expected operating benefit before final selection.
Operators managing dispersed tanks by manual rounds or isolated level transmitters without a unified alarm and dashboard layer cannot respond quickly to overflow, dry-run, or inventory shortfall events across the site.
Deploy ultrasonic or radar sensors on each tank as determined by medium and site review, map outputs to 4-20mA, HART, or RS485/Modbus, and connect through a gateway or edge device to a Volivue dashboard or SCADA for centralised alarm management, trend history, and refill planning.
A single view of all tank levels, volumes, and alarm states across the site reduces response time, supports inventory planning, and provides exportable trend records for management and compliance reporting.
Many tanks, mixed media, one alarm picture
Tank farms and dispersed depots rarely contain one liquid: a single site may hold clean water, diesel, additives and a corrosive wash chemical inside fence lines that span kilometers. Level technology must be selected per tank — ultrasonic on the benign vented vessels, radar where vapor, sealing or chemistry demands it — while operations need every tank in one alarm and inventory picture.
The pain at remote sites is rarely the sensor; it is the gap between a reading on a local display and a person who can act on it. Manual rounds miss fast events, and isolated transmitters with no communication layer mean an overflow is discovered by the spill, not the alarm. The system is therefore specified from the dashboard backwards: the alarms, trends and reports the site must see decide the communication design.
From per-tank sensors to a control-room view
Each tank gets its reviewed sensor and local hard-wired protection, then signals converge: 4-20 mA into existing RTUs where they exist, RS485/Modbus daisy chains across tank groups, and a gateway or edge device carrying the site into the Volivue dashboard or SCADA. The network choice follows site reality — fiber or Ethernet where ducts exist, cellular where trenching is impractical.
Alarm philosophy is configured once, centrally: high/low limits, rate-of-change alerts for sudden loss, and escalation so an unacknowledged overflow alarm reaches a phone, not just a screen. Trend history and exportable reports support refill planning and compliance records. Rollout typically proceeds in phases — critical tanks first, full coverage once the communication backbone has proven itself.
Four checks before planning a remote tank farm
- Inventory every tank: medium, vapor behavior, tank construction and existing instruments, as input to the per-tank technology review.
- Choose the communication backbone from site reality — distances, trenches, power and cellular coverage — not from a catalog default.
- Define the alarm philosophy first: limits, rate-of-change rules, the escalation path and who acknowledges what.
- Keep local protection hard-wired per tank so an overflow trip never depends on the network being up.
Our tanks are kilometers apart with no cabling — can alarms still be centralized?
Yes — that is the standard remote-farm case. Each tank keeps hard-wired local protection, and a cellular or radio gateway forwards level, volume and alarm states to the central dashboard. If a link drops, local relays still protect the tank, and the dashboard flags the communication loss itself as an alarm.
We already run SCADA — does the Volivue dashboard replace it?
No. Sensors and gateways publish standard signals — 4-20 mA, HART, Modbus — so existing SCADA stays the master wherever the site prefers it. The dashboard adds tank-farm views, trend exports and alarm escalation; many sites run SCADA in the control room and use the dashboard for management and remote duty staff.
Five checks that decide ultrasonic or radar, mounting, conversion, and output scope.
Collect tank drawings and geometry
Confirm tank height, diameter, shape, nozzle size, mounting position, dead zone, and internal obstacles before any range claim.
Review medium and process conditions
Medium name, vapor, foam, turbulence, corrosion, temperature, pressure, and hazardous area decide whether ultrasonic or radar is reliable.
Select technology and package
Choose ultrasonic or radar, range, wetted material, process connection, seal, protection class, and accessories from the reviewed conditions.
Map usable outputs
Define 4-20mA, HART, relay, optional RS485/Modbus, PLC, dashboard, alarm, trend, or volume fields so the signal is useful after installation.
Commission and validate
Check scaling, empty/full references, tank conversion, alarm points, and trend behavior with site data.
Handover and remote support
Confirm documentation, operator training, spare parts, and a remote support path so the team can maintain scaling, alarms, and integration after commissioning.
Selection questions for engineers, procurement teams, and site maintenance.
When should radar be selected instead of ultrasonic?
Use radar when vapor, foam, temperature swings, pressure, corrosion, or high reliability requirements make ultrasonic echo unstable. Ultrasonic stays a good fit for clean, non-pressurized, cost-sensitive tanks.
Does the system measure weight?
No. It measures liquid level. Volume or percent fill is calculated from tank geometry or a strapping table; mass needs documented density assumptions.
Can it calculate tank volume?
Yes. Volume can be calculated when tank geometry, measurement range, and a strapping table or dimensions are available.
What media can it handle?
Water, wastewater, fuel, lubricants, chemicals, solvents, additives, and food-grade liquids, with technology and wetted material confirmed by review.
Can it connect to PLC or SCADA?
Yes, the project scope can include 4-20mA, HART, relay, optional RS485/Modbus, gateway, dashboard, or API integration.
Do you support hazardous area projects?
We can review hazardous-area requirements, but no ATEX, IECEx, SIL, or local compliance claim is made without verified product data and documentation.
What information should we send first?
Send the tank drawing, medium name, height, nozzle details, temperature, pressure, vapor or foam condition, required outputs, and site conditions.
What are the typical lead time and after-sales support?
Lead time depends on technology, range, wetted material, and order quantity, and is confirmed after application review. After-sales support covers documentation, commissioning guidance, spare parts, and remote help.
Send tank drawings, medium, temperature, and output target.
Share tank drawings, medium name, height, nozzle details, temperature, pressure, vapor or foam condition, output target, country or region, and hazardous-area need if any.