Monitoring the Process Conditions in Oil Field Production Vessels with Infrared Technology

Detecting levels, solids, and interfaces in tanks and vessels is usually just a trial-and-error technique. The biggest problem is to get the best thermal differential between the tank or vessel wall and the internal medium. In most cases, the optimal time for this is from mid-morning to late afternoon, especially here in West Texas, where we usually have lots of sunshine. The more differential you have between the wall and internal medium, the better the thermal resolution is. Sometimes it may be necessary to try inspecting at different times of the day and in different ambient conditions to achieve the best results. If time permits, I like to get a shot on the sunny side of a tank in the mid-morning and the dark or non-sunny side also. In the late afternoon, with the sun on the opposite side, I will take another series of images and compare them to get a better overall picture of what is going on inside the tank or vessel. You just have to experiment with different tank and vessel applications, as well as with different ambient conditions, to get the best results