The Vista LRDP (Low-Range Differential
Pressure) system is a mass-based leak detection
and monitoring system for bulk fuel tanks, including
USTs (underground storage tanks) and ASTs (aboveground
storage tanks). It quantitatively measures the
rate of any leak that might be present, presenting
the results in gallons per hour.
-
Yields high precision—0.0002
inches in a single level measurement, and
enough sensitivity to measure volume changes
as small as 0.03 gallons per hour in a 100-foot-diameter
tank
-
Provides inherent compensation
for thermal expansion and contraction
of the fuel in the tank
-
Eliminates the two factors
that degrade the performance of other mass-based
systems—thermal drift of the pressure
sensors and thermally induced vertical movement
of the in-tank sensor
-
Offers high performance
at low cost thanks to its unique design
-
Is rugged and field-worthy
The key component of the LRDP is its unique
vertical reference tube, which is sealed off
from the tank during a test. The level of fuel
in the reference tube mimics that in the tank—except
for the level changes due to a leak.
The LRDP is a fully automatic, computer-controlled
system that is easily installed and operated.
An operator initiates a test from the host computer,
and the embedded controller located at the tank
operates the LRDP. At the completion of a test,
a report is generated on the host computer.
The LRDP was originally developed for the world’s
largest USTs, the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill
tanks, buried deep in the hills above Honolulu.
Each of the Red Hill Tanks, 100 feet in diameter
and 250 feet high, contains 12.5 million gallons
of fuel. This Vista system has undergone a series
of third-party evaluations certified by the
independent National Work Group on Leak Detection
Evaluation.
Testing Services
Vista offers testing
services conducted with its LRDP system.
|
Acknowledgments
The LRDP was developed
by Vista Research with technical support
from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering
Service Center (NFESC) and funding from
the Pollution Abatement Ashore Program
managed by the Naval Facilities Engineering
Command and sponsored by the Environmental
Protection, Safety and Occupational Health
Division (N45) of the Chief of Naval Operations.
|
|
