18 replies to this topic

[Dan]

How on earth do you measure the fuel level in a tank on a floating platform? Seeing as it's constantly sloshing around... Can't get my head round that.

Many ways. You can measure the capacitance of the remaining fuel but that still depends on the fuel height to some extent. You can ultrasound or radar the air space above the fuel in the tank to measure the empty volume. You can have three float senders measuring the height at three points in a triangle and send the average height to the gauge. You can know how much you put in exactly and use a flow meter on the outlet to count down against the starting volume. Or you can bond a window into the tank and look.

If you think that's hard, how would you make the fuel system work in a spacecraft?

[Bigfoot]

Glad I don't work for the ESA....
Sounds complicated. At least there's no blindingly simple way, that's a relief

[Shifty]

How about a 3 tank sysytem?

The twin tanks either side of the vehicle would fill a much smaller one inside the vehicle.

This tank could be topped up alternately(using a level control sytem) by the side tanks, if a metered amount was taken from each tank each time then the levels would remain the same.

This should be more accurate then using gravity on a moving vessel.

Also by metering the amount you take out you should know how much is left.

This tank would also act as a reserve tank making running out fuel on the water less likely!!


Seamus

Edited by shiftyseamus, 15 February 2008 - 02:17 PM.

[cardboard]

cheers guys the reason a pipe from each tank in to a t piece wont work as innertia forces will mean one tank will always drain faster then the other.

i think my best bet may be with lift pumps into a swirl pot? what you recon?