In fact, the functional purpose of the ND System is a control of technical components of the oil and gas complex, the movement of oil products and related products, as well as personnel actions. Such control is a function of the internal security service of the company. However, in the presence of several remote facilities, in addition working around the clock, the operational control of their activities without an automated control system is simply impossible.
Operativity is the main thing, but not the only advantage of such a system. It has two more undeniable advantages: objectivity and incorruptibility.
The ND system provides 4 levels of security:
Control of oil products and related products metering
Fuel quality control from the petroleum storage to the tank of the car
Control of actions of operating personnel at remote facilities
Control of behavior of hardware components of the complex
Security levels
LEVEL 1. Quantitative metering
Accurate oil products metering is a basic component of an effective business. In the automated ND system it is organized as follows. On real-time basis, two data sets are formed:
"actual data" coming from the metering equipment
"book data" — income and sale of fuel according to cash register.
Based on this data, 2 discrete diagrams are constructed: "actual fuel flow" and "book (cash register) fuel flow." The first diagram shows the actual amount of fuel in the tank at each particular time. The second one shows the calculated amount corresponding to the amount indicated in the cash register system of the filling station. Every 5 minutes, both data sets are automatically transferred to the regional office.
Such organization of metering guarantees:
Accuracy ND level gauges of own production with unique patented measurement technology ensure metering accuracy at 0,5kg/m3 (or ±7l at 25 tons) against 3kg/m3, which European analogs show.
Objectivity Data, entering the system, does not depend on the human factor.. The information is collected automatically on real-time basis. The collected and processed data are transferred to the regional office without participation of the operator according to the schedule. The transmission frequency is adjusted (the initial setting is 5 minutes).
LEVEL 2. Fuel quality
The introduction of the automated ND system minimizes the risks of the owner of the filling station from unauthorized sale of counterfeit fuel.
The automated ND System is able to determine the type of oil product poured into the storage facility tank and to respond to its change.
Control and measuring equipment installed in the tank of the filling station, along with level measurement, permanently determines the physical parameters of the tank fluid: temperature, density, impedance.
Their complex analysis makes it possible to track even minor changes in the chemical composition of the fuel.
The method is based on the laws of the mechanics of liquid media. Thus, the speed of sound propagation in a liquid depends on the density of material. By measuring the impedance, you can calculate the density of the fuel. The density of each type of fuel (kind of fuel) at a certain temperature is a known value. Comparing it with the obtained value, it is possible to establish the type of fuel (kind of fuel).
LEVEL 3. Operating personnel actions
The ND system minimizes the financial loss of business associated with the human factor.
At the next level of control, the automated ND system minimizes the financial loss of business associated with the human factor.
It is about the actions of the personnel of the filling stations, connected with the unfair performance of their official duties, or deliberate actions that damage the enterprise.
For example, a fairly common problem with filling stations on intercity routes is sleep of staff at night. With the help of the ND system, it is possible to track "atypical behavior of the filling station" — the lack of sales for a time exceeding the maximum allowable one for a given filling station (configured individually for each station) and on real-time basis transmit the alarm signal to the regional data center.
Another risk factor for business (see section "Problems in the industry") is unauthorized fuel flow. As soon as the ND control and measuring equipment detects changes in the level of fuel in the tank, which is not confirmed by the income and sale of the cash register, an alarm signal is transmitted to the regional data center corresponding to the type of the problem.
LEVEL 4. Early detection and prevention of emergencies
Operational localization of problems of a technical nature can significantly reduce the financial and temporary losses of the enterprise to eliminate them, and also helps to maintain the image of the operator company.
By keeping a constant watch on the fuel flow, the ND system allows you to monitor the behavior of all involved hardware components of the filling station.
For example, by monitoring the state of fuel in the tank, the system is able to detect a hole, analyzing the change in the level of the accumulated water in the tank. That is, it can not only fix the increase in the permissible level of such water at some point, but to track the dynamics, automatically block the intake of fuel from the damaged tank and send an alarm signal to the decision centers.