Loading test on the oil tank ground settlement performance monitored by an optical parallel scheme

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Structural Health Monitoring
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Oil tank integrity is crucial, necessitating pre-service and in-service loading tests to assess ground settlement (GS).
• Traditional liquid hydraulic sensors for GS measurement are static and unsuitable for dynamic loading tests.
• Fatigue failure due to cyclic loading is a significant risk during oil tank operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an optical sensor system for simultaneous ground settlement (GS) measurement during oil tank loading tests.
• To develop a high-speed data acquisition system for real-time GS data collection.
• To validate the effectiveness of the new optical sensor system in monitoring oil tank GS performance.

Main Methods:

• Designed a novel optical ground settlement (GS) sensor configuration for simultaneous measurements.
• Developed a data acquisition system integrating digital signal processing and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for parallel data collection.
• Conducted a practical oil inlet loading test, recording data with the optical sensor system and ultrasonic radar.
• Verified results using manual measurements with an Electronic Total Station.

Main Results:

• The developed optical GS sensor system successfully performed simultaneous measurements.
• The data acquisition system enabled efficient, parallel data collection from multiple sensors.
• Experimental results demonstrated the system's capability to monitor GS during dynamic loading conditions.
• The optical sensor system's effectiveness in evaluating oil tank GS performance was validated.

Conclusions:

• The novel optical sensor system provides a reliable and effective solution for monitoring ground settlement (GS) in oil tanks during loading tests.
• Simultaneous, real-time GS measurement capability enhances the safety assessment of oil tanks.
• This technology offers a significant improvement over traditional static sensors for dynamic loading evaluations.