Asteroid Scientific

The Inventory Table

   The Inventory Table provides all the critical data for the current fuel storage status of a fuel tank. Knowing the fuel level of the tank, you can calculate the Gross Volume of fuel stored in the tank using the tank's strapping tables. Once you know the average temperature and API gravity you can then make a calculation to determine the Net Volume of fuel in the tank.

   Most ATG systems will of course provide you with this data but you have no control over input or results. With TICAL you can do "what-if" scenarios. You can find out inventory data for your tanks with any given condition of the field parameters. Maybe you have some past tank input data for a tank but you don't have the inventory data. Maybe you would like an independent comparison check on your (new or old) ATG system - is it calculating the correct gross and net volume, is it using the correct Volume Correction Factor (VCF)?

   TICAL goes well beyond the basic inventory table calculation in that it provides you with four other inventory tools:

1. With Tank Info you can instantly look up the available working space, the outage, the maximum fill level, etc.



2. The Transfer Level Calculator is a really unique tool in the industry that can provide you with answers to questions about pending transfer operations. It quickly performs calculations that you would not even attempt to do manually and no ATG system does it for you either.
   It is your environmental safety check prior to executing a fuel operation. It provides that instant computer backed feasibility study for your pending fuel operation.



3. The Outage Level Calculator can eliminate another tedious calculation that you have to do after a gauger performs a field outage (ullage) tape measurement on a tank.



4. And finally there is the HHLA which will allow you to find out the level settings you should be using for your High Level Alarms.

TICAL Tank Inventory Calculator    A desktop calculating tool to aid in operating and maintaining a fuel tank farm.    TICAL is the top-level main program that performs that basic, but critical, calculation of the data required by your Inventory Table: Volume Correction Factor Gross Volume Net Volume    All data entry is via drop-down list boxes. With TICAL 5.0 you do not have to be concerned with invalid character entries which can happen with keyboard entry type programs. TICAL calculates the inventory data for any of the tanks in each of the Tank Farms based on the Tank No., Level, Temperature, and API Gravity values entered. TICAL also provides 4 other basic tools: Tank Information Transfer Level Calculator Outage Level Calculator HiHi Level Alarm Calculator Coming soon, a pocket PC version.	Tank Info Tank Information    This selection is available via the Tools Menu.    Of the 5 tools available, this one does not require any separate data entry of its own - it uses the same entry data as the primary tool - TICAL.    On selecting Tank Info, the normal TICAL window expands horizontally and 2 Tank Info Tables appear to the left of the normal TICAL screen presentation. Both tables provide level as well Gross Volume in Barrels information for each line.    The Dynamic Tank Information table provides some ancillary data that the Inventory Table does not provide - such as Available Working Space and Outage (Ullage). This information is dynamic in that it will change with changes in the 3 tank parameter values (gauge, temperature, & API).    The Static Tank Information table provides some more information that the Inventory Table does not - such as Maximum Fill Level, Dead Space, Max. Capacity, and Thief Hatch Height. This information is static in that it will NOT change with changes in the 3 tank parameter values (gauge, temperature, & API) for a given Tank No.    A special print capability is provided for the Tank Info. It allows a print out of just the Tank Information Tables or the Tank Information Tables along with the Inventory Table.    If the fuel type changes for any tank, this may be changed by editing a config file with Windows Notepad.
TLCTransfer Level Calculator    The TLC tool is available via the Tools Menu.    TLC is a very sophisticated tool allowing one to calculate fuel level or gross volume in barrels for 3 types of typical tank operations: 1) Issue, 2) Receipt, or 3) Transfer between tanks of the same farm.    TLC can provide your facility with that little bit of extra safety margin for instant calculations for any of the above 3 tank operations.    Do you want to rely on error prone manual calculations or no calculations at all to execute those fuel operations without knowing before hand exactly where the fuel level will be in the tanks afterwards? (refer to the TLC section of the Demo)    Even though your ATG system is providing you with control and monitoring of your tanks, TICAL can provide a safety check for you to pre-determine your levels and volume for any issue, receipt, or transfer operation to help ensure there are no accidents or spills. Descriptive examples: Issue:    If an Issue is performed, and you know how many barrels you want to issue, you can find out what the new fuel level will be for the Issue tank after providing that number of barrels. On the other hand, if want to take the Issue tank down to a specific level, you can find out how many barrels will be issued to do that. Receipt:    If you want to take a Receipt tank from a known fuel level to another higher known level, you can find out how many barrels it will take to do that. On the other hand, if you want to pump a known number of barrels of fuel into the tank, you can find out what the new higher level will be in the Receipt tank after that operation. Transfer:    A Transfer operation combines the capabilities of the two other operations to provide an exact picture of the levels/barrels involved in a transfer of fuel between two tanks on the same tank farm. Here again, the operation may be based on either fuel levels or barrels of fuel.    If the desired operation is based on working with levels (in order to find out how many barrels will be transferred) then you have the choice of choosing which tank, the Issue or the Receipt, will be the tank that you set to go to a known specific level.	Miscellaneous Error Detection    Even though all the data entry controls are drop-down lists and thus character entry errors are not possible, it is still possible to inadvertently make an incorrect selection of data that is not consistent with other selected parameters.    In most cases you receive an audible alert for an error as well as a dialog description of the problem. After pressing OK, the entry controls involved with that error will begin flashing and a red text indicator with a short message will also flash.    Change the appropriate parameter and a new calculation will be performed - the correct data will then be displayed and the error indications will be removed. Level Converter for Decimal/Fractional Feet    The main program, TICAL, provides a built-in converter for decimal feet to fractional feet or fractional feet to decimal feet.    Left-clicking on the Gauge control (Decimal/Fractional) in the lower left part of the screen will make the level entry controls switch to the opposite type of entry - in doing so they display the converted value.    Regardless of which Gauge Type is selected, the opposite gauge type is also displayed. Memory Logging    Memory Logging is simply an automatic process that records or logs the last selections and data entries that were made on the screen so that when you return to that particular Tank No., you will have displayed the last entries you made.    If you exit the program and then restart it, it does not load with some predefined default data, it will load with the last "TICAL" screen that was present when you exited the program.
OLCOutage Level Calculator    The OLC tool is available via the Tools Menu.    With OLC you can quickly convert an outage (ullage) measurement to a Level measurement.    You simply select a tank, enter the reference point outage measurement in Fractional feet, and enter the Fuel Cutline in Fractional feet - you will then have your "true outage" calculated and displayed as well having your outage measurement converted to an innage measurement.    The true outage is displayed in Fractional feet and the level conversion is provided in both Fractional and Decimal feet.	HHLA HiHi Level Alarm Calculator    The HiHi Level Alarm tool for calculating the level setting for the HHLA is available via the Tools Menu.    HHLA requires two data entries: The percentage of total GVOL of the tank at which the alarm should activate A GVOL offset in barrels that may be applied on a per tank basis.    The barrel offset is a correction factor to the percentage figure to allow for the amount of fuel that would continue to enter the tank during the shutdown process once the HHLA alarm was activated.    A hard copy of the results of an HHLA calculation are also available.