The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has acquired an $18m Leica BLK360 Imaging Laser Scanner to verify the contents of storage tanks.
A release from the GNBS said that tanks used to store liquids, compressed gases or other mediums, are among twelve measuring instruments verified by the GNBS to ensure accuracy in trade and consumer protection.
Head of the Legal Metrology Department, Shailendra Rai said that Inspectors previously utilised the physical dimensions of the tank using calibrated measuring tapes and the thickness, to determine the volume. However, the new system will save time and deliver more accurate results “using laser because the equipment is designed with a laser technology that does the scanning of the tank. This is also a safer method since inspectors would no longer have to climb on the top of the tanks to take measurements.”
The release said that Rai along with Inspectors of the Legal Metrology Department were trained during the period of March 28 to 31, 2023 to use the equipment, by HDS Technical Support and Training Specialist of Leica Geosystem, Reality Capture Group, Mathew Mizell.
Mizell noted that the equipment will heighten the integrity of the data provided by the Bureau to clients. Using a rotating laser, the system collects 360,000 data points per second which are used in collaboration with a panoramic image of the tank to develop a 3D model determining not only volume but weak spots, sediments, and deformation of the tank.
“The 3D model is used to calculate extremely accurate volumes and we can then tap into other data like thickness, flanges and so forth,” Mizell added.
