A Method of and Apparatus for Measuring Depth of Water in Oil Tanks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Measuring Depth of Water in
Oil Tanks.
We, BOVERTON REDWOOD and ROBERT REDWOOD both of No. 4 Bishopsgate
Street Within, in the City of London, Inspectors of Petroleum, and HERBERT
BARRINGER, of No. 88 Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
•
In tanks for storing petroleum and other oils it is often necessary to ascertain
whether at the bottom there is any water, and if so what is its depth.
Our invention relates to means of detecting the presence and measuring the
depth of water in such tanks. For this purpose we fix in a suitable frame which
will sink a strip of paper or other material impregnated or coated with a substance
which is insoluble in the oil but soluble in water, or which is not acted on by oil
but is changed in colour or appearance by water. We lower the frame with the
prepared strip into the oil tank allowing it to descend to the bottom; then on
pulling it up we find by the alteration of the lower portion of the strip due to the
action of water on it, proof that water is present, and the extent to which the
alteration extends up the strip is a measure of the depth of the water. The strip
thus acted on may be preserved as evidence if desired, of the presence and depth
of the water in the tank.
.
Dated this 19th day of August 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Measuring Depth of Water in
Oil Tanks.
We, BOVERTON REDWOOD, and ROBERT REDWOOD, both of No. 4 Bishopsgate
Street Within, in the City of London, Inspectors of Petroleum, and HERBERT
BARRINGER, of No. 88 Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
In tanks for storing petroleum and other oils it is often necessary to ascertain
whether at the bottom there is any water, and if so what is its depth.
Our invention relates to means of detecting the presence and measuring the
depth of water in such tanks. For this purpose, we fix in a suitable frame, which
will sink, a strip of paper or other material impregnated or coated with a substance
which is insoluble in the oil but soluble in water, or which is not acted on by oil
but is changed in colour or appearance by water. We lower the frame with the
prepared strip into the oil tank allowing it to descend to the bottom; then on
pulling it up we find by the alteration of the lower portion of the strip due to the
action of water on it, proof that water is present, and the extent to which the
alteration extends up the strip is a measure of the depth of the water. The strip
thus acted on may be preserved as evidence if desired, of the presence and depth of
the water in the tank.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front view and Figure 2 is a sectional
plan of an apparatus according to our invention for measuring the depth of water
in an oil tank. It consists of a tube A made with a shallow longitudinal chase on each
D
ሰ 1 1

page_text: side, having its edge graduated to inches or other units of measurement. On the tube
is a sliding ring R which fits somewhat tightly the upper end of the tube. A strip
of prepared paper P is doubled over the pin at the lower end of the tube, the
ends of the strip are pushed under the ring when the ring is in a position where it
is comparatively loose on the tube, and then the ring is slid up the tube to a tight
position, so as to hold the two ends of the paper strip. The tube is loaded at W
near its lower end to ensure its sinking when it is let down by a cord into an oil
tank. When it is felt to touch bottom it is left for a short time and then drawn
up, and the paper being then found to have its coating dissolved off for some
distance from the bottom, shews that there is that depth of water below the cil in
the tank. A suitable material for coating the paper is a syrupy aqueous solution
of citrate of iron and ammonia, but other substances soluble in water but insoluble
in oil, may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. The herein described method of measuring depth of water in an oil tank by
sinking in the tank a strip of paper or other material impregnated or coated with
a substance which is insoluble in oil but soluble in water, and thus ascertaining
by the extent to which the strip is altered, the depth of water operating on it.
2. For measuring depth of water in an oil tank in the manner above referred to
a tube or other suitable sinking frame having a strip of prepared paper held
thereon, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of April 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.