46 | CARGO CONTROL

Integrating tank monitoring,

control and automation
Scanjet’s ITAMA system is an integrated cargo tank monitoring and
automated control system for chemical, product and crude oil tankers

S
canjet developed the intelligent
tank management system,
ITAMA, with integrated cargo
ITAMA is an integrated tank monitoring and control
tank monitoring and automated
controls, in 2017. It is intended for tankers
with complex cargo tank configurations.
A new addition, introduced this year, is a
wireless tank monitoring and alarm unit
that is certified to meet two EU directives
about explosive atmospheres (atmosphères Electropneumatic Tank pressure
explosibles, or ATEX) that crew can use to gauging Oil discharge monitoring Line pressure
and control system Pump pressure
keep track of tank levels and operations. Sensor with enclosure
Managing director Niklas Falkmer
explained to Marine Electronics &
Communications that ITAMA was
required because shipowners were
under greater pressures than before to
protect high-value cargoes and comply
with increasingly stringent safety and
environmental regulations.
Uninterruptible
He said ITAMA was scalable and could power supply
be adapted by shipyards for different
owner requirements, reducing newbuilding
costs. For tanker owners, he said “the
synergies among the related products are
key to achieving operating economies and
maintaining vessel compliance with new
regulations as they emerge.”
ITAMA incorporates automatic and real-
time tank monitoring alarm and control
and remote valve and pump controls.
These are linked to:
• Fixed and portable tank cleaners.
• Pressure valves.
• Gas-freeing equipment.
• Inert gas system. Temperature Microwave radar
Draft gauging Various tanks
• Oil-discharge monitor. compensated hydrostatic level gauging
pressure sensor
• Vapour emission control.
ITAMA has been designed as a modular
platform, said Mr Falkmer. This brings Electric pressure sensors
together “embedded proprietary software,
an operating system and hardware in
an integrated system.” It has flexibility

Marine Electronics & Communications | 2nd Quarter 2018 www.marinemec.com


in input and output (I/O) connections for
different tanker configurations. ITAMA
can “accommodate virtually unlimited
numbers and types of instruments with
more than 3,000 I/O connections,” he said.
It can also communicate with non-Scanjet
equipment and can be “upgraded to meet
new standards, regulations and changing
requirements,” he added.
Scanjet has avoided multiplexing signals
to simplify installation, commissioning
and diagnostics. It incorporated multiple
workstations with touchscreens that display
tank levels and a link to a tanker’s satellite
communications network so managers can
provide crew with remote support.
system that connects a whole ship‘s network
Inert gas system Portable tank
cleaning
NEW
Vapour emission control SCANVENT P/V valves
www.marinemec.com
“ITAMA can accommodate virtually unlimited
numbers and types of instruments with
more than 3,000 I/O connections”
ITAMA has its own power supply,
voltage, cabling and sensors. There is also
redundancy as it can switch to alternate
power supplies and system settings are kept
in multiple locations within the electronics.
There is no hard disc or moving parts
Tank cleaning
Gas freeing fan
Air driven
Anti-pirate
water cannon
Independent overfill alarms
Temperature element
Marine Electronics & Communications | 2nd Quarter 2018
CARGO CONTROL | 47
and battery-powered memory backup
ensures data preservation. “Critical
settings protection, local and remote
trouble-shooting and watchdog functions
have been built into the system for
absolute reliability,” said Mr Falkmer.
ITAMA tank level and liquid density
measurement technology is based on
high-frequency radar and temperature-
compensated absolute pressure sensors.
“Proprietary mathematical algorithms filter
out instrument fluctuations and compensate
for the effects of tank liquid movement
arising from pitch and roll, additionally
avoiding false alarms,” said Mr Falkmer.
Temperatures are measured at multiple
points, with readings used to recalculate
the specific gravity of a liquid automatically
as a function of the temperature. ITAMA
can also have an electro-pneumatic
system for tank level gauging and
submersed pressure sensors.
There is a system control panel with
a digital readout of each measuring point
and user-defined visual and audible
alarms. This can be connected to other
onboard monitoring and alarm systems
and the tanker’s loading computer through
serial line communications.
ITAMA continuously corrects level
readings to compensate for the vessel’s
trim and list. It automatically monitors oil
discharge and controls the overboard
and slop tank valves. It has a single- or
dual-point high-level and overfill alarm that
displays on the alarm panel and is linked
to external lights and siren.
Scanjet has also included a sensor pack
for measuring volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), such as liquefied petroleum gases,
and controlling pressure release valves.
“This ensures ullage space pressure does
not drop below the VOC valve’s opening
pressure,” said Mr Falkmer.
“During loading, the main valve opens
to provide full capacity but during a voyage
it is only the thermal variations valve
that works,” he explained. This improves
VOC handling and optimises use of inert
gas plant. All this is integrated with tank
management and cleaning controls. MEC