Terminal Automation - MHT Technology Ltd

SmartTAS – Introducing Trucks and Trailers

Marcus Webster — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 16:57:34 +0000

Introduction

The forthcoming release of SmartTAS includes a major new enhancement over previous releases of the software. The features are collectively named “Truck and Trailer”; and they fundamentally affect how vehicles are represented within the software.

Previous Functionality

The releases prior to 18.3.3 there was a simple model of a vehicle in the software. The vehicle was considered a discreet, singular entity with a number of compartments for holding products. The registration number of the vehicle identified it completely. The number and size of compartments is assumed to always be the same for a given registration number.

The model although simple doesn’t work well when it comes into contact with the real world. Most road vehicles that are likely to be encountered by a terminal automation system in the 2020’s consist of a tractor unit and a trailer. The tractor unit can pull any trailer, which means that one day that vehicle could have a trailer with 3 compartments and the next day a trailer with 6. Our old simple model required a site’s operators to edit the vehicle details each time the vehicle arrived at site with a different trailer.

Truck and Trailer

The work MHT Technology have undertaken in 2022 has changed this simple model to allow a vehicle to be represented as a truck with zero or more trailers. By modelling the ability of trucks and trailers to be exchanged, the details of the trailer’s compartments can be decoupled from the registration plate of the vehicle pulling it. In the example above instead of re-entering vehicle details the truck and trailer are combined to create a whole vehicle. This combination could be made by the driver using the SmartTAS kiosk, or by the operator at the gate house using the SmartTAS client software. It is possible that vehicles can be configured automatically through interactions with a ERP system. Though this ability is governed by the type and configuration of the systems involved to be able to state this categorically.

The world is messy

During the designing of the truck and trailers feature, the software engineers explored the freedoms that new model offered. The first direction for exploration was to explore the variety of road tankers that are in use around the world and to build in support for these:

Fixed body tankers, here the vehicle and its compartments cannot be separated (at least not without resorting to cutting tools)
Fixed body tankers with a trailer, the engine has some fixed compartments, but additional capacity can be added using a trailer.
Road trains, why limit the vehicle to one trailer? The Australians famously don’t.

All these road vehicle configurations are now supported by SmartTAS.

…and got even messier

With thoughts of Australian Road Trains in their heads the developers turned to consider non-road going transport. What about rail and water? The model nomenclature changed slightly, but the ideas expressed in the truck and trailer schema held.

By simply changing the terminology, the software can support terminal automation operations where products are received and despatched, by rail, road or water.

	The motive force	Carrying Device
Generic Term	Engine	Loading Part
Road	Truck	Trailer
Inland Water	Tug	Barge
Rail	Locomotive	Railcar

…just when you thought it couldn’t get any messier

One facet of loading vehicles that we have encountered time and again is when drivers arrive at site with incomplete documentation or identification. In the perfect world of computers, missing pieces of data normally results in red boxes on forms and the user grumbling that the computer is not letting them proceed because it is obstinately requesting they enter the post code in the correct format. In the world where you are trying to shift critical supplies with the minimum of friction a lost RFID card causes havoc.

One way sites can get round the issue is to allow a site’s operator to facilitate the loading of the truck. This was poorly supported by MHT Technology terminal automation software and the work on supporting trucks and trailers allowed us the opportunity to fix that.

Facilitated Loading

The terminal automation software’s primary aim is to record the transaction that occurs when liquids are moved between a vehicle and fixed storage. Typically, the information that is collected from the bay incorporates the identity of the person on whose authority the liquids are transferred, and the identity of the vehicle involved. This information is commonly printed on the Bill of Lading, which is subject to legal requirements if, for instance, the products are hazardous (ADR regulations).

What if a site operator’s identity is used to authorise operations at the bay instead of the driver’s?
What if a site’s yard tractor takes the trailer to the bay?

In 18.3.3 these questions are answered by ‘Facilitated Loading’, which allows the driver and vehicle engine to be changed after the filling of the trailer. As ever the immutability of the data recorded at the loading bay is maintained, but now the documentation required for the driver to carry his load to its destination can be easily prepared.

Conclusion

With the release of 18.3.3 the features offered by SmartTAS and the facilities they afford MHT Technology’s customers makes for an efficient terminal operation. The previous features such as Vehicle Queuing and self-service Kiosk have been adapted to work with the new transport model. If you have any questions please contact us.

The post SmartTAS – Introducing Trucks and Trailers first appeared on MHT Technology Ltd.

The post SmartTAS – Introducing Trucks and Trailers appeared first on MHT Technology Ltd.

MHT Launches New Terminal Automation and Tank Gauging Features in lockdown

Camille Hilditch — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 10:14:02 +0000

updated software

It is business as usual at MHT Technology and we are proud to announce new software features for our tank gauging software VTW. Thank you to all our software and testing team who have worked hard to deliver this release during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our new features, as always have been from incorporated by feedback from the customers we serve. These new features solve many common issues faced by our customers and enable their sites to be even more efficient.

It is important to continue to upgrade your systems so that you can continue making your site and safe and efficient as possible. If you are using the old VTW and SmartTAS software and are looking to upgrade then feel free to speak to our sales team.

UPGRADE NOW

? New features on our VTW tank gauging software

Business Information Server – The Business Information Server is a new feature in VTW that offers real-time tank gauging information to workers supporting tank farm operations. The service uses the latest web standards to deliver an easy user experience without compromising the security of your operational systems.

RMS2 – You can now support tank farm workers away from the control room with audio messages and warnings transmitted over site radios. The system can be used with both virtualised and redundant servers.

HM21 Inventory Calculations – Inventory calculations have been added including ethylene, propylene and butadiene. Our sales team are still available for quoting and would be happy to assist you with any questions.

? New features on SMART TAS Terminal automation software

Product UN Hazard Codes are now fully editable – customers can change the languages presented and add new hazard codes to fit their operations.

Addresses are now first-class data items in TAS – A customer can have many addresses associated with it, each being ascribed a role, such as Billing Address, Delivery Address, Safety Contact Address.

Our continued quest to bring the world’s loading bay equipment into the SmartTAS software sees the addition of seal details being entered at the bay, and support for the Danload DL8000 in a multi-arm deployment.

Integration to 3rd party systems – now possible through a new built-in OPC UA service. SmartTAS can publish live loading bay information, including transaction data such as driver names, order numbers, and vehicle registrations.

When things go wrong at site, SmartTAS now allows operators to prepare documentation for vehicles that have been manually “topped off” or moved to another loading bay to complete a load.

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LNG Information Exchange

Camille Hilditch — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 14:21:50 +0000

MHT Technology Ltd.’s Product Manager Marcus Webster recently travelled to China to support Endress+Hauser (MHT’s parent company) in visiting customers at various LNG sites. His expertise was vital in providing a deeper understanding of LNG solutions and how MHT can further develop their software to serve the needs of the Chinese market.

China is now the largest oil and natural gas importer and the market for LNG in China is experiencing a period of growth. In 2018 the country imported 53 million tonnes of LNG and this is projected to reach 95 million tonnes in 2025 according to a report from Rystad Energy. E+H is contributing to this growth by offering level and temperature measurement equipment, LNG Tank Management software and services via their Shanghai-based Sales Centre.

E+H HQ Shanghai

“I travelled to China to meet with our Sales Centre colleagues and provide training on the LNG Rollover facility in Tankvision LMS. While there I took the opportunity to visit customers to promote E+H’s LNG solutions. It was a great pleasure and honour to visit Tianjin LNG to learn about how they use their LNG software and discover ways to make our software even more useful to operators dealing with and averting rollover events.” – Marcus Webster

China’s oil imports have been booming for 25 years, with gas imports rising steadily since 2006. DATA SOURCE: BP; JTC

MHT’s LNG Tank Management System (LMS) and Mini Receiver provide an interface to LTD, level and temperature devices from all leading manufacturers. Their Rollover Prediction software ensures the safe storage of LNG and enables LNG to be sourced from different suppliers, giving terminals significant cost savings.

The post LNG Information Exchange first appeared on MHT Technology Ltd.

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