PSR Tank Sampler: Design, Sampling per GOST 2517 and Selection

Why a stationary sampler is needed

The procedure for sampling crude oil and petroleum products in Russia and the CIS is set by GOST 2517. The product in a tank is not uniform by height: lighter at the top, while water and sediment may collect at the bottom. A composite sample from several levels is therefore required.

With a portable sampler it is taken through the roof hatch, lowered to different levels. This is slow and hazardous: climbing the stairs, working at an open hatch with vapours, and ice and wind in winter.

How the PSR works

A column with intake openings at several levels is installed inside the tank across its full height. During sampling, the column sections are closed off simultaneously, each retaining product from its own level. The whole sample is then drained through a valve at the tank base into a laboratory container.

This produces a composite sample across the full height within minutes — from the ground, without climbing onto the roof or opening the hatch.

Tank cutaway with the sampler column — The sampler column draws product from several levels at once.

Advantages

Safety — the operator does not climb onto the roof or work at an open hatch.
Accuracy — the sample is taken from all levels simultaneously, in the same way every time.
Lower losses — the tank stays closed and vapours do not escape.
Works in any weather — important for northern sites, where climbing the roof in winter is especially dangerous.

How to choose

Tank height — determines column length and the number of sections.
Product — crude oil, dark or light products; viscosity affects the design.
Climate — in the North the drain assembly needs heating or insulation so the valve and sample do not freeze.
Tank — roof type, presence of a pontoon, mounting points on the shell.
Explosion protection — if the unit includes an electric drive or heating.

We will select a sampler for your tank, product and climate.

Tank equipment