LR Bunker Tips: Portable Electronic Thermometer (PET)

by Chris Bieda, FOBAS Service Delivery, Lloyd’s Register GMT
Tuesday November 21, 2017

Following from the article about measuring tapes, another important piece of surveyor's equipment is the Portable Electronic Thermometer (PET for short).

When conducting a survey, the surveyor needs to measure both the height of the product in the tank and also the temperature. We would always encourage this temperature measurement to be obtained using a PET in order to guarantee a fully independent reference temperature from that of the vessel/barge gauges.

A PET should be clean, serviceable and inspected for damage prior to use. It should also have a serial number tracing back to a calibration and maintenance record. If you have any doubts, these should be raised immediately and the equipment checked/taken out of service.

A surveyor should be competent in the use of the PET and should always ensure the probe is "grounded" using the clip provided. An average temperature from the upper, middle and lower height of the product should then be taken, making sure that the probe fully submerged and has been given time to acclimatize and stabilize. Where possible, this should be done in triplicate.

Special attention should always be made to ensure accurate temperatures are taken. A temperature discrepancy of just 1-2 deg C can cause a large discrepancy in the bunker delivery quantity. If you are ever in doubt, always recheck.

About Lloyd’s Register

LR

Lloyd's Register provides independent assurance and expert advice to companies operating high-risk, capital-intensive assets in the marine, energy and transportation sectors.

Our Marine Services

We are a leading provider of marine classification services around the world, helping ensure that internationally recognised safety and environmental standards are maintained at every stage of a ship's life.

But we provide much more than traditional classification. We understand that in today's complex marine industry our clients are facing challenges to achieve the best possible performance from their assets and operations. We work closely with all industry stakeholders – shipowners, operators, charterers, designers, shipyards, equipment suppliers and port authorities – to support compliance with regulations, understand and manage the application of new technology and innovation, assess the risks of novel concepts and make them a reality, and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency through optimisation. Every service we offer is based on our technical insight and extensive experience, which means we can help our clients make informed decisions to improve performance and achieve their operating goals.

To contact the editor responsible for this story email us at editor@shipandbunker.com