【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】The first international standard formulated by China in the field of oil and gas metering was officially released in 2025
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This post was last edited by HaiChuan LaoYu on 2025-10-22 at 17:32. Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary thread – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** China’s first international standard in the field of oil and gas measurement has been officially released. Recently, the international standard ISO 23505:2025, titled “Petroleum and liquid petroleum products – Calibration of the volume of spherical tanks – Photometric external measurement method”, developed by the Chinese Academy of Petroleum Sciences, was officially published. This standard fills a gap in the standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the area of spherical tank volume calibration. This is the first international standard formulated by our country in the field of oil and gas metering, marking a \"zero breakthrough\" in our country’s ability to develop international standards in this area and indicating our country’s active participation in the global energy metering standards system. Spherical tanks are storage and transportation devices for compressed and liquefied gases such as natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas; they also serve as measuring devices to determine the amount of liquid and gas contained within the tank. The calibration of their volume determines the accuracy with which the quantity of product inside the tank can be measured – a small error can lead to significant mistakes. Previously, there was a long-term gap in ISO standards for the volume calibration of spherical tanks. Worldwide, the American Petroleum Institute standard API STD 2552’s \"perimeter measurement method\" was used for such calibration; technicians would measure the perimeter of the spherical tank by using a measuring tape from above. This approach made it difficult to ensure measurement accuracy, was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and had poor adaptability to the operating conditions of spherical tanks. As a result, it could not meet the urgent needs of the modern energy industry for efficient, safe, and precise measurement. The Chinese solution shines:
The Chinese solution shines: Photometric ranging technology drives a revolution in tank volume calibration. The photometric rangefinders (total stations) used in ISO 23505 are widely employed in measurement tasks and commonly used for calibrating vertical tanks. By measuring angles and/or distances from a certain position relative to the spherical tank without the need to climb onto it, it is possible to determine the center of the sphere and the direction of the tangent lines; multiple radii corresponding to various circles surrounding the spherical tank can then be calculated, thereby determining the average radius, total volume, and partial volumes of the tank. An innovative approach provides standard methods for determining the ball center position, the angle between the tangent and the direction to the ball center, and the radius of the spherical tank. Schematic diagram of measuring the volume of spherical tanks using photoelectric external ranging. Compared with traditional methods, the technical advantages of ISO 23505 include: a significant increase in efficiency – automatic measurement is possible without the need to climb onto the tank; center positioning and measurement are simple and fast; the radius can be calculated with just one click by measuring along the tangent line, resulting in a measurement efficiency that is more than 4 times higher ； Operational safety: Contactless external measurement eliminates the risks associated with working at heights ； Precise and reliable: The accuracy of automatic measurement and data processing by the total station ensures that representative sphere tank radii can be measured and calculated through standardized procedures ； Lowered barriers: The measurement equipment and methods are easy to operate, reducing the excessive reliance on the professional skills of calibrators, and making them easier to disseminate and apply. ISO 23505 addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional methods, enabling efficient and precisely controllable calibration. It helps to automate and intelligentize the calibration of international spherical tanks, thereby providing strong impetus for progress in this industry.
A decade of effort to achieve success: From a Chinese solution to a global consensus. In 2003, the Sinopec Research Institute for Petroleum Sciences developed a method for determining the volume of spherical tanks using photometric rangefinders; this method was patented and turned into a standard (GB/T 19780-2005). Its effective use over more than two decades in China has fully demonstrated its scientific validity, advancement, and feasibility, making it suitable for adoption on a global scale. In July 2023, the Institute of Petrology submitted a proposal for a new ISO standard project to ISO/TC28/SC2 (Metrology of Petroleum and Related Products), with the aim of transforming this **standard into an international standard. Wei Jinxiang, the inventor of the patent and the drafter of the **standard, was recommended as the Project Leader for this ISO project. From July 2023 to July 2025, the Institute of Rock Mechanics served as the standard drafting entity. Through multiple rounds of voting on various draft standards by ISO, it went through the process of presenting proposals for standard development and making numerous revisions to these drafts. By engaging in technical discussions with countries around the world and gaining recognition from international experts, it ultimately secured approval and praise from member states, resulting in a standardized, rigorous, and implementable version of the standard. On August 4, 2025, this standard was successfully released and put into use, providing a more accurate, efficient, and unified basis for measurement in global energy trade. It helps to ensure fair trade practices and reduce settlement risks. It represents the spread of the \"Chinese approach,\" offering the world safe, fast, and accurate methods for calibrating spherical tanks.
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