Hybrid Optic&Microwave Mass Gauging for Collapsible Tank

Collapsible fabric fuel tanks have been widely deployed in battlefield due to its merits; such tanks are foldable, transportable, rapid-deployable, require minimal site preparation, and are lightweight. Most of the collapsible tanks are made of highly durable fabrics which can survive most extreme conditions. However, the downside of the collapsible tank is the difficulty of accurately quantifying the remaining fuel because of its non-rigid geometry, hindering the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) to meet the goal of 1% accuracy in Fuels Manager Defense (FMD) inventory. Although various approaches have been tried by DESC in past years, none are capable of meeting the 1% accuracy requirement. IAI proposes to develop a hybrid optical & microwave mass gauging system for collapsible tanks. The system would use optical technology to reconstruct the 3D geometry of the tank and use microwave technology to retrieve the ground profile underneath the tank. Thus, fuel volume can be accurately determined as well as the exact tank shape, regardless of factors such as temperature, tank relaxation and uneven ground surface.