GA-ESI's HARDiMeter™ Electronic Preset System is a microprocessor-based flow control system that monitors and controls the loading of bulk liquid products such as petroleum or chemicals. It operates in standalone mode or in conjunction with the GA-ESI TMS3000® Terminal Management System (or other GA-ESI automation systems) to provide cost-effective batch flow control with the benefits of computer accuracy, reliability, and sequential blending.

Master HARDiTerminal™ (MHT)
The MHT supervises loading at the load rack. It maintains the load rack configuration information and delivers instructions to the CUs and DUs as well as communicating to the terminal management system.

The MHT is microprocessor controlled with communication ports, cardreader, message display, and keypad. It prompts the driver through a dialogue called "badging-on" involving entering security cards and data to uniquely identify the driver, customer, truck, and trailer.

When used with a terminal management system, it provides security access control to the load rack.

After completing the badge-on sequence, the MHT unlocks the authorized meters and coordinates the DUs and CUs during the loading operation. When loading is complete, the MHT transmits the complete load transaction data the terminal management system or to the shared load printer in standalone mode.

Load rack configuration parameters are entered in the MHT. These parameters customize the system to the particular installation and operating requirements. They are battery backed in the event of a power failure, and the relevant parameters are write protected to meet Weights & Measures requirements.

Display Unit (DU)
The DU is the driver interface used during product loading. There is one DU for each riser. The DU includes a keypad, message display and special flow control keys. The LCD displays message prompts, product load volumes, and alarm messages. The amount of product to be loaded is entered at the DU. Loading is started and stopped with the flow control keys. During product loads up/down counts of product amounts are displayed.

Control Unit (CU)
The CU is a microprocessor-based real time I/O controller supporting batch product loading. The CU measures product flow and temperature, control, pumps, valves, and additives during the load. Signals connected to the CU include:

• Temperature probe input
• Meter flow pulses
• Permissive inputs
• Relay outputs (pump, valve, and additive)
• Pulse per unit volume output
• Additive Control board communications

There is one or two CU's at a load rack, depending on the number of meters. The CU provides DC power to the complete HARDiMeter™ system and supports communications to the Additive Control board.

Additive Control Board (AU)
Each additive is controlled by wiring an in-line additive meter and on/off solenoid valve to the AU. The HARDiMeter™ system directly controls additive injection and additive amounts loaded are reported to TMS3000®. In the event of insufficient additive injection rates, the system can be configured to alarm and shut down product loading. Existing additive injector systems are also supported.

Additive Accounting
The Additive Accounting HARDiMeter system is an integrated, electronic preset controller designed to work in conjunction with the GA-ESI TMS3000® Terminal Automation System (TAS), or in stand-alone mode to control the sequential blending and additive addition to petroleum and chemical products, and it reports a logged record of loaded products including the amount of additive injected.

The Additive Accounting HARDiMeter system provides sequential blending of up to six (6) base products at up to eight (8) meters while supporting up to eight (8) additive systems per meter. The system measures, controls, and reports additive injection into the product to ensure that the proper additive to product ratio is attained.

The hardware required for an Additive Accounting HARDiMeter load spot consists of one (1) Master HARDiTerminal (MHT), up to two (2) Control Units (CU), including a new I/O Expansion Board per CU, up to two (2) new Additive Control Boards (ACB) per CU, housed in a separate enclosure, and up to eight (8) Display Units (DU).

Commands, prompts, and messages sent and received between he MHT, DU's, and CU's are produced through firmware assemblies mounted onto the Microprocessor Board in each piece of equipment.

Sequential Blending
A Sequential Blending HARDiMeter system is an integrated, electronic load spot controller designed to work in conjunction with a GA-ESI TMS3000® Terminal Automation System (TAS, or in stand-alone mode to control the sequential blending of petroleum and chemical products and report a logged record of loaded products.

The Sequential Blending HARDiMeter system provides sequential blending of up to six (6) base products at up to six (6) blend meters per load spot. Non-blend meters that load straight base products can be added to a total of eight (8) meters in some configurations. Four (4) additives can be injected at any meter in most configurations.

The hardware required for Sequential Blending HARDiMeter load spot consists of one (1) Master HARDiTerminal, up to two (2) Control Units, and up to a total of eight (8) Display Units.

Intrinsically Safe Barriers
The CU is Class 1 Division 1 approved while the MHT and DU are Class 1 Division 2 approved.

Shared Load Printer
A printer can be wired in common to all the load racks and print transactions in standalone mode.