Modeling of Detection of Water Contamination Located in Diesel Tanks using Phase Change of FMCW Radar

Abstract

Water contamination in diesel storage tanks presents serious operational and financial risks in automotive, marine, and industrial applications. Water intrusion—resulting from condensation, leakage, or diesel’s hygroscopic nature—can lead to microbial proliferation, corrosion, and fuel system damage. Bacteria and fungi thrive at the fuel-water interface, forming biofilms that clog filters and deteriorate fuel quality. Additionally, chemical reactions between water and sulfur compounds in diesel produce corrosive sulfuric acid, accelerating tank degradation. In high-pressure fuel systems, water droplets can also cause injector malfunction. Traditional detection techniques, such as manual inspections, chemical dispatch, and capacitive sensors, fall short in providing accurate, real-time contamination assessment. These limitations have driven growing interest in Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar as a reliable, non-invasive sensing alternative. FMCW is a continuous -wave radar that transmits a frequency-modulated chirp and analyzes the returned echo to detect material interfaces[1] [2][3]. This study aims to address the challenge of dual-level liquid detection—accurately determining both the diesel surface and underlying water contamination—by leveraging enhanced signal processing techniques to improve measurement resolution and reliability in practical environments.