Level sensors

By
Dr.M.S.Rao
 Outline of the presentation
• Introduction to Level measurement
• Measuring instruments
– Sight glass
– Float type
– Pressure gauge
– Bubbler type
• Measurement of level in open vessels
• Measurement of level in pressure vessels
• Interface level measurement
• Measurement of dry solids level
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 Level Measurement
• Head measurement
– Level or height is directly measured
– A direct-contact means is used
• A float that follows the surface is used
• Pressure measurement
– Level or height is determined from the relation
– h = p/ρ = p/ ρoG,
– Where,
• p = pressure
• ρ= density of liquid
• ρo=density of water
• G = specific gravity

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Sight glass

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Straight sight glass

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Four sight glasses

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 Liquid Level Measurement
• Ordinary sight glass
• Gage glass on the vessel
• Float and tape liquid level measurement
• Float and shaft liquid level measurement
• Open vessels
• Pressure vessels

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 Float-and Tape Liquid Level Gage
• The float, usually is
– Made up of nickel-plated copper
– rests on the surface of the liquid
– supported by buoyant force
• The float is made with a sloping top
– To avoid building up of solid material on top
– Avoid changing its weight
• The float is connected to the drum by tape
– A thin, lightweight, flexible material
– tape or cable.
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Float and tape liquid level Gage

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 Float-and Tape Liquid Level Gage
• Slipping of the tape?
– Direct connection of the tape to the drum
– Connect to counter balancing weight
• How it indicates level?
– By a suitable reduction in motion
– The pointer indicates on a scale
– Scale is calibrated in feet or other units

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Float and shaft Liquid level unit

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 Float-and-Shaft Liquid Level Unit
• Where to use?
– open vessels
– vessels having internal pressure of 1000 psi and
temperature 750oF
• How it works?
– The float rests on the surface of the liquid
– The motion of the float is taken through the stuffing
box by the shaft
– The counterweight is adjustable, so that the float can
be made to ride half-submerged

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 Float-and-Shaft Liquid Level Unit
• Floats are usually spherical
– maximum volume in minimum area
• The float cage may be made up of
– steel or cast iron
• Floats are made up of
– copper, stainless steel, nickel, or aluminum
• How it works?
– The rotation of the shaft may be converted into a
change of pneumatic pressure using a transmission
system
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 Float-and-Shaft Liquid Level Unit
• How it works?
– Often, the motion of the float is used to
operate directly on a valve for control
– operate directly on a recording instrument.
• Transmission of transmitting the arm
motion to a remote point
– Pneumatic
– Hydraulic
– Mechanical

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 Float-and-Shaft Liquid Level Unit
(hydraulic transmission)
• The movement of the float causes
– displacement of metallic bellows filled with oil
• The displacement of oil is
– carried by the tube
– To an identical receiving bellows
• The displacement of receiving and transmitting-
bellows are equal
• The instrument may be calibrated in terms of
liquid level
• Indicating and recording type instruments are
made
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Hydraulic remote transmission

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 Pressure-Gage based systems
• These systems directly measure pressure
• Level calculated from Pressure
• Examples of these systems are
– Bubbler system
– Diaphragm-box system
– Air-trap system
• Differential pressure also can be used
– Manometer system
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Bubbler system

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 Bubbler System
• The system
– A dia of 1-inch pipe is lowered into the vessel
– Bottom tip of pipe is 3 inches above the sediment line.
– Air or any suitable gas is supplied though a valve and sight-feed
bubbler
– Air flow rate is about 3 cu ft per hr
– Pressure gage of suitable type is connected separately to the
upper end of the bubbler pipe
• How the system operates
– by building up the pressure in the feed line until the gas escapes
– flow stabilizes at the rate determined by the valve or other
regulator in the feed line
– The pressure in bubbler pipe is just a bit higher than the liquid
head at discharge tip
– The steady state pressure is used for level measurement
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 Bubbler System
• The air or gas source
– Must be available at a pressure slightly higher
than the maximum head
– Must be available continuously
• The pressure is measured by the pressure
gage
– calibrated in terms of head or level

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 Pressure Measurement
• Diaphragm pressure gage
– 4 in to 150 feet change in level
• Differential pressure meter
– 5 in to 400 in level change
• Pressure-spring gage
– 150 in to 250 feet

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Diaphragm Box system

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 Diaphragm-Box System
• The system
– Very similar to diaphragm seal used for pressure gages
– The diaphragm is very slack, thin, and flexible.
– The system is filled with air
• Mounting of diaphragm box
– Usually suspended in a vessel by a chain
– if flow currents exist suspended with fixed support
• Material of construction
– Diaphragm boxes are made of cast iron or bronze
– Diaphragms are made of neoprene
• Calculations regarding pressure, head, and density
– same as for bubbler system

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 Air-Trap System
• The system
– similar to the diaphragm box system
– No diaphragm is used
– The pressure receiver operates from the pressure of
the trapped air
• Limitations
– The main limitation is possibility of slow loss of air
trapped in the system
• Possible improvement/solution
– An auxiliary tap should be provided for filling the
system with air as needed
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Air-trap liquid level system

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 Level measurement in pressure vessels

• Direct measurement
– Pressure variation due to Level causes very less
pressure change
– Pressure variation is below dead zone for static
gauges
• Differential pressure measurement preferred
– Manometers are used
• Liquid seals also can be used when
– the liquids are corrosive
– Liquids contain suspended solids
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Differential pressure manometer

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Liquid seals with a manometer

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Differential Pressure Measurement for Level
Measurement
• The relation between head and float
displacement is
• h = [ γm/γl(1 + A2/A1) – 1}d – ho
• Where
– γm = density of manometer fluid
– A2 = area of float chamber
– A1 = area of range tube
– d = float displacement
– γl= liquid weight density
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 Interface level measurement
• Less dense liquid occupies upper portion
• How level is measured?
– Differential pressure manometer is used
– The calibration depends on difference in densities
• If the density difference is less then it is difficult
to measure the interface level
• The level gauge measures average level of
interface.
• In place of manometer any other gauge can be
used
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 Electric Level Devices
• These devises use
– Electrodes
– Dielectric constant
• Electrode based measuring devises
– Electrodes placed in the tank
– Electric contact is made when the level reaches a
given point
– The number of electrodes equal to the desired points
of measurements
– Electric signal lights or other indicating mechanisms
can then be employed at a remote point.

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 Other Electric Devices
• Dielectric constant based devises
– the dielectric constant of the liquid is used
– The electric capacitance between two continuous
electrodes depends on liquid height
• Limitation of the method
– Depends on the liquid characteristics
– some liquids are non-conducting
– some liquids are explosive
– some liquids contain solids which deposit on the
electrodes

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Conductance level switch

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Conductance probes for level sensing

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Water level sensor (Conductance)

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 Level Measurement by Weighing
• The simplest and most obvious way
• Level of a liquid or dry material can be
measured
• Weight the contents of the entire vessel
• The following are to be known
– The area of the vessel
– The density of the contents
– The level= weight/area * density
• Useful and easy
– when the vessel geometry is uniform

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 Level of Dry Materials
• The requirement
– sufficient to know whether or not a bin or vessel has a
specified level of material.
• What can be used
– a level indicator of the signaling type can be
employed
• How does it work
– This device operates from a light, flexible diaphragm
– The diaphragm mechanically positions a switch

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 Level of Dry Materials
• Diaphragm type devise
– The weight of the dry material in the bin acts against
the diaphragm
– Indicates only the material in the bin reached a
desired level
– Not suitable for exact measurement through height
• Electric level indicators
– Probe or contact-type electric indicators
– Some of them operate from the dielectric effect
– Others depends on electric conductance of the
material

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Level indicator for dry materials

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 Thank you

Acknowledgements
Mr. N. J. Bhavsar