Level

Measurement
Devices

Department Editor: Scott Jenkins

ffective level measurement helps ensure

smooth, continuous processes by maintaining material inventory at economic
quantities, and maximizes plant output by
preventing spillage, system clogging and
process upsets. In chemical process industries (CPI) applications, level measurement
of liquids, powders and slurries are often
complicated by the presence of steam, dust,
foam, turbulence, caking or condensate, as
well as high temperatures and pressures.
The diversity of challenging conditions
dictates multiple technologies for level measurement, which can be divided into pointlevel measurement and continuous-measurement techniques. Point-level measurement
monitors material level at a predetermined
point, which could be a high level to avoid
spillage, or a low level to avoid running
empty. Continuous level measurement monitors materials constantly, noting any fluctuations and changes. Here, brief descriptions
of common level-measurement technologies
are presented.
Mechanical floats A low-density float is
attached to a horizontal rod that is mounted
to a tank wall and linked to a switch. As the
level rises and falls, the switch opens and
closes. Mechanical floats are inexpensive,
easy to install and work well for a variety of
fluid densities. However, the float is calibrated
to the density of the liquid it measures, so if the
density changes, the float must be recalibrated. Another limiting factor for mechanical
floats is buildup of material on the float.
Differential pressure The high-pressure
side of a differential-pressure instrument is
connected to the bottom of the tank, while the
low-pressure side is connected to the vapor
space in the top of the tank. The measured
pressure differential is the pressure of the
liquid column of the tank. Changes in the
liquid composition or temperature can create
a false reading, but if the fluid density remains
constant, this technique provides a true level
reading. Differential-pressure devices require
sealed fluid in pressurized vessels.
Electromechanical devices (Figure 1)
A motor-operated paddle inside a vessel stops
rotating when its sensor becomes covered by
liquid or solid material. The principle is also
applied to vibrating forks that detect material
when their vibration speed slows. Paddle sensitivity can be adjusted for varying material properties. The cost-effective and low-maintenance
electromechanical designs are well-suited for
solids, such as plastic pellets, carbon black, fertilizer, rubber and Styrofoam chips and beads.
The paddle switch can handle bulk densities as
low as 35 g/L. The technology is completely
independent of material dielectric properties.
Capacitance (Figure 2) A capacitor
stores electrical energy and is made up of two
parallel conductive plates separated by an insulator (dielectric material). The capacitor consists
of a metal probe that typically contacts the
material in a vessel. The metal probe senses the
amount of material by measuring the difference
in the probes capacitance when either air or
material is present. The measurement system
also requires an earth reference to complete
any circuit and allow current flow. Capacitance
technology is widely used, can handle a range
of applications, and produces accurate and

TABLE 1. AN OVERVIEW OF LEVEL

MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES AND
SUITABLE APPLICATIONS
Technology

Application

Ultrasonic

Chemical storage tanks

Wastewater effluent
Plastic pellets

Radar

Chemical bulk-storage vessels

Sulfur storage
Agitated process vessels
Reactor/process vessels

Guided wave
radar

Liquid storage
Plastic pellets
Slurries
Displacer replacement

Capacitance

Styrene and other aromatic

compounds
Acids, caustics
Adhesives
PVC pellets
Interface in agricultural
chemical production

Electromechanical

repeatable results. Chemical compatibility

with the device must be taken into account,
since capacitance is a contact technique.
Any changes due to temperature or
chemical composition cause the dielectric
property of the material to change, resulting
in errors and the need to recalibrate. With
one opening required in a vessel, capacitance
technology is easy to install, and has no moving parts to wear out. Custom probes are available for aggressive chemicals. Calibration of
capacitance instruments is best done manually,
which can be time-consuming.
Ultrasonic (Figure 3) Ultrasonic technology uses a piezoelectric crystal stored inside a
transducer to convert an electrical signal into
sound energy. The sound energy is fired toward
the material, and reflected back to the transducer, which then acts as a receiving device,
converting the sound energy back into an electrical signal. A signal processor analyzes the
return echo and calculates the distance between
the transducer and the target. The time lapse
between sound burst and return echo is proportional to the distance from the transducer to the
material in a vessel. Ultrasonic technology is a
preferred option for continuous level measurement. Since ultrasonic instruments measure from
top down, there is virtually no contact with the
material. Ultrasonic technology is easy to install
and has no moving parts. In addition, it is not
affected by changing dielectric properties or
vessel shape. However, dust, vapor or foam
can affect even the most advanced devices.
Radar (Figure 4) Radar devices transmit
an electromagnetic wave toward a material,
where it is reflected back to the source. The total
transit time to and from the target is calculated
and is directly related to the distance. Pulse
radar is similar to ultrasonic, in that fixedfrequency pulses are transmitted to a material
and reflected back to the source, and the time
of flight is measured. Frequency-modulated,
continuous-wave radar devices continuously
transmit a range of frequencies, and a receiver

Plastic pellets
Carbon black
Fertilizers
Styrofoam beads and chips

monitors them. The difference between the

transmitter and receiver frequency is directly
proportional to the distance to the target. Since
radar uses an electromagnetic wave, it does
not require a carrier medium, and therefore is
unaffected by environmental factors, such as
temperature, turbulence, humidity, pressure,
vapor, dust and others.
Radar is noncontacting, and easily installed
without disrupting a process.
Magnetostrictive Magnetostrictive level
sensors measure the distance between a float
magnet and the electronics-head end of the
sensing rod. The float magnet is a permanent
magnet, often in the shape of a ring, that travels along the sensing rod. The rod is mounted
along the vertical axis of the vessel, and the
head has an electronics module that transmits
the floats position information to a controller.
Magnetostrictive systems, which rely on magnetomechanical properties of ferromagnetic
materials, such as iron, nickel and cobalt, are
highly accurate and are not affected by vapor,
foam, dust or dielectric variations.
Hydrostatic pressure sensor This type
of sensor measures level of a liquid in a tank by
measuring the pressure exerted by the weight
of the liquid. Hydrostatic pressure sensors are
either externally mounted, where the measurement is based on the distance from the bottom
of the tank, the pressure exerted by the liquid
and the reference pressure, or submersible,
which are used for open-air applications.

References
1. Schmidt, Karlheinz, Level Measurement Technologies for the CPI, Chem. Eng., July 2008,
pp. 3437.
2. Aiken, Lee, Liquid-level Measurement Options
in the CPI, Chem. Eng., July 2008, pp. 3842.