Rizvi College Of Engineering

Mumbai
LEVEL MEASUREMENT
Prepared By

Shahroz Khan
Rahul Jaiswal
Nida Khan
Introduction

 Most industrial process use liquids such as water, chemical and fuels.
 These materials are stored in container ready for on demand use.
 It is very important to know the level and remaining volumes of these
materials.
LIQUID LEVEL MEASUREMENT

 Generally, there are two methods used in industries for measuring liquid
level.
 These are
 1. Direct Method
 2. Indirect Method
 • Direct method use the varying level of the liquid as a mean of obtaining the
measurement and the indirect method use a variable that changes with the
liquid level to accurate the measuring mechanism.
1. DIRECT METHOD

 This is the simplest method of measuring liquid level. In this method, the
level of the liquid is measured directly by means of the following level
indicators
 i. Sight Glass / Gauge Glass
 ii. Float Type / Float - Operated Level Gauges
SIGHT GLASS / GAUGE GLASS

 Sight glass is used for the continuous indication of liquid level within a tank or
vessel. A sight glass instrument consists of a graduated tube of toughened
glass which is connected to the interior of the tank at the bottom in which
the water level is required.
 A sight glass or water gauge is a type of level sensor, a transparent tube
through which the operator of a tank or boiler can observe the level of
liquid contained within.
 A sight glass instrument consists of a graduated tube of toughened glass which
is connected to the interior of the tank at the bottom whose water level is to
be measured. The image below shows a simple sight glass for an open tank in
which the liquid level in the sight glass matches the level of liquid in the
tank. As the level of liquid in the tank rises and falls, the level in the sight
glass also rises and falls accordingly. Thus by measuring the level in the sight
glass, the level of liquid in the tank is measured. When it is desired to
measure a liquid level with the liquid under pressure or vacuum, the sight
glass must be connected to the tank at the top as well as at the bottom,
otherwise the pressure difference between the tank and the sight glass would
cause false reading. In this case, the glass tube is enclosed in protective
housing, and the two valves are provided for isolating the gauge from the
tank in case of breakage of the sight glass. The smaller valve at the bottom is
provided for blowing out the gauge for cleaning purpose.
Advantages

• Direct reading is possible

• Special designs are available for use up to 316°C and 10000 psi.
• Glassless designs are available in numerous materials for corrosion
resistance.

Disadvantages

•It is read only where the tank is located, which is not always convenient.
• Overlapping gauges are needed for long level spans • Accuracy and
readability depend on the cleanliness of glass and fluid
 FLOAT DISPLACEMENT TYPE LEVEL
MEASUREMENT
 • These instruments work on the Archimedes principle according to which a
body when placed in a liquid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of
the displaced liquid, and the apparent change in weight of the body is
directly proportional to the level of liquid in which it is placed.
 • Torque tube is the most commonly used device for this purpose. • The
displacer is attached to a torque tube assembly whose rotary motion is used
for read out/control.
 • Otherwise, this instrument is rugged and simple in construction and reliable
in operation. With selection of suitable material for float, float cage, and
torque tube, it’s possible to use this instrument over a wide range of pressure
and for many liquids.
 Advantages

 • High accuracy
 • Reliable in clean liquids
 • Can be mounted internally or externally (external mounted unit can be disconnected for
maintenance)
 • Adaptable to liquid interface measurement

 Disadvantages

 • Limited range, devices exceeding 1.2m in length are bulky and difficult to balance
 • Cost increases appreciably for externally mounted units as pressure ratings increase
 • External units may require stilling chambers
2. INDIRECT METHODS

 Following are the indirect methods of liquid level measurement generally

used in industries.
 i. Capacitance
 iii. Ultrasonic level sensor
Level by Capacitance Measurement

 All RF level systems make use of enhancements of the same capacitance

measuring technique, and the same basic theory underlies them all.
 An electrical capacitance exists between two conductors separated by a
distance, d. The first conductor can be the vessel wall
 (plate 1), and the second can be a measurement probe or electrode (plate 2).
The two conductors have an effective area, A, normal to each other.
 Between the conductors is an insulating medium—the non-conducting
material involved in the level measurement.
 The amount of capacitance here is determined not only by the
spacing and area of the conductors, but also by the electrical
characteristic (relative dielectric constant, K) of the insulating
material.
 The value of K affects the charge storage capacity of the system:
The higher the K, the more charge it can build up.
 Dry air has a K of 1.0. Liquids and solids have considerably higher
values, as shown in Table 1.
 The capacitance for the basic capacitor arrangement shown in Figure 1 can
be computed from the equation: C = E (K A/d)
 where:
 C = capacitance in pico-farads (pF) E = a constant known as the absolute
permittivity of free space K = relative dielectric constant of the insulating
material A = effective area of the conductors d = distance between the
conductors
Ultrasonic

 Ultrasonic waves detect an object in the same way as Radar does it.
Ultrasonic uses the sound waves, and Radar uses radio waves. When ultrasonic
pulse signal is targeted towards an object, it is reflected by the object and
echo returns to the sender. The time travelled by the ultrasonic pulse is
calculated, and the distance of the object is found. Bats use well known
method to measure the distance while travelling. Ultrasonic level
measurement principle is also used to find out fish positions in ocean, locate
submarines below water level, also the position of a scuba diver in sea.
 We will refer to Fig-1 and make an effort to understand the technicalities
of ultrasonic level transmitter. An ultrasonic level transmitter is fixed at the
top of a tank half filled with liquid. The reference level for all measurements
is the bottom of the tank. Level to be detected is marked as “C”, and “B” is
the distance of the ultrasonic sensor from the liquid level. Ultrasonic pulse
signals are transmitted from the transmitter, and it is reflected back to the
sensor. Travel time of the ultrasonic pulse from sensor to target and back is
calculated. Level “C” can be found by multiplying half of this time with the
speed of sound in air. The measuring unit final result can be centimeters,
feet, inches etc.
 Level = Speed of sound in air x Time delay / 2
 A micro-controller based Control Circuit monitors all the activities of the
ultrasonic level transmitter. There are two Pulse Transmission Circuits, one for
transmitter pulse and the other one for receiver pulse. The pulse generated by
the transmitter pulse is converted to Ultrasound pulses by the Ultrasonic
Sensor (Transmitter) and targeted towards the object.
 This ultrasound pulse is reflected back as an echo pulse to the Ultrasonic Sensor
(Receiver). The receiver converts this Ultrasonic pulse to an electrical signal
pulse through the pulse generator. The time elapsed, or the reflection time is
measured by the counter. This elapsed time has relation to the level to be
measured. This elapsed time is converted to level by the Control Circuit. There
is a Timing Generator Circuit which is used to synchronize all functions in the
ultrasonic level measurement system.
 The level is finally converted to 4-20mA signal. 4mA is 0% level, and 20mA is the
100% level (see Fig-1). This 4-20mA output signal carrying the level data can be
transmitted to long distance to Process Control Instruments.
Advantages of Ultrasonic Level Transmitter

 Ultrasonic level transmitter has no moving parts, and it can measure level
without making physical contact with the object. This typical characteristic
of the transmitter is useful for measuring levels in tanks with corrosive,
boiling and hazardous chemicals. The accuracy of the reading remains
unaffected even after changes in the chemical composition or the dielectric
constant of the materials in the process fluids.
Limitations of Ultrasonic Level Transmitter:

 Ultrasonic level transmitters are the best level measuring devices where the
received echo of the ultrasound is of acceptable quality. It is not so
convenient if the tank depth is high or the echo is absorbed or dispersed. The
object should not be sound absorbing type. It is also unsuitable for tanks with
too much smoke or high density moisture.
Thank You