Measurement of level in a tank using capacitive type

level probe
Link:
http://sl-coep.vlabs.ac.in/Capacitance/Theory.html?
domain=Electrical%20Engineering&lab=Welcome
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Aim: To measure tank level using capacitance level probe

Objective:-

1. Review various methods of level measurement.

2. Understand working of capacitance level transmitter

Prerequisite

Before performing this experiment, student must have knowledge about

1. Working of a typical Capacitor
 2. Types of Capacitors
3. Effect of various factors that affect the output of a capacitor e.g.
temperature, dielectric constant of insulator used, distance between
the plates, are of the plates used, etc.

Level measurements

In industry, liquids such as water, chemicals, and solvents are used in

various processes. The amount of such liquid stored can be found by
measuring level of the liquid in a container or vessel. The level affects not
only the quantity delivered but also pressure and rate of flow in and out of
the container. Level sensors detect the level of substances like liquids,
slurries, granular materials, and powders. The substance to be measured
can be inside a container or can be in its natural form (e.g. a river or a
lake). The level measurement can be either continuous or point values.
Continuous level sensors measure the level to determine the exact
amount of substance in a continuous manner.

Point-level sensors indicate whether the substance is above or below the

sensing point. This is essential to avoid overflow or emptying of tanks and to
protect pumps from dry run.
The selection criteria for level sensor include:

· The physical phase (liquid, solid or slurry)

· Temperature
· Pressure or vacuum
· Chemistry
· Dielectric constant of medium
· Density (specific gravity) of medium
· Agitation (action)
· Acoustical or electrical noise
· Vibration
· Mechanical shock
· Tank or bin size and shape
From the application point of view the considerations are :

· Price
· Accuracy
· Response rate
· Ease of calibration
· Physical size and mounting of the instrument
· Monitoring or control of continuous or discrete levels

Level measurements are broadly classified in two groups:

· Direct methods
· Indirect methods

In direct methods, the level is indicated directly by means of simple

mechanical devices. The measurement is not affected by changes in material
density. Few examples are:

· Dip Stick
· Resistance Tapes
· Sight Glass
· Floats
· Ultrasonic
· Radar

In Indirect methods, the level is converted in a measurable signal using a

suitable transducer. Change in the material affects the measurement. A
corrective factor must be used in recalibrating the instrument. Few examples
are:

· Hydrostatic head methods

 · Load cell
· Capacitance
· Conductivity

Capacitance Level Measurement:

Capacitive level transducer is an example of indirect measurement of level

Capacitance level sensors are used for wide variety of solids, aqueous and
organic liquids, and slurries. The technique is frequently referred as RF as
radio frequency signals applied to the capacitance circuit. The sensors can be
designed to sense material with dielectric constants as low as 1.1 (coke and
fly ash) and as high as 88 (water) or more. Sludges and slurries such as
dehydrated cake and sewage slurry (dielectric constant approx. 50) and
liquid chemicals such as quicklime (dielectric constant approx. 90) can also
be sensed. Dual-probe capacitance level sensors can also be used to sense
the interface between two immiscible liquids with substantially different
dielectric constants.

Since capacitance level sensors are electronic devices, phase modulation and
the use of higher frequencies makes the sensor suitable for applications in
which dielectric constants are similar.

Working Principle:
The principle of capacitive level measurement is based on change of
capacitance. An insulated electrode acts as one plate of capacitor and the
tank wall (or reference electrode in a non-metallic vessel) acts as the other
plate. The capacitance depends on the fluid level. An empty tank has a lower
capacitance while a filled tank has a higher capacitance.
A simple capacitor consists of two electrode plate separated by a small
thickness of an insulator such as solid, liquid, gas, or vacuum. This insulator
is also called as dielectric. Value of C depends on dielectric used, area of the
plate and also distance between the plates.

C = E (K A/d)

Where:
C = capacitance in picofarads (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
This change in capacitance can be measured using AC bridge.

Measurement:
Measurement is made by applying an RF signal between the conductive
probe and the vessel wall. The RF signal results in a very low current flow
through the dielectric process material in the tank from the probe to the
vessel wall. When the level in the tank drops, the dielectric constant drops
causing a drop in the capacitance reading and a minute drop in current flow.
This change is detected by the level switch's internal circuitry and translated
into a change in the relay state of the level switch in case of point level
detection. In the case of continuous level detectors, the output is not a relay
state, but a scaled analog signal.
Level Measurement can be divided into three categories:

· Measurement of non-conductive material

· Measurement of conductive material
· Non-contact measurement

Non-conducting material:
For measuring level of non conducting liquids, bare probe arrangement is
used as liquid resistance is sufficiently high to make it dielectric. Since the
electrode and tank are fixed in place, the distance (d) is constant,
capacitance is directly proportional to the level of the material acting as
dielectric.

Conducting Material:
In conducting liquids, the probe plates are insulated using thin coating of
glass or plastic to avoid short circuiting. The conductive material acts as the
ground plate of the capacitor.

Proximity measurements (Non-contact type measurements):

In Proximity level measurement is the area of the capacitance plates is fixed,
but distance between plates varies. Proximity level measurement does not
produce a linear output and are used when the level varies by several
inches.

Advantages of Capacitive level measurement:

1. Relatively inexpensive
2. Versatile
3. Reliable
4. Requires minimal maintenance
5. Contains no moving parts
6. Easy to install and can be adapted easily for different size of vessels
7. Good range of measurement, from few cm to about 100 m
8. Rugged
9. Simple to use
10. Easy to clean
11. Can be designed for high temperature and pressure applications.
Applications:
Capacitance Level Probes are used for measuring level of

1. Liquids
2. Powered and granular solids
3. Liquid metals at very high temperature
4. Liquefied gases at very low temperature
5. Corrosive materials like hydrofluoric acid
6. Very high pressure industrial processes.

Disadvantages:
Light density materials under 20 lb/ft3 and materials with particle sizes
exceeding 1/2 in. in diameter can be a problem due to their very low
dielectric constants (caused by the large amount of air space between
particles).

Step by step Procedure:

1. Study the given diagram completely.

2. Select the height of the tank in centimetres.

3. The value of radius of outer cylinder/pipe for pipe in pipe type probe r2 is fixed
2.5cm.

4. Select the value of radius of inner cylinder/pipe for pipe in pipe type probe r1 in
centimetres.
 5. Span value will get displayed. Span is 90% of the height of the tank.

6. Select the service for which capacitance probe is to be used.

7. Click on 'Configure System'. It will ask for confirmation.

8. After confirming, select the fluid level from drop down menu for selected service.

9. Enter the calculated user output capacitance in µF. For calculations of output
capacitance click on GET FORMULA tab. Using formula calculate the value of
the output capacitance for the corresponding level and enter the answer in the
box provided (upto 2 decimals with rounding off). Submit the answer using
submit button.

10. Study the graphs for RTD performance with different reference resistance values
and different materials If your calculation is correct it will be displayed on the
screen. Minimum three calculations are necessary to plot the graph. Click on
level vs. capacitance graph and level vs. current graph and study them.

11. Click on next set of values. Change the value of r1and repeat steps 7 to 10 Click
on graphs and study them.

Inference:

Results and discussions: