INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTATION

Level Measurement

Course Code: Lesson 2

 Contents
Capacitance Probes, Sonar &
Radioactive Devices
 Lesson Objectives 1

Upon Completion of this Course Students will be able to:

• Draw a diagram of a simple two plate capacitor and
using the basic equation for defining capacitance,
explain how it is used in level measurement
• With the aid of a diagram, explain how a capacitance
probe works in non-conducting fluids
• With the aid of a diagram, explain how a capacitance
probe works in conducting fluids
• Draw a graph to show that the change in capacitance is
a linear function of level
• Describe the operating principles of sonic level detection
 Lesson Objectives 2

Students will be able to:

• State one application of both top and bottom mounted
sonar devices and explain why these are appropriate
• Describe the usual radiation source used in
radioactive level measuring devices
• State the two basic relationships concerning the
intensity of radiation received by a detector
• Given an unlabelled drawing of a Berthold Radioactive
Level measuring device explain how it works
• List some of the advantages Berthold claim for their
Radioactive Level Measuring device
Capacitance Probes
&
Level Transmitters
 Capacitance Level Transmitters

Capacitance level transmitters have no moving parts.

Instead they rely on the changing level of a liquid to vary

one of the parameters which determine capacitance, and
hence the capacitance of the probe.
 A simple two-plate capacitor

Before we go any further you have to be clear on exactly what a

capacitor is and how it works. A capacitor usually consists of two
parallel plates of some conducting material separated by some
insulating material. The above figure shows an idealised capacitor. The
plates do not have to be parallel but this is the easiest configuration
both to make and to calculate the value of. The insulating material is
called the dielectric and it does not necessarily have to be a solid, it can
be a gas (such as air), a vacuum or a non-conducting liquid. The basic
equation that defines the capacitance is C = k (A / D) ………
 A simple two-plate capacitor

……. the basic equation that defines the capacitance is C = k (A / D)

• Where C is the capacitance
• k is the dielectric constant (which is different for every material)
• A is the area of the overlapping part of the plates and D is the
distance between the plates.
You can see that by varying any of the terms k, A or D you will change
the capacitance. This change in capacitance is detected and converted
into a 4 to 20 mA signal.
 How it works 1
For non-conducting fluids level transmitters use
Insulator Block
the change in k, the dielectric constant, to vary
the capacitance.
Liquid In the metal tank shown in the sketch, an
Level
insulator holds a metal rod near the side of the
tank. The tank and the rod act as the two plates
Capacitance of the capacitor.
Rod
Suspended Measurement
When the tank is empty, the dielectric between
in Dielectric the rod and the tank is air or vapour from the
liquid.
Metal Air has a very low dielectric constant and is very
Tank close to that of a vacuum which has the smallest
dielectric constant of all.
Gases, as a whole, have very low dielectric
Capacitance Probe used constants so, when the tank is empty, the
In non-conducting Fluid capacitance is at its minimum.
 How it works 2

Insulator Block For non-conducting fluids level transmitters

use the change in k, the dielectric constant,
to vary the capacitance.
Liquid
Level
As the tank fills, the liquid forms the
dielectric between part of the plates.
Rod Capacitance
Suspended Measurement
As liquids have higher dielectric constants
in Dielectric
than gases, the capacitance increases until,
when the tank is full, the capacitance is at its
Metal maximum value.
Tank
The probe can be uninsulated when the fluid
is a non-conductor but quite often it is
Capacitance Probe used insulated to protect it from corrosion or
In non-conducting Fluid chemical attack by the contents of the vessel
 The Change in Capacitance is a
linear function of the level
C
A
P
A
C
I
T
A
N
C
E
Capacitance in air

Immersion depth
 Capacitance probe used in
Conducting Fluids
For conducting fluids, level transmitters work on a slightly different
principle, but the end result is very similar.
In this case the rod must be totally insulated, the insulation chosen
to withstand the temperature, heat, corrosion and pressure of the
liquid in the vessel.
The effect of a conducting fluid is to bring the walls of the tank (the
other plate of the capacitor) in to meet the insulating sheath of the
probe.
In effect the gap, D, between the capacitor plates has been reduced
dramatically. As D grows smaller the capacitance increases, so a
large reduction in the effective distance between the plates
produces a large change in capacitance.
The capacitance is at its maximum when the level of the conducting
fluid is at its highest.
Capacitance probe used in
Conducting Fluids
 Other Types of Probes

Another type of probe comprises an insulated rod

surrounded by a concentric cylinder that forms the other
plate of the capacitor.

It is the gap between these that the liquid fills to change

the dielectric constant of the capacitor. In other words,
the cylinder replaces the tank walls as the other plate of
the capacitor.

This sort of arrangement is often used in non-conducting

tanks but it can be used in metal tanks as it gives greater
changes in capacitance than the single rod type
 Capacitance probes with and
without sheaths

Added
Sheath
Capacitance probes
 Capacitance probe as interface
level sensor

One application of the unsheathed insulated probe is to measure the

oil/water interface in a three-phase separator. In this application the water
is a conducting fluid and the oil is an insulating fluid. Also, part of the probe
is through the gaseous vapour above the oil level, but as this capacitance is
constant, it forms a part of the minimum capacitance of the probe and thus
has no real effect on the measurement. Changes in the water level
produce large changes in the capacitance, which are easily detected by the
transmitter electronics.
Sonar Devices
Sonar Devices
 Sonar level sensing for liquids
and solids
Sonar level detectors operate by sending out a sound pulse, receiving
the reflected pulse, and accurately measuring the transit time interval
between the two in order to determine a liquid level. This method is
essentially the same as radar, except that the frequency of the sonic
pulse is about 30kHz. The figure below illustrates two sonar systems
for use with liquids and solids.
Effects of Changing Levels on
Pulse Timing 1
The transmitter periodically sends a
sound pulse to the surface of the liquid.
The sound pulse bounces off the surface
and is detected by a receiver that is
included in the same instrument with the
transmitter.
A time interval counter measures the
elapsed time between the pulse
transmission and the receipt of the
returning echo.
Sonar systems can be installed so that
the sound is transmitted through the
liquid (bottom mounted) or through the
vapour/gas above the liquid (top
mounted) as illustrated here.
Effects of Changing Levels on
Pulse Timing 2
As the liquid level drops (level 2 in
the Figure), the time interval
increases.
Conversely, as the level rises, the
time interval decreases.
When the transceiver (a combined
transmitter and receiver) is fitted
below the vessel and transmits
upward through the liquid, the
reverse is true, i.e., as the level
increases so does the transit time
and as it decreases so does the
transit time.
The Detection Circuitry

The detection circuitry can

be made to either give a
direct reading of the level
or a 4 to 20 mA signal for
use in other control or
display instruments.

If the transmitter sends out

a pulse every 0.1 second,
the readout represents an
almost continuous liquid
level measurement.
 Top Mounted Sonar Devices

Top mounted sonar devices have a problem if the

surface boundary is blurred by the presence of heavy
vapour, bubbles or steam.

All of these reduce the surface’s ability to give a good

reflection back to the receiver. In such cases the
transceiver is installed under the bottom of the tank
where it transmits the sound pulse through the tank wall
for onward propagation. The received pulse is detected
in the same manner.
 Bottom Mounted Sonar Devices

Mounting the receiver on the tank bottom also eliminates

the problem of level measurement when extremely
poisonous chemicals are involved, e.g., TEL, or tetra-
ethyl-lead, which is one of the most poisonous chemicals
you are likely to encounter in a refinery. (Used for
increasing Octane rating of gasoline)

Using such a mounting, no part of the transceiver comes

into contact with the chemical, so the problem of
decontamination of the wetted parts does not arise when
the instrument either is serviced or calibrated or when it
fails.
 Scope Of Usage

• Sonar devices can also be used to detect the level of

solids but in many cases they have not proven to be
entirely satisfactory.

• They are rarely used for liquids, but they work much
better than acoustic devices in the measurement of
solids such as powders. They are most frequently
found in this type of application.

• On irregular shaped solids, like rocks, the microwave

scatter (multiple reflections) is often too much to be
reliably detected.
 Radioactive Devices

Sonar & Radioactive Devices

 Introduction

Radioactive devices for level measurement employ a

radiation source and a radiation detector.

There are two basic relationships concerning the

intensity of radiation received by a detector:

‘the intensity of radiation varies in proportion to the

thickness of the shielding material
and
the distance between the source and the detector’
 Radiation Source

The usual radiation source is a radioisotope that emits gamma

radiation.

Gamma radiation from the isotope can penetrate through steel plate
and most materials although much of the energy is absorbed.

The greater the thickness of material the more radiation that is

absorbed.

The isotope is shielded in such a way that only a thin band of

radiation is emitted. This beam of radiation is pointed at the detector
that is fixed to the opposite side of the vessel. Both source and
detector are mounted outside the vessel so no penetration of the
vessel is required.
 Usage & Safety

• A typical application of level measurement by radiation

is for the detection of solids in a hopper, for example,
rocks being fed into a crusher, where no other method
would give satisfactory results.

• Radiation is damaging to health, so care must always

be exercised when working on or near radioactive
sources and posted warnings must be observed. Do
not enter any fenced off area around these
transmitters.
Radioactive Level Measurement Devices
(From their Brochure)
 Continuous Level Measurement

The external mounting and the non intrusive arrangement

of our continuous level measurement system are some of
the outstanding advantages, that determine it for various
applications like:
• high- and low-pressure reactors
• agitated vessels
• bunkers
• autoclaves
• hot material containers, etc.
 Measuring Principle1

The continuous Level Measurement operates according to

the physical law of attenuation of gamma radiation, while it
is passing through matter.

Practically, the product to be measured is shielding the

radiation coming from a radioactive source and according
to the height of the product, more or less of the original
radiation is reaching the detector.

This measuring signal is then transferred to an output

signal which directly correlates to the actual level of the
product.
 Measuring Principle 2

Depending on the measuring arrangement, either a rod

shaped detector or one of minor size is selected, both
using the most efficient scintillation principle, which allows
the use of lowest possible source activities.

Under extraordinary conditions, even the use of a rod

shaped detector in combination with a source of the same
length is possible and will give the most accurate Level
reading.

Nuclear measurement will not change the products

being measured!
 Arrangement 1
Key
1. Evaluation unit with digital display,
0/4-20 mA analogue output and
alarm outputs

2. Point scintillation detector receiving

the entire radiation field from the
source

3. Two wire standard cable for data

transmission

4. Evaluation unit with digital display,

0/4- 20 mA analogue output and
alarm outputs
 Arrangement 2
Key
1. Capsulated and shielded source
which is mounted at the top of the
measuring span

2. Rod shaped scintillation detector

with an active length to cover the
whole measuring range

3. Two wire standard cable for data

transmission

4. Evaluation unit with digital display,

0/4-20 mA analogue output and
alarm outputs
 The Measurement is
Independent of:

• High temperature
• High pressure or vacuum
• Volatile & biohazard material
• Corrosive material
• Agitators, baffles, coils etc.
• Build up on vessel walls
• Physical and chemical properties of the product and the
process
 Claimed Advantages

• Non-contact, continuous measurement of the filling level

• Adaptable to all vessel shapes
• Level- or volume-proportional arrangement
• Measuring range up to more than 10 m
• Lowest source activity Automatic decay compensation
• Choice between Co-60 or Cs-137 as radiation source
• On line measurement
• No moving parts
• Reliable technology
• Low maintenance
• Easy to calibrate