Level Transmitter Calibration

5.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this experiment, students should be able to:

(i) Calibrate a differential pressure transmitter for open-tank level measurement

(ii) Calibrate a differential pressure transmitter for closed-tank level measurement
(iii) Calibrate a flanged-mounted differential pressure transmitter for open-tank level
measurement
(iv) Calibrate a flange-mounted differential pressure transmitter for closed-tank level
measurement
(v) Determine the resistance and capacitance of a level process
(vi) Analyze step response of a level process and determine the time constant

5.2 THEORY OF LEVEL MEASUREMENT

Different types of level transmitter are used for different types of applications. Some of the more
important types of level transmitters are the following:

i. Measurement based on hydrostatic head. Pressure and differential pressure

measurement.
ii. Conductance and capacitance type probes
iii. Sonar devices
iv. Gamma Rays devices

In the current experiment, measurement based on pressure and differential pressure is used. The
liquid in a vessel exerts hydrostatic pressure which is proportional to the liquid density and head
of the liquid. For constant density the measurement of the hydrostatic pressure or pressure at the
bottom of the vessel is directly related to the level of liquid in the vessel. This principle is widely
used for level measurement because of its simplicity and low cost.

5.3 Absolute pressure, gauge pressure, differential pressure and vacuum

Pressure is the force exerted by a gas or liquid on a surface. The SI unit of pressure
measurement is the Pascal (Pa). Other common units are N/m 2, Torr, psi and bar. It is critical to
specify the reference point of the pressure.

When we measure a pressure in a system with perfect vacuum or absolute zero as the basis then
we call the value of the pressure as the absolute pressure. When the pressure is measured with
reference to the atmospheric as the basis the measurement is called the gauge pressure. The
relationship between absolute pressure and gauge pressure is expressed as,
Pa = Pg + 101.3
where,
Pa and Pg = Absolute and gauge pressures respectively, kPa

The 101.3 in the equation is the standard atmospheric pressure at the earths surface in kPa.

Vacuum gauges are used when the pressure being measured has a value less atmospheric
pressure. Vacuum pressure may be expressed as absolute pressure or vacuum units. For
example, 10 kPa vacuum signifies a pressure of 10 kPa below atmosphere pressure, that is, an
absolute pressure of 91.3 (101.3 kPa 10 kPa).

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 Fig. 1 Relationship between absolute, gauge and vacuum measurements

Differential pressure signifies the difference in pressure between two points. Differential pressure
measurement is useful for measuring flow or level.

In the case of flow, a device like orifice or venture tube is introduced into the flow path. This
creates a pressure drop between the upstream and down steam points of the orifice that is
related to the flow rate. Hence by measuring the pressure difference between the upstream and
down stream points of the orifice we can measure the pressure drop and hence calculate the flow
rate.

For measuring level in tank the differential pressure between the bottom of the tank and the top of
the tank is measured which is directly related to the hydrostatic head created by the liquid level
which can be converted to the level using the density of the liquid.

5.4 Mechanical Transducers for Pressure Measurement

Pressure is measured by the force it exerts on a mechanical element and corresponding

deflection of the mechanical element. The common types of mechanical devices used are the
Bourdon gauge, Bellows and Diaphragms as shown in Fig. 2.

The Bourdon gauge consists of a tube with elliptical cross section bent in the form of the arc of a
circle. One end of the tube is fixed and the other is free to rotate. The free end is closed while the
fixed end is connected to the pressure to be measured. When a pressure is applied inside the
tube the elliptical cross section tends to become more circular. This produces a torque which tries
to move the free end in a direction such that the arc becomes straighter. This small movement is
converted to an electrical signal by using a suitable technique.

In the case of a bellows the pressure is applied to a bellows made of metal like stainless steel or
phosphor bronze. One side is fixed and the other side is free to move. The application of pressure
causes a small deflection to the free end which is converted to an electrical using a suitable
technique.

The diaphragm transducers are made of thin metallic diaphragms. They are fixed along the
periphery and enclosed in a diaphragms box. When we apply the pressure to one side of the
diaphragms it causes a deflection in the middle of the diaphragms which is converted to an
electrical signal by appropriate methods.

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5.5 Mechanical Transducers for Pressure Measurement

Fig. 2 Mechanical Pressure Transducers

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5.6 Pressure Transmitters

The deflection of the mechanical transducers due to the action of pressure is converted to an
electrical signal by a variety of methods. Linear Variable Differential Transducers (LVDT),
Potentiometric Transducers, Capacitance Transducers, Piezoresistive and Silicon Resonant
Bridges are some of the more important methods used for this purpose. Details of these methods
are given in Appendix 1.

Of these methods the Silicon Resonant Sensor Method is extremely accurate and stable. The
Yokogawa transmitters are based on the Silicon Resonant Sensor technique (Fig. 3a) that
measures a strain-induced frequency created by the silicon resonators.

The entire sensor is made from a homogeneous silicon crystal. On the silicon sensors two H
shaped resonators are provided. These resonators are patterned on the silicon crystal itself. One
resonator is at the center of the crystal while the other is at the outer of the diaphragm. When no
pressure is acting on the diaphragm both the bridges oscillate at a frequency of 90 kHz.

When a pressure is applied to the diaphragm the center the center bridge goes into tension and
the outer bridge into compression. As a result the frequencies of one resonator increases and the
other decreases. This difference in frequencies is measured and converted to a frequency output.
The measurement can be directly converted to digital output by pulse counters (Fig. 3b). The
advantages of this technique are the high accuracy, long-term stability and the facility to directly
get digital signals without having to use A/D conversion.

Fig 3 Silicon Resonant Pressure Transmitter

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5.7 LEVEL DYNAMICS

Consider a liquid tank as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 Tank Dynamics

Writing a material balance on the tank,

dh
qi qo A dt (1)

The outflow qo can be written as,

h
qo R (2)

where R is the flow resistance of the valve with units

s/m2. Substituting Eq. 2 and simplifying, we get,

dh
AR dt h Rqi (3)

The product AR has units of time, and is called the time constant

T. Therefore,

dh
T dt h Rqi (4)

Taking Laplace Transforms, we get the transfer function,

H R (5)
Qi (Ts 1)

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R is the gain of the system having units s/m 2. H and Qi are the Laplace Transforms of h and qi
respectively.
If qi is a step change of size A, that is,

A
Qi (6)
s
We can substitute Eq. 6 in Eq. 5 and get the time response by taking the inverse transform. This
gives,

t
h A 1 exp (7)
T
By using step change in the input and Eq. 7 we can determine the gain and time constant of a
level system.

Fig. 5 Step Response of Level

The gain of the system is given by B/A where A is the step change in input flow and B is the
corresponding change in level h. The time constant T is given by the time taken by the response
to reach 63.2% of the final value. The time constant can also be determined as the product of the
tank cross sectional area A by the flow resistance R. The experimental determination of the tank
resistance is shown in the experimental procedure.

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5.8 EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS

The equipment required for performing the experiments are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Equipment Required

Unit Name Model Number

Level transmitter calibration and level dynamics YLTC 01
unit
Flange-mounted differential pressure Yokogawa Model No. EJA210A
transmitter
Differential pressure transmitter Yokogawa Model No. EJA110A
Two-pen recorder Yokogawa Model No. 436002
Digital indicator Yokogawa Model No. UM330
Pressure calibrator-Digital manometer Yokogawa Model No. MT220
Pneumatic pressure standard Yokogawa Model No. MC100

5.9 CHOICE OF MASTER STANDARD UNITS

The units under test (UU) will be a differential pressure Transmitter (Model EJA 110A) and a
flange-mounted differential pressure Transmitter (Model No. EJA210A). The Master Standard
Units will be Model 767402 Pneumatic Pressure Standard and Model 767355 Digital manometer.
The specified accuracies of these instruments are as follows.

Table 2 Accuracy Specifications

Instrument Range Span Accuracy

EJA110A, Capsule M -100 to +100 kPa 1 to 100 kPa 0.075% of span. For
Differential pressure span below 10 kPa,
transmitter [0.025+0.5/span]% of
span
EJA210A Capsule M -100 to +100 kPa 1 to 100 kPa 0.075% of span. For
Flange mount span below 10 kPa,
d/pressure transmitter [0.025+0.5/span]% of
span
MC100 Pneumatic 0-200 kPa 200 kPa [0.05% of full scale]
Standard Model
767402
MT220 Digital 0-700 kPa 700 kPa [0.01% of reading +
manometer Model 0.005% of full scale]
767355

From the data given above the proper MSU can be chosen on the basis of Test Uncertainty ratio
(TUR).

5.10 TUR for EJA110A M capsule TransmitterCalibration

Choose a suitable span for the transmitter, say, 100 kPa

Therefore, span of transmitter = 100 kPa

Accuracy of transmitter =
Choose Mt220 digital manometer as the MSU

Span of digital manometer = 0 700 kPa

Accuracy = 0.01% of reading
+ 0.005% of full scale

Maximum error for MSU =

Maximum error for the Transmitter =

=

TUR =
=

With a minimum TUR of 2, we can just about use the MT220 digital manometer as the MSU for
the pressure transmitter calibration.

If we choose the MC100 Pneumatic Pressure Standard as the MSU we have the following
calculations:

Range of the Pneumatic Pressure Standard = 0 200 kPa

Span =
Accuracy =

Accuracy of the UUT, as before =

Therefore TUR =

Hence the MC100 Pneumatic Pressure Standard is not suitable for calibrating the differential
pressure Transmitter.

5.11 TUR for EJA210A Pressure Transmitter calibration by Digital manometer

Choose a suitable span for the transmitter, say, 100 kPa

Therefore, span of transmitter = 100 kPa

Accuracy of transmitter =

Choose MT220 digital manometer as the MSU

Span of digital manometer = 0 700 kPa

Accuracy = 0.01% of reading
+ 0.005 % of full scale
Maximum error of MSU =

Maximum error for the Transmitter =

=

TUR =
=
With a minimum TUR of 2, we can just about use the MT220 digital manometer as the MSU for
the pressure transmitter calibration.

If we choose the MC100 Pneumatic Pressure Standard as the MSU we have the following
calculations:

Range of the Pneumatic Pressure Standard = 0-200 kPa

Span = 200 kPa

Accuracy =
=

Accuracy of the UUT, as before =

Therefore TUR =

Hence the MC100 Pneumatic Pressure Standard is not suitable for calibrating the differential
pressure transmitter.

5.12 DRAFT UUT CALIBRATION OF THE LEVEL TRANSMITTERS

5.13 Experimental Setup

Fig. 6 Experimental Setup for draft UUT calibration-Schematic Diagram

5.14 Procedure
Draft calibration may be performed in two different ways. In Method 1 we fix the UUT value and
change the MSU value to coincide with the required UUT value. Method 2 does it reverse way.
We decide on the MSU value and apply it to the UUT. Whatever is the UUT output we note down.

Method 1 is advantageous over Method 2 since the MSU, being a more accurate instrument, will
have a higher resolution and hence we can read it more easily that the UUT.

Extra information:
UUT = EJA110A Differential Pressure Transmitter ranged -900 ~0 mmH2O
MSU = Model 767355 Digital Manometer

UUT = EJA210A Differential Pressure Transmitter ranged 0-900 mmH2O

MSU = Model 767355 Digital Manometer

5.14.1 UUT = EJA110A Differential Pressure Transmitter Calibration by Method 1

1. Connect the equipment as shown in Fig. 7 with EJA110A differential pressure transmitter
as the UUT.

2. Set the value of the UUT at its lowest calibrated value.

3. Calculate the tolerance of UUT.

4. Adjust the tolerance of the Pneumatic Pressure Standard so that the UUT reads the value
set in step (2).
5. Set the value of UUT at the next reading and continue with steps (3) (5) till the maximum
reading of UUT is reached.
6. Repeat step (2) (5) to get a total of 3 runs. Record all relevant data.
5.14.2 UUT = EJA210A Flange-Mounted Differential Pressure Transmitter Calibration by
Method 1

1. Connect the equipment as shown in Fig. 7 with the EJA210A Pressure transmitter as UUT.
2. Repeat steps (2) to (6) in 5.14.1.

3. Record all relevant data.

5.14.3 UUT = EJA110A Differential Pressure Transmitter Calibration by Method 2

In the experimental procedure described in 5.14.1, we are fixing the value of the UUT and
adjusting the MSU so that the UU gives that reading, the calibration can also be performed in the
reverse way by fixing the value of the MSU and take the corresponding reading of the UUT.
Perform this and record all relevant data.

5.14.4 UUT = EJA210A Flange-Mounted Differential Pressure Transmitter Calibration by

Method 2

Repeat the same procedure as 5.14.3, and record all relevant data.

5.15 Questions

1. Based on your data, construct the calibration curves for the draft UUT for each Method 1 and
Method 2. Discuss your results.
5.16 LEVEL DYNAMICS
5.16.1 Experimental setup

The schematic diagram of the experimental setup is shown in Fig. 10. The experimental setup
consists of a cylindrical vessel of diameter d = 300 mm and height h = 1200mm. The tank is a
closed one.

Liquid is pumped from the sump Tank A by a pump P and controlled by the manual MV01 and
MV02. The flow rate of the liquid can be measured by the rotameter. Liquid enters the Tank B at
the top. The liquid exits from the tank through the bottom exit and the outflow can be controlled by
the calibrated ball valve MV03. MV03 is provided with a scale to determine the % opening of the
valve.

The level in the tank is indicated by a sight glass and the level can be read from the scale, which
is attached. The level is also measured by the two level transmitters. LT01 is a flange-mounted
DP transmitter while LT02 is a DP level transmitter. Both the transmitters are connected to an
air pressure source with regulator and pressure gauge. This is used to simulate pressurized
closed tank conditions.
 Fig. 10 Schematic diagram

5.17 Determination of flow resistance

Flow resistance is defined as the ratio of head divided by flow rate. The unit of resistance would
be sec/m2. The flow resistance of the calibrated flow valve at the exit of the tank can be
determined experimentally.

1. Close valve MV03. Fully open Valves MV01 and MV02. Starts pump P.

2. Open valve MV03 to 20% open.

3. Adjust valve MV01 and MV02 so that the level of liquid in the tank is around 100mm.

4. Wait till the level stabilizes and remains constant. Record the flow rate and liquid level.
5. Select a minimum of FIVE (5) different levels within the range of 100 mm to 900 mm.
Repeat the experiment and record relevant data.

6. Change the output valve to 30% open. Repeat steps (3) to (6). Repeat the experiment with
the valve 50%.

5.17.1 Questions

1. Based on your data, use appropriate plots to determine the flow resistance of the calibrated
flow valve.
 5.18 Level measurement in open and closed tanks

1. Keep the valve SV06 open. This corresponds to an open tank level measurement.

2. Keep MV03 50% open.

3. Keep MV01 and MV02 fully open. Start pump P.

4. By adjusting the valves MV01 and MV02, adjust the level at say 100 mm. Record all
relevant data available.

5. Select a minimum of FIVE (5) levels within the range of 100mm to 900mm by increasing
the flow rate correspondingly. Record relevant data at each level.

6. Repeat the experiment in by reducing the flow in steps till the lowest flow rate is achieved.

7. Close valve SV06. Set a pressure of 1 psi by adjusting the air pressure regulator
connected to the top of the tank. This corresponds to a closed pressurized tank. Keep the
MV03 30% open. Repeat steps (4) to (6).

8. Repeat the experiment for tank top pressure equal to 0.5 psi.

*Students should control the air pressure by controlling the air regulator and SV06 when
increasing or decreasing the flows to the pressurize tank, so that the pressure in the
pressurize tank will remain constant.

5.18.1 Questions

1. Based on your data,

a. Develop the Calibration curve of Flange-mounted Transmitter in Open Tank
b. Develop the Calibration curve of Differential Pressure Transmitter in Open Tank
c. Develop the Calibration curve of Flange-mounted Transmitter in Closed Tank
d. Develop the Calibration curve of Differential Pressure Transmitter in Closed Tank
5.19 First order tank level dynamics

The dynamics of the tank can be obtained by step response testing, we have determine two
parameters of the first order model, the gain K and the time constant T.

1. Keep valve SV06 open. Set MV03 for 30% opening.

2. Determine the values of the Flow rates corresponding to tank level equal to 300 mm and 500
mm. Let these flow rates be equal to F1 and F2 respectively.

3. Set flow rate equal to F1. Let the level come to steady state.

4. Suddenly change the flow to F2 by opening the valve MV02.

5. Record the response.

5.19.1 Questions

1. Analyze the step response of the level process. Based on your data, use appropriate plot(s) to
determine the values of gain K and time constant, T. By using appropriate references, determine
the formula to calculate the theoretical value of the time constant and compare this value with
the time constant obtained experimentally. Discuss your results.