Level Measurement (1)

Level is defined as the filling height of a liquid or bulk material, for example, in a tank or reservoir. Two different tasks can be distinguished: (1) continuous level measurements (level indication, LI), and (2) level switches (LS) (e.g., to detect an alarm limit to prevent overfilling). Figure 1 shows the principal operational modes of level measurement. Generally, the position of the surface is measured relative to a reference plane, usually the tank bottom. If the products surface is not flat (e.g., with foam, waves, turbulences, or with coarse-grained bulk material) level usually is defined as the average height of a bounded area.
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Level Measurement (2)

L=h-d

Figure 1: Representation of a tank with a liquid or solid material.

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Level Measurement (3)

Measurements Using the Effects of Density
The product in the tank has an effect due to its density , (1) producing buoyancy to a solid submerged into the liquid, or (2) executing a force due to its weight.

Displacer
Displacers measure the buoyancy of a solid body that is partially submerged in the liquid. The change in weight is measured. Figure 2 illustrates the parameters used for these calculations.

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Level Measurement (4)

The cross section area A of the body is assumed to be constant over its length b.

Figure 2: Quantities of a solid body immersed into a liquid.

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Level Measurement (5)

The weight of force FG due to gravity g and mass m is: FG=gm=gAbD ............eq.1 The buoyant force FB accounts for the partial length Ld that is submerged with the remainder of the body in the atmosphere: FB = gALdL +gA(b-Ld)A..eq.2 Where = density; b= length of the body; Ld= dipped length Combining Equations 1 and 2 gives the resulting force to be measured by an appropriate method FR=FG-FB..eq.3
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Level Measurement (6)

The result for level Ld , related to the lower edge of the displacer is: Ld=b(D A) FR/gA ..eq.2 L A The density of the body should be higher than the density of the liquid; otherwise, the measurement operating range is limited (until the displacer floats on the liquid).

Level Measurement (7)

Figure 3 shows a special configuration, in which a small ball with volume V is mounted to a thin wire driven by a stepping motor and put into resonant vibration. The resulting force F can be measured from the resonating frequency f of the wire between points A and B: F 4 w Aw f 2l 2
w = density of the wire Aw = cross-sectional area of the wire And the surrounding density L can be calculated as:
F gV ( D L ) L D
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Where,

l= length of the wire between the points A and B

F gV
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Level Measurement (8)

Figure 3: Level, interface and density sensor using the effects of buoyancy.
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Level Measurement (9)

Float
Floats are similar to displacers, but are swimming on the liquids surface due to the buoyancy. Hence, the density of the float must be lower than the density of the liquid. Figure 4 shows the principle of operation for float level meters. (a) A counter weight balances the float that swims on the liquids surface. Its position represents the level. (b) The float contains a magnet that contacts a reed switch inside a guide tube. Using a bistable relay, this system is used as a level switch.

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Level Measurement (10)

Figure 4: Principle of operation for float level meters.

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Level Measurement (11)

Pressure Gages
A hydrostatic pressure p, caused by the weight of the product, is present at the bottom of a tank, in addition to the atmospheric pressure po : pressure gages at the bottom of the tank measure this pressure.
p po g L L L p po g L

In process tanks with varying atmospheric pressure, a differential pressure measurement is achieved by measuring the difference between the pressure at the bottom and that at the top of the tank, above the liquid.

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Level Measurement (12)

Figure 5(a) shows such a configuration with a differential pressure sensor.

Figure 5(b) shows a vertical arrangement with three sensors; the measurements of p1 and p 2 are used to compensate for the influence of density L , and to calculate the level: p po p p L 2 1 L 2 l gl p2 p1

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Level Measurement (13)

Figure 5
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Level Measurement (14)

Balance Method
Here simply the weight F of the complete tank is measured, dependent on the level L:

F Fo gAL L
Where Fo is the weight of the empty tank and A the crosssectional area, which is assumed to be constant throughout the tank height. For precise measurements, the buoyancy in air must be taken into consideration:
F Fo gAL( L A ) L F Fo gA( L A )
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