Conductive Level Switches for Point Level Measurement

Multipoint Conductive Liquid Level Switch
Courtesy VEGA

Level switches utilizing the conductivity principle are applicable to liquids with sufficient conductivity to complete an electrical circuit. For detecting liquid level, probes of specific lengths are immersed into the subject tank, vessel, or pipeline. These probes, and in some cases a conductive tank wall, serve as contacts of an electric circuit. Multiple probes of differing lengths can be extended into a tank or pipeline and are monitored by a single controller. Each probe length extends to the level to be detected. As the vessel fills or empties, electrical conductivity between the tank wall (or the reference probe) and the level measurement probes will change due to the liquid media reducing or increasing the resistance of a conductive path between the monitored points. The established connections will be detected by the controller, which activates a relay providing an output signal.

Conductive level switches provide a simple, robust, and maintenance free solution to many level measurement challenges. Complete level measurement systems are available in numerous configurations to accommodate a wide range of application and installation details. Immersion probes are available in several materials to provide compatibility with appropriate liquid media. Share your level measurement and control challenges with process measurement specialists and get their input for the best solution for your application.

Conductive Level Switches for Industrial Process Control from Classic Controls, Inc.

New Product Integrates Burner Monitoring and Control - Video

Burner Pro - Burner Management Controller

While all industrial applications carry an array of safety concerns and requirements, combustion operations have the threatening combination of fuel and flame to accommodate. Even very small combustion apparatus can produce extremely dangerous conditions if improperly maintained or operated. The combustion process requires close control, monitoring, and automatic safety response to provide suitable operation.

Fireye, a manufacturer of state-of-the-art commercial and industrial flame safeguard controls, flame scanners and igniters, has introduced an addition to their burner management control systems. The new Burner Pro Flame Safeguard Control provides simplified operation for single point applications using integrated flame safeguard and boiler control operation.​

Fireye brand products are used in schools, factories, petrochemical plants, power utilities and other large buildings throughout the world. The video included below provides a quick description of how the Burner Pro works. You can find out more about how to apply the Burner Pro to its best use from a combustion specialist.

Selecting the Right Flow Meter Technology

Vortex Flow Meter
Courtesy Yokogawa Corp.

Magnetic Flow Meter
Courtesy Yokogawa Corp.

Many industrial process control operations require fluid flow measurement as an essential element in the process design. Accurate flow measurement can be obtained with the proper application and installation of a flow meter as part of the fluid transfer system.

Industrial flow meters employ differing technologies to directly or indirectly measure fluid flow rates. Among the many available technologies for fluid flow measurement, vortex flow meters, magnetic flow meters, Coriolis flow meters, and rotameter flow meters are among some of the most common found in industry.

Coriolis Flow Meter
Courtesy Yokogawa Corp.

Rotameter Flow Meters
Courtesy Yokogawa Corp.

Each of the separate technologies have attributes which can make them more suitable to certain applications. Selecting the most appropriate flow measurement technology for an application is one of the initial and crucial steps to designing a well functioning fluid measurement system.

Selection criteria, such as fluid temperature, pressure, and velocity will be part of the selection process. Additional considerations include whether the fluid may be abrasive, corrosive, clean or dirty. The state of the fluid, liquid or gas, must also be considered.

The table below provides quick general guidance on which technologies to consider, based upon the factors outlined above. This will help you better focus further product selection research efforts.

Flow Meter Technology Selection Table
Courtesy Yokogawa Corporation of America

Selecting the right device is not always an easy task, especially since it may be something that you do infrequently. Manufacturers often have knowledgeable local representatives that are experienced in this field and more than willing to contribute their expertise to your selection process.

Time Saving Process Instrumentation Selection Tool From Yokogawa

Yokogawa Corporation of America, an industry recognized source for innovative process measurement and control products, has made available an easy to use product selection tool for those navigating through the company's extensive product offering. The Product Finder is a great time saver that enables a user to quickly locate product and technical information on Yokogawa products that meet the user's selected criteria.

Let's step through a quick example. You will see how this quick and easy to use tool saves time by navigating quickly to the website pages detailing products meeting your requirements.

The Product Finder is accessible through a number of links throughout Yokogawa's network of representatives. Clicking the link lands you on the start page of the Product Finder. For this example, I am going to search for a flow meter with the following characteristics:

• Mass flow measurement 
• Non-conductive liquid
• Accuracy of 1%
• Flow measurement device must have an integral transmitter
• Tri-clamp connections

Above, I declared my location as United States. The next step, shown below, is to select "Flow" as the measurement parameter. You will see in the drop down menu that there are many measurement elements that can be selected, with Yokogawa products for each.

My selection of "Flow" returns a list of all the company's flow measurement devices, of which there are many (this cropped screenshot, shown below, only shows four, but there were many more) . This is where the selector really helps you. Instead of examining several or many different models, the user can focus the search by adding more product characteristics. You can see the list of prompting questions on the left side of the page. Answering these will narrow the search results to the show only the products meeting all the criteria specified by the user.

The next image (below) shows selections of all  my sample product attributes entered on the left column. Note that there is now only a single product that matches all of my sample criteria. The whole process took less than two minutes. By clicking on the "View More Details" button below the product image, I gain access to all of the available technical, support, and product data for my selected flow measurement device.

The process instrumentation specialists at Classic Controls are available to provide additional help in meeting your measurement challenges. Combine their product knowledge and expertise with your process know-how for the best solutions.

Measurement of Level and Interface with Guided Wave Radar

Guided wave radar application
illustration.

Extreme process conditions such as temperature, pressure or corrosion make selecting the right sensor a real challenge. Maintenance-free instrumentation with a long service life is a requirement for maintaining shutdown intervals of several years without premature production stoppages.

When it comes to measuring level, guided wave radar (GWR) transmitters are suitable for level measurement in liquids and bulk solids. In liquids, they can also detect the interface between two products. They measure liquids reliably, even under high pressure and extreme temperatures. They can be used in simple as well as in aggressive liquids and are suitable for applications with stringent hygiene requirements. The sensors measure light as well as heavy bulk solids with absolute reliability, even in the presence of dust and noise, and without being affected by build-up or condensation. Density fluctuations, steam generation or strong pressure and temperature fluctuations do not influence the measuring result with guided wave radar. Also buildup on the probe or the vessel wall do not influence the measurement.

Guided wave radar
level control
(courtesy of Vega)

Measuring Principle

High-frequency radar pulses are coupled onto a cable (solids) or rod (liquids) and guided along the probe. The pulse is reflected by the product surface. The instrument calculates the level from the running time of the radar pulses and the entered tank height.

Advantages

Guided wave radar sensors operate independently of noise, pressure or temperature fluctuations and are also completely unaffected by changes in density, foaming, steam or dust. Buildup on the probe or on the container wall does not affect the measurement either. This allows simple, straightforward system design and engineering. The menu-driven adjustment routines allow simple, time-saving and confident setup.

For more information on guided wave radar level applications, contact:

For more information, contact:
Classic Controls, Inc.
5095 South Lakeland Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33813
Phone: 863.644.3642
Fax: 863.648.0484
Email: sales@classiccontrols.com
www.classiccontrols.com

Non-invasive Flow Meter for Extremely Low Fow Rates

Excellent solution for very low flow.

Industrial flow measurement presents many challenges to designers, engineers, operators, and equipment manufacturers, particularly when measuring very low flow rates.  Low flow measurement is a critical element of many industrial processes. Specific examples of applications with challenging flow measurement are chemical injection for oil & gas exploration and production, odorization lines in natural gas distribution, chemical dosing in water and wastewater treatment, paint spray lines, and myriad applications in pulp & paper industry and chemical and petrochemical industries.


Watch the video and read the document below for more detailed information.

The product shown here, the Flexus XLF (manufactured by Flexim), provides a stable and long term solution with reliable measurement of extremely low flow rates down to 3 l/h. Additionally, it is non-invasive to the process, highly repeatable, exceptionally rugged, and available for hazardous areas.

Non-invasive Flow Meter for Extremely Low Fow Rates from Classic Controls, Inc.

For more information, contact:
Classic Controls, Inc.
5095 South Lakeland Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33813
Phone: 863.644.3642
Fax: 863.648.0484
Email: sales@classiccontrols.com
www.classiccontrols.com

Capabilities of the Yokogawa DPharp Pressure Transmitter

DPharp Pressure Transmitter
(courtesy of Yokogawa)

The Yokogawa DPharp digital sensor uses two single crystal silicon resonators vibrating at their natural frequencies. When pressure is applied, one of the resonators goes into tension, while the other goes into compression mode.  The CPU directly counts the sensor output frequencies without any additional A/D conversion. Due to the excellent elastic properties of silicon material, the DPharp sensor exhibits greater linearity and repeatability, with no inherent hysteresis. The resonant sensors also provides a large output signal resulting in greater sensitivity and higher turndown. 

Long term, accurate and stable measurement in real world conditions is fundamental to realize reliable and efficient plant operation. Transmitters in the field are subjected to continuous variations of ambient and process temperature, static and overpressure conditions affecting their accuracy. The long term stability of the transmitter is a measure of performance drift and dependent on the sensor technology. Total accuracy and long term stability determine the recalibration interval for the devices according to the acceptable performance levels. 

Additionally, the DPharp digital sensor has the unique ability to simultaneously measure static pressure and differential pressure. The multi-sensing platform enables real-time dynamic compensation for unmatched precision and forms the basis for implementation of advanced diagnostics. The information is available through various digital communication protocols, providing additional knowledge about your process. The multi-sensing functionality, with guaranteed accuracy of static pressure signal, allows the process to operate with fewer devices and delivering reduced lifecycle costs.

For more information on the Yokogawa DPharp, contact:

Classic Controls, Inc.

5095 South Lakeland Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33813
Phone: 863.644.3642
Fax: 863.648.0484
Email: sales@classiccontrols.com

www.classiccontrols.com