Definition

Measurement

of

Measurement is the acquisition

of information about a state or
phenomenon
(object
of
measurement) in the world around
us.

Why measuring?
The purpose of measurements is to
regulate, control, or alter the
surrounding
world,
directly
or
indirectly.The results of this regulating
control can then be tested and
compared to the desired results and
any further corrections can be made.

Level sensing devices can be divided into

four categories:
(1)direct sensing, in which the actual level is
monitored;
(2)indirect sensing, in which a property of the liquid,
such as pressure, is sensed to determine the liquid
level;
(3) single point measurement, in which it is only
necessary to detect the presence or absence of a liquid
at a specific level; and
(4) free-flowing solid level sensing.

Classify as Direct or Indirect

Dipstick
Sightglass
Float Sensors
Ultrasonic
Sonic Devices

Displacers
Capacitive probes
Bubbler Devices
Resistive Tapes
Load Cells

Dipstick
Dipsticks can also be
used to measure the
quantity of liquid in an
inaccessible space, by
inserting and removing
the
stick
and
then
checking the extent of it
covered by the liquid.
The
most
familiar
example is the oil level
dipstick found on most
internal
combustion
engines.

Dipstick

Dipsticks

INDIRECT LEVEL
SENSING

 A commonly used method of indirectly measuring a

liquid level is to measure the hydrostatic pressure.
The level can be extrapolated from the pressure
and the specific weight of the liquid.
The level of liquid can be measured using
displacers,
capacitive
probes,
bubblers,
resistive tapes, or by weight measurements.

Differential Pressure
Pressure is often used as an indirect method
of measuring liquid levels. Pressure
increases as the depth increases in a fluid.
The pressure is given by:
p = h
where p is the pressure, is the specific
weight, and h is the depth.

Displacers
This device uses the change in buoyant
force on an object to measure the
changes in liquid level.
Displacers are simple, reliable, and
accurate, but are affected by the
(temperature-dependent) specific weight
of the liquid.

Advantages
Work well with clean liquids and are accurate and
adaptable to wide variations in fluid densities.
Disadvantages
Displacers are relatively expensive when placed
in external cages.
Practical Notes
Displacers should only be used for relatively nonviscous, clean fluids. Best used for short spans.
Spans of up to 40 feet are possible.

 The buoyant force on the cylindrical displacer is given

by:

Where: specific weight of the liquid, d is float diameter,

and L is the length of the displacer submerged in the
liquid.

Weight on force sensor =

Weight of displacer (W) F

Capacitive Probes
This device can be used in liquids
and
free-flowing
solids
for
continuous level measurement.
Materials placed between the
plates of a capacitor increase the
capacitance by a factor (), known
as the dielectric constant of the
material.
For instance, air has a dielectric
constant of 1, and water has a
dielectric constant of 80.

 When two capacitor plates are partially immersed in a

nonconductive liquid, the capacitance (Cd) is given
by:

where: Ca is the capacitance with no liquid, is

the dielectric constant of the liquid between the
plates, r is the height of the plates, and d is the
depth or level of the liquid between the plates.

The depth or liquid level is given by:

The dielectric constants of some common

liquids:

Bubbler Devices
This simple level measurement has
a dip tube installed with the open
end close to the bottom of the
process vessel. A flow of gas
(usually air) passes through the
tube and when air bubbles escape
from the open end, the air pressure
in the tube corresponds to the
hydraulic head of the liquid in the
vessel. The air pressure in the
bubble pipe varies proportionally
with the change in head pressure.

Resistive Tapes
It can be used to measure liquid
levels. A resistive element is placed
in close proximity to a conductive
strip in an easily compressible
nonconductive sheath. The pressure
of the liquid pushes the conductive
strip against the resistive element,
shorting out a length of the resistive
element that is proportional to the
depth of the liquid.

Load Cells
It can be used to measure the weight of a tank and
its contents. The weight of the container is
subtracted from the total reading, leaving the weight
of the contents of the container.
Knowing the cross-sectional area of the tank and the
specific weight of the material, the volume and/or
depth of the contents can be calculated.

 The weight of a container can be used to

calculate the level of the material in the
container, the volume (V) of the material in the
container is given by:

where r is the radius of the container, and d is the

depth of the material. The weight of material (W)
in a container is given by: