Ultrasonic Level Detectors

The Nature of Ultrasound

•Sonic (up to 9500 Hz) and ultrasonic (10 to 70 kHz) level switches
operate either by the absorption (attenuation) of acoustic energy as it
travels from source to receiver or by the frequency change of a
vibrating diaphragm face.
•Ultrasonic level transmitters operate by generating an ultrasonic pulse
and measuring the time it takes for the echo to return.

•If the transmitter is mounted at the top of the tank, the pulse travels in
air (at a speed of 331 m/sec at 0°C); therefore, the time of travel is an
indication of the depth of the vapor space above the liquid in the tank.
•If the transmitter is mounted on the bottom of the tank, the time of
travel reflects the depth of liquid in the tank, and the speed of travel is a
function of what that liquid is. In the case of water at 25°C, an
ultrasonic pulse travels at 1505 m/sec.
 The Nature of Ultrasound
•Temperature compensation is essential in ultrasonic level
measurement, because the velocity of sound is proportional to the
square root of temperature and, in case of air, it changes by about 0.6
m/sec for each degree Celsius change in temperature.

•The propagation of sound results in its dispersion (loss of intensity).

The intensity of sound decreases with the square of distance; therefore,
the echo becomes exponentially weaker as the range of the instrument
is increased. The decrease in sound energy is caused not only by
dispersion but also by absorption in the substance through which it
travels.

•For example, an ultrasonic (e.g., 44,000 Hz) sound wave traveling in

dry and dust-free 20°C air is attenuated by 1 to 3 dB for each 1 m of
travel.
 Ultrasonic Level Detectors

Point Detectors (Level Switches)

1.Damped vibration type
2.Absorption type
3.Interface type

Continuous Detectors
1.Under liquid detectors
2.Above liquid detectors
Damped vibration type:
As long as the sensor face is in the vapor space of the
tank, it vibrates at its resonant frequency but is damped out
when the process material contacts it.

A, B, C and D are various designs of installing level switches

Design “A” notes the top-entry installation, where the vibrating face is
in the vapor space (and is therefore undamped). This design can be
repositioned manually or automatically for flexible adjustment of the
control point.
Design “B” is a unique design in that it does not penetrate the tank wall
and thus is not in contact with the process fluid. When the liquid rises to
the opposite side of the wall, the transducer is damped and a switch
action occurs.
Designs “C” and “D” show the side-mounted switch elements, one
(“D”) damped and the other in an undamped condition (“C”). Design
“B” can be used on any liquid, while the others are limited to clean,
noncoating fluids.
Absorption type:
•The transmitter generates pulses in the ultrasonic range, and the
receiver detects these pulses if they are transmitted through the
medium in which the probe is located.
•The transmitter and receiver can be mounted on the same probe, or
they can be located on the opposite sides of the tank.

A, B, C, D and E are various

designs of installing level
switches
In Design “A” the transmitter and receiver are packaged separately.
This design transmits in air and the switch will actuate when the
ultrasonic sound beam is interrupted by the rising process material.
Reflectors are installed to narrow the sonic beam angle when the
distance between source and receiver is more than 10 ft (3 m).

Design “B” is a single-probe design in which the pulses generated by

the transmitter will be sensed by the detector only if they are submerged
in a non-compressible liquid. The pulses are not transmitted in the
vapor space.

Design “C” which is similar to “B,” transmits only in liquid. When

fluid is present in the gap of the single probe, the ultrasonic sound beam
is received by the detector in the tip and signals the presence of liquids.

Design “D” is a multipoint variation of “C,” allowing the measurement

of both high and low levels by the same probe.
Interface Detector:
•Design “E” is mounted ≈10° from the horizontal, and it can be used
for detection of liquid–liquid interfaces.

•The ultrasonic sound beam generated by the transmitter crystal will

be detected by the receiver crystal if the probe is in only one liquid.

•If an interface is present in the probe cavity, the interface will reflect
the signal, preventing it from reaching the receiver.
Ultrasonic Level switches for slurries:

•For slurry or sludge services, it is desirable to separate the source from

the receiver by a more substantial distance and install them so that the
slurry material will drip off when the level drops.

Top- and side-mounted level switches for sludge or slurry services

Ultrasonic filler nozzle:

•A special application of ultrasonic level detection for

gasoline filling nozzles is shown in Figure below.
•The nozzle itself contains a transmitting and receiving
element to detect when liquid reaches the nozzle, at which
point flow is shut off.

Ultrasonic filler nozzle

Continuous Level Detectors:
The continuous ultrasonic level detector measures the time
required for an ultrasonic pulse to travel to the process
surface and back.
The source is an oscillator-type ultrasonic speaker, and the
receiver, in most designs, is a metal disc that is both
electrically and mechanically resonant. The transducer can be
mounted either below or above the liquid level.

Continuous ultrasonic level detectors.

Design “A” shows a two-element continuous detector in which the
transmitting and receiving transducers are packaged separately. The
time required to receive the ultrasonic reflection from the surface is the
measure of the vapor depth of the space, which is an indirect indication
of level.

In Design “B”, the transducer and receiver are packaged as a single

unit. The transducer generates short bursts of ultrasonic energy and,
while the acoustic energy is being produced, the receiver is blanked off.
When the ultrasonic waves are on their way, the receiver gate is opened
to detect the echo. Mounting the transducers in the vapor space has the
advantage that the instrument does not contact the process materials,
but it has the disadvantage that some energy is lost in traveling through
the vapor space.
In Design “C,” the time for the ultrasonic echo is a true indication of
level. The transducer can also be mounted on the outside of the tank
(“D”), with the added advantage that the sensing element does not
penetrate the tank. Design “C” is applicable to continuous detection of
clean liquid levels, and designs “A” and “B” also can be used to
measure the level of solids.
 Continuous Interface detector for
hydrocarbon storage cavity

When hydrocarbons are stored in salt

dome wells, the hydrocarbon rests on
a brine layer. When additional
hydrocarbons are pumped in, the
brine is displaced and the
hydrocarbons are recovered by
displacing them with brine. For
reasons of safety, inventory
monitoring, and cavity use, it is
important to know where the
hydrocarbon–brine interface is
located. This device is suitable for
finding the interface.
Recent Developments
Ultrasonic silo scanning system:
Microprocessor-based ultrasonic level sensors can be used
in a multi-tank or multi-silo configuration. This tends to lower their
per-tank unit cost because, through multiplexing, some of the
electronic and display equipment can be shared among the 24 or 48
storage tanks. In such packages, the transmitters are wired to an
automatic scanning console, which operates the individual display
devices. The scanning frequencies are individually programmed to
match the requirements of the processes in the different tanks.
Echo envelope curve and internal tank anomalies:
Using the echo envelope curve
representation on the local transmitter
display shows signal strength versus
distance. The curve indicates
anomalies within a tank such as
nozzles, weld seams, specific tank
internals, and so forth for which
compensation is required.

This helps to validate the instrument’s

integrity, even in hazardous locations.

False echoes can be suppressed to

prevent any misinterpretation by
increasing the detection threshold at
one or more fixed points.
Echo envelope curve and internal tank anomalies
If the reflected signal is strong enough, the transmitter will follow the
true echo, even during the increased detection threshold.

Should the reflected echo signal be smaller than the threshold, the
transmitter will “look around” the increased threshold and will hold the
output until the true signal appears again. This can be done on both a
per-point basis and automatically.

In addition, many manufacturers have a troubleshooting menu-based

system displaying configuration information, diagnostics, and
documentation on the local display. If necessary, this information can
also be accessed in remote locations via HART protocols or a digital
fieldbus protocol (FOUNDATION fieldbus, Profibus-PA).
Advantages

•Ultrasonic level measurement can give reliable performance, even on

difficult slurry or sludge-type services.

•The absence of moving parts and the ability to measure the level
without making physical contact with the process material.

•In some specialized designs, the penetration of the tank can also be
avoided.

•The reliability of the reading is unaffected by changes in the

composition, density, moisture content, electrical conductivity, and
dielectric constant of the process fluid.

•If temperature compensation and automatic self-calibration are

included, the resulting level reading can be accurate to 0.25% of full
scale.
Limitations

•The accuracy of ultrasonic level transmitter depends on the echo it

receives. The echo can be weak as a result of dispersion (which reduces
sound intensity by the square of distance) and absorption (which, in dry
air, reduces its energy level by 1 to 3 dB/m).

•The energy content of the echo will be further reduced if the bin is tall,
if the vapor space is dusty, or if it contains foam or other sound
absorbing materials such as water vapors or mists.

•If the surface is sound-absorbing (fluffy solids), sloping (angle of

repose), or irregular, causing a diffused reflection of the ultrasonic
pulse, the result can be an error, as the time of travel might not
correspond to the vertical distance between transmitter and level.