FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

STEAMDRUMWATERLEVELMEASUREMENT

A. Introduction.Boilersteamdrumwaterlevelisoneofthemostimportantpowerplantparameters
tobothmeasureandcontrol.Controloftheproperwaterlevelintheboileriscriticalforsafe
operationoftheboiler.Ifthelevelistoolow,boilertubeswillbedamagedbyoverheating.Ifthe
levelistoohigh,steamseparatorswillnotfunctionproperly,temperaturecontrolwillbedifficult,
andthesuperheatertubesandturbinecouldbedamagedbymoistureorwatertreatment
chemicalcarryover.Inaddition,poorlevelcontrolwillalsoadverselyaffectthedrumpressure
control.Theslidingoperatingpressureofmodern3drumHeatRecoverySteamGenerators,along
withfrequentstartupandshutdown,hasaddedtothechallengeofselectingthepropermixof
instrumentsandmaintainingcorrectwaterlevelsunderallconditions.

Althoughinstrumentsfordrumwaterlevelmeasurementhavebeenaroundforwellovera
hundredyears,itisimportanttounderstandtheoperatingprinciples,installationrequirements,
strengthsandweaknessesofeachtechnology.Toignoretheseconsiderationscanleadto
misapplication,increasedmaintenance,poorinstrumentperformance,andunsafeoperation.

TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeSectionIestablishestherequirementsforsteamdrum
waterlevelmeasurementinfiredsteamdrums.Theprimaryfocusoftheserequirementsissafe
boileroperation.Maintenance,performance,andotherspecificapplicationissuesarenot
addressed.

Thereareadozenormoreleveltechnologiesthatcouldbeconsideredforthisapplication.The
purposeofthispaperistoreview5oftheproventechnologiescurrentlyavailableforhigh
pressuresteamdrumwaterlevelmeasurement.ThesewillbecomparedwiththecurrentASME
Section1requirements(2010codeedition),andalsoevaluatetheinstallation,performance
characteristics,strengthsandweaknessesofeach.

B. ASMERequirements.TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeSectionIparagraphPG60lists
themajorityoftherequirementsforwaterlevelmeasurementinstruments.Theprimaryfocusis
safeandreliabledrumlevelindicationatalltimes.Thisisanimportantconsiderationinorderto
understandwhychangestothecodearemadeslowlyanddeliberately.Otherrequirements
pertainingtolevelinstrumentsarelistedinPG5(materialsofconstruction)andPG12(water
levelindicatorsandconnectormaterial).TheASMEcoderequirementshavecontinuouslyevolved
overtheyears.Instrumentuse,incidentreportsandperformancehistoryareevaluated.In
addition,InterpretationsarepublishedannuallytoanswerquestionssubmittedtotheASME
codecommitteepertainingtovariouscodesections.Theresultsofthemostimportant
Interpretationsarelaterwrittenintothevariouscodeparagraphstopermanentlyclarify
sectionsthatmighthavebeenconfusingandmisapplied.Belowarelistedthemostimportant
coderequirements.Thisisnotacompletelisting.Iwilllaterlistanddiscussspecificrequirements
andinterpretationsapplicabletoparticularinstrumenttypes.
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TheprimaryrequirementsinASMEPG60(2009)areasfollows:
1. (PG60.1)Allboilershavingafixedwaterlevel(steamandwaterinterface)shallhaveatleast
onegageglass(atransparentdevicethatpermitsvisualdeterminationofthewaterlevel).
2. (PG60.1.1)Boilershavingamaximumallowableworkingpressureexceeding400psi(3MPa)
shallhavetwogageglasses.Insteadofoneofthetworequiredgageglasses,twoindependent
remotewaterlevelindicators(twodiscretesystemsthatcontinuouslymeasure,transmit,and
displaywaterlevel)maybeprovided.
3. (PG60.1.1)Whenthewaterlevelinatleastonegaugeglassisnotreadilyvisibletothe
operatorintheareawherecontrolactionsareinitiated,eitherafiberopticcable(withno
electricalmodificationoftheopticalsignal)ormirrorsshallbeprovidedtotransfertheoptical
imageofthewaterleveltothecontrolarea.Alternatively,anycombinationoftwoofthe
followingshallbeprovided:
a. Anindependentremotewaterlevelindicator
b. Anindependentcontinuoustransmissionanddisplayofanimageofthewaterlevelina
gageglass.
4. (PG60.1.1.2)Whentwoindependentremotewaterlevelindicatorsareinreliableoperation
(continuouslyindicatingwaterlevel),theonerequiredgageglassmaybeshutoff,butshallbe
maintainedintheserviceablecondition.

INTERPRETATIONSAPPLICABLETOTHESEREQUIREMENTS
NotethattheASMEcodeatonetimedistinguishedbetweenlevelindictorstypeswiththedefinition
DirectReadingforvisuallevelgagesandIndirectIndicationforallothertypesofindicators.That
languagehasbeenreplacedinthecurrentcodewithsimplygageglassandremotewaterlevel
indicator.
1. I8313Allowsgaugeglasstobeisolatedwhentworemoteindicatorsused
2. I8602AnewTechnologylevelindicatordoesnotreplacethevisualgage
3. I8650Gageindicationfortherovingoperatorisnotequaltothecontrolroomoperator.Low
wateralarmandtriparenotconsideredindirectindication.
4. I8912Theoperatorsworkareaiswherecontrolactionsareinitiated
5. I8972Anindirectleveldevicewithnopowerisnotagageglass,butcanbeconsidereda
remotelevelindicator
6. I9215Viewingagageglasswithmirrorsisconsideredadirectreading
7. I9269Amagneticlevelindicatormayprovideanindirectlevelreading
8. I9296Amagneticlevelindicatorisnotconsideredtobeagageglass
9. I9504Apressure/temperaturecompensateddpleveltransmitterisaremotelevelindicator
10. I9507ADCSCRTscreencanbearemotelevelindication.Twoareneededtoomitthegageglass,
andtheindicationsmustbecontinuous.
11. I9814Boilerswithdrumsafetyvalvessetunder400psiarenotpermittedtoshutoffthevisual
gage,evenwithtworemoteindicatorsinoperation.

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C. OPERATINGTEMPERATUREERRORCORRECTION(DENSITYLEVELERROR)
Levelgagesandotherremotelevelindicatorsconnectedtotheboiler(exceptdptransmitters)are
notinatotallystaticcondition.Iftheywere,thewatertemperatureinthegagewouldbenear
ambient.RefertoFIGURE1.Assteamcondensesinthegageandconnectingpiping,the
condensateflowsintothegaugeandheatsit.Asmallamountofwaterisalwaysflowingslowly
throughthegaugeandpiping.

FIGURE1

Anywaterlevelmeasurementdeviceconnectedtothesteamdrumwilloperateatatemperaturethatis
belowtheactualdrumsteam/watersaturationtemperature.Thisloweroperatingtemperaturewill
causealevelerrorwithinthemeasurementdevice.Themeasurementinstrumentwillthenalways
indicatelowerthanthetruedrumwaterlevel.Waterlevelgagesandalltypesofremotelevelindicators
areaffected.FIGURE2belowillustratesthiseffectandtheformulasusedtocalculatetheerror.

FIGURE2
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Thewaterdensityintheexternalinstrumentishigherthanthesteamdrumwaterdensity.The
externalmeasurementinstrumentwillalwaysindicatelowerthantheTrueDrumLevel.The
magnitudeofthelevelerrordependsonoperatingpressureandheightofthewatercolumn.The
densityofboilerwaterdecreasesasoperatingpressureincreases.Theerrorcanbesignificant,
especiallyasoperatingpressuresexceed2000psi,andonlargesteamdrumswithlongvisibility
gagessuchasusedinHRSGapplications.Althoughsomeinstrumentmanufacturesmaystatethat
theerrorsareinsignificantandchoosetoignorethem,theerrorsaresignificantunderconditions
ofhighsteampressureandhighwaterlevels,andcannotbeignored.

Thereareonlythreebasicmethodsavailabletocorrectfortheseerrors.Dependingonthelevel
technologyinuse,somemethodsaremoreorlessapplicabletovariousinstruments.These
methodsare:
1. Heatthewaterinsidetheinstrumenttoatemperatureclosetothedrumwatertemperature.
2. Physicallymovetheinstrumenttoalowerlocation.Thiswillonlyprovideacorrectionforone
operatingpressureandforonelevelposition.Althoughformultipointlevelindicatorssuchas
conductivityprobeindicators,eachprobecanbeindividuallycorrectedforagivenoperating
pressure.Correctionsarebasedonanestimateoftheinstrumentoperatingtemperature.
3. Correcttheelectricaloutputsignal.Thisistheapproachusedforpressurecompensateddp
leveltransmitters.Itcouldalsobepotentiallyusedtocorrectradarorothertypesorremote
indicatorswithanelectricaloutput.Anadditionalpressure/temperaturecorrectionsignalis
usedtocorrecttheinstrumentoutputtoindicatethetruedrumlevel.

D. LEVELINSTRUMENTSANDASSESORIES
1. VisualLevelGages,DirectlevelMeasurement

AdditionalASMERequirements:
(PG60.1)Thelowestvisiblewaterlevelinagageglassshallbeatleast2abovethelowest
permissiblewaterlevel,asdeterminedbytheboilerManufacturer.
(I9250)Theboilermanufacturerdeterminesthelowestpermissiblelevel
(I9266)SamePG60.1definition
(I8906)GageglassesarepartofBoilerExternalpiping,subjecttoPG60.Weldedgagebodies
maybeprovidedbyamanufacturerwithoutaSection1certificate.
(PG5.5)Theuseofaustenitic(series300SS)alloysteelispermittedforboilerpressureparts
thataresteamtouchedinnormaloperation.ExceptasspecificallyprovidedinPG9.1.1,PG
12,andPEB5.3,theuseofsuchausteniticalloysforboilerpressurepartsthatarewater
wettedinnormalserviceisprohibited.
(PG5.5note1).Austeniticalloysaresusceptibletointergranularcorrosionandstress
corrosioncrackingwhenusedinboilerapplicationsinwaterwettedservice.Factorsthat
affectthesensitivitytothesemetallurgicalphenomenaareappliedorresidualstressand
waterchemistry.Susceptibilitytoattackisusuallyenhancedbyusingthematerialina
stressedconditionwithaconcentrationofcorrosiveagents(e.g.chlorides,causticorreduced
sulfurspecies).Forsuccessfuloperationinwaterenvironments,residualandappliedstressed
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mustbeminimizedandcarefulattentionmustbepaidtocontinuouscontrolofwater
chemistry.
(PG12.1)GageglassbodyandconnectormaterialsshallcomplywithaManufacturers
standardthatdefinesthepressuretemperatureratingmarkedontheunit.Thematerialsused
mayincludeausteniticstainlesssteelsandnickelbasedalloys.

DensityErrorConsiderations:Visualgaugesaretypicallypositionedwithoutconsiderationfor
densitylevelerror.Thesewillindicatecorrectlyatlowpressure,withincreasingerroras
pressureincreases.Ifthegaugemustbedensitycorrectedthereareseveralapproaches:
1. Heatthewaterinthegaugewithanadditionalpipeconnectedtothesteamdowncomer(referred
toassteamheatingortemperatureequalization).
2. Installthegaugeinalowerposition,calculatedforonepressureandoneindicatedlevel.
3. Provideachartatthegaugeshowingtheamountofcorrectionatvariousoperatingpressures.

a. ReflexGages.SeeFIGURE3.Thesegageshavegroovedglassthatappliestheprinciplesof
lightreflectionandtransmissiontodevelopaWhite/Blackimage,indicatingthewater
level.Maximumoperatingsteampressureistypically350psi.SeeFIGURE4that
demonstratesthisoperatingprinciple.

FIGURE3

FIGURE4

AdditionalASMERequirements:
(PG60.1)Gageglassassemblieshavingmultiplesections,whetheroftubularorother
construction,shallbedesignedinsuchamannerthatwillensureaminimumof1(25mm)
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overlapofalladjoiningsectionsinwhichthewaterlevelmaybevisible,exceptthatported
orREFLEXgagesthatuserefractionoflighttoaidreadydeterminationoftheliquidlevel,
mayomittherequirementforoverlappingsections.
(I0438)Describessamerequirementsasabove.

b. FlatglassGagesandTubularGlassGages.FIGURE5.Thesegagesrelyontheabilitytosee
thewater/steaminterface(meniscus)insidethegageglass.Tubularglassgagesoperateat
lowpressuresandbecomefragileasglasslengthincreases.Designpressurewilllimitthe
safeglasslength.Flatglassgauges,alsocalledArmoured,canoperateathigher
pressures.

WEBNOT
PERMITTED

FIGURE5FIGURE6

AdditionalASMERequirements:FIGURE6
(PG60.1)Gageglassdesignsthatutilizetransversestructuralmembers(crosswebbing)asa
meanstostrengthenthebodyofthegage,whicharenotcontinuousovertheentirevertical
lengthofthegageglass,arenotpermitted.Note:Transverseorcrosswebstructural
strengtheningmemberswillcauseareasalongthelengthofthegageglasswheretheliquid
levelcannotbereadilydeterminedbecauseofmaskingshadowscausedbythepresenceofthe
transversemembers.Reflextypedesignsthatutilizedsolidmembersbehindtheglassthatare
continuousovertheverticallengthoftheglass,andfrontlitbyeitherambientorprojected
sourcesasapplicable,arenotprohibited.

c. PortedGages.FIGURE7.Thesegaugescanoperateatveryhighsteampressuresbecause
thewindowareaisreduced.Thegagebodyisconstructedinatrapezoidshape.The

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FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

illuminatorwillprojectaREDandGREENlightthroughtheportstoprovideaRED/GREEN
indicationofdrumwaterlevel.

FIGURE7

AdditionalASMERequirements:
(PG60.1)Portedgagesorreflexgagesthatuserefractionoflighttoaidready
determinationoftheliquidlevel,mayomittherequirementforoverlappingsections.
FIGURE8illustratesthisoperatingprincipleandtheimageddisplayed.

FIGURE8

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(I0708)Ahandheldlightsource(flashlight)heldbehindaportedgagedoesnotsatisfy
therequirementthatthegagebeequippedtoprovideobviousvisualdiscrimination
betweenwaterandvaporintheindividualsections.
Note:ARED/GREENilluminatordesignedforproperdisplayofthelevelinthebicolour
gaugeMUSTbeusedtosatisfythisASMErequirement.

2. WaterColumns.FIGURE9.ThisillustrationisfromASMESectionI,figurePG60.These
columnsareusedasaninterfacebetweenthesteamdrumandthevisualgaugeandprovide
thefollowingbenefits:
a. Allowsformismatchbetweendrumandvisualgageconnectioncenters
b. Providesafixedandrigidpointtoinstallthegageisolationvalves
c. Preventsexcessivecondensatefromflowingthroughthegageandoverthegage
window,reducingorobscuringthevisibility.

FIGURE9

AdditionalASMERequirements:
(PG60.2.3)EachwatercolumnshallbefurnishedwithaconnectionofatleastNPS3/4
(DN20)toinstallavalveddraintoasafepointofdischarge.
PG60.3.1)GageglassesthatarerequiredbyPG60.1shallbeconnecteddirectlytothe
shellordrumoftheboilerortoaninterveningwatercolumn.Whentwogageglassesare
required,bothmaybeconnectedtoasinglewatercolumn.

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(PG60.3.2)Theloweredgeofthesteamconnectionbetweenawatercolumn,gageglass
orausteniticstainlesssteelornickelbasedalloywaterlevelsensingdeviceintheboiler
shallnotbebelowthehighestvisiblewaterlevelinthegageglass.Thereshallbenosagor
offsetinthepipingthatwillpermittheaccumulationofwater.
(PG60.3.3)Theupperedgeofthewaterconnectionbetweenawatercolumn,gageglass,
orausteniticstainlesssteelofnickelbasedallowwaterlevelsensingdeviceandtheboiler
shallnotbeabovethelowestvisiblewaterlevelinthegageglass.Nopartofthispipe
connectionshallbeabovethepointofconnectionatthewatercolumn.
(PG60.3.4)ConnectionsfromtheboilertothewatercolumnshallbeatleastNPS1(DN25)

3. ConductivityProbeSystems.FIGURE10Thesedevicesmeasurelevelusingtheprinciplethat
theconductivityofwaterandsteamaresignificantlydifferent.Theconductivityprobeacts
likeanon/offswitch.Alowvoltageisappliedtotheprobetipthatisinsulatedfromthe
columnbody.Thereturnsignalismeasuredbyanelectroniccircuit.Steamappearsasan
opencircuit,whilewatershortstheprobetogroundandappearsasaclosedcircuit.The
conductivityprobesarelocatedatvariouslocationsinaprobecolumntoprovidediscrete
indicationsofdrumwaterlevel.

FIGURE10

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AdditionalASMERequirements:
(I0122)Austeniticmaterials(series300SS)cannotbeusedforlevelindicators
(I0125)Conductivityprobetypelevelcolumnscannotuseausteniticmaterials.

DensityErrorConsiderations.Asdiscussedearlier,watertemperatureintheprobe
columnwillbelowerthanthedrumwatertemperature,causingadensitylevelerror.
Probelocationscanbeindividuallycorrectedtoimprovetheaccuracyoftheindicated
drumlevelataspecificoperatingpressure.Probesathighlevelsreceivemorecorrection
thanprobesatlowlevels.Measurementerrorsareintroducedwhenoperatingat
pressuresotherthanthenormaloperatingpressure,andinparticularwhenatcoldstartup
conditions.

4. DifferentialPressure(dp)Transmitters.FIGURE11.Theseproductsprovidea420mAsignalto
indicatedrumlevelandaremostcommonlyusedfordrumlevelcontrol.Theyoperateby
measuringthedifferenceinpressurebetweenthelevelofwaterinthedrumandthewaterin
astaticcolumn,alsocalledtheReferenceLeg.Ascanbeseenfromthediagram,lowdrum
waterlevelsproducehighdeltap,andhighdrumwaterlevelsproducelowdeltap.Accurate
andrepeatablemeasurementsthatareunaffectedbychangesinboilerpressureare
challengingsincetheinstrumentsoperateatthousandsofpsiboilerpressure,butmust
measureonlyinchesofwaterpressuredifferential,oftenlessthanonepsidifferential.To
achieveaccuracy,highpressuresystemsmustbePressureCompensated,meaningthatthe
operatingpressureismeasuredandtheindicateddrumleveliscorrected.Multivariable
densitycompensatedtransmittersarealsoavailablethatmeasuredifferentialpressure,
absolutepressure,andprocessorwetlegtemperature.Measurementsandcalculations
withinonedeviceshouldreduceerrors.

FIGURE11
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AdditionalASMERequirements
(I9263)Acomputerterminalleveldisplaycanbeselectedondemand,providedthe
secondremotelevelindicatoriscontinuous,withonevisualgaugeinserviceandvisibleto
theoperator.
(I0119)Thesamesignalalgorithmcanbeusedfortworemoteindicators

DensityErrorConsiderations:FIGURE12Thedrumlevelindicatedtotheoperatorisa
calculatedvaluebasedonthefollowingmeasurementsandassumptions:
a. dptransmittermeasurement
b. Pressuretransmittermeasurement(requiredforpressurecorrection)
c. Referencelegheight
d. Referencelegtemperature
e. Variablelegtemperature
f. Steamandwaterdensitycalculationattheoperatingpressure

LP=
HP=
DP=
DP=
DP=

H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4

H3D3 + H4D4
HP - LP
(H3D3 + H4D4) - (H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4)
H3D3 - H1D1 - H2D2

D1= STEAM DENSITY

D2= DRUM WATER DENSITY
D3= REFERENCE LEG DENSITY

NOTE: DISTANCE X MUST BE SUFFICIENT SO

THAT T IS AT AMBIENT TEMPRATURE

FIGURE12

Significantlevelindicationerrorsareintroducedwhentheassumptionsusedinthelevel
calculationformulasdonotagreewiththeactualparameters.Errorsarealsointroduced
duetoinstallationmistakes.Thesensinglinesfromtheboilertothedpinstrumentshould
beslopedtopreventformationofgaspocketsanderroneouslevelreadings.Toobtainthe
bestaccuracy,temperaturesinthereferenceandvariablelegsmustaccuratelyestimated.
FIGURE12showstheidealdptransmitterinstallationthatintroducestheminimum
numberofvariablesintotherequiredequations.
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Inaddition,FIGURE13belowillustratesthatthedensityofwateranddensityofsteam
approacheachotheraspressureincreases.Thiswillexacerbateanyerrorsinthedrum
waterlevelcalculation.

FIGURE13

TABLE1belowwillbeusedtoillustrateanumberofexamplesofdptransmittererrors
introducedbyinaccurateassumptions.

LINE
NO.
1
2
3

LINE
NO.
4
5
6
7

REF
LEG
TEMP
DEGF
120
120
120

STM
PRESS
PSIA
2500
20
2500

STM
TEMP
DEGF
668
228
668

H1
INCH
12
12
12

D1
LB/FT3
7.658
0.0498
7.658

H2
INCH
36
36
24

D2
LB/FT3
34.97
59.42
34.97

H3
INCH
48
48
48

D3
LB/FT3
61.71
61.71
61.71

Y
INCH
0
0
12

TEMP
TY
DEGF
0
0
565

DP
INCHES
25.86
25.86
25.86
25.86

REF
LEG
TEMP
DEGF
120
50
120
120

STM
PRESS
PSIA
2500
2500
20
2500

STM
TEMP
DEGF
668
668
228
668

D1
LB/FT3
7.658
7.658
0.0498
7.658

D2
LB/FT3
34.97
34.97
59.42
34.97

H3
INCH
48
48
48
48

D3
LB/FT3
61.7
62.4
61.7
61.7

Y
INCH
0
0
0
12

DY
LB/FT3
0
0
0
44.96

H2
INCH
36.01
37.24
22.72
16.25

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DY
LB/FT3
0
0
44.96

DP
INCHES
25.86
13.20
22.46

FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

FromFIGURE12,Theformulaforthetransmitterdpis:

1) Dp=H3D3H1D1H2D1

Notethat:H1=H3H2

ReplacingH1intheDpformula,theformulacanbesimplifiedas:

2) Dp=[H3(D3D1)+H2(D1D2)]/62.3

IftheDpisknown,theheightofwaterinthedrumcanbecalculatedfrom:

3) H2=[62.3(DP)H3(D3D1)]/D1D2

Theunitsintheseformulasare:
Dpinchesofwaterpressure
Height(H):Inches
Density(D):lb/ft3
Conversionfactor:62.3

EXAMPLE1:Referencelegtemperaturelowerthanestimated.Comparelines1,4,andline
5intheTABLE1.Theassumptionsare:
Steamdrumpressure:2500psia
Reflegheight,H3,48inches
Referencelegtemperature:120F
Drumwaterlevel,H2,36inches
Thecalculateddpmeasurementis25.86inchesofwater(TABLEline1).Thisisconfirmed
inline4.Ifthemeasureddpis25.86,thecalculateddrumlevel(H2)is36.01

But,iftheactualreferencelegtemperatureis50Finsteadoftheassumed120F,theeffect
ofthiserrorisshowninline5ofthetable.Withthedptransmittermaintainingdrumlevel
controlat25.86,theactualdrumlevelwillbeat37.24.Anerrorof1.23.

EXAMPLE2:Nopressurecompensationofthedptransmitter.
Assumethesameconditionsasabove,withthedptransmittersettomaintainadrumlevel
of36whentheboilerisat2500psi.(Line1andline4).
Ifnopressurecompensationwasavailableduringboilerstartup(Tableline6),atadrum
pressureof20psithedrumwaterlevelwouldbeat22.72,anerrorof13.3.

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EXAMPLE3:DPtransmittervariablelegconnectedtothebottomofthedrum.TheFIGURE
14belowshowsthisinstallationmethod.

FIGURE14.Variablelegoffbottomofdrum

LP=
HP=
DP=
DP=
DP=

H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4

H3D3 + H4D4
HP - LP
(H3D3 + H4D4) - (H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4)
H3D3 - H1D1 - H2D2

D1= STEAM DENSITY

D2= DRUM WATER DENSITY
D3= REFERENCE LEG DENSITY

Assumingthesameboilerconditionsasthefirsttwoexamples,butH2drumlevelnow
includestheYcomponentthatwillbeatalowertemperaturethanthesteamdrum
watersaturationtemperature.
AssumeforthisinstallationthatYis12inches,andthiswaterinthislineissubcooled
100Fbelowthesaturateddrumwatertemperature(waterat565F).Theeffectofthis
changeisshowninLines#3and#7.
ThedrumlevelfromLine#7willbethetotalofYandthecalculatedH2,or28.25.This
isanerrorof7.75fromthesetpoint(36).

5. MagneticFloatIndicators.FIGURE15.Thesedevicesconsistofastainlesssteel(orothernon
magneticmaterial)pipechamberandaninternalfloat.Thefloatisalsononmagnetic,but
containsaringofmagnets.Themagnetswithinthefloatoperateamagneticindicatorlocated
ontheoutsideofthepressurechamber.Theindicatoriseitherasinglefollower,oraseries
offlagsthatrotateandchangecolourasthefloatmagnetspassby.Thefloatmagneticring
willcollectcorrosionparticles(iron/steel)fromthewaterandthefloatmustberemovedand
cleanedperiodically,dependingonwaterquality.Floatsmustbecomelargeraspressure
increasesduetothereductioninwaterdensity.

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STAINLESS STEEL
CHAMBER WALL

INDICATING
FLAGS

FLUX
RING
LIQUID
LEVEL

FLOAT
MAGNETS

FLOAT

FIGURE15

AdditionalASMERequirements:
(PG60.1.1.4)Independentremotelevelindicatorsthatcontainsensingdevicesthat
includeamagneticallycoupledfloatinsideanonmagneticcylindricalpressurechamberto
utilizethroughthewallsensingoffloatpositionshallberestrictedtotherequirementsof
PG12.2.Thedesignandconstructionofsuchdevicesshallincludeprovisionsforeaseof
cleaningandmaintenance.Attachmentofanycontroldevicesforuseotherthan
indicatingwaterlevelisprohibited.

(PG12.2)Boilershavingamaximumallowableworkingpressurenotexceeding900psi(6
MPa)mayusealternativemethodsforindependentremotewaterlevelindicatorsorwater
levelsensingdevices(seePG60).Thesensingdevicesmayincludeamagneticallycoupled
floatinsideanonmagneticcylindricalpressurechambertoutilizethroughthewallsensing
offloatposition.Thepressurechamberstressesshallmeettheappropriaterequirements
ofPG27andPartPW,andshallberestrictedtothematerialgradeslistedinPG12.3

DensityErrorConsiderations:Aswithothermanometertypeindicators,thedifference
indensitybetweenthewaterinthedrumandthewaterinthemagneticfloatcolumnwill
causealevelindicationerror.Theerrorincreasesasthemeasuredlevelincreases.Higher
pressuresandlongervisibilitieswillcreatelargererrors.Itispossibletocorrectforthis
erroratoneoperatingpressureandoneindicatedlevel(typicallythezeroposition)by
calculatingacorrectedfloatpositionbasedonfloatweight,floatdisplacedvolume,and
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averagewatertemperaturewithinthechamber.However,errorsareintroducedatother
operatinglevelsandotheroperatingpressures.

Example:OperatingPressuredifferentthancalculation.

FIGURE16

Assumethatthemagneticfloatpositionisdesignedforanoperatingpressureof900psia.
Assume:Steamdrumlevel(Hd)of36inches.
MagGaugesubcoolingof100Ffromthedrumwatertemperature.
Theheightofthewaterinthegaugeis:

Hg=Hd(DdDs)/(DgDs)

Thetablebelowshowstheindicationerrorwhenoperatedat300psia

PRESS
PSIA

900
300

TEMP
F

532
417

Hd
INCH

36
36

Dd
LB/FT3

47.10
52.92

Ds
LB/FT3

2.00
0.65

TEMP
GAUGE,Tg
F
432
317

Dg
LB/FT3

52.36
56.75

Hg
INCH

32.24
33.54

Thistableshowsthatthelevelinthefloatchamberwillchangeby:
33.5432.24=1.30

Inaddition,thebuoyancyofthefloatwillincrease,raisingthepositionofthefloat,andadding
furthererror.

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FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

6. GuidedWaveRadarLevelIndicators.FIGURE17Comparedwiththeothertechnologiesinuse,
thisoneisrelativelynew.Guidedwavetechnologysendsaradarpulsedownaprobeinstalled
inanexternalcolumn.Thepulsereflectsoffthesurfaceofthewaterbackuptheprobeand
tothesensor.Thetransittimeistranslatedintoadistance,andbasedondimensionsofthe
installation,thewaterleveliscalculated.Thisdeviceproducesacontinuousreading(420mA
signal)ofthewaterlevel.Theadvantageofthismethodoverothertypesofradarsensorsis
thattheprobeguidestheradarpulseandconcentratesboththepulseandthereturnsignal
energy.Effectivelytransmittingtheradarpulsethroughthelongguideandthroughthe
pressurecontainmentboundarytotheelectronicsrequiresspecializedsealsandconstruction.

FIGURE17

DensityErrorConsiderations.Aswithotherdevicesusingawatercolumnconnectedtothe
steamdrum,thewaterinthecolumnwillbecolderandconsequentlyatalowerlevelthanthe
steamdrumtemperature.Iftheactualwatertemperatureinthecolumnismeasured,it
wouldbepossiblefortheelectronicstocalculateandapplyacorrectionfactortotheindicated
level.

Anadditionalconsiderationaffectingindicationaccuracyisthesignificantchangethatoccurs
indielectricconstantsofwaterandsteamaspressureandtemperaturechanges.Theradar
pulsereflectionisactuallycausedbydetectingtheimpedancechangebetweenthewater
andsteam.Anychangeinthesevalueswillaffectthepulsetransittime,andtheindicated
level.Thetablebelowshowsthisaffect.

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FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

TEMP(F) PRESSURE LIQDENS. VAPOR

DIELECTRIC DIELECTRIC ERROR
(PSIA)
(LB/FT3) DENSITY CONS,LIQ CONS,VAP %
(LB/FT3)
100
0
61.99
0.0029 73.95
1.001
0.0
400
247
53.65
0.537
34
1.069
3.4
600
1543
42.32
3.74
18.04
1.461
21

ThedielectricconstantsofWaterandSteamapproacheachotheraspressureincreases.Programswithin
theelectronicscancompensateforthischangeandmaintainthelevelindicationaccuracy.

E. CONCLUSION
TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeliststherequirementsforsteamdrumlevelgauges
andindicatorstoensuresafeoperationoftheboiler.Directreadingvisuallevelgaugesare
requiredoneveryboiler.Thesecanbecomplimentedwithotherindirectinstrumentsto
attainthegoalofsafeandefficientboileroperation.Buttoattainthisgoal,instrumentsmust
beproperlyselectedforthedesignconditions,installedproperly,calibratedproperly,and
maintained.Ifanyoneoftheserequirementsisignored,performancewillbedegraded.All
instrumentshaveinherentstrengthsandweaknessesbasedonthetechnologyemployedto
measurelevel.Theseinstrumentcharacteristicsshouldbethoroughlyunderstoodbytheuser,
orindicationswillbemisleading.Aprudentandconservativeapproachistousesome
combinationofthedifferentproventechnologies.Theindependentindicationsthese
instrumentsgivewillthenprovideconfidencethattheboilerisalwaysoperatedinasafe
condition.

F. REFERENCES
1. Liptak,BelaG.,InstrumentEngineersHandbook,ThirdEdition1969
2. Kalix,D.A,DensityLevelErrorandItsCorrectioninBoilerDrumLevelIndication,ISA
ConferenceOctober1995
3. Boyes,W.SomeThingsdoexactlywhattheyaresupposedto,ControlMagazineFeb2004
4. Evely,D.P.,HeatRecoverySteamGeneratorDrumLevelMeasurementSourcesofError,ISA
jointPOWID/EPRIconference,2004
5. Gilman,J.BoilerDrumLevelControl,ISAJuly/August2010

DavidKalix,P.E.
FossilPowerSystemsInc.
10MosherDrive,Dartmouth,
NovaScotia,Canada
B3B1N5
(902)4682743
26July2011
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