RF/Capacitance Level Instrumentation

Capacitance level detectors are also referred to as radio frequency (RF) or admittance level
sensors. They operate in the low MHz radio frequency range, measuring admittance of an
alternating current (ac) circuit that varies with level. Admittance is a measure

of the conductivity in an ac circuit, and is the reciprocal of impedance. Admittance and

impedance in an ac circuit are similar to conductance and resistance in a direct current (dc)
circuit. In this chapter, the term capacitance level sensor will be used

Figure 8-1: Click on figure to enlarge.

instead of RF or admittance.

Table 6 lists some of the industries and applications where capacitance-type level sensors
are used.

Theory of Operation
A capacitor consists of two conductors (plates) that are electrically isolated from one
another by a nonconductor (dielectric). When the two conductors are at different potentials
(voltages), the system is capable of storing an electric charge. The storage capability of a
capacitor is measured in farads. As shown in Figure 8-1, the capacitor plates have an area
(A) and are separated by a gap (D) filled with a nonconducting material (dielectric) of
dielectric constant (K). The dielectric constant of a vacuum is 1.0; the dielectric constants of
a variety of materials are listed in Table 7.

The dielectric constant of a substance is proportional to its admittance. The lower the
dielectric constant, the lower the admittance of the material (that is, the less conductive it
is). Capacitance (C) is calculated as:
If the area (A) of and the distance (D) between the plates of a capacitor remain constant,
capacitance will vary only as a function of the dielectric constant of the substance filling the
gap between the plates. If a change in level causes a change in the total dielectric of the
capacitance system, because (as illustrated in Figure 8-1B) the lower part of area (A) is
exposed to a liquid (dielectric Kl) while the upper part is in contact with a vapor (dielectric
Kv, which is close to 1.0), the capacitance measurement will be proportional to level.

In the case of a horizontally mounted level switch (Figure 8-2), a conductive probe forms
one of the plates of the capacitor (A1), and the vessel wall (assuming it is made from a
conductive material) forms the other (A2). An insulator with a low dielectric constant is used
to isolate the conductive probe from the housing, which is connected to the vessel wall. The
probe is connected to the level sensor via the conductive threads of the housing.
Measurement is made

Figure 8-2: Click on figure to enlarge.

by applying an RF signal between the conductive probe and the vessel wall.

The RF signal results in a minute current flow through the dielectric process material in the
tank from the probe to the vessel wall. When the level in the tank drops and the probe is
exposed to the even less conductive vapors, the dielectric constant drops. This causes a
drop in the capacitance reading and a minute

Figure 8-3: Click on figure to enlarge.

drop in current flow. This change is detected by the level switch's internal circuitry and
translated into a change in the relay state of the level switch. In the case of continuous level
detectors (vertical probes), the output is not a relay state, but a scaled analog signal.

The total area is the combined area of the level sensor probe and the area of the conductive
vessel wall (A = A1 + A2), and the distance (D) is the shortest distance between the sensor
probe and the vessel wall. Both of these values are fixed. Therefore, when the probe is no
longer surrounded by vapors (K1), but by the process material (K2), the resulting
capacitance change is directly related to the difference in dielectric constant between the
two media:

The sensitivity of a capacitance sensor is expressed in pico-farads (pF). The capacitance unit
is the farad, defined as the potential created when a one-volt battery connected to a
capacitor causes the storage of one coulomb of electric energy. A pico-farad is one trillionth
of that, and the sensitivity of an accurate capacitance detector is 0.5 pF. This is the
minimum detectable change in capacitance resulting from a change in dielectric constant
(K2 -K1).

In most level-sensing applications, the reference material is air (K1 = 1.0). Table 7 gives the
K2 values of a variety of process materials. As the dielectric constant of the process material
gets close to that of air (K2 for plastic pellets, for example, is 1.1), the measurement
becomes more difficult.

Radar tank gauges

Radar tank gauging is currently one of the most popular level measurement methods used in the
gasoline storage industry. Radar level measurement was originally developed for use on crude oil
carriers because there was a requirement to be able to measure the quantity of oil by noninvasive
means19. A fundamental drawback with radar systems is ‘blocking distance’. This is the term given to
the instance where the tank contents level gets too close to the radar device so that it is no longer
possible for the transmitted radar signal to be reflected back from the liquid surface to the detector in a
meaningful way20. Radar systems have no moving parts, and as such incur little mechanical wear when
compared to servo gauge technology. However because these systems have an electronic contingent,
ageing of circuit components can become a potential cause of system failure. First generation radar level
measurement systems are still providing accurate measurement up to 30 years on from the initial
installation. An advantage that radar systems offer over servo gauge systems is that as they age during
time in service it becomes more cost effective to repair radar systems when compared to the repair
costs that would be expected for a similarly aged servo gauge system carrying out the same activity.
There are two variants of radar level measurement systems that are used in the gasoline storage
industry.

They are: • Radar tank gauges (contacting);

• Radar tank gauges (non-contacting).

Contacting

As the name suggests, this method of radar tank gauging requires the system to come into
contact with the liquid being stored.
Contacting radar gauges have a probe, known as a 'waveguide' in the tank, which is used to perform the
measurement by transmitting a periodic pulse. The transmitted pulse will reflect off of the surface of the
stored gasoline, which in turn is detected by a sensor using one of the following methods: 1. Time
Domain Reflectometry (TDR); 2. High efficiency low power, DC sensing methods. These include: a.
Guided wave radar (GWR) based upon TDR; b. Phase Difference Sensor (PDS), determines level from
change in phase angle of material in container.

Non-contacting Radar type

Non-contacting radar level measurement does not employ a waveguide to transmit the radar signal to
the stored liquid surface; it transmits the radar signal directly into the free space of the storage tank.
The signal is then reflected back to detectors mounted within the tank, out of reach of the stored
material. This method of tank gauging is often incorporated into a stilling well. A stilling well is a more
controlled environment in which to perform level measurement. The radar propagates deeper in a
stilling well than it does in the main tank. This removes the potential for misreading due to false echo
caused by internal tank obstacles. However, using stilling wells requires the radar transmitter to have a
parabolic cone to direct the signal. This is to minimise the possibility of false echoes occurring in the
measurement due to reflections off the stilling well wall.