ICPC20 – Industrial Instrumentation

July-Dec 2023 Session

Level Measurement
Part-1: Direct type Level Measurement
Sight glass and Float-based gauges
Dr. Sri Ram Shankar R.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of ICE,
NIT-Tiruchirappalli
srir@nitt.edu
Introduction to Level Measurement
• Liquid level refers to the position or height of a liquid surface above a datum
line.
• Level measurements are made to a certain quantity of the liquid held within a
container.

• Level offers both the pressure and rate of flow in and out of the container.

• As such Level measurement and control is an important function in a variety of

processes.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

Types of Level Measurement
Direct type 1) Hook-type Level Indicator
2) Sight Glass type
3) Float-type
4) Float and shaft liquid level gauge.
5) Displacer

Indirect type Electrical method

1) Resistive
2) Capacitive
3) Ultrasonic
4) Nuclear

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

 1. Hook type Level Indicator
Level of liquid in an open tank is measured directly on a scale (the scale may be in the
liquid or outside it), it is sometimes difficult to read the level accurately because of
parallax error. → In this case a hook type of level indicator is used.

Hook is pushed below the surface of liquid whose level

is to be measured and gradually raised until the point
is just about to break through the surface.
It is then clamped, and the level is read on the scale.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

 2. Sight glass type Level Indicator
• Simplest method of measuring liquid level.
• Sight glass is attached to the outside of the tank so
that the liquid level can be seen through the glass.
• Marked with graduations to allow the level to be
measured.
• It only gives level indication local to the vessel.
• A visual indication of the level can be obtained
when part of the vessel is constructed from
transparent material or the liquid in a vessel is
bypassed through a transparent tube.
• The advantage of using stop valves with the use of a
bypass pipe, is the ease in removal for cleaning.
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
 Sight glass type Level Indicator…
Visually represents the level of liquid inside
a vessel such as a storage tank.

Level gauge valves allow replacement of the

glass tube without emptying or
depressurizing
the process vessel. These valves are usually
equipped with flow-limiting devices in the
event of a tube rupture, so too much
process fluid does not escape even when
the valves are fully open.

The smaller valve at the bottom is provided for blowing out the gauge for cleaning purposes
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
Sight glass for Open and Pressurized tanks …

High pressurized Sight-glass

The glass tube is enclosed in a protective housing & 2

valves are provided for isolating the gauge from the tank
in case of breakage of the sight glass.
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
Sight glass Installation

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

Sight glass – Advantages, Disadvantages
Advantages

•Very simple
•Inexpensive

Disadvantages

•Not suitable for automated control.

•Maintenance –requires cleaning
•Fragile –easily damaged
•Sight glasses are also not suitable for dark or dirty liquids.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

 3. Float type Level Gauge
(or) Tape and Float type Level Gauge

Ullage
• A device that rides on the surface of the fluid or solid
within the storage vessel.
• The float itself must be of substantially lesser density
than the substance of interest (either fluid or solid),
Fillage and it must not corrode or otherwise react with the
substance.
• Floats may be used for manual “gauging” of level,

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

Variants of ‘Tape and Float’ type Level Indicator

Level gauge may be enclosed to allow pressurization of the vessel.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
Different concepts for Float type Level indicator

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

Float Mechanism
• The movement of the float is transmitted to a
pointer through a suitable mechanism which
indicates the level on a calibrated scale.

• Various types of floats: hollow spheres,

cylindrical-shaped floats and disc-shaped
floats.

• Float is made of corrosion resisting material

(such as stainless steel)

• Float is transmitted to the pointer by stainless

steel or phosphor-bronze flexible cable wound
around a pulley,
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
 • Vertical pipe housing the tape on its way to the top
of the storage tank where it will turn 180 degrees via
two pulleys and attach to the float inside the tank.

• The spring reel’s angular position may be measured

by a multi-turn potentiometer or a rotary encoder,
then converted to an electronic signal for
transmission to a remote display, control, and/or
recording system.

• Used extensively for measurement of water and fuel

in storage tanks.
Spring-reel tape-and-float liquid level
transmitter

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

If the liquid inside the vessel is subject to turbulence, guide wires may be necessary to
keep the float cable in a vertical orientation.

The guide wires are anchored to the floor and roof of the
vessel, passing through ring lugs on the float to keep it from
straying laterally.

A potential disadvantage of tape-and-float level

measurement systems is fouling of the tape (and guide
wires) if the substance is sticky or unclean.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

Float and Tape Level Gauge
• Uses a tape or servo motor which is
connected to a float. The height can be read
as the float moves with liquid level.
• Float is attached to a chain. The chain is
attached to a counterweight which indicates
the level as the float moves up and down.
• Found in large atmospheric storage tanks.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

 A small float is placed inside the tube of a
sightglass-style level gauge.

The float’s position inside the tube may be

readily detected by ultrasonic waves, magnetic
sensors or any other applicable means

Locating the float inside a tube eliminates the

need for guide wires or a sophisticated tape
retraction or tensioning system.

If no visual indication is necessary, the level gauge tube may be constructed out of metal
instead of glass, greatly reducing the risk of tube breakage. All the problems inherent to
sightglasses, however, still apply to this form of float instrument.
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
 Magnetic type float level indicators
These are used for measuring the toxic and corrosive liquids. It is used to measure
the level of liquids which contain corrosive and toxic materials.
• It contains a float in which a magnet is
arranged and is placed in the chamber,
whose liquid level is to be determined.
• A magnetic shielding device and an indicator
containing small wafers arranged in series
and attached to the sealed chamber.
• These wafers are coated with luminous paint
and rotate 180°.
• Due to this movement of float+magnet,
wafers rotate and present a black coloured
surface for the movement of float in opposite
direction.
Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float
Magnet-operated coloured
wafers showing indication

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

• Magnetic float rides on the surface of a liquid
column inside a non-magnetic metal tube.

• A brightly-coloured indicating flag tracks the

magnetic float’s position inside a transparent
plastic tube for convenient viewing.

Advantages:

• Increased pressure rating and safety (since the float

tube need not be constructed of clear material such
as plastic or glass),
• Increased readability (since the viewing tube will
never get dirty with process fluid residue, and the
float may be brightly coloured).

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float

https://www.controlandinstrumentation.com/level/sight-glass.html
 Reflex type Sight glass
Viewing of clear liquids is problematic for simple glass-tube sight glasses.
→ Some level gauges called reflex gauges are equipped with special optics that use total
internal reflection principle.
https://www.controlandinstrumentation.com/level/sight-glass.html

Materials Referred to:

Tony.R. Kuphaldt, Lessons in Industrial Instrumentation, Version 2.02, April 2014
Patranabis D, Principles of Industrial Instrumentation, Tata McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition, 2010.
Fundamentals of Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control, William Dunn
Notes on Industrial Instrumentation from Sathyabama Inst. Sci Tech. and
Notes on Industrial Instrumentation by Prof. Saraswathi, SCSVM.

Level Measurement - Part-1: Sight glass and Float