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Home/Articles/2009/Beginner'sGuidetoDifferentialPressureLevelTransmitters

Beginner's Guide to Differential Pressure Level

Transmitters
TheNotSoStraightforwardBasicsofThisMeasurementTechnique
Feb09,2009
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ByDavidW.Spitzer
GIGOmeans"garbagein,garbageout."Thisphraseappliesinindustrialautomationbecauseusing
faultymeasurementscanfooleventhebestcontrolsystem.OneremedythatcanhelpavoidaGIGO
scenarioistounderstandthemeasurementtechniqueanditslimitationstotheextentthatits
applicationcanbereasonablyevaluated.Differentialpressurelevelmeasurementisoneofthosekey
measurementsyouneedtounderstandtoavoidthedreadedGIGO.
Theimportanceoflevelmeasurementcannotbeoverstated.Incorrectorinappropriatemeasurements
cancauselevelsinvesselstobeexcessivelyhigherorlowerthantheirmeasuredvalues.Lowlevels
cancausepumpingproblemsanddamagethepump,whilehighlevelscancausevesselstooverflow
andpotentiallycreatesafetyandenvironmentalproblems.Vesselsoperatingatincorrectintermediate
levelscanresultinpooroperatingconditionsandaffecttheaccountingofmaterial.
Thelevelofaliquidinavesselcanbemeasureddirectlyorinferentially.Examplesofdirectlevel
measurementincludefloat,magnetostrictive,retracting,capacitance,radar,ultrasonicandlaserlevel
measurementtechnologies.Weightanddifferentialpressuretechnologymeasurelevelinferentially.All
haveproblemsthatcanpotentiallyaffectthelevelmeasurement.
Differentialpressurelevelmeasurementtechnologyinfersliquidlevelbymeasuringthepressure
generatedbytheliquidinthevessel.Forexample,awaterlevelthatis1000millimetersabovethe
centerlineofadifferentialpressuretransmitterdiaphragmwillgenerateapressureof1000millimeters
ofwatercolumn(1000mmWC)atthediaphragm.Similarly,alevelof500millimeterswillgenerate500
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mmWC.Calibratingthisdifferentialpressuretransmitterfor0to1000mmWCwillallowittomeasure
waterlevelsof0to1000millimeters.
Notethatthisexamplepresumesthattheliquidiswater.Liquidswithotherspecificgravitieswill
generateotherdifferentialpressuresandcauseinaccuratemeasurements.Continuingwiththe
previousexample,thesame500millimeterlevelofanotherliquidwithaspecificgravityof1.10at
operatingconditionsintheabovevesselwillgenerate550mmWCofpressureatthetransmitter.As
such,thedifferentialpressuretransmittercalibratedforwaterwouldmeasure50millimetershigher
thantheactual500millimeterliquidlevel.Conversely,iftheliquidhasaspecificgravitythatislower
thanthatofwater,thistransmitterwillmeasurelowerthantheactuallevel.Thisexampleillustratesthat
differentialpressuretechnologydoesnotmeasurelevel,butratherinferslevel.
Three Calculations
Allisnotlostbecausethecalibrationofthedifferentialpressuretransmittercanbemodifiedto
compensateforadifferentspecificgravity.Thistechniqueusedtocalculatethenewcalibrationis
usefulforbothstraightforwardandmorecomplexinstallations.
Figure1showsthevesselbothat0%and100%level.Thepressuregeneratedbytheliquidatthelevel
transmitterdiaphragmistheliquidheighttimesthespecificgravity.Thepressureis1.10*(0mm)when
thevesselat0%and1.10*(1000mm)whenthevesselat100%.Therefore,thetransmittershouldbe
calibrated0to1100mmWCtomeasureliquidlevelsof0mmto1000mm.

AsomewhatmorecomplexapplicationisillustratedinFigure2.Inthisapplication,forprocessreasons,
weneedtotakethemeasurementfrom200mmto1000mmabovethenozzle.Inaddition,the
transmitterislocated500mmbelowthenozzle.Notethatthetechniqueofsketchingconditionsatboth
0%and100%levelisthesameasperformedinFigure1.At0%level,thepressureatthetransmitteris
1.10*(500+200mm),or770mmWC.At100%level,thepressureatthetransmitteris1.10*(500+1000
mm)or1650mmWC.Therefore,thetransmittershouldbecalibrated770to1650mmWCtomeasure
liquidlevelsof200mmto1000mmabovethenozzle.

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Figure3illustratestheuseofadifferentialpressuretransmitterwithdiaphragmsealstosensethe
pressuresatthenozzlesinapressurizedvessel.Inthisapplication,thelowpressurediaphragmis
locatedabovetheliquidtocompensateforthestaticpressureinthevessel.Othercomplications
includethedensitiesofliquidandcapillaryfillfluidand0%and100%levelsthatdonotcorrespondto
thenozzlepositions.
Usingsimilartechniquesasinthepreviousexamples,at0%level,thepressuresatthehighandlow
sidesofthetransmitterare{1.10*(200mm)+(3bar)}and{1.05*(1300mm)+(3bar)}respectively.
Therefore,thedifferentialpressuretransmitterwillsubtractthehighsidefromthelowsideand
measure{1.10*(200mm)+(3bar)}minus{1.05*(1300mm)+(3bar)},or1145mmWC.
At100%level,thepressuresatthehighandlowsidesofthetransmitterare{1.10*(1000mm)+(3
bar)}and{1.05*(1300mm)+(3bar)}respectively.Similarly,thedifferentialpressuretransmitter
subtractsthehighsidefromthelowsidetomeasure{1.10*(1000mm)+(3bar)}minus{1.05*(1300
mm)+(3bar)},or265mmWC.Therefore,thetransmittershouldbecalibrated1145mmWCto265
mmWCtomeasureliquidlevelsof200to1000millimetersabovethelowernozzle.
Notethatthestaticpressureinthevesseldoesnotaffectthecalibrationbecauseitappearsonboth
sidesofthedifferentialpressuretransmitterwhereiteffectivelycancelsout.Furtheranalysisalsowill
revealthatlocatingthedifferentialpressuretransmitteratdifferentelevationsdoesnotaffectthe
calibration.
Thesesametechniquescanbeusedtodeterminethecalibrationsforinterfacelevelmeasurements.
Notethatthesetechniquesinvolveapplyinghydraulicstotheinstallationandapplication.Nowheredo
weusetermssuchaselevation,suppressionandspan.Theuseofthesetermscaneasilyconfuseand
misleadthepractitioner.
What Ifs
Whatiftheliquiddensitychangesduringoperation?Whatifthechangeisduetochangesinthe
compositionoftheliquid?Whatifthechangeisduetotemperaturechanges?Whatifthevesselisfilled
withadifferentliquidthathasadifferentspecificgravity?Theseareimportantquestionsthatshouldbe
asked(andanswered)whenconsideringtheuseofdifferentialpressurelevelmeasurement
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instruments.Repeating,differentialpressuremeasurementdoesnotmeasureliquidlevelitinfers
liquidlevelsospecificgravitychangescanaffecttheperformanceofthelevelmeasurement.In
practice,thespecificgravityofmanyliquidsisknownandrelativelystable,sothatdifferentialpressure
techniquesarecommonlyappliedtomanyliquidlevelmeasurementapplications.
Spanning Specifications
Thedifferentialpressuretransmittershouldbeoperatedwithinitspublishedspecificationstomaintain
accuracy.Thespanofatransmitteristhedifferencebetweenthe100%and0%calibrationvalues.
Differentialpressuretransmittershavespecifiedminimumandmaximumspans.Forexample,agiven
differentialpressuretransmittermaybecalibratedwithspansbetween(say)400mmWCand4000
mmWC.Inaddition,thetransmitterzeromayalsoberaisedorloweredbyupto,forexample,4000
mmWC.Calibrationsthatdonotmeetthetransmitterspecificationsarepotentiallysubjecttosignificant
error.Thecalibrationsintheexampleswere0to1100,770to1650,and1145to265mmWC,
respectively.Eachhasaspangreaterthan400mmWCandlessthan4000mmWC.Inaddition,their
zerosarenotraisedorloweredbymorethan4000mmWC.Therefore,allofthesecalibrationsare
withinthetransmitterspecifications.
However,thecalibratedspanspecifiedforanothertransmittermodelofthesamemanufacturemaybe
between100mmWCand1000mmWC,andallowthezerotobechangedby1000mmWC.This
transmitterwouldnotbeapplicabletothefirstandthirdexampleswherethespanis1100mmWC,and
thezeroisloweredby1145mmWC,respectively.However,itcouldbeusedinthesecondexample
wherethespanis880mmWC,andthezeroisraisedby770mmWC.Usingthislowerrange
transmitter(1000mmWC)willusuallybemoreaccuratebecauseofthesmallerabsoluteerrors
associatedwithotherspecificationssuchastemperature,pressureandambienttemperatureaffects.
Therefore,allbeingequal,it'sgenerallydesirabletousethelowerrangetransmittertoreduce
measurementerror.
Themaximumflowrateofflowmetersisoftenspecifiedtobesignificantlyhigherthanthedesignflow
ratetoallowfortransientsandincreasedplantthroughputovertime.Inlevelmeasurement,thevessel
sizeisfixed,sousingahigherrangedifferentialpressuretransmitterprovidesnosimilarbenefitand
typicallyresultsinadditionalmeasurementerrorthatcanbeavoidedbyusingalowerrange
transmitter.
Usingtheavailableinformationproperlyisanotherpotentialproblem.Someyearsago,distributed
controlsysteminputswereincorrectlyconfiguredtocorrespondtothemaximumtransmitterspans.
Asidefromusingincorrectvalues,thelevelsshouldhavebeenexpressedinpercent.Usingabsolute
levelmeasurementunitssuchasinches,feet,millimetersormetersincreasesthepotentialforerror
becauseoperatorsmustremembertheheightofeachvesseltoputthelevelmeasurementincontext
withthevessel.Thiscaneasilybecomeoverwhelmingandcauseoperatorerrorsbecauseplantsoften
havehundredsofvessels.Forexample,avesseloperatingat2.8metersdoesnotreadilyindicatea
problemtotheoperatoreventhoughthevesseloverflowsat3.0meters.Ontheotherhand,the
operatorcaneasilydeterminethatavesseloperatingat93%levelmightwarrantattentionandthata
vesseloperatingat97%mayneedimmediateattention.
Differentialpressuremeasurementisaworkhorseofindustriallevelmeasurementthat'sbeenusedfor
decadesandwillcontinuetobeusedfordecadestocome.
DavidW.SpitzerisaprincipalinSpitzerandBoyes,LLCandaregularControlcontributor.

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Comments
SubmittedbyChristineBravoonThu,07/03/201412:13
I'vealwaysbeeninterestedaboutpressurevessel.Ijustcameacrossthissiteandfoundthisvery
interestingguideindifferentiatingpressureleveltransmitter.Thanksforsharingtheseuseful
measurementtechnique.
Reply
SubmittedbyKingsleyNwabaonSun,02/01/201512:11
Godrewardyouforsharingthispieceofknowledge...
Reply
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