Level Switches What is a Level Switch?A Level Switch is an electrical or mechanical method for measuring the level of a liquid, powder, or granule material. It is designed to activate an alarm if the material level in a container passes a predetermined height or depth. When a level switch detects that a tank is full, it is referred to as full or upper limit detection. If the level of the material drops, indicating that the tank is nearly empty, the switch will also provide an alert, which is referred to as empty or low level detection. Level switches are an essential part of production operations and are used in harsh conditions where there are extremes in temperature, pressure, and vibrations. The diversity of level switches makes them applicable to any conditions for measuring a wide array of products. Their accuracy, reliability, and durability are a necessity for the efficiency of industrial applications. What is a Liquid Level Gauge? A liquid Level Gauge, also known as a level indicator or sight glass, is a meter that is used to determine liquid level in a process tank, vessel or drum. A level gauge is simply a glass tube that gives a visual representation of the level of liquid that is in the vessel. While simple in their design, they are a very effective technology for a direct visual indication of process fluid level. There are many applications across the industry that require the monitoring of the liquid level and there are many different types of level indicators to fulfill these varying needs. In many situations the fluid is dangerous or the place in which the liquid is stored is of such a nature that it is manually impossible to find the level, making some sort of level indicator imperative. Liquid Level Transmitters are used to monitor and regulate levels of a particular free-flowing substance within a contained space. These substances are usually liquid, however liquid level sensors can also be used to monitor solids, such as powders. There are many different types of liquid level sensors, and they have several uses, both industrial and in the household for example. Liquid level sensors are widely used industrially. Cars use liquid level sensors to monitor a variety of liquids, including fuel, oil and occasionally also specialist fluids such as power steering fluid. Liquid level sensors can also be found in industrial storage tanks, for slurries, and water level sensors can even be found in household appliances such as coffee machines. Basic liquid level sensors can be used to identify the point at which a liquid falls below a minimum or rises above a maximum level. Many liquid level sensors can detail the specific amount of liquid in a container relative to the minimum/maximum levels, to provide a continuous measurement of volume. A Flow Meter (or flow sensor) is an instrument used to measure linear, nonlinear, mass or volumetric flow rate of a liquid or a gas. When choosing flowmeters, one should consider such intangible factors as familiarity of plant personnel, their experience with calibration and maintenance, spare parts availability, and mean time between failure history, etc., at the particular plant site. It is also recommended that the cost of the installation be computed only after taking these steps. One of the most common flow measurement mistakes is the reversal of this sequence: instead of selecting a sensor which will perform properly, an attempt is made to justify the use of a device because it is less expensive. Those "inexpensive" purchases can be the most costly installations. This page will help you better understand flow meters, but you can also speak to our application engineers at anytime if you have any special flow measurement challenges. When left unmonitored, several of the gases emitted in research and industry can pose significant explosion, asphyxiation, or poisoning risks. The first line of defense against these invisible threats are Gas Detectors, but it can be challenging to understand which type of detector to employ for a specific application. A wide range of gas detection hardware is available on the market, from portable single-gas detectors to fixed sensor arrays that can precisely monitor huge quantities of different gases at the same time (known as multi-gas or multi-component detectors). Gas hazards can be generally categorized as either toxic, combustible, or asphyxiating (where the body is deprived of oxygen). Researching the possible gas hazards in a specific application is an integral part of ensuring the safety of personnel in wastewater treatment plants, petrochemical processing facilities, and a range of additional industries. After specific gas hazards have been determined in a particular environment and all potential measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of dangerous gas accumulation or gas leaks, companies must remain vigilant. Both fixed and portable gas detectors are important life-saving devices that should be correctly used in any environment that may pose a gas riskA Pressure Transmitter is a mechanical device that measures the expansive force of a liquid or gaseous sample. Also known as a pressure transducer, this type of sensor is typically composed of a pressure sensitive surface area made of steel, silicon, or other materials depending upon the analyte’s composition. Behind these surfaces are electronic components capable of converting the applied force of the sample upon the pressure sensor into an electrical signal. Pressure is generally measured as a quantity of force per unit of surface area, and is expressed as the value required to stop a liquid, gas, or vapor from expanding. Various derived units are used to quantify pressure, including: As a proportion of / relation to a pascal (Pa), or a single newton per square meter (1 N/m2); A value of pounds per square inch (psi).Pressure sensitive environments such as the gas, petrochemical, laboratory, and pharmaceutical industries often require pressure transmitters to monitor the applied force of liquids and gasses as a value of either Pa or psi. This necessitates the precise integration of pressure transmitters into rapid electrical conversion equipment, to ensure results are accurate and delivered in real-time. A Flow Switch, like all switches, is a device designed to make and break an electric current in a circuit. In an industrial system, a flow switch is essential in monitoring and controlling the flow rate of process media – such as steam, liquids, and gases. Flow switches help maintain safe and manageable rates of flow by triggering actions in various machines within a system to provide on/off flow control of process media. As previously stated, flow switches are used to monitor and control the flow rate of fluid within an industrial process system. Automated industrial systems that process fluid media rely heavily on flow switches to ensure safe and optimal flow rates. Flow switches respond to pre-set flow rate levels and perform two functions when those levels are reached: namely, closing its contacts and turning a specific piece of equipment ON, or opening its contacts and turning a specific piece of equipment OFF.