PRESSURE AND DENSITY

MEASUREMNT BY BUBBLER SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION:
Many industrial accidents are caused by incomplete or inaccurate level information. Bubblers
serve to solve that problem in an inexpensive and reasonably reliable manner. The operation
of an air bubbler is similar to blowing air into a glass of water with a straw. The more water is
in the glass, the harder one needs to blow. Bubbler-type level sensors have been in use for as
long as compressed air has. If the air pressure entering the dip pipe is greater than the
hydrostatic head of the process fluid in the tank, the air will bubble out at the bottom of the
pipe.

THEORY:
The bubbler detects the hydrostatic pressure in a vessel and displays it in a more convenient
location. The pressure of an inert gas is used to transport the level information to this more
convenient location. Bubbler-type level detection has been in use since compressed air
became available. As illustrated in Figure after the air fills the dip pipe, its pressure inside the
dip tube will equal the hydrostatic head of the process fluid outside the dip tube, and the
excess air that is introduced will bubble out at the bottom of the tube. If the tank is not open
to the atmosphere, a second pressure tap is required to provide a reference pressure from the
vapor space. The dip tube can enter from the top or side of the tank as long as it extends
below the minimum level that is to be detected. As shown in Figure 3.2a, various combinations
of valves, check valves, needle valves, and flow indicators may be required for various
applications. Of the bubbler design options, the blow-back dip tube is the simplest and usually
the least expensive. Here, piping or tubing is provided to bring the purge gas pressure to the
level display or transmitter. The bubbler, because of its simplicity, is inexpensive and robust
while being easy to maintain or adopt to changing process conditions. The display portion of
the system is not wetted by the process fluid and is in a convenient location. Calibration and
replacement of the level readout or transmitting devices is also safe and convenient if, before
service, the isolating valves (Figure 3.2c) are fully closed, and the standard safety precautions
(see Chapter 7) are observed If a short dip tube is inserted horizontally in the side of the tank,
the dip tube will be easier to access and support. Figure 3.2d illustrates that a tap can be
provided for cleaning (rodding out) the accumulated deposits. In this design any plugging or
dirt accumulation can be mechanically removed by inserting a rod into the dip tube. If it is
desired to clean out the dip tube while the process is in operation (or if the tank is full or
pressurized), packing glands are provided, and a “captive rod” is permanently installed to
allow clearing the dip tube at any time.

Replaceable dip tubes, with or without packing glands, have also been used on the more
difficult applications. Other options, such as dual or self-washing purges, will also be discussed
later in this section. In addition, jacketed dip tubes are also available and have been
successfully used in applications in which condensation or freezing is a concern (Figure 3.2e).
One of the advantages of the bubbler-type level measurement is that their readings are not
affected (or affected only very slightly) by foam and by variations in pressure or composition of
the vapor space above the liquid. These changes, particularly foaming, can interfere with many
other types of level detectors, as was shown in Table 3.1b. On the other hand, process
phenomena that change the density of the liquid (bubble formation, boiling) will result in
“understating” the level, because a drop in density reduces the hydrostatic head.

PURGE GAS:
Air and nitrogen are the most commonly used purge gases. Other gases can also be used if, for
some reason (such astheir available maximum pressure being insufficient), these cannot be
used. The measurement itself is as reliable as the availability of the purge gas supply. The
flowing gas also
FIG. 3.2d Side entering dip pipe (tube) installations Level Tap

Jacket
Connections

FIG. 3.2e Jacketed dip pipe (tube)

installation.
PS
Air Header

PI PI

Auto Switching Valve

Gas Cylinder

FIG. 3.2f Purge gas supply system with automatic

backup.
serves to keep the inside of the dip tube dry and clean. Proper functioning requires that the
purge air or gas pressure be higher than the maximum process pressure plus the maximum
friction drop anticipated within the dip tube. Reliability is improved with increasing supply
pressures. Some bubbler-type level packages include an air pump to generate the purge
pressure and use a manometer to indicate the level. The danger here is that any loss of air due
to air leakage or pump failure will result in a false low-level indication. Therefore, it is more
reliable to supply the bubblers from the central air supply of the plant. For critical applications,
bottled gas, typically nitrogen, is used as a backup for the air supply. Pressure-operated
pneumatic valves can provide automatic switching of the gas supply without electrical
connections (Figure 3.2f). A low pressure detector switch can also be used and in that case; its
contact not only can switch to the backup gas supply, it can also initiate and alarm so that
plant operators will be aware of the loss of air.

DENSITY:
As shown in Figure 3.6e, the differential pressure can also be a measure of density. Figure 3.2h
shows how bubblers can also be used to correct the level for variations in density or to
measure interface or other hydrostatic-head-related variables.

CALIBRATION:
The bubbler differential pressure can be calibrated in inches or millimeters of level or in
regular pressure units, but it is absolutely vital to have good records of the units used and of
all the conversion factors. For high precision at very high operating pressures, it might also be
necessary to correct for the weight of the highly compressed gas column in the bubbler.
Another factor to consider is the thermal expansion and contraction of the vessel and the dip
tube caused by atmospheric or process temperature variations. In addition, pressure changes
and gravity forces caused by level variations should be considered.

d/p Transmitter Purge

Panel

d/p Transmitter

Purge
Panel

Drip Leg
Drain Valve
Plug

FIG. 3.2l FIG. 3.2m

INSTALLATION DETAILS:
There are two fundamentally different approaches to the installation of bubblers, as illustrated
in Figures 3.2l and 3.2m. Figure 3.2l illustrates a transmitter mounted on the top of the tank
and therefore has a shorter purged tubing run. This makes the system less prone to plugging
but also results in a less convenient access for maintenance. In Figure 3.2m, where the
transmitter is mounted at ground level, the purged tubing runs are longer and more prone to
plug, but access is more convenient. The ground-mounted installation is usually provided with
drip legs that, during upsets, can capture any liquid that might leave the tank. The drip legs can
thereby protect the transmitter. In either case, the most important consideration is to
maintain the adequate and reliable flow of purge gas. As was shown in Figure 3.2a, it is also
advisable to prevent the blocking of the flow of purge gas when the dip pipe rests on the
bottom of the tank. A simple solution is to cut the end at about a 45° angle to prevent
blocking. On the other hand, this author has not found that V-notches cut in the end of the
tube will reduce the size of the bubbles or damp the small bump in pressure as each bubble
escapes. This writer also believes that maintaining the purge flow rate at a constant value is
not essential.

SIMPLE CALCULATIONS:
Density Detector Calibration Example
If one is to detect the average density of a 10" layer of liquid in a tank by measuring the
differential pressure across that layer, which can contain any mixture of oil (SG = 0.8, density
=49.92 lbm/ft3) and water (SG = 1.0, density = 62.4 lbm/ft3), the d/p cell range is:
Range (r) = 10 (1.0 − 0.8) = 2 "WC = 50.8 mm WC
= 49.92 − 62.4 lbm/ft3

CONCLUSION:
The bubbler remains a valuable tool in level measurement due to its low cost, simplicity, and
flexibility. It is also valuable as an inexpensive and easily installed backup overflow protector.
For some specialized measurements, such as interface detection between oil and water, the
capacitance gauge is more popular because of its higher sensitivity and better performance.
When designing a difficult level-measurement system, a prudent design engineer might do
well to specify spare nozzles for installing a bubbler as a backup on a vessel if more modern
level sensors could fail to work properly. Successful bubbler applications include polymers,
tars, salts, and other difficult fluids. Failures resulting from dirt and plugging canbe simpler to
live with using a bubbler than with floats or other devices that have moving parts. The
advantages of the HTG system (Figure 3.6e) can also be realized with the dip tube type of
bubbler detectors. There has been some environmental concern that, with a bubbler, the
purge gas that enters the tank also has to be removed, but these purges are a very small
portion of the total gas and vapor flow that must be removed anyway. For example, in the
case of large storage tanks, the gas displaced during each cycle of emptying and filling is
usually more than the volume of the gas used for purging at 1 SCFH for a week. The main
advantage of air bubbler systems is their simplicity and the ease with which the readout device
can be relocated to just about any convenient location. For remote tank farms where
compressed air is not available, one of the simplest methods of level detection is to use a small
hand pump and a gauge. Bubblers are widely used in the wastewater and food industries and
in some bulk storage applications, but they have lost some of their earlier popularity in the
processing industries, where the trend seems to be favoring non flowing, solid-state electronic
devices.

BY
D.VENU GOPAL
(19135A0801)