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Kumar Et Al 2014 A Review On Capacitive Type Sensor For Measurement of Height of Liquid Level
Kumar Et Al 2014 A Review On Capacitive Type Sensor For Measurement of Height of Liquid Level
research-article2014
MAC0010.1177/0020294014546943A Review on Capacitive-Type Sensor for Measurement of Height of Liquid LevelA Review on Capacitive-Type Sensor for Measurement of Height of Liquid Level
Themed Paper
A Review on Capacitive-Type
Measurement and Control
2014, Vol. 47(7) 219–224
© The Institute of Measurement
Brajesh Kumar
Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India
brajesh.nitrkl@gmail.com
G Rajita
Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India
Nirupama Mandal
Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India
The capacitive sensors are used in a variety of industrial and automotive application. A capacitive sensor converts a
change in position, or properties of dielectric material into an electrical signal. These properties of capacitor can be
used to measure the liquid level in storage tanks. The various aspects and configurations of capacitive liquid level
measurement have been described. Here, review is also done on the several types of liquid level measurement tech-
niques using capacitive sensor, for conducting and non-conducting liquid.
I. Introduction Reverter et al.1 have described the capacitance-type liquid level sensor. A
design and implementation of a liquid circular cylinder made of polyvinyl
The capacitive techniques are used level measurement system based on a chloride (PVC) has been used as a
extensively to measure all types of water remote grounded capacitive sensor. A dielectric for capacitive sensor.
level. Most of the capacitors are rod of stainless steel and a In this review paper, basic working
designed to maintain a fixed physical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-insulated principle of capacitive sensor has been
structure. However, various factors can wire have been used for electrode of described, and similarly, various aspects
change the structure of the capacitor; capacitive sensor. Guirong et al.2 have and configurations of capacitive liquid
the resulting change in capacitance can proposed a capacitive liquid level sensor, level measurement have been described.
be used to sense those factors. Change not only for the liquid level but also for Application and advantages of capacitive
in dielectrics changes the distance the gradient direction and the gradient level measurement techniques are also
between the plates and changes the angle to be measured step by step. In discussed.
effective area of the plates. The liquid this proposed model, four electrodes are
properties such as pressure at depth, used for a capacitive liquid level sensor.
buoyancy, relative electrical permittivity, II. Background
Bera et al.3 have been made to design a
electrical and thermal conductivity, liquid low-cost non-contact capacitance-type The liquid properties6–9 like buoyancy,
surface reflection of sound or light level sensor for a conducting liquid. They pressure at a depth, relative electrical
waves, and absorption of radiation are minimize the effect of air in dielectric. permittivity, electrical conductivity,
used to design the different types of Bera et al.4 have also presented a thermal conductivity absorption or
liquid level transducer for liquid level modified capacitance-type level sensor radiation, liquid surface reflection of
measurement in any process industry. for any type liquid, in which effect of self- sound or light waves, and so on are
There are two types of capacitive level inductance of the metallic rod has been related to the liquid level. These
sensor, contact-type or non-contact- eliminated. Sheroz Khan et al.5 have properties of liquid are used to design
type, for water level measurement. designed a low-cost non-contact the different inferential types of liquid level
transducers,6–8 such as float, displacer, difference between the dielectric immersed in the liquid. Since the
pressure sensor, capacitive probe, constants of the liquids and the air. capacitance is proportional to the
partially immersed resistance wire Canbolta10 has proposed a method for dielectric constant, fluids rising between
probes, and so on. Of these, the eliminating the effect of air and for giving the two parallel rods will increase the net
contact-type liquid level sensing the accurate reading of the liquid level capacitance of the measuring cell as a
probes,6,7 like float, displacer, capacitive tank in 2009. It has mathematically function of fluid height. One of the two
probe, and so on, have disadvantage proven that the method completely electrodes is a sensing electrode and the
that their characteristic properties with eliminates different factors, which affect other is a drive electrode. To measure the
liquid level may change due to physical the readings, such as air and liquid level, an excitation voltage is
or chemical reaction between the liquid temperature. applied with a drive electrode and
and the probe material, and hence, their Guirong et al.2 have proposed a detected with a sense electrode. The
life period may be limited. The non- capacitive liquid level sensor with four sensing electrodes of the capacitive
contact-type level sensing probes,6,8 like electrodes. The proposed method is not sensor could be shaped into various
ultrasonic probe, absorption probe, non- only used to measure liquid level of the forms and structure.
contact capacitance probe, and so on, vessel but also to evaluate the gradient
may have longer life period, but they are status of the vessel. It has been
IV. Review
comparatively costly and require various experimentally proved by the authors.
environmental and experimental In a conventional sensor, two identical The conventional non-contact-type liquid
precautions during the measurement. electrodes are used for the measurement level transducer is used in air column
The specific origin of capacitive water of liquid levels in a non-metallic storage between the conducting liquid level and
level sensor cannot be accurately tank. Bera et al.4 have proposed that a sensing electrode of a capacitor as a
determined, but it seems to go back to capacitive sensor may be used for both dielectric. In conventional non-contact-
the beginning of the last decade. In conductive and non-conductive liquids in type liquid level transducer, air is used as
2006, Bera et al.3 have proposed a low- a metallic or non-metallic storage tank. dielectric; as we know that air has low
cost non-contact-type capacitive value of permittivity and frequently
technique for measurement of liquid level changes its dielectric properties, the
III. Theory and operation
for conducting liquid. In this technique, transducer suffers from error and thus
they try to remove the defects of The basic principle of a capacitive sensor appears to have limited applications. To
convectional non-contact capacitance- is that it converts a change in position, or minimize the air effects on conventional
type level sensing probe; the material of properties of the dielectric material, into non-contact capacitance-type
a uniform right circular cylinder made of an electrical signal.3 Capacitive sensors transducer, Bera et al.3 have designed
insulating material like glass, ceramic, are realized by varying any of the three and fabricated a low-cost non-contact
nylon, PVC, and so on is used for parameters of a capacitor: distance capacitance-type level transducer for a
dielectric of cylindrical capacitor. between the plates (d), area of capacitive conducting liquid in 2006. In the designed
Capacitive sensor can be classified into plates (A), and dielectric constant (εr); technique, level sensing probe is made of
two types: one is floating capacitive therefore uniform hollow cylinder made of insulating
sensor, and another is grounded material like glass, ceramic, PVC, and
capacitive sensor. The floating-type C = f(d, A, εr) (1) Teflon. The cylinder is connected with
capacitive sensors are able to be metallic storage tank. The proposed
intrinsically immune to stray capacitances. In this principle, different kinds of technique used two types of capacitive
However, due to safety reasons and/or sensors have been developed. A number level sensors. One type of level sensor
operating limitation of floating capacitive of different kinds of capacitance-based was made from high-density polyethylene
sensors, grounded capacitive sensors are sensors are used in level measurement. (HDPE) tube having 900 mm length,
still required in some applications, for General properties of the capacitor 40 mm internal diameter, and 3 mm wall
example, the level measurement of a discussed above can be used to thickness. The PVC-insulated hookup
conductive liquid in a grounded metallic measure the fluid level in a storage tank. copper wire was used for the two-layer
container.6 Reverter et al.1 have designed In conventional capacitive-type level non-inductive winding of the short-
and implemented a liquid level sensing system, two electrodes are used circuited coil of this level sensor. The
measurement system based on a remote for non-metallic tank and one electrode second type of level sensor was made of
grounded capacitive sensor in 2007. for conducting tank. These systems Pyrex glass tube of length 800 mm with
Khan et al.5 have designed a new non- establish a capacitor as shown in 12 mm internal diameter and 2 mm
contact capacitance-type level transducer Figures 1 and 2. If the gap between the thickness, and super enameled copper
for liquid identification objectives. two terminals is fixed, the fluid level can winding wire of 18 standard wire gauge
Most of capacitive level sensors have be determined by measuring the (SWG) was used. The two layers are
approximations based on the large capacitance between the conductors uniformly wound on the sensing cylinder
V. Conclusion
This paper is intended to show an
overview of some important development
on capacitive level sensor in recent years
which includes the following:
found to be linear with very good conducting liquid, and it removes conference, Chengdu, China, 9–11 July 2010, vol.
4, pp. 628–32.
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Instrumentation and Measurement 2006; 55(3):
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70 cm level range, and above level sensor is more efficient for industry modified capacitance-type level transducer for any
type of liquid. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation
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3. A low-cost non-contact capacitive- these techniques, level measurement up Islam MR, et al. A non-contact capacitance type
level transducer for liquid characterization. In
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Funding
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This research received no specific grant from
parameters, such as temperature, ed. Singapore: Longman Singapore Publishers
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