If you wish to measure the level of a liquid easily and reliably, a lot of people can do this using hydrostatic pressure measurement, e.g. with a submersible pressure transmitter or perhaps a so called level probe. The characteristic submersed application implicates a maximum contact with the encompassing, mainly water-based medium, respectively to ?moisture?.
Exposure is not only limited to the wetted elements of the pressure sensor housing, but also to the entire immersed length of the cable. Furthermore, outside the directly immersed level probe parts, the cable, and specifically the cable end, are often exposed to moisture as a result of splash water, rain and condensation. This is true not merely during operation, but a lot more during installation and commissioning, or when maintenance or retrofitting is necessary. Irrespective of the target application, whether in water and wastewater treatment or in tank monitoring, moisture ingress in to the cable ends of the submersible pressure transmitter can occur early and irreversibly with insufficient protection measures, and, in virtually all cases, lead to premature failure of the instrument.
The ingress of moisture in to the cable outlet and from there on downwards in to the electronics of the particular level probe must be actively eliminated by preventive actions by an individual. To gauge the level with highest accuracy, the varying ambient pressure above the liquid media, which is also ?resting? on the liquid, must be compensated against the hydrostatic pressure functioning on the pressure sensor (see article: hydrostatic level measurement).
Ventilation tube
Thus, it is logical that there is a constant risk of a moisture-related failure because of moisture ingress (both via the ventilation tube and through the actual cable itself) if you can find no adequate precautionary measures. To compensate the ambient pressure ?resting? on the media, a ventilation tube runs from the sensor element within the particular level probe, through the cable and out of your level probe at the end of the cable. Because of capillary action within the ventialation tube useful for ambient pressure compensation, moisture can also be transported from the surrounding ambience right down to the sensor.
Thus not merely air, but also moisture penetrates into the tube, hence the sensor inside the probe and the electronics around it could be irreparably damaged. This can lead to measurement errors and, in the worst case, even to failure of the particular level probe. To prevent any premature failure, the ingress of moisture into the ventilation tube must be completely prevented. Additional protection against moisture penetration through the ventilation tube is supplied by fitting an air-permeable, but water-impermeable filter element at the end of the vent tube.
bare wires
Never to be ignored is also the transport of the liquid through high-humidity loads across the only limitedly protected internals of the cable, e.g. across the wires, completely right down to the submersible pressure transmitter. As a leading manufacturer, WIKA uses appropriate structural design to prevent fluid transport, as far as possible, into the electronics of the submersible pressure transmitter. Due to molecular diffusion and capillary effects, a guaranteed one-hundred percent protection over the full duration of the submersible pressure transmitter, however, is never achievable.
It is therefore recommended that the cable is definitely terminated in a waterproof junction box with the appropriate IP protection (e.g. IP65) that is matched to the installation location. If Sincere is subjected to weather and varying temperature conditions, additionally it is recommended to pay focus on a controlled pressure equalisation as a way to avoid the formation of condensation or perspiration water and pumping effects. To address this technical requirement, being an accessory to a submersible pressure transmitter, it is possible to order a connection box with an integrated air-permeable, water-impermeable membrane.
Ultimately, moisture ingress can occur not merely through the exposed end of the cable, but additionally through mechanical damage to the cable sheath or because of liquid diffusion due to improper chemical resistance of the cable material. In the article ?Selection criteria for the prevention of moisture-related failures of submersible pressure transmitters or level probes? this failure mode is described in detail.
WIKA offers comprehensive solutions for your hydrostatic-pressure level measurement. For further assistance in selecting the submersible pressure transmitter the most suitable for the application, please use our contact page.
Please find further information on this topic on our information platform ?Hydrostatic level measurement?