State of the art measurement technology

Level switch measuring principle by Berthold!

A radiometric measurement system consists of a radioactive source that emits gamma radiation and a detector that measures this radiation. The vessel is irradiated at the predefined height. When the level reaches this point, the gamma radiation is significantly attenuated or completely absorbed by the product. This strong and sudden weakening of the radiation is detected by the detector on the opposite side of the container and an alarm is triggered. The measurement is not influenced by pressure, temperature, viscosity, colour or chemical properties of the product inside the vessel. Even under difficult operating and environmental conditions, this results in a high degree of reliability while remaining maintenance-free.

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Radiometric level switch measuring principle & function

Customized solutions that perfectly meet the given requirements are achieved through the use and combination of different detectors and radiation sources. The configuration selected depends on the measurement geometry and accuracy requirements.

Level switch measurement

High level alarm

Level switch measurement

Low level alarm

Simple operation

  • Easy mounting, even on existing vessels and bunkers
  • No contact with the measured product
  • No wear and maintenance
  • Reliable measurement without frequent recalibration

 

State of the art technology

  • Retrofitting our highly sensitive detectors and aged sources extends the sources useful life
  • High reliability under extreme process conditions and thus high operational safety
  • Interference detection

Sensitivity of our level switches

Our highly sensitive detectors achieve a better measuring effect and operate with remarkably low source activities. Depending on the application the source activity can be reduced by up to 80%.

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Detector stability

The patented method for detector stabilisation ensures a consistent measurement performance, reliably compensating temperature and aging effects. If these go unnoticed and are not compensated, they can cause considerable loss in production yields and product quality suffers.

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SIL 2 / SIL 3 certified

Cosmic radiation control also makes it possible to keep the required source activity very low. Only Berthold can offer a SIL 2/3 detector certified for either high or low level switching, the LB480.

More about SIL 

SpeedStar option

The LB 480 SpeedStar version detector is used when very fast process changes must be monitored. The SpeedStar feature ensures extremely fast response times in the millisecond range. This feature is used when monitoring steel plate edge in order to straighten the cut edges while the plate is being transported on a roller conveyor, or to position glowing and scorching steel blocks. It is also used to detect over or under-filled liquid containers, e.g. gas tanks, while they are being conveyed.

X-ray Interference Protection (XIP)

With this function, weld tests will no longer cause false low level signals. The counts per second of gamma received at the detector is monitored, and when there is a sudden jump above the counts seen from the source, the measured value is frozen until the external radiation influence is over. A digital output signals the detection of interfering radiation. All our level measurements are equipped with XIP.

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Pages of Whitepaper radiometric measurement

Whitepaper "Radiometric Measurements"

Berthold has published the whitepaper “Radiometric Measurements – Accuracy, repeatability and errors”, wherein the radiometric measurements are explained and  how your process can be performed with highest accuracy and reproducibility and the error sources can be minimized. The paper explains the nature and causes of these errors, and identifies solutions where these errors can be suppressed through the application of „best practices“ and proper design.

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Publication Made to measure in Hydrocarbon Engineering

Article "Made to measure"

Do you need reliable control of your fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, but the extreme process conditions are beyond the limitaitons of standard measurement technologies? Read the article “Made to measure” to learn why the use of radiometric measurement systems can help to optimize level control in FCC units, and how Berthold systems can help you to control your process more reliably to ensure safe operation while increasing efficiency.


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