Level Measurement for Sanitary and Hygienic Applications
Level sensors are essential in food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, ensuring efficient, safe, and continuous production. They are used to monitor storage tanks and silos, mixing tanks, fermentation tanks, processing vessels, hoppers, chemical totes, rinse water tanks and other containers. Application benefits of hygienic level measurement include:
Automation and Monitoring
Enable automation by providing real-time data for process control systems
Improved Efficiency
Ensure continuous production by maintaining optimal levels of ingredients and products, reducing downtime
Cost Savings
Optimize processes and reduce waste by preventing overfilling and underfilling
Quality Control
Maintain consistent product quality by ensuring precise ingredient measurements and processing conditions
Enhanced Safety
Prevent overflows and running dry, reducing the risk of accidents and equipment damage
Product Selection
Choosing the right level sensor for your application is essential and enables manufacturers to benefit most from their investment. Key points to consider when selecting a sensor are:
- Measurement Type: Is real-time continuous monitoring required for process control, or is a simple point-level threshold alarm sufficient?
- Accuracy: Is a high level of accuracy/precision needed for process control?
- Media Properties: Is the media liquid or solid? Does your process have foam, steam, condensation, vapour, or dust that may affect the sensor measurement? Does the media density or dielectric constant affect measurement?
- Non-contact vs. Contact: Does the sensor require contact with the media?
- Maintenance: Does the sensor require regular cleaning, sanitization, and calibration? How much time is needed to maintain it?
- Process Compatibility: Do the sensor specifications match the process temperature and pressure?
- Material Compatibility: Are the materials compliant with food or pharmaceutical safety standards?
- CIP Compatibility: Does the process include clean-in-place (CIP)? Is the sensor compatible with the CIP process, or does it need to be removed?
Technology Comparison
ABM Non-Contact Technologies
Contact Technologies
Measurement
Non-contact through air measurement
Probe or rod in contact with media for measurement
Cleaning
No cleaning required
Regular cleaning / sanitation is needed to prevent build-up on probe or rod
Calibration
Initial calibration sufficient
Recalibration due to build-up, change in density or dielectric constant may be required
Contamination Risk
None, no contact with media
Contamination risk from build-up on probe or rod
CIP Compatible
Suitable for CIP environments
Removal from process during CIP may be required
Maintenance
None
Cleaning, sanitization and re-calibration
Radar or Ultrasonic?
ABM offers radar and ultrasonic level sensors for sanitary applications. The sensors can be easily integrated with PLCs and SCADA systems to enable automated control, data logging, and real-time monitoring.
Sanitary Non-Contact Ultrasonic Level Sensor
Sanitary Non-Contact Radar Level Sensor
Operation
Uses sound waves to measure distance to the media surface
Uses microwave pulses to measure distance to the media surface
Applications
Bulk solids, slurries or liquids without foam or vapour
Bulk solids, slurries or liquids (no foam or vapour influence)
Enclosure Material
SS316L, PVC or Aluminum
SS316L or Aluminum
Transducer/Antenna
SS316L (exceeds No.4/dairy finish)
Food Grade Teflon
Process Connection
1.5” or 2” tri-clamp
2” tri-clamp
Process Temperature
-40°C to 130°C (-40 to 266°F)
-40°C to 204°C (-40°F to 400°F)
Maximum Pressure
5 bar (72.5 PSI)
2 bar (29 PSI)
CIP Compatible
Yes (30 minutes max.)
Yes
Intergration
4-20 mA, RS232, RS485, Modbus RTU, HART, and remote monitoring via cellular network