FOSSILPOWERSYSTEMSINC.

STEAMDRUMWATERLEVELMEASUREMENT
A. Introduction.Boilersteamdrumwaterlevelisoneofthemostimportantpowerplantparameters tobothmeasureandcontrol.Controloftheproperwaterlevelintheboileriscriticalforsafe operationoftheboiler.Ifthelevelistoolow,boilertubeswillbedamagedbyoverheating.Ifthe levelistoohigh,steamseparatorswillnotfunctionproperly,temperaturecontrolwillbedifficult, andthesuperheatertubesandturbinecouldbedamagedbymoistureorwatertreatment chemicalcarryover.Inaddition,poorlevelcontrolwillalsoadverselyaffectthedrumpressure control.Theslidingoperatingpressureofmodern3drumHeatRecoverySteamGenerators,along withfrequentstartupandshutdown,hasaddedtothechallengeofselectingthepropermixof instrumentsandmaintainingcorrectwaterlevelsunderallconditions. Althoughinstrumentsfordrumwaterlevelmeasurementhavebeenaroundforwellovera hundredyears,itisimportanttounderstandtheoperatingprinciples,installationrequirements, strengthsandweaknessesofeachtechnology.Toignoretheseconsiderationscanleadto misapplication,increasedmaintenance,poorinstrumentperformance,andunsafeoperation. TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeSectionIestablishestherequirementsforsteamdrum waterlevelmeasurementinfiredsteamdrums.Theprimaryfocusoftheserequirementsissafe boileroperation.Maintenance,performance,andotherspecificapplicationissuesarenot addressed. Thereareadozenormoreleveltechnologiesthatcouldbeconsideredforthisapplication.The purposeofthispaperistoreview5oftheproventechnologiescurrentlyavailableforhigh pressuresteamdrumwaterlevelmeasurement.ThesewillbecomparedwiththecurrentASME Section1requirements(2010codeedition),andalsoevaluatetheinstallation,performance characteristics,strengthsandweaknessesofeach. B. ASMERequirements.TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeSectionIparagraphPG60lists themajorityoftherequirementsforwaterlevelmeasurementinstruments.Theprimaryfocusis safeandreliabledrumlevelindicationatalltimes.Thisisanimportantconsiderationinorderto understandwhychangestothecodearemadeslowlyanddeliberately.Otherrequirements pertainingtolevelinstrumentsarelistedinPG5(materialsofconstruction)andPG12(water levelindicatorsandconnectormaterial).TheASMEcoderequirementshavecontinuouslyevolved overtheyears.Instrumentuse,incidentreportsandperformancehistoryareevaluated.In addition,InterpretationsarepublishedannuallytoanswerquestionssubmittedtotheASME codecommitteepertainingtovariouscodesections.Theresultsofthemostimportant Interpretationsarelaterwrittenintothevariouscodeparagraphstopermanentlyclarify sectionsthatmighthavebeenconfusingandmisapplied.Belowarelistedthemostimportant coderequirements.Thisisnotacompletelisting.Iwilllaterlistanddiscussspecificrequirements andinterpretationsapplicabletoparticularinstrumenttypes.
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TheprimaryrequirementsinASMEPG60(2009)areasfollows: 1. (PG60.1)Allboilershavingafixedwaterlevel(steamandwaterinterface)shallhaveatleast onegageglass(atransparentdevicethatpermitsvisualdeterminationofthewaterlevel). 2. (PG60.1.1)Boilershavingamaximumallowableworkingpressureexceeding400psi(3MPa) shallhavetwogageglasses.Insteadofoneofthetworequiredgageglasses,twoindependent remotewaterlevelindicators(twodiscretesystemsthatcontinuouslymeasure,transmit,and displaywaterlevel)maybeprovided. 3. (PG60.1.1)Whenthewaterlevelinatleastonegaugeglassisnotreadilyvisibletothe operatorintheareawherecontrolactionsareinitiated,eitherafiberopticcable(withno electricalmodificationoftheopticalsignal)ormirrorsshallbeprovidedtotransfertheoptical imageofthewaterleveltothecontrolarea.Alternatively,anycombinationoftwoofthe followingshallbeprovided: a. Anindependentremotewaterlevelindicator b. Anindependentcontinuoustransmissionanddisplayofanimageofthewaterlevelina gageglass. 4. (PG60.1.1.2)Whentwoindependentremotewaterlevelindicatorsareinreliableoperation (continuouslyindicatingwaterlevel),theonerequiredgageglassmaybeshutoff,butshallbe maintainedintheserviceablecondition. INTERPRETATIONSAPPLICABLETOTHESEREQUIREMENTS NotethattheASMEcodeatonetimedistinguishedbetweenlevelindictorstypeswiththedefinition DirectReadingforvisuallevelgagesandIndirectIndicationforallothertypesofindicators.That languagehasbeenreplacedinthecurrentcodewithsimplygageglassandremotewaterlevel indicator. 1. I8313Allowsgaugeglasstobeisolatedwhentworemoteindicatorsused 2. I8602AnewTechnologylevelindicatordoesnotreplacethevisualgage 3. I8650Gageindicationfortherovingoperatorisnotequaltothecontrolroomoperator.Low wateralarmandtriparenotconsideredindirectindication. 4. I8912Theoperatorsworkareaiswherecontrolactionsareinitiated 5. I8972Anindirectleveldevicewithnopowerisnotagageglass,butcanbeconsidereda remotelevelindicator 6. I9215Viewingagageglasswithmirrorsisconsideredadirectreading 7. I9269Amagneticlevelindicatormayprovideanindirectlevelreading 8. I9296Amagneticlevelindicatorisnotconsideredtobeagageglass 9. I9504Apressure/temperaturecompensateddpleveltransmitterisaremotelevelindicator 10. I9507ADCSCRTscreencanbearemotelevelindication.Twoareneededtoomitthegageglass, andtheindicationsmustbecontinuous. 11. I9814Boilerswithdrumsafetyvalvessetunder400psiarenotpermittedtoshutoffthevisual gage,evenwithtworemoteindicatorsinoperation.
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C. OPERATINGTEMPERATUREERRORCORRECTION(DENSITYLEVELERROR) Levelgagesandotherremotelevelindicatorsconnectedtotheboiler(exceptdptransmitters)are notinatotallystaticcondition.Iftheywere,thewatertemperatureinthegagewouldbenear ambient.RefertoFIGURE1.Assteamcondensesinthegageandconnectingpiping,the condensateflowsintothegaugeandheatsit.Asmallamountofwaterisalwaysflowingslowly throughthegaugeandpiping.

FIGURE1

Anywaterlevelmeasurementdeviceconnectedtothesteamdrumwilloperateatatemperaturethatis belowtheactualdrumsteam/watersaturationtemperature.Thisloweroperatingtemperaturewill causealevelerrorwithinthemeasurementdevice.Themeasurementinstrumentwillthenalways indicatelowerthanthetruedrumwaterlevel.Waterlevelgagesandalltypesofremotelevelindicators areaffected.FIGURE2belowillustratesthiseffectandtheformulasusedtocalculatetheerror.

FIGURE2
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Thewaterdensityintheexternalinstrumentishigherthanthesteamdrumwaterdensity.The externalmeasurementinstrumentwillalwaysindicatelowerthantheTrueDrumLevel.The magnitudeofthelevelerrordependsonoperatingpressureandheightofthewatercolumn.The densityofboilerwaterdecreasesasoperatingpressureincreases.Theerrorcanbesignificant, especiallyasoperatingpressuresexceed2000psi,andonlargesteamdrumswithlongvisibility gagessuchasusedinHRSGapplications.Althoughsomeinstrumentmanufacturesmaystatethat theerrorsareinsignificantandchoosetoignorethem,theerrorsaresignificantunderconditions ofhighsteampressureandhighwaterlevels,andcannotbeignored. Thereareonlythreebasicmethodsavailabletocorrectfortheseerrors.Dependingonthelevel technologyinuse,somemethodsaremoreorlessapplicabletovariousinstruments.These methodsare: 1. Heatthewaterinsidetheinstrumenttoatemperatureclosetothedrumwatertemperature. 2. Physicallymovetheinstrumenttoalowerlocation.Thiswillonlyprovideacorrectionforone operatingpressureandforonelevelposition.Althoughformultipointlevelindicatorssuchas conductivityprobeindicators,eachprobecanbeindividuallycorrectedforagivenoperating pressure.Correctionsarebasedonanestimateoftheinstrumentoperatingtemperature. 3. Correcttheelectricaloutputsignal.Thisistheapproachusedforpressurecompensateddp leveltransmitters.Itcouldalsobepotentiallyusedtocorrectradarorothertypesorremote indicatorswithanelectricaloutput.Anadditionalpressure/temperaturecorrectionsignalis usedtocorrecttheinstrumentoutputtoindicatethetruedrumlevel. D. LEVELINSTRUMENTSANDASSESORIES 1. VisualLevelGages,DirectlevelMeasurement AdditionalASMERequirements: (PG60.1)Thelowestvisiblewaterlevelinagageglassshallbeatleast2abovethelowest permissiblewaterlevel,asdeterminedbytheboilerManufacturer. (I9250)Theboilermanufacturerdeterminesthelowestpermissiblelevel (I9266)SamePG60.1definition (I8906)GageglassesarepartofBoilerExternalpiping,subjecttoPG60.Weldedgagebodies maybeprovidedbyamanufacturerwithoutaSection1certificate. (PG5.5)Theuseofaustenitic(series300SS)alloysteelispermittedforboilerpressureparts thataresteamtouchedinnormaloperation.ExceptasspecificallyprovidedinPG9.1.1,PG 12,andPEB5.3,theuseofsuchausteniticalloysforboilerpressurepartsthatarewater wettedinnormalserviceisprohibited. (PG5.5note1).Austeniticalloysaresusceptibletointergranularcorrosionandstress corrosioncrackingwhenusedinboilerapplicationsinwaterwettedservice.Factorsthat affectthesensitivitytothesemetallurgicalphenomenaareappliedorresidualstressand waterchemistry.Susceptibilitytoattackisusuallyenhancedbyusingthematerialina stressedconditionwithaconcentrationofcorrosiveagents(e.g.chlorides,causticorreduced sulfurspecies).Forsuccessfuloperationinwaterenvironments,residualandappliedstressed
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mustbeminimizedandcarefulattentionmustbepaidtocontinuouscontrolofwater chemistry. (PG12.1)GageglassbodyandconnectormaterialsshallcomplywithaManufacturers standardthatdefinesthepressuretemperatureratingmarkedontheunit.Thematerialsused mayincludeausteniticstainlesssteelsandnickelbasedalloys. DensityErrorConsiderations:Visualgaugesaretypicallypositionedwithoutconsiderationfor densitylevelerror.Thesewillindicatecorrectlyatlowpressure,withincreasingerroras pressureincreases.Ifthegaugemustbedensitycorrectedthereareseveralapproaches:

1. Heatthewaterinthegaugewithanadditionalpipeconnectedtothesteamdowncomer(referred toassteamheatingortemperatureequalization). 2. Installthegaugeinalowerposition,calculatedforonepressureandoneindicatedlevel. 3. Provideachartatthegaugeshowingtheamountofcorrectionatvariousoperatingpressures.

a. ReflexGages.SeeFIGURE3.Thesegageshavegroovedglassthatappliestheprinciplesof lightreflectionandtransmissiontodevelopaWhite/Blackimage,indicatingthewater level.Maximumoperatingsteampressureistypically350psi.SeeFIGURE4that demonstratesthisoperatingprinciple.

FIGURE3

FIGURE4

AdditionalASMERequirements: (PG60.1)Gageglassassemblieshavingmultiplesections,whetheroftubularorother construction,shallbedesignedinsuchamannerthatwillensureaminimumof1(25mm)

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overlapofalladjoiningsectionsinwhichthewaterlevelmaybevisible,exceptthatported orREFLEXgagesthatuserefractionoflighttoaidreadydeterminationoftheliquidlevel, mayomittherequirementforoverlappingsections. (I0438)Describessamerequirementsasabove. b. FlatglassGagesandTubularGlassGages.FIGURE5.Thesegagesrelyontheabilitytosee thewater/steaminterface(meniscus)insidethegageglass.Tubularglassgagesoperateat lowpressuresandbecomefragileasglasslengthincreases.Designpressurewilllimitthe safeglasslength.Flatglassgauges,alsocalledArmoured,canoperateathigher pressures.

WEBNOT PERMITTED

FIGURE5FIGURE6 AdditionalASMERequirements:FIGURE6 (PG60.1)Gageglassdesignsthatutilizetransversestructuralmembers(crosswebbing)asa meanstostrengthenthebodyofthegage,whicharenotcontinuousovertheentirevertical lengthofthegageglass,arenotpermitted.Note:Transverseorcrosswebstructural strengtheningmemberswillcauseareasalongthelengthofthegageglasswheretheliquid levelcannotbereadilydeterminedbecauseofmaskingshadowscausedbythepresenceofthe transversemembers.Reflextypedesignsthatutilizedsolidmembersbehindtheglassthatare continuousovertheverticallengthoftheglass,andfrontlitbyeitherambientorprojected sourcesasapplicable,arenotprohibited. c. PortedGages.FIGURE7.Thesegaugescanoperateatveryhighsteampressuresbecause thewindowareaisreduced.Thegagebodyisconstructedinatrapezoidshape.The 6|P a g e

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illuminatorwillprojectaREDandGREENlightthroughtheportstoprovideaRED/GREEN indicationofdrumwaterlevel.

FIGURE7

AdditionalASMERequirements: (PG60.1)Portedgagesorreflexgagesthatuserefractionoflighttoaidready determinationoftheliquidlevel,mayomittherequirementforoverlappingsections. FIGURE8illustratesthisoperatingprincipleandtheimageddisplayed.

FIGURE8
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(I0708)Ahandheldlightsource(flashlight)heldbehindaportedgagedoesnotsatisfy therequirementthatthegagebeequippedtoprovideobviousvisualdiscrimination betweenwaterandvaporintheindividualsections. Note:ARED/GREENilluminatordesignedforproperdisplayofthelevelinthebicolour gaugeMUSTbeusedtosatisfythisASMErequirement. 2. WaterColumns.FIGURE9.ThisillustrationisfromASMESectionI,figurePG60.These columnsareusedasaninterfacebetweenthesteamdrumandthevisualgaugeandprovide thefollowingbenefits: a. Allowsformismatchbetweendrumandvisualgageconnectioncenters b. Providesafixedandrigidpointtoinstallthegageisolationvalves c. Preventsexcessivecondensatefromflowingthroughthegageandoverthegage window,reducingorobscuringthevisibility.

FIGURE9

AdditionalASMERequirements: (PG60.2.3)EachwatercolumnshallbefurnishedwithaconnectionofatleastNPS3/4 (DN20)toinstallavalveddraintoasafepointofdischarge. PG60.3.1)GageglassesthatarerequiredbyPG60.1shallbeconnecteddirectlytothe shellordrumoftheboilerortoaninterveningwatercolumn.Whentwogageglassesare required,bothmaybeconnectedtoasinglewatercolumn.

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(PG60.3.2)Theloweredgeofthesteamconnectionbetweenawatercolumn,gageglass orausteniticstainlesssteelornickelbasedalloywaterlevelsensingdeviceintheboiler shallnotbebelowthehighestvisiblewaterlevelinthegageglass.Thereshallbenosagor offsetinthepipingthatwillpermittheaccumulationofwater. (PG60.3.3)Theupperedgeofthewaterconnectionbetweenawatercolumn,gageglass, orausteniticstainlesssteelofnickelbasedallowwaterlevelsensingdeviceandtheboiler shallnotbeabovethelowestvisiblewaterlevelinthegageglass.Nopartofthispipe connectionshallbeabovethepointofconnectionatthewatercolumn. (PG60.3.4)ConnectionsfromtheboilertothewatercolumnshallbeatleastNPS1(DN25) 3. ConductivityProbeSystems.FIGURE10Thesedevicesmeasurelevelusingtheprinciplethat theconductivityofwaterandsteamaresignificantlydifferent.Theconductivityprobeacts likeanon/offswitch.Alowvoltageisappliedtotheprobetipthatisinsulatedfromthe columnbody.Thereturnsignalismeasuredbyanelectroniccircuit.Steamappearsasan opencircuit,whilewatershortstheprobetogroundandappearsasaclosedcircuit.The conductivityprobesarelocatedatvariouslocationsinaprobecolumntoprovidediscrete indicationsofdrumwaterlevel.

FIGURE10
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AdditionalASMERequirements: (I0122)Austeniticmaterials(series300SS)cannotbeusedforlevelindicators (I0125)Conductivityprobetypelevelcolumnscannotuseausteniticmaterials. DensityErrorConsiderations.Asdiscussedearlier,watertemperatureintheprobe columnwillbelowerthanthedrumwatertemperature,causingadensitylevelerror. Probelocationscanbeindividuallycorrectedtoimprovetheaccuracyoftheindicated drumlevelataspecificoperatingpressure.Probesathighlevelsreceivemorecorrection thanprobesatlowlevels.Measurementerrorsareintroducedwhenoperatingat pressuresotherthanthenormaloperatingpressure,andinparticularwhenatcoldstartup conditions. 4. DifferentialPressure(dp)Transmitters.FIGURE11.Theseproductsprovidea420mAsignalto indicatedrumlevelandaremostcommonlyusedfordrumlevelcontrol.Theyoperateby measuringthedifferenceinpressurebetweenthelevelofwaterinthedrumandthewaterin astaticcolumn,alsocalledtheReferenceLeg.Ascanbeseenfromthediagram,lowdrum waterlevelsproducehighdeltap,andhighdrumwaterlevelsproducelowdeltap.Accurate andrepeatablemeasurementsthatareunaffectedbychangesinboilerpressureare challengingsincetheinstrumentsoperateatthousandsofpsiboilerpressure,butmust measureonlyinchesofwaterpressuredifferential,oftenlessthanonepsidifferential.To achieveaccuracy,highpressuresystemsmustbePressureCompensated,meaningthatthe operatingpressureismeasuredandtheindicateddrumleveliscorrected.Multivariable densitycompensatedtransmittersarealsoavailablethatmeasuredifferentialpressure, absolutepressure,andprocessorwetlegtemperature.Measurementsandcalculations withinonedeviceshouldreduceerrors.

FIGURE11
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AdditionalASMERequirements (I9263)Acomputerterminalleveldisplaycanbeselectedondemand,providedthe secondremotelevelindicatoriscontinuous,withonevisualgaugeinserviceandvisibleto theoperator. (I0119)Thesamesignalalgorithmcanbeusedfortworemoteindicators DensityErrorConsiderations:FIGURE12Thedrumlevelindicatedtotheoperatorisa calculatedvaluebasedonthefollowingmeasurementsandassumptions: a. dptransmittermeasurement b. Pressuretransmittermeasurement(requiredforpressurecorrection) c. Referencelegheight d. Referencelegtemperature e. Variablelegtemperature f. Steamandwaterdensitycalculationattheoperatingpressure

LP= HP= DP= DP= DP=

H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4 H3D3 + H4D4 HP - LP (H3D3 + H4D4) - (H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4) H3D3 - H1D1 - H2D2

D1= STEAM DENSITY D2= DRUM WATER DENSITY D3= REFERENCE LEG DENSITY

NOTE: DISTANCE X MUST BE SUFFICIENT SO THAT T IS AT AMBIENT TEMPRATURE

FIGURE12

Significantlevelindicationerrorsareintroducedwhentheassumptionsusedinthelevel calculationformulasdonotagreewiththeactualparameters.Errorsarealsointroduced duetoinstallationmistakes.Thesensinglinesfromtheboilertothedpinstrumentshould beslopedtopreventformationofgaspocketsanderroneouslevelreadings.Toobtainthe bestaccuracy,temperaturesinthereferenceandvariablelegsmustaccuratelyestimated. FIGURE12showstheidealdptransmitterinstallationthatintroducestheminimum numberofvariablesintotherequiredequations.

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Inaddition,FIGURE13belowillustratesthatthedensityofwateranddensityofsteam approacheachotheraspressureincreases.Thiswillexacerbateanyerrorsinthedrum waterlevelcalculation.

FIGURE13

TABLE1belowwillbeusedtoillustrateanumberofexamplesofdptransmittererrors introducedbyinaccurateassumptions.
LINE NO. 1 2 3 REF LEG TEMP DEGF 120 120 120 STM PRESS PSIA 2500 20 2500 STM TEMP DEGF 668 228 668 H1 INCH 12 12 12 D1 LB/FT3 7.658 0.0498 7.658 H2 INCH 36 36 24 D2 LB/FT3 34.97 59.42 34.97 H3 INCH 48 48 48 D3 LB/FT3 61.71 61.71 61.71 Y INCH 0 0 12 TEMP TY DEGF 0 0 565 DY LB/FT3 0 0 44.96 DP INCHES 25.86 13.20 22.46

LINE NO. 4 5 6 7

DP INCHES 25.86 25.86 25.86 25.86

REF LEG TEMP DEGF 120 50 120 120

STM PRESS PSIA 2500 2500 20 2500

STM TEMP DEGF 668 668 228 668

D1 LB/FT3 7.658 7.658 0.0498 7.658

D2 LB/FT3 34.97 34.97 59.42 34.97

H3 INCH 48 48 48 48

D3 LB/FT3 61.7 62.4 61.7 61.7

Y INCH 0 0 0 12

DY LB/FT3 0 0 0 44.96

H2 INCH 36.01 37.24 22.72 16.25

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FromFIGURE12,Theformulaforthetransmitterdpis: 1) Dp=H3D3H1D1H2D1 Notethat:H1=H3H2 ReplacingH1intheDpformula,theformulacanbesimplifiedas: 2) Dp=[H3(D3D1)+H2(D1D2)]/62.3 IftheDpisknown,theheightofwaterinthedrumcanbecalculatedfrom: 3) H2=[62.3(DP)H3(D3D1)]/D1D2 Theunitsintheseformulasare: Dpinchesofwaterpressure Height(H):Inches Density(D):lb/ft3 Conversionfactor:62.3 EXAMPLE1:Referencelegtemperaturelowerthanestimated.Comparelines1,4,andline 5intheTABLE1.Theassumptionsare: Steamdrumpressure:2500psia Reflegheight,H3,48inches Referencelegtemperature:120F Drumwaterlevel,H2,36inches Thecalculateddpmeasurementis25.86inchesofwater(TABLEline1).Thisisconfirmed inline4.Ifthemeasureddpis25.86,thecalculateddrumlevel(H2)is36.01 But,iftheactualreferencelegtemperatureis50Finsteadoftheassumed120F,theeffect ofthiserrorisshowninline5ofthetable.Withthedptransmittermaintainingdrumlevel controlat25.86,theactualdrumlevelwillbeat37.24.Anerrorof1.23. EXAMPLE2:Nopressurecompensationofthedptransmitter. Assumethesameconditionsasabove,withthedptransmittersettomaintainadrumlevel of36whentheboilerisat2500psi.(Line1andline4). Ifnopressurecompensationwasavailableduringboilerstartup(Tableline6),atadrum pressureof20psithedrumwaterlevelwouldbeat22.72,anerrorof13.3.
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EXAMPLE3:DPtransmittervariablelegconnectedtothebottomofthedrum.TheFIGURE 14belowshowsthisinstallationmethod. FIGURE14.Variablelegoffbottomofdrum

LP= HP= DP= DP= DP=

H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4 H3D3 + H4D4 HP - LP (H3D3 + H4D4) - (H1D1 + H2D2 + H4D4) H3D3 - H1D1 - H2D2

D1= STEAM DENSITY D2= DRUM WATER DENSITY D3= REFERENCE LEG DENSITY

Assumingthesameboilerconditionsasthefirsttwoexamples,butH2drumlevelnow includestheYcomponentthatwillbeatalowertemperaturethanthesteamdrum watersaturationtemperature. AssumeforthisinstallationthatYis12inches,andthiswaterinthislineissubcooled 100Fbelowthesaturateddrumwatertemperature(waterat565F).Theeffectofthis changeisshowninLines#3and#7. ThedrumlevelfromLine#7willbethetotalofYandthecalculatedH2,or28.25.This isanerrorof7.75fromthesetpoint(36). 5. MagneticFloatIndicators.FIGURE15.Thesedevicesconsistofastainlesssteel(orothernon magneticmaterial)pipechamberandaninternalfloat.Thefloatisalsononmagnetic,but containsaringofmagnets.Themagnetswithinthefloatoperateamagneticindicatorlocated ontheoutsideofthepressurechamber.Theindicatoriseitherasinglefollower,oraseries offlagsthatrotateandchangecolourasthefloatmagnetspassby.Thefloatmagneticring willcollectcorrosionparticles(iron/steel)fromthewaterandthefloatmustberemovedand cleanedperiodically,dependingonwaterquality.Floatsmustbecomelargeraspressure increasesduetothereductioninwaterdensity.
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STAINLESS STEEL CHAMBER WALL FLUX RING LIQUID LEVEL

INDICATING FLAGS

FLOAT MAGNETS

FLOAT

FIGURE15

AdditionalASMERequirements: (PG60.1.1.4)Independentremotelevelindicatorsthatcontainsensingdevicesthat includeamagneticallycoupledfloatinsideanonmagneticcylindricalpressurechamberto utilizethroughthewallsensingoffloatpositionshallberestrictedtotherequirementsof PG12.2.Thedesignandconstructionofsuchdevicesshallincludeprovisionsforeaseof cleaningandmaintenance.Attachmentofanycontroldevicesforuseotherthan indicatingwaterlevelisprohibited. (PG12.2)Boilershavingamaximumallowableworkingpressurenotexceeding900psi(6 MPa)mayusealternativemethodsforindependentremotewaterlevelindicatorsorwater levelsensingdevices(seePG60).Thesensingdevicesmayincludeamagneticallycoupled floatinsideanonmagneticcylindricalpressurechambertoutilizethroughthewallsensing offloatposition.Thepressurechamberstressesshallmeettheappropriaterequirements ofPG27andPartPW,andshallberestrictedtothematerialgradeslistedinPG12.3 DensityErrorConsiderations:Aswithothermanometertypeindicators,thedifference indensitybetweenthewaterinthedrumandthewaterinthemagneticfloatcolumnwill causealevelindicationerror.Theerrorincreasesasthemeasuredlevelincreases.Higher pressuresandlongervisibilitieswillcreatelargererrors.Itispossibletocorrectforthis erroratoneoperatingpressureandoneindicatedlevel(typicallythezeroposition)by calculatingacorrectedfloatpositionbasedonfloatweight,floatdisplacedvolume,and
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averagewatertemperaturewithinthechamber.However,errorsareintroducedatother operatinglevelsandotheroperatingpressures. Example:OperatingPressuredifferentthancalculation.

FIGURE16

Assumethatthemagneticfloatpositionisdesignedforanoperatingpressureof900psia. Assume:Steamdrumlevel(Hd)of36inches. MagGaugesubcoolingof100Ffromthedrumwatertemperature. Theheightofthewaterinthegaugeis: Hg=Hd(DdDs)/(DgDs) Thetablebelowshowstheindicationerrorwhenoperatedat300psia

PRESS PSIA 900 300 TEMP F 532 417 Hd INCH 36 36 Dd LB/FT3 47.10 52.92 Ds LB/FT3 2.00 0.65 TEMP GAUGE,Tg F 432 317 Dg LB/FT3 52.36 56.75 Hg INCH 32.24 33.54

Thistableshowsthatthelevelinthefloatchamberwillchangeby: 33.5432.24=1.30 Inaddition,thebuoyancyofthefloatwillincrease,raisingthepositionofthefloat,andadding furthererror.

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6. GuidedWaveRadarLevelIndicators.FIGURE17Comparedwiththeothertechnologiesinuse, thisoneisrelativelynew.Guidedwavetechnologysendsaradarpulsedownaprobeinstalled inanexternalcolumn.Thepulsereflectsoffthesurfaceofthewaterbackuptheprobeand tothesensor.Thetransittimeistranslatedintoadistance,andbasedondimensionsofthe installation,thewaterleveliscalculated.Thisdeviceproducesacontinuousreading(420mA signal)ofthewaterlevel.Theadvantageofthismethodoverothertypesofradarsensorsis thattheprobeguidestheradarpulseandconcentratesboththepulseandthereturnsignal energy.Effectivelytransmittingtheradarpulsethroughthelongguideandthroughthe pressurecontainmentboundarytotheelectronicsrequiresspecializedsealsandconstruction.

FIGURE17

DensityErrorConsiderations.Aswithotherdevicesusingawatercolumnconnectedtothe steamdrum,thewaterinthecolumnwillbecolderandconsequentlyatalowerlevelthanthe steamdrumtemperature.Iftheactualwatertemperatureinthecolumnismeasured,it wouldbepossiblefortheelectronicstocalculateandapplyacorrectionfactortotheindicated level. Anadditionalconsiderationaffectingindicationaccuracyisthesignificantchangethatoccurs indielectricconstantsofwaterandsteamaspressureandtemperaturechanges.Theradar pulsereflectionisactuallycausedbydetectingtheimpedancechangebetweenthewater andsteam.Anychangeinthesevalueswillaffectthepulsetransittime,andtheindicated level.Thetablebelowshowsthisaffect.
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TEMP(F) PRESSURE LIQDENS. VAPOR DIELECTRIC DIELECTRIC ERROR (PSIA) (LB/FT3) DENSITY CONS,LIQ CONS,VAP % (LB/FT3) 100 0 61.99 0.0029 73.95 1.001 0.0 400 247 53.65 0.537 34 1.069 3.4 600 1543 42.32 3.74 18.04 1.461 21 ThedielectricconstantsofWaterandSteamapproacheachotheraspressureincreases.Programswithin theelectronicscancompensateforthischangeandmaintainthelevelindicationaccuracy. E. CONCLUSION TheASMEBoilerandPressureVesselCodeliststherequirementsforsteamdrumlevelgauges andindicatorstoensuresafeoperationoftheboiler.Directreadingvisuallevelgaugesare requiredoneveryboiler.Thesecanbecomplimentedwithotherindirectinstrumentsto attainthegoalofsafeandefficientboileroperation.Buttoattainthisgoal,instrumentsmust beproperlyselectedforthedesignconditions,installedproperly,calibratedproperly,and maintained.Ifanyoneoftheserequirementsisignored,performancewillbedegraded.All instrumentshaveinherentstrengthsandweaknessesbasedonthetechnologyemployedto measurelevel.Theseinstrumentcharacteristicsshouldbethoroughlyunderstoodbytheuser, orindicationswillbemisleading.Aprudentandconservativeapproachistousesome combinationofthedifferentproventechnologies.Theindependentindicationsthese instrumentsgivewillthenprovideconfidencethattheboilerisalwaysoperatedinasafe condition. F. REFERENCES 1. Liptak,BelaG.,InstrumentEngineersHandbook,ThirdEdition1969 2. Kalix,D.A,DensityLevelErrorandItsCorrectioninBoilerDrumLevelIndication,ISA ConferenceOctober1995 3. Boyes,W.SomeThingsdoexactlywhattheyaresupposedto,ControlMagazineFeb2004 4. Evely,D.P.,HeatRecoverySteamGeneratorDrumLevelMeasurementSourcesofError,ISA jointPOWID/EPRIconference,2004 5. Gilman,J.BoilerDrumLevelControl,ISAJuly/August2010 DavidKalix,P.E. FossilPowerSystemsInc. 10MosherDrive,Dartmouth, NovaScotia,Canada B3B1N5 (902)4682743 26July2011
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