This might explain how to put together a dip tube type pneumatic fuel level gauging system.

Russ Hughes Slo-N-Easy Richland, Wa.

Dip Tube liquid level measurement system comments and thoughts for use on boats. These are some typical liquid measurement by "Dip Tube" systems. The dip tube system uses a small tube inserted from the top of the tank that reaches almost to the bottom of the tank. The dip tube is connected to the indicating gauge and the rest of the dip tube system by a small hose, or tube. The pressures involved are very low, being in the order of a few pounds per square inch or so. Dip tubes are used in all sorts of industrial and commercial applications where the liquid level in some sort of a tank has to be read out in a remote location. It uses a small amount of compressed air to pressurize the "dip tube", which has been previously inserted into the tank to near the bottom of the tank. The air pressure is used to expel the tank liquid in the dip tube. The amount of air pressure developed within the dip tube is proportional to the level of the liquid in the tank at the bottom end of the dip tube. By measuring the air pressure in the dip tube with a pressure gauge, the level of the liquid in the tank can be measured and indicated at a nearby, or a remote location. It takes more air pressure to blow bubbles out of the end of the dip tube when the tank is full as compared to when the tank is nearly empty. It is just like blowing through a soda straw. The more soda in the cup, the harder you have to blow to make the bubbles come out the end of the straw. Where air is incompatible with the liquid to be measured, other gasses may be used. For a fuel tank, be it diesel, or gasoline, compressed air is satisfactory. The amount of compressed air used is very small consisting of only a few small bubbles of air coming out of the submerged end of the dip tube. The air source can be a motorized compressor, or can even be a small hand pump used for occasional readings. If a high-pressure source of air is available, such as from an air horn system, a small pressure regulator is commonly connected between the high-pressure air source and the dip tube measuring system. This regulated air pressure maintains a constant air pressure for setting the proper flow of air through the dip tube for a continuous fuel level indication on the gauge. The air pressure gauge can be of several types. A standard pressure gauge with a pointer indicating the pressure is reliable and easy to use. A manometer, which is a clear tube filled with a liquid such as water, which can be a "U" Tube type, or a reservoir type, can also be used. Regardless of the type of air pressure gauge used, it is important that the gauge calibration be compatible with the range of the level in the tank. One unit of measurement is the common "pounds per square inch". One pound per square inch is equal to 27.65 inches of water column. What this means is that if the empty to full level in a tank of water is 27.65 inches of water column, then a gauge with a full scale calibration of one pound per square inch could read the tank lever from empty to full over it full scale reading. Unfortunately, pressure gauges don't necessarily come calibrated for the size of your tank. The solution is to have a gauge that reads a

little more than you require, but is a standard range gauge commonly available. My boat has a 20" high fuel tank and a 20" of water gauge is pretty common.

A gauge that reads in inches of water will not read directly in inches of fuel in the tank. My system has a tank of about 18 " high, 24" wide and 48" long. It holds about 67 gallons of fuel when the tank is full. The gauge reads 20 inches full scale. With a full fuel tank, the gauge reads 16 " of water. This translates to 4.05 gallons per inch. A different sized tank will have a different calibration factor. How do you determine this calibration factor for another tank? Starting with an empty tank, you start filling it with say five gallons of fuel and note the gauge reading. Put in another five gallons of fuel and take another reading and so on until the tank is full. From this you can develop a calibration chart so that the gauge reading equates to some amount of fuel in the tank. This works well even for a tank that is not symmetrical, or for a round horizontal tank where the volume of the tank changes for every inch that it is filled. The advantage of the manometer is that the manometer can be filled with the same liquid being measured and the reading on the manometer tube will be the same number of inches as the fuel level in the tank. The disadvantage of the manometer is the maintenance required to keep the clear manometer tube clean so it can be easily read. The disadvantage of the standard pressure gauge is that it reads out in arbitrary numbers that must be converted to the actual level in the tank. A standard pressure gauge can have its gauge face, that's the part with the numbers, hand recalibrated to read the actual quantity of fuel in the tank. But it will only be accurate for the tank that it was calibrated to. Using a standard gauge pressure range and developing a calibration table for each tank is the easiest way to go about it. A pressure regulator, if used, will be set to several pounds per square inch of output pressure. Five to twenty pounds per square inch would be good values to set the regulator to. The pressure setting of the regulator is not critical, only that it remain relatively the same. A small hand pump such as used to inflate footballs can be used instead of a motorized pressure system if only intermittent tank level readings are required. A few strokes on the hand pump will do the job. As soon as the tank level reading stabilizes you can take the tank level reading off the pressure gauge. By stabilizes, I am referring to the fact that as you pump the handle, a large surge of air flows down the sensing line temporarily causing the tank level reading to bob around for a moment or so. As soon as you stop pumping, in a few moments, the reading stabilizes and stays there for a while. On setting the air flow to the dip tube, if an air compressor system is used. If you set the air-low too high, the fuel tank level reading will start to rise. Set the air-flow a little under where the reading will start to rise, or maybe a little less if satisfactory readings are obtained. The drawing is kind of crude, as I don't have a CAD system to produce it.