K-TEK develops wave guide for steam appliances
to measure levels in saturated steam appliances without concern for
fluctuations in specific gravity has been developed.
"Unlike traditional contact devices, such as displacers, the C9P81 Waveguide does not depend on fluid density to make measurements," said Robert Hotard, product manager for Radar and RF products at K-TEK Corp.
The new MT2000 Wave Guide Model C9P81 from K-TEK, a manufacturer of state-of-the-art level instrumentation for liquid detection, uses guided wave radar to make measurements, which means no moving parts and, therefore, virtually no maintenance.
A wave guide directs the microwave pulses, eliminating the beam divergence problems common to conventional non-contact radar transmitters.
The new C9P81 is designed specifically for saturated steamapplications, such as those found in power generation plants and industrial heat processes. The C9P81 Waveguide features an alumina ceramic insulator that allows accurate and reliable measurements up to 2000 psi (138 bar) at 635šF (335šC).
"As a result, readings do not fluctuate with shifts in the specific gravity of the fluid and are not subject to variations in dielectric constants. This allows for significantly tighter control throughout the steam cycle, from boilers to feedwater heaters to de-aerators."
The MT2000 level transmitter features the industry¹s largest selection of probe materials, including 316 Stainless Steel, 304 Stainless Steel,Hastelloy, Monel, and Titanium. According to K-TEK, this means that the instrument works even under the harshest conditions, including high temperatures, high pressures (saturated steam), or corrosive environments, such as hydrochloric acid.
The standard housing for the MT2000 is powder-coated aluminum; an optional stainless steel housing handles corrosive environments. A dual-compartment design allows users to isolate the wiring and terminations from the sensing elements and internal electronics.
FM Approved and CSA Certified for use in hazardous areas, the MT2000 is also ATEX certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
With virtually no beam divergence and, therefore, no false echoes, theMT2000 K-TEK believes that the product is ideal for use in vessels with complex, internal structures or even small, tight spaces, such as existing displacer chambers and stilling wells that can be found in refineries and production plants.
The MT2000 provides the highest accuracy readings in the industry at ±0.20 inches (5.1 mm). With traditional contact measurement devices, such as displacers or floats, the specific gravity of the fluid being measured varies with temperature and pressure. This results in varying accuracies.
The MT2000's guided wave radar, on the other hand, is unaffected byvariations in specific gravity. The instrument provides accurate heightmeasurements even with widely varying temperatures and pressures.
K-TEK claims that the MT2000 family of level transmitters is the only one in the industry to provide built-in linearisation functions. This allows users to minimise the unmeasurable or "dead" zones that can occur at the end of probes. While competitive products assume standard dead zones, all MT2000 incorporate a linearisation table.
Prices for K-TEK's MT2000 guided wave radar level transmitters start at $1325.
K-TEK is a manufacturer of state-of-the-art level instrumentation for liquid and bulk solids detection. The company pioneered the KM26 magnetic level gauge with extruded outlets and has introduced innovations as AccuTrak, the first Fieldbus-compatible magnetostrictive level transmitter, and SureShot, the first low cost, all digital design laser level and distance transmitter.
