Level gauges give local visual indication or remote measurement of liquid level in process vessels, storage tanks, and utility receivers. The JBM range covers tubular, sanitary, reflex, transparent, magnetic, and float-board gauges built in-house for 250–3,000 mm centre distance, together with radar, ultrasonic, hydrostatic, capacitance, load cell, and switch instruments that are bought out, integrated, and calibrated on the vessel.
Visual gauges connect to the vessel through top and bottom isolation valves, so liquid in the gauge follows vessel level. Reflex glass shows liquid as dark and vapour as silver, while magnetic gauges use a float magnet to flip bicolour flaps outside a sealed chamber. Instruments measure hydrostatic head, radar or ultrasonic time of flight, capacitance change, or vessel weight, and send 4–20 mA or HART signals to the PLC.
Challenges
Glass Breakage
Thermal shock and impact fracture glass and release product.
Dead Legs
Side-mounted gauge chambers hold stagnant product.
Foam and Vapour Interference
Foam and condensate give false non-contact readings.
Agitation and Turbulence
Moving surfaces make visual and float readings unstable.
Viscous or Sticky Products
Coating on floats, probes, and glass masks true level.
Solutions
- Protected Glass + Safety Valves: Guard rods, ball check valves, and reflex glass for pressure duty.
- Sanitary Sight Tubes or Load Cells: Drainable tri-clamp design or non-contact weighing removes dead legs.
- Guided Wave Radar: Signal follows the probe, unaffected by foam and vapour.
- Stilling Wells and Damping: Still wells and signal damping steady the reading.
- PTFE-Coated Floats and Probes: Non-stick, CIP-cleanable wetted parts.
Applications
- Pharmaceutical: Reactors, CIP tanks, WFI and solution storage.
- Food & Dairy: Milk, syrup, oil, and juice tanks.
- Chemical: Solvent, acid, and pressure vessels.
- Utilities: Boiler drums, condensate receivers, thermic fluid expansion tanks.
Types & Configurations
| Type | Code | Principle | Range | Rating | Accuracy | Supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical / Visual | ||||||
| Tubular Glass | LG-TG | Borosilicate tube between valve blocks | 250–1,500 mm C-C | 10 bar, 150°C | Visual | JBM |
| Sanitary Tri-Clamp Sight Tube | LG-ST | Glass or polysulfone tube with tri-clamp ends | 250–2,000 mm C-C | 6 bar, 130°C | Visual | JBM |
| Reflex | LG-RF | Prismatic glass; liquid dark, vapour silver | 250–3,000 mm C-C | 40 bar, 250°C | Visual | JBM |
| Transparent | LG-TR | Two flat glasses, mica shield for steam | 250–3,000 mm C-C | 40 bar, 280°C | Visual | JBM |
| Magnetic (Flaps / Roller) | LG-MG | Float magnet flips bicolour flaps | 250–3,000 mm C-C | 16 bar std, 40 opt. | ±10 mm | JBM |
| Magnetic with Reed Switch / Transmitter | LG-MT | Magnetic gauge with reed chain or magnetostrictive sensor | 250–3,000 mm C-C | 16 bar std | ±5 / ±1 mm | JBM + sensor |
| Float and Board (Tape) | LG-FB | Float, tape, and pulley move a pointer | 1–20 m | ATM | ±10 mm | JBM |
| Bull’s Eye Sight Window | LG-BE | Flush round glass welded into shell | Point check | 10 bar | Visual | JBM |
| Instrument Type | ||||||
| Hydrostatic / DP Transmitter | LT-DP | Liquid head via flush diaphragm | 0–50 m | 40 bar | ±0.1% | Bought-out |
| Radar (Non-Contact / Guided Wave) | LT-RD | Microwave time of flight; GWR along probe | 0–40 m | 40 bar, 200°C | ±2 mm | Bought-out |
| Ultrasonic | LT-US | Acoustic pulse time of flight | 0–15 m | ATM to 3 bar | ±0.25% | Bought-out |
| Capacitance Probe | LT-CP | Capacitance change between probe and wall | 0–5 m | 25 bar | ±1% | Bought-out |
| Load Cell Weighing System | LT-LC | Compression or tension cells under vessel legs | 0.05–100 t | N/A | ±0.05% | Bought-out |
| Level Switches (Fork / Float / Conductivity) | LS | Vibration, buoyancy, or conductivity point detection | Point level | 40 bar | ±2 mm | Bought-out |
Models & Sizes: 250 to 3,000 mm Centre Distance
| Model | C-C [mm] | Tubular Visible [mm] | Tubular Rating [bar] | Sanitary Tube Visible [mm] | Reflex Visible [mm] | Reflex Sections | Magnetic Visible [mm] | Wt. Tubular [kg] | Wt. Reflex [kg] | Wt. Magnetic [kg] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG-0250 | 250 | 140 | 10 | 190 | 120 | 1 | 250 | 3 | 13 | 7 |
| LG-0500 | 500 | 390 | 10 | 440 | 370 | 2 | 500 | 3 | 20 | 8 |
| LG-0750 | 750 | 640 | 7 | 690 | 620 | 3 | 750 | 3.5 | 27 | 10 |
| LG-1000 | 1,000 | 890 | 7 | 940 | 870 | 3 | 1,000 | 3.5 | 27 | 11 |
| LG-1250 | 1,250 | 1,140 | 5 | 1,190 | 1,120 | 4 | 1,250 | 4 | 34 | 13 |
| LG-1500 | 1,500 | 1,390 | 5 | 1,440 | 1,370 | 5 | 1,500 | 4.5 | 41 | 14 |
| LG-2000 | 2,000 | N/A | N/A | 1,940 | 1,870 | 7 | 2,000 | N/A | 55 | 17 |
| LG-2500 | 2,500 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,370 | 8 | 2,500 | N/A | 62 | 20 |
| LG-3000 | 3,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,870 | 10 | 3,000 | N/A | 76 | 23 |