Houston, TX—E-T-A Circuit Protection and Control introduced at ISA Expo 2004 its TLS 100, which the company says is the first capacitive level sensor designed specially for tubes and hoses.
Houston, TX— E-T-A Circuit Protection and Control introduced at ISA Expo 2004 its TLS 100, which the company says is the first capacitive level sensor designed specially for tubes and hoses. E-T-A adds that the non-contact level sensor’s clip-on mounting design reduces installation time from minutes to seconds, and permits a wider adjustment band for sensitivity.
TLS 100 detects the presence or absence of liquids at a chosen level in plastic tubes, rubber hoses, and small glass or plastic pipes. The sensor is snapped onto the tube at the level the users wishes to monitor.
Applications include control of liquids used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, food process-ing, chemical mixing, and detergent dispensing. It may also be used to protect pumps from run-ning dry by signaling that the liquid level has fallen below a pre-set value. Unlike a float switch in a reservoir, TLS 100 has no moving parts, and is not prone to wear.
TLS 100 is designed to measure liquids having a high dielectric, such as water-based liquids. The sensitivity is adjustable for media of different dielectrics. Unlike ordinary capacitive sensors, the aluminum mounting clips serve as the sensing electrodes, allowing measurement to occur across a wide area, increasing the adjustable sensitivity range.
When it senses level reached or lost, TLS 100 provides a transistor alarm output or switched control output up to 1A. It also provides visual indication via an LED. In addition, the solid-state circuit provides protection from short circuits and overloads.
The standard TLS 100 fits tubes and hoses with diameters from 3/8 in. to 7/16 in. (9.5 mm to 11.11 mm). Other sizes are available on request. If desired, included mounting lugs may be used to fix the sensor in place to ensure a tight grip on the tube. TLS 100 is suited for media with temperatures from 32 to 194 degrees F (0 to 90 degrees C), has a plastic housing rated IP65, and measures 2.3 x 1.6 x 0.8 in. (59 x 40 x 20 mm).
TLS 100 may be powered by any standard 24 V dc power supply or by E-T-A’s model NG 03 power supply. The sensor accepts dc power inputs ranging from 9 to 36 V. It operates as either NPN or PNP transistor output up to 1A. Low side switching enables the device to switch voltages other than the supply voltage.
Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
[email protected]
