Level acquisition

?Emerson Process Management has acquired ISE Magtech of Pearland, Texas, in a move to strengthen its position as a supplier of level measurement technology to the oil & gas, refining, chemical and power generation industries.
In particular, Emerson said ISE Magtech’s magnetic level gauges (MLG) coupled with its Rosemount guided wave radars (GWR) devices would provide local visual indication of level with a transmitter. This, it added, would support plant operators’ needs for visual and automated system monitoring.
Among other innovations, ISE Magtech claims to have launched the world’s first HART 7 magnetostrictive level transmitter. The device is used in refining of oil and gas, as well as in the power generation, pulp & paper, chemicals, pharma and food processing industries to control or monitor the level of liquids and solids.
According to an?Emerson spokesman, GWR, which requires power, provides the reading to the control room and plant computers but is not convenient for people on site
“GWR [displays] are small, may be at the top of a tank, or nested in among dangerous piping, making them hard to read,” he said.
They are, therefore, often used in conjunction with MLG devices which are larger, easier to read and do not require power.
“Anybody walking around the plant can stand back at a safe, convenient location and simply read the large indicator,” the spokesman said. MLGs, he added, are often used as an alternative to site glasses, which can become fouled and unreadable.
“They can also break and release process fluids into the environment,” the spokesman continued. “And if you are trying to look at the level of a colourless fluid like water or ammonia, finding the level can require taking a very close and careful look. Imagine looking for the level of ammonia on a 30-foot long site glass.”
“By supplying GWR integrated with MLGs we help them to streamline procurement, implementation and operations,” the?spokesman concluded.