User's Manual

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PL-550 27
OPERATION _
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OPERATION
OVERVIEW
IQ Radar 160 is a process material level measuring device using advanced pulse
radar technology. The device emits a series of radar pulses and analyses the
reflection to calculate the material level.
The device consists of an enclosed electronic component, mounted to a flanged
antenna component. The electronic component generates a 5.8 GHz radar signal
which is directed to the antenna, a Teflon
®
dielectric rod coupled to the core of the
device’s mounting flange.
The radar signal is emitted axially from the antenna and propagates along this
axis in a defined conical beam decreasing in strength at a rate inversely
proportional to the square of the distance.
Radar reflection is based on the dielectric constant and planar property of the
materials encountered and thus radar is very suitable for still (non-agitated) liquids
and slurries. Radar is immune to temperature and atmospheric conditions and
variations in the vessel. In an ideal application, echoes from stratified vapours are
either non-existent, or minimal compared to major echoes from the process
material. Where atmospheric conditions are such that dielectric constants and
stratifications are of significance, their echoes can compete with the desired
reflection from the process material, making the application troublesome.
The series of echoes from the pulses transmitted are sensed by the antenna
during the receive period of the electronics. The echoes are stored as a profile of
the activity in the vessel. The profile is analysed and the distance of the material
surface to the radar antenna is determined. This distance is used as a basis for
display of material level and mA output.