Some processes, such as oil & gas production, not only have to measure liquid levels but sometimes must measure sediment levels that can come along in the production stream and settle in vessels and tanks.
This quick, 2:38 “How To” YouTube video, How Does the Rosemount Sand Switch Functionality Work?, shows how to change the settings in a Rosemount 2140 vibrating fork level detector from measuring liquids, to measuring sediment such as sand in the case of oil & gas production.
Not detecting this sediment buildup can mean it moving down the piping causing blockage, pump damage, valve wear and other problems leading to unplanned downtime and expensive maintenance actions. The Rosemount 2140 level switch has a sand switch setting enabling it to detect sediment instead of the common liquid level detection.
The video demonstrates how to adjust this setting through the AMS Instrument Inspector or AMS Device Manager software. It’s as simple as going into the configure section of the applications. In the Manual Setup menu choice, switch the sensor operating mode to normal and hit send to communicate the change to the 2140 device. Next change the Media Density to “liquid to medium compact sediment” in the case of sand or to another selection for finer or courser sediment material. Again hit send to communicate the change to the device.
After these actions, the device is now adjusted to not switch when it encounters a liquid level, but to wait until a sediment layer has reached the vibrating fork.
Visit the Level Measurement section of Emerson.com for more on vibrating fork and other level measurement technologies to best fit your applications. You can also connect and interact with other level measurement experts in the Measurement Instrumentation group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.