Welcome to Coltraco Ultrasonics’ range of portable Liquid Level Indicators.
We pride ourselves in our UK made, high-quality, reliable, and accurate instrumentation designed for fire suppression systems such as CO2, FM-200™, NOVEC™ 1230, Halons and a wide variety of other clean agents.
We have been developing non-invasive level detection technology for over 30 years and are proud leaders in this field.
We are proud winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, in both 2019 and 2022.
Better: Using ultrasonic technology to check the contents of your fire suppression cylinders is non-invasive, non-destructive and non-disruptive, meaning it is safer for personnel and does not require the user to shut down the fire suppression system during inspection. The use of ultrasonic technology is a regulatory approved alternative method for monitoring the contents of cylinders. Our range of ultrasonic liquid level indicators are accurate to ±1.5 mm.
Faster: The non-disruptive, non-invasive nature of ultrasound contents monitoring allows testing to take place when the fire suppression cylinders are in-situ and operational. This process takes around 30 seconds per cylinder using our easy-to-use, intuitive technology. Compare this to traditional, manual weighing which requires lifting equipment, multiple people and around 15 minutes for inspection.
Cheaper: Enabling inspection to take place without disrupting your cylinder installation means no shut-down, saving time and no requirement for multiple operators, saving labour costs. We have a large range of level monitoring technology allowing us to be competitive with pricing and Coltraco Ultrasonics have a “Price Promise” to be the most competitive on the market.
Fire suppression systems consist of a group of fire cylinders, either with welded seams, or seamless depending on the pressure and are integral for protecting vital infrastructure, people and assets from damage due to fire. Fire suppression systems are used to extinguish, control and prevent fires from spreading. These systems are used in a vast variety of applications in multiple sectors and environments all with unique requirements and challenges associated with the installation.
The standard configuration of a fixed fire suppression system includes a bank of high-pressure cylinders. These cylinders contain a fixed quantity of fire suppression agent used to extinguish a fire and is controlled by a centralised fire panel and actuating system. We specialise in the monitoring of all types of liquified fire suppression agents, but the most common types are CO2, FM-200™, NOVEC™ 1230 and Halons.
In the event a fire is detected, the centralised monitoring system, which usually consists of heat and smoke detectors, trigger the alert system and activates the fire suppression system. The cylinder valves are opened, and the pressure of the cylinders drive the agent through a pipe network to be discharged at the point of fire. In some cases, these systems are supported by ancillary nitrogen cylinders if the distance the agent needs to travel is great.
Fire suppression systems, especially high-pressure cylinders can leak and fail over time. Regulations state that storage container contents must be checked at least every six months, which ensures that the system is fully operational and contains the correct volume of agent sufficient to suppress a fire.
9.2.1.3: The storage container contents shall be checked every 6 months as follows:
Liquefied gases: for halocarbon agents, if a container shows a loss of agent in quantity of more than 5% or a loss of pressure (adjusted for temperature) of more than 10%, it shall be refilled or replaced.
Every 6 months: perform the following checks and inspections:
For liquefied gases, check the weight or use a liquid level indicator to verify the correct content of containers; replace or refill any showing a loss of more than 5%.
All of our liquid level indicators use ultrasonic sensors to identify the contents of fire suppression cylinders. Ultrasonic sensor technology or Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is a reliable, versatile and safe method for Non-Destructive-Testing (NDT). Ultrasonic waves are sound waves with frequencies above the upper limit of human hearing (above 20 kHz, or 20,000 Hz). Sound waves are mechanical waves that travel in a straight line and require a medium through which to travel. The propagation and attenuation of sound waves depend on the structure of the medium down to an atomic level; therefore, ultrasound is a useful method of studying a material’s structure and the processes occurring within it.
Whilst the highest frequency a human can hear is around 20,000 Hz, Our Portalevel® units are high-frequency ultrasound transmitters that use sound at a frequency of 1,000,000 Hz or 1 MHz. To do this, the main unit sends a strong electrical signal to the sensor (a piezoelectric crystal), which then emits a high energy pulse of ultrasound into the fire cylinder wall through what is known as the reverse piezoelectric effect.
The term ‘piezoelectricity’ has its roots in the Greek word ‘piezein’ (to press) and was discovered in 1880 by Pierre and Paul-Jacques Curie. Piezoelectricity is the appearance of an electrical potential across a crystal when it is subjected to mechanical stress and is a reversible effect. A crystal that exhibits this effect by
