Ultrasonic Liquid Level Indicator

The Portalevel® ORIGINAL is our low-cost, portable and battery powered, liquid level indicator designed to non-invasively, accurately, and reliably measure the level of fire suppression agent contained within a cylinder. The Portalevel® is suitable for most standard size cylinders containing CO2, Liquified Clean Agents and Halons.

P/N: 2290334-OR

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Overview

Low Cost Ultrasonic Level Indicator

The Portalevel® ORIGINAL provides an ideal solution for testing typical fire suppression cylinders. It utilises our trusted 7th generation technology, providing a very versatile and reliable solution. Over the years it has undergone numerous upgrade programs and the most popular unit in the range for testing standard size fire suppression cylinders. 

The Portalevel® ORIGINAL is particularly advantageous for fire servicing companies and asset owners managing their own fire suppression systems. This is because the Portalevel® ORIGINAL provides a very quick, safe and efficient method for testing fire cylinder contents. Traditionally, companies manually weigh cylinders in order to measure cylinder content, which is dangerous, time consuming and requires shutdown of the fire suppression system.  

  • User-friendly, versatile and accurate to ±1.5 mm. 
  • Calibration feature and additional power setting for increased gain.  
  • Low-cost model. 
  • Capable of testing a wide variety of fire suppression agents, such as; CO2, FM200™, NOVEC™ 1230, old Halon agents, FE-13™, FE-25™, NAF S III™ and most core Clean Agent systems. 

The Portalevel® ORIGINAL is designed to be a portable way to non-invasively locate the liquid level inside most single skinned cylinder. Our technology is suitable for many applications, but it is most widely used as a replacement to both weighing fire suppression cylinders during installation and servicing, or replacement for the fitting of internal and invasive liquid level ‘float’ devices. Once the liquid level height inside a container has been located, the agent weight can be determined using the Portasteele® CALCULATOR, which is designed to quickly convert liquid height to agent weight accounting for the cylinder size, agent type and temperature.  

Converting Liquid Level to Weight: Monitoring the liquid level in fire cylinders is a vital aspect of any fire suppression system maintenance schedule, however, understanding how the liquid level relates to the fill weight of the cylinder is equally important. Coltraco Ultrasonics offer, in conjunction with the Portalevel® range, the world’s first liquid level to agent mass calculator.  

The Portasteele® CALCULATOR calculates the agent weight of a fire suppression cylinder. It does this by using the liquid level determined by our Portalevel® range or inversely, by using the required fill level for a certain weight of suppression agent. The Portasteele® CALCULATOR is sold as a stand-alone unit on a 7’’ hand-held tablet to be used in conjunction with our Portalevel® range.  

Operating Principle 

  • An ultrasonic transducer, coated in ultrasound gel (or water) generates an ultrasonic pulse that is transmitted into the fire cylinder and is reflected back. The ultrasonic gel acts a couplant by removing any air gaps between the ultrasonic transmitter and the cylinder wall, thus allowing the transmission of ultrasound.  
  • As the wave travels throughout the cylinder, some of its energy is dissipated into the cylinder and its contents. This results in the signal returned to the transducer having decreased amplitude. Analysis of the returned signal can be used to determine if the transducer has been placed in the liquid or gas phase.  
  • The Portalevel® ORIGINAL indicates what phase the ultrasonic transducer is placed in using LEDs that illuminate in the presence of a high reading.  
  • The device is calibrated by moving the transducer up and down the cylinder whilst reading the numerical value off the display and engaging the ‘CAL’ button when in the appropriate section.

 

What's In The Box

  Portalevel® ORIGINAL Unit:main electronic unit fitted with harness points for handsfree operation.
  Handheld Ultrasonic Sensor:fitted with magnetic head to ensure perfect positioning on the cylinder wall every time.
  Ultrasonic Gel:ensures perfect connection between cylinder and sensor allowing the transfer of ultrasound into the inspection surface.
  Carrying Case:robust protective case which is ideal for transportation, storage and protection in harsh environments.
  Infrared Thermometer:used to measure cylinder surface temperature.
  Calibration Certificate:providing traceability of accuracy and documenting unit setup. 
  Operating Instructions:manual provides setup instructions and step-by-step guide for usage. Technical support is available for the lifetime of the product. 

Technical specifications

Technical Specification
Dimensions

  • Height: 110mm
  • Width: 172mm
  • Depth: 47mm
  • Weight: 420g
Sensors

TX/RS sensor with 14mm diamater magnetized head, BNC connector and 1m co-ax cable

Accuracy

+/- 1.5 mm / +/-1/16 inch

Power Supply

4 x AA (1.5V) batteries offering 10 hours operational battery life

Display

LCD Numeric Digital Display with LED Bar Graph

Operating Temperatures

–10 °C to +65 °C / 14 °F to 149 °F

Approvals

RINA Classification Society Accepted, CE

Certifications

Coltraco is UKAS ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001 registered

Warranty
  • Main unit – 3 Year Warranty
  • Sensor –  1 Year Warranty
  • Technical Support – Lifetime of the unit

See the Portalevel® ORIGINAL in action.

Frequently asked questions

The Portalevel® ORIGINAL can measure the level of a wide variety of liquids. The primary application is for checking the liquid level in fire suppression cylinders. These agents commonly include: CO2, FM200™ (standard size cylinders), NOVEC™ 1230 (standard size cylinders), Halon agents, FE-13™, FE-25™, NAF S III™ and, most core Clean Agent systems.
The Portalevel® ORIGINAL can identify the liquid level to ±1.5 mm of the actual liquid level. When using the Portasteele® CALCULATOR to convert the liquid level to agent weight, the results are accurate to within 1%.
The Portalevel® ORIGINAL is very versatile and works on a large range of cylinder sizes. We have an extensive range of products that can measure anything from 10 cm to over 15 m diameter, so get in touch to find out which unit is suitable for your application.
No, you can use any ultrasonic gel, available in most pharmacies, as well as petroleum jelly. Water will also work, but in hot environment needs very regular application.
No, unfortunately above this temperature CO2 converts into a supercritical fluid state meaning your cylinder will no longer have a liquid level to measure. We recommend testing CO2 in lower temperatures. Please, get in touch if you need recommendations for hot climate CO2 monitoring.
Yes, however, these agents are far more stable at higher temperatures that CO2, and although the liquid level will naturally rise with increased temperature it is far less than with CO2 and, therefore, can still be tested.
Yes, this unit is specifically designed to work despite the presence of a siphon tube.

Related Products

The most accurate and fast acting constants loss monitoring system of its kind. Capable of detecting a loss of agent mass to within 1% in Inert gas, CO2 and Clean Agent systems, and in addition to weigh loss, will provide accurate percentage pressure loss of Inert gas systems associated with agent contents leakage.

The PermaMass® FEATHERWEIGHT is only manufactured to bespoke requirements.

P/N: 2594650-FW

The Portasteele® CALCULATOR is the perfect partner to any of Coltraco Ultrasonics’ liquid level detectors. It allows you to convert your measured liquid level to an agent weight, precisely and accurately. These readings can then be saved and exported for future reference and traceability. 

Used in partnership with the Portalevel® Ultrasonic Level Indicator range 

P/N: CALC-007

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