SNAA266A April   2015  – November 2015 TDC1000 , TDC1000-Q1 , TDC1011 , TDC1011-Q1

 

  1.   How to Select and Mount Transducers in Ultrasonic Sensing for Level Sensing and Fluid ID
    1.     Trademarks
    2. 1 Transducer Selection
      1. 1.1 What Frequency?
      2. 1.2 What Size?
      3. 1.3 Which Piezo Material?
      4. 1.4 1 MHz Transducers for Liquid Level Sensing and Fluid Identification
    3. 2 Tank Wall Transducer Mounting
      1. 2.1 Where Does the Transducer Get Mounted?
      2. 2.2 Transmitting Through a Tank Wall
      3. 2.3 Assembly Steps
    4. 3 Required Supplies
    5. 4 Tank design modifications to accommodate transducer
    6. 5 Conclusion

1.3 Which Piezo Material?

There are several different materials offered by piezo manufactures and each have their tradeoffs. In general, they differ in sensitivity (ability to convert voltage into mechanical displacement). Here is a list of the most common materials.

  1. Barium titanate (older technology)
  2. Lead zirconate titanate or PZT is most commonly used today. For more information, the following is a good website for information on the different types of PZTs: http://www.bjultrasonic.com/ultrasonic-technical-info/piezoelectric-ceramic-technical/

It is common for a piezo manufacturer to not include information about material in their datasheets. If that is the case, it is recommended to ask the manufacturer in order to make sure that the performance would be similar to the PZT sensors that are recommended in application notes SNIA020 (Water Flow Meter) and SNAA265 (Fluid Identification and Contamination).