LS100 fuel-measurement product

The Reventec LS100 is a capacitive liquid level sensor for fuel measurement in vehicles and aircraft, made by Reventec Ltd of Salisbury, UK. It is a solid-state fuel level sensor that gives a continuous reading of the contents of a tank, and it is built to the probe length the customer specifies.

The sensor is a one-bolt probe with all control electronics in the sensor head. It measures level by capacitive sensing, has no moving parts, and works with common liquids including petrol, diesel, oil and aviation fuels, with variants for polar liquids such as water and coolant and for bio-fuels such as ethanol and methanol blends. Reventec's liquid list for ordering includes Avgas 100LL, Jet A1 and JP-8, which makes the LS100 relevant to fuel tanks of unmanned aircraft with piston or turbine engines and of hybrid-electric aircraft with a liquid-fuel generator. Each unit is calibrated at the factory in the liquid type the customer names.

The key figures concern length, accuracy and range of use. Probe length is chosen between 80 mm and 450 mm, and the maker should be contacted for longer sensors. Accuracy is offered as plus or minus 1 percent or plus or minus 0.5 percent. The standard electronics are rated from -40 degC to +125 degC, with a 150 degC option for hot oil applications. The design suits a differential tank pressure of 2 bar, and higher ratings are available. The body is aluminium 6061 T6 with a red anodised finish, and the drawing sets a general tolerance of 0.1 mm.

For integration, the LS100 has a 5-core cable in a FEP jacket for analog output, or a 7-core cable for CAN and switched output, with a standard length of 500 mm from the cable exit. The supply is 6 V to 30 V DC. The analog signal is 0 V to 5 V, calibrated by default to 0.25 V when empty and 4.75 V when full. Output options are analog, CAN, and CAN with analog; an optional low-level alarm switches when the liquid falls below a calibrated level. CAN connections need the manufacturer's CAN specification. The output can be configured with Reventec's level sensor software through an FTDI communications module available on request, and the same software can compensate for tanks of non-linear shape.

Mounting uses a single bolt hole of 4.2 mm and a radial O-ring seal. For the radial seal, the drawing calls for a 17.00 x 1.50 mm FKM O-ring and a tank aperture of 20.00 mm with a tolerance of 0.05 mm. The sensor can be fitted in any orientation, including vertical and inverted. It should sit at least 3 mm from the base of the tank, the bleed hole must be kept clear, and sensors longer than 300 mm should be supported at the probe end to avoid fatigue.

Typical applications are fuel and oil level monitoring in motorsport, automotive, off-highway, marine, rail, defence and UAV platforms, where a custom-length probe, a CAN or analog output and a compact mounting footprint are needed. Reventec states EMC certification to 461G and RTCA DO-160G for its sensor range.