A Split-Type FMICW-Based Guided Wave Radar With Multisegmental Probe for Liquid Level Measurement

Abstract

In this paper, a specially designed guided wave radar device for measuring the liquid level in the nuclear industry is proposed. A split-type design is introduced to adapt to a strong radiation environment. An L-band frequency modulated interrupted continuous wave (FMICW) radar is designed to ensure the signal-to-noise ratio of echo signal after long-distance signal transmission, which provides the isolation between transmitter and receiver of more than 60 dB using the gating technology. To overcome the shortcomings of limited installation and maintenance space, a novel coaxial waveguide probe with a multi-segmental structure is proposed and simulated. An adaptive signal processing algorithm is developed to remove false echoes and eliminate measurement fluctuations. A prototype of the proposed measurement system is fabricated and evaluated. Static and dynamic liquid level experiments are performed in an outdoor environment to assess performance and verify the effectiveness of the proposed radar. The results show that the standard deviation measurement error of the proposed radar is within 0.4 cm. The proposed system is expected to have a high potential for applications in liquid level measurement under complex conditions.