ABB K-TEK AT100 Magnetostrictive Level Transmitter

Overview: Precision Level Measurement Without Recalibration

The ABB K-TEK AT100 is a high-accuracy magnetostrictive level transmitter designed for continuous liquid level and interface level measurement, providing an analog and/or digital signal for monitoring or control. Built around a patented sensor technology, the AT100 delivers level sensing resolution more than 100 times greater than a conventional reed switch type device, and is a direct-insertion, wetted transmitter suitable for almost any liquid level application, including interface measurement, compressor level, and separator level duties.

As a trusted supplier of ABB process instrumentation, Seven Star LLC sources and supplies the K-TEK AT100 level transmitter to refineries, gas processing plants, and petrochemical facilities across Oman and the wider GCC. Because the AT100 is engineered for high accuracy with no routine maintenance, Seven Star LLC helps engineering teams configure the correct probe length, float type, and protocol option for their specific tank or vessel application.

Measurement Principle

The AT100 is based upon the magnetostrictive principle: the sensing tube contains a wire that is pulsed at fixed time intervals, creating a magnetic field around the wire. The interaction of this magnetic field with the magnetic float causes a torsional stress wave to be induced in the wire, which propagates along the wire at a known velocity from the position of the magnetic float toward both ends of the wire. A patented piezo-ceramic sensing element placed in the transmitter assembly converts the received mechanical torsion into an electrical return pulse.

The microprocessor-based electronics measure the elapsed time between the start and return pulses and convert this time-of-flight measurement into a position reading proportional to the level of the float, typically output as a 4 to 20 mA signal. Because the measurement relies on the precise timing of a physical wave rather than a continuously drifting analog sensor, the AT100 is a digital transmitter with no routine calibration required, delivering high accuracy and no maintenance as two of the most common reasons customers select this technology.

Because the measurement is referenced to the position of a magnetic float rather than to any property of the liquid itself, float selection is the single most consequential configuration decision on an ABB K-TEK AT100. The float must be buoyant in the process fluid, so it is specified against the minimum expected specific gravity of that fluid; a float chosen for a heavy hydrocarbon will ride low or sink entirely in a lighter one. Interface measurement uses the same physics deliberately — a second float with a specific gravity between the two liquids rides the interface while the upper float tracks total level, allowing a single probe to report both the oil-water interface and the overall level in a separator. Dielectric constant, vapour-space composition, foam and probe coating, the variables that degrade radar and capacitance measurements, have no bearing on a magnetostrictive reading.

Engineering Design of the AT100

The AT100 supports optional ratings to 800 degrees F (427 degrees C) and 3,000 psi (207 bar), making K-TEK magnetostrictive level transmitters suitable for almost any application, from cryogenic to high-temperature process vessels. HART, Honeywell DE, and Foundation Fieldbus protocol options make the AT100 easy to connect digitally to most control systems, and re-calibration, when needed, can be performed using the module pushbuttons, a HART communicator, or a menu-driven LCD readout on units with the display option.

Explosion Proof and Intrinsically Safe approvals are available across the AT100 range, with certain option combinations (such as the F1 flexible probe or SW3 option) excluded from specific approval categories, so correct configuration selection at the ordering stage is important for hazardous-area compliance. The transmitter can also achieve SIL2 certification per IEC 61508, making it, along with the related AT200 external-mount model, one of the only magnetostrictive transmitters in the industry certified to this exacting safety standard.

Key Features

The ABB K-TEK AT100 delivers precise, low-maintenance level and interface measurement. Key characteristics include:

• Magnetostrictive sensing principle with patented piezo-ceramic sensor for high accuracy and repeatability.
• Digital transmitter design with no routine calibration required.
• Optional ratings to 800 degrees F (427 degrees C) and 3,000 psi (207 bar).
• HART, Honeywell DE, and Foundation Fieldbus protocol options for digital control system integration.
• SIL2 certification available per IEC 61508 for safety-critical level applications.
• Explosion Proof and Intrinsically Safe approval options for hazardous-area installations.
• Level sensing resolution more than 100 times greater than a conventional reed switch device.

Industrial Applications

The AT100 is deployed across refinery process vessels, gas processing separators, and petrochemical storage tanks wherever continuous, high-accuracy liquid level or interface level measurement is required, including challenging applications such as compressor level monitoring and separator interface detection. Its wide temperature and pressure rating options extend its suitability to demanding process conditions found throughout Gulf-region oil and gas infrastructure.

Seven Star LLC supports refinery instrumentation teams, gas processing operators, and petrochemical maintenance departments across Oman, Muscat, Sohar, and the broader GCC region with sourcing of ABB K-TEK level transmitters, helping projects achieve accurate, low-maintenance level measurement on their most demanding vessels.

Technical Specifications

The table below summarizes the core specifications of the ABB K-TEK AT100 Magnetostrictive Level Transmitter as supplied by Seven Star LLC.

Configuration, Product Status and Installation Notes

The AT100 is loop-powered over a two-wire 4 to 20 mA circuit for probe lengths up to 75 ft (22 m), which covers the great majority of vessel and tank applications without running separate power to the transmitter head. Probes and wetted parts are supplied in 316L stainless steel as standard, and the electronics are carried in a field-mountable housing with a replaceable electronics module, so a failed module can be exchanged on site without breaking the process seal or withdrawing the probe from the vessel. Installation practice is conventional but unforgiving of shortcuts: mount the probe vertically, leave overhead clearance equal to the full probe length so it can be withdrawn during maintenance, keep the float away from agitator wash and inlet turbulence or fit a stilling well, and route the signal pair away from motor and VFD cabling.

Buyers should also understand the product’s lifecycle position before committing to a large order. The ABB K-TEK AT100 is a K-TEK AccuTrak model; ABB’s LMT series, with the LMT100 as the insertion-mounted model, is the related range, and lifecycle status is confirmed with the manufacturer at quotation. Seven Star LLC supplies the AT100 for like-for-like replacement where an existing installation, loop configuration or documented safety case must not change, and can equally quote the current LMT100 where a new project would be better served by the current platform. Confirm probe length, process connection, float specific gravity, protocol and hazardous-area certification with our instrumentation division before the order is released, because the probe and float are manufactured to the vessel and are not field-adjustable afterwards.

AT100 Model Options and What They Change

The model code of an AT100 fixes several things that cannot be altered on site. The housing extension option sets how far the transmitter head stands above the process connection: 7.75 in (197 mm) for H0, 14.75 in (375 mm) for H1 and F1, and 24.75 in (629 mm) for H2 and H3, which keeps the electronics inside their -40 to 66 °C limit on hot vessels. Options SW1, SW2, SW3 and F1 place the sensor tube inside a stilling probe so the sensor and housing can be removed for service without breaking the vessel seal.

The F1 flexible probe is the storage-tank version, installable to a maximum of 75 ft, and its flexible tube must never be bent to a diameter below 4 ft during handling. Approval coverage depends on these options: F1 and SW3 units are approved by FM and CSA as intrinsically safe only, and the ATEX flameproof approval excludes F1 and SW3. The RI dual-compartment housing is excluded from the ATEX and IEC intrinsically safe approvals. An optional 20-point strapping table gives volumetric output for vertical, horizontal or spherical vessels.

Selection Notes for Safety and Two-Float Duty

Only AT100 transmitters with 4 to 20 mA HART electronics may be used in a safety instrumented function; Foundation Fieldbus and Honeywell DE versions are outside the SIL assessment. ABB specifies low-demand mode, proof testing every 2 years, internal diagnostics that run at a maximum interval of 15 minutes, and a safety accuracy of 2% as the basis of the failure analysis. When a unit carries two floats and an RTD, it still provides a single 4 to 20 mA output, and only the variable selected as PV counts as the safety function.

With the Honeywell DE option the transmitter runs either in DE digital mode or in a plain 4 to 20 mA analog mode with no digital communication, selected in the setup menu. Compression-fitting probes ship with Teflon ferrules for temporary use below 50 psi (3.4 bar) and 400 °F (204 °C); for higher duty or permanent installation the metal ferrules supplied in the same kit must be fitted. Field wiring should be 18 gauge twisted shielded pair, and the meter test terminals must not be used in a hazardous area.

Request a Quote for ABB K-TEK AT100 Magnetostrictive Level Transmitter

Seven Star LLC supplies the ABB K-TEK AT100 magnetostrictive level transmitter with manufacturer documentation on request. Contact our instrumentation division for a formal B2B quotation, to configure the correct probe length, float, and protocol for your vessel, or to obtain the complete technical datasheet. Seven Star LLC supplies the unit on request, with the configuration and lead time confirmed at quotation.

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