Many facilities use stainless steel float balls for liquid level control for numerous industrial processes. These float balls ensure continuous measurement and control of liquid levels in tanks and other industrial containers that hold fluids. Sometimes, customers purchase stainless steel hemispheres or shells instead of fully assembled float balls as they’re more versatile and cost-effective for many applications.
Applications for Stainless Steel Hemispheres & Shells
Stainless steel is generally preferred because of its strength, corrosion resistance and buoyancy when compared to other materials used for managing liquid levels in industrial processes. For example, metals like copper also have excellent corrosion-resistant properties but cost about double that of most grades of stainless steel, while also being denser and less buoyant. Though engineered plastics are sometimes used for float balls, stainless steel has unique properties that make it useful under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions involving corrosive liquids.
For industrial facilities that require liquid level control, using stainless steel hemispheres or floats is often less costly than producing or purchasing fully assembled float balls. The reasons for this are straightforward, primarily due to the cost savings both float manufacturers and customers can glean from purchasing unassembled float balls. By removing this step in the assembly process, manufacturers save time and money, which they can then pass along to their customers.
Because of their geometries, far more stainless steel hemispheres and shells can be packaged in the same space as that used for already fabricated floats. Besides the lower shipping costs from more compact packaging of float balls made from stainless steel, hemispheres, and shells are less prone to damage than those that come preassembled. Not only does this lower shipping expenses, but it also saves storage space for manufacturers and distributors.
Selling stainless steel hemispheres or shells separately also allows manufacturers to simplify production, as float assembly often involves specialized machinery and familiarity with the application. It’s for this reason that many customers who require float balls for liquid-level management prefer to assemble stainless steel hemispheres or shells into floats, though sometimes a service provider will be hired to do so. Various applications and industries may require customized attachments or features, so it makes sense for them to purchase these as unassembled stainless steel hemispheres or floats.
Industries that use stainless steel hemispheres and shells to make floats include:
- Chemical processing: Used in assorted processes to calculate levels of corrosive fluids.
- Food processing: Measures fluids used in the production and storing of food and beverages.
- Oil and gas: Monitors liquid levels in pipelines and storage tanks.
- Transportation: Acts to shut off the flow of liquids when tanker trucks reach capacity.
- Water treatment: Employed for sewage systems and in water treatment facilities to gauge water levels.
Stainless steel hemispheres and shells thus provide a practical way to save time and money for both manufacturers and customers. These floats are useful for an array of control systems that manage liquid levels for various industrial processes. They’re used for managing levels of liquids like water, petroleum, natural gas, liquified chemicals, gasoline, or diesel fuel, controlling the timing of when pumps transport fluids while monitoring for safety.
Chemical Processing
Facilities that process and store chemicals often use chemical-resistant materials like stainless steel. Hemispheres and shells are often used to make stainless steel float balls to control liquid levels in storage tanks to make work environments safer. These float balls interact with valves, switches, sensors, and other devices to track liquid levels in chemical processing facilities.
Chemical processing applications for stainless steel floats include:
- Controlling the flow of chemical fluids between processes via pumps, valves, and other apparatus throughout a plant’s pumping system.
- Distillation processes in which chemical compounds are purified and separated to help maintain proper levels in columns used for this purpose.
- Handling corrosive substances like acids and alkalis while controlling and monitoring their levels during processing.
- Measuring and controlling liquid levels accurately in reactors, storage tanks, and other receptacles containing various chemical solutions.
- Regulating levels of reactants and other chemicals in process vessels during chemical reactions.
- Storage tanks often include floats made from stainless steel hemispheres or shells to prevent overfilling or underfilling, as well as to minimize risks from leaks or spills.
Chemical processing often involves mixing, heating, and cooling chemicals, so using materials that can handle these harsh conditions is necessary. Stainless steel hemispheres for floats are thus often used in chemical processing applications due to their buoyancy and durability, while also resisting corrosion and extreme temperatures.
Food Processing
In food processing applications, switches attached to float balls within tanks containing liquid ingredients detect changes in liquid levels, which in turn set off alarms or cause pumps to begin operating. Here, float balls made from stainless steel hemispheres or shells can play an integral role in measuring liquid ingredients during the production of foods and beverages. Acidic liquids like citrus juices or vinegar, as well as alkaline fluids such as those containing dairy, can corrode these floats. For this reason, many are made from materials that can withstand these corrosive liquids, such as stainless steel. Hemispheres and shells require thinner walls when made from corrosion-resistant steels, making them preferred for many food processing applications.
Food processing applications for stainless steel floats include:
- Blending food products together to ensure correct ingredient proportions through managing liquid levels in mixing vats.
- Controlling temperatures in tanks or other containers by managing the flow of media used to cool or heat liquid ingredients or products, with the help of switches or valves connected to the float ball.
- Conveying liquid products like gravies, sauces, or syrups in conjunction with various processes with switches or valves to prevent product spillage or overflow.
- Filtering solids from liquid ingredients or mixtures by integrating floats made from stainless steel hemispheres into filtration systems.
- Monitoring and measuring beverages, oils, sauces, water, and other fluids in real-time during food processing operations.
- Sanitation of processing equipment with clean-in-place systems, where they monitor the flow of liquid cleaning agents.
Stainless steel hemispheres and shells used for float balls help ensure safety, efficiency, and cleanliness for a variety of food processing applications.
Oil & Gas
Oil, gas and other liquid fuels depend on floats to track levels of these fluids when combined with other mechanisms, such as switches or valves. As a tank is filled or drained, once a float matches a certain level it activates a switch that in turn stops or starts the flow of fluid. Stainless steel hemispheres or shells made into float balls are often used for this purpose.
Oil and gas industry applications for stainless steel floats include:
- Acting as “pigs” in pipeline pigging operations for inspection and maintenance of pipeline interiors.
- Measuring and controlling levels of both refined and unrefined fluids, along with chemical ingredients contained within storage tanks and other containers.
- Use in systems that help separate water and other contaminants out of oil, gas and other fuels.
- Working in tandem with pressure relief valves to ensure safe operating conditions during processing and transport.
In the oil and gas industry, these stainless steel hemispheres or shells contribute to making operations within the oil and gas sector safer and more efficient by controlling and monitoring liquid levels.
Transporting Liquids
Tanker trucks that transport liquids also require float balls that can be made with stainless steel hemispheres and shells. These floats are often used when transporting chemicals, fuel, sewage, water, and other liquids. Stainless steel float balls are widely used for suction lines. Once float balls reach the top of the truck’s tank, they trigger a switch that stops the vacuum hose from continuing to draw in more liquid. While durability and strength make stainless steel a good choice for these applications, these alloys also withstand higher pressure conditions well.
Water Treatment
The treatment of water and wastewater requires considerable care. Water treatment facilities feature a series of holding tanks and other means of containment for water, along with chemicals used in water purification. Liquid level control is particularly crucial for water treatment processes that include cooling, filtering, and heating of fluids. It’s in the containers used for these purposes where stainless steel float balls are mostly used. Additionally, these float balls can be used for managing liquid levels in sludge tanks, process basins, chemical storage tanks, aerobic digesters and other containers used in water treatment.
Water treatment applications for stainless steel floats include:
- Controlling levels of air and water within tanks used for aeration so that dissolved compounds and gases can be removed from wastewater.
- Ensuring a stable supply of treated water to municipal customers by monitoring water levels precisely in basins, reservoirs, and storage tanks.
- Expediting and enhancing the sludge digestion process by controlling levels of sludge in digestion tanks.
- Incorporating floats into filtration systems to remove microbes, particulate matter, and other contaminants.
- Monitoring and maintaining water levels in sumps or wet wells at pump stations through the use of sensors or switches attached to float balls to ensure greater efficiency.
- Regulating chemicals include agents that manage pH, coagulants, disinfectants and flocculants used to precisely dose water to ensure optimal water quality.
Float balls made from stainless steel hemispheres or shells also help prevent cavitation and overflows that can result in equipment or system failure. Similar to other industries that require liquid level control, floats play an important role in the water treatment process.
Stainless Steel Hemispheres & Shells by Arthur Harris
Arthur Harris & Co. can supply a wide array of stainless steel hemispheres and shells for fabricating float balls. We make these hemispheres and shells with walls as thin as 28 gauge and diameters up to 14 inches (35.56 cm). Arthur Harris also has numerous other capabilities, which extend to CAD (computer-aided design), CAM (computer-aided manufacturing), heat treatments, metal finishing, powder coating, soldering, stamping, and welding, along with other processes and products. Contact Arthur Harris today to learn more about our stainless steel hemispheres and shells for floats and our other products or services.