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Valsteam ADCA double window sight glass
Wed 25 Jul 2018

How does a sight glass work?

At BM Engineering Supplies, we supply a vast range of sight glasses. Industries such as food and beverage, distilling and brewing utilise sight glasses throughout their whole system and rely on them to observe liquid contained within their process. In this article, we will answer the question of how does a sight glass works and outline the types of sight glasses available. 

What is a sight glass used for?

A sight glass is a transparent tube that is used for observing the level of liquid contained within a tank or boiler. Simple sight glasses can be a plastic or glass tube connected to the bottom of the tank at one end and the top of the tank at the other. 

They come in various different styles, including:

  • Tubular sight glass: This is where the sight glass acts as a transparent tube through which the operator of a tank or boiler can observe the level of liquid contained within.
  • Circular sight glass: A circular pane of glass through which an operator can view inside a vessel.
  • Sight flow: An in-line style sight glass that allows the flow of a fluid in a pipeline to be observed.

How does a sight glass work?

Once installed, sight glasses work as a window enabling operators to observe processes inside tanks, pipes, reactors and vessels. The type of glass used in the manufacturing of sight glasses is either soda lime glass or borosilicate glass, this is due to their strength. The metals used are ordinarily a type of stainless steel, these materials are also chosen due to their strength.

What are the sight glass types?

Inoxpa 8000

The Inoxpa 8000 tubular sight glass is made of a stainless-steel frame and a glass tube. The tube becomes part of the system’s pipe, allowing an easy inspection of the product flow in the food-processing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries. The sight glass is a full-bore design with a 360º viewing angle.

Inoxpa 8057

This clamp flat sight glass consists of a glass attached by means of a clamp. These types of sight glasses are fitted to tanks to inspect the product, level and course of the process. They are widely used in the food-processing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries.

Inoxpa 8050

This Inoxpa 8050 sight glass consists of a glass fastened by means of a sanitary din union. These types of sight glasses are also fitted to tanks to enable the inspection of the product, level and course of the process. This flat sight class has a welding connection din 11850.

Valsteam ADCA DW40S

The Valsteam ADCA DW40S is a double window DW sight glass. It has been designed for monitoring the operation of a steam trap, to avoid leakage of live steam and consequently big energy losses. The Valsteam ADCA DW40S features either female screwed or flanged connections.  

Answering what is a sight glass

We hope this article has been informative in answering the questions of what is a sight glass and how does a sight glass work. For more information on sight glasses and our other products and services contact us today and one of our BM Engineering Suppliers experts will be happy to help. You can call us on 0141 762 0657 or email sales@bmengineering.co.uk.

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