FDC1004: Using capacitive sensing for viscous furnace oil in 5 meter tall tank

Hello,

We typically do not recommend measuring conductive liquids with the FDC1004 because it discharges the sensor capacitance too quickly to be measured. For these scenarios we would recommend a FDC2214 approach which uses a resonant LC tank to determine changes in capacitance. To determine feasability you will need to build a sensor using the FDC2214EVM because measurement accuracy and resolution depends highly on the exact system being measured. We cannot easily determine feasability on the forums. You can refer to the following application note for guidance: Capacitive Sensing: Direct vs Remote Liquid Level Sensing Performance Analysis (Rev. A)

Also take a look at the material for the FDC1004 because it has a lot of insights about the sensor design and liquid level sensing:

• How to Calibrate FDC1004 for Liquid Level Sensing Applications
• Liquid Level Sensing with the Immersive Straw Approach
• Capacitive Sensing: Out-of-Phase Liquid Level Technique
• Capacitive-Based Liquid Level Sending Sensor Reference Design (Rev. A) 

Regards,

Luke