Prove Every Cylinder Is at Full Charge — Without Weighing It
A fixed fire-suppression system is only as good as the agent left in its cylinders, and a slow leak is silent. Ultrasonic testing lets one person confirm the charge of every cylinder aboard — by liquid level, agent weight or system pressure — through the cylinder wall, in under 30 seconds, with the system still armed. SepcoTech supplies the instruments from Coltraco Ultrasonics.
Manufactured by 
· ShipServ TN 317545 · IMPA 652776
Two physics, one job: confirm the agent is there
Fixed fire-suppression cylinders sit charged for years, and nobody notices a slow loss of agent until the system is called on and falls short. Ultrasound closes that gap. For liquefied agents — CO2, FM-200®, NOVEC™ 1230 and clean agents — a sensor on the outside of the cylinder detects the gas-to-liquid line, so the Portalevel® shows whether the bottle is full; the Portasteele® Calculator then turns that level into agent weight in kilograms, the figure regulations ask for, to within 1%. For non-liquefied inert gases — Inergen®, nitrogen, argon — there is no liquid line, so the Portagas® verifies readiness by pressure instead. Together they cover every fixed gaseous set, and the method aligns with the IMO SOLAS FSS Code (Chapter 5), NFPA 2001 and ISO 14520.
Four Instruments, Every Fixed Gaseous System
Liquefied agents, hazardous-zone cylinders, the agent-weight record and inert-gas systems. Add any of them to your quote.
ABS · RINA · ULPortalevel® MAX Marine Plus
The rugged, type-approved liquid-level indicator for fleet-wide CO2 and clean-agent checks — reading banked cylinders up to four deep with the extension rod, and through siphon tubes.
Key specifications ⌄
| Approvals | ABS Type Approval · RINA · UL Listed |
| Transducer | 1 MHz |
| Accuracy | ±1.5 mm (±1% with Portasteele) |
| Agents | CO2, FM-200, NOVEC 1230, Halon, FE-13/FE-25, NAF S III |
| Ingress / check time | IP65 · < 30 s per cylinder |
| IMPA | 652776 |
ATEX / IECExPortalevel® IS
The intrinsically safe Portalevel for explosive-atmosphere work — gas carriers, tankers, offshore and fuel/gas areas — certified for ATEX and IECEx Zone 1 and Zone 2, with no Hot Work Permit needed to test.
Key specifications ⌄
| ATEX | II 2 G Ex ib IIA T4 Gb |
| IECEx | Ex ib IIA T4 Gb |
| Agents | CO2, FM-200, NOVEC 1230 & other liquefied agents |
| Accuracy | ±1.5 mm of true level |
| Dimensions / weight | 215 × 82 × 30 mm · 480 g |
| Power | 4× Energizer L91 AA (Ex-rated) |
Agent WeightPortasteele® Calculator
A 7" tablet that turns a Portalevel liquid-level reading into agent weight in kilograms — temperature- and density-corrected — to within 1% of true agent weight, checked against the cylinder's fill weight, with no weighing.
Key specifications ⌄
| Output | Agent weight in kg (from level + cylinder data) |
| Accuracy | ±1% of true agent weight (with a Portalevel) |
| Correction | Temperature & density compensated |
| Platform / ingress | 7" Android tablet · IP67 |
Inert GasPortagas®
For inert-gas systems where there is no liquid line to read, Portagas® confirms readiness by pressure — acoustically, temperature-corrected — for Inergen, nitrogen, oxygen and argon.
Key specifications ⌄
| Measures | Internal cylinder pressure (non-invasive) |
| Gases | Inergen, nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), argon |
| Method | Acoustic + temperature-corrected IR thermometer |
| Precision | Better than the 5% required by standards |
| Compliance | NFPA 2001 · ISO 14520 |
Match the instrument to the system
Start from the agent in your cylinders, not from the product name.
| System / agent | What you measure | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| CO2, FM-200, NOVEC 1230, Halon (liquefied) | Liquid level → agent weight | Portalevel® MAX Marine Plus + Portasteele® |
| Cylinders in an ATEX / hazardous zone | Liquid level (intrinsically safe) | Portalevel® IS |
| Inergen, nitrogen, argon (inert / non-liquefied) | Cylinder pressure | Portagas® |
Checking a Cylinder, Step by Step
A single operator can verify a cylinder's charge in well under a minute — no removal, no weighing, no discharge.
Place the sensor
Apply ultrasonic couplant and hold the sensor against the outside of the cylinder wall.
Read level or pressure
Portalevel shows the liquid line in under 30 seconds; for inert gas, Portagas reads the pressure against a known baseline.
Reach banked rows
The extension rod lets the Portalevel read cylinders stacked several rows deep, and through siphon tubes.
Get the weight
Enter the level into the Portasteele Calculator for agent weight in kg — checked against the fill weight stamped on the cylinder.
The intervals the rules actually set
The short version. The full guide covers SOLAS II-2, the FSS Code, the IMO circulars and the clean-agent regime in detail.
| Interval | What falls due | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Every 6 months | Clean-agent container check (FM-200 / NOVEC 1230); investigate any cylinder off by more than ~5% | NFPA 2001 · ISO 14520 |
| Annually / at survey | Full system inspection — cylinders, valves, pipework, actuation, alarms | MSC.1/Circ.1432 (as amended by .1516) |
| Biennially | CO2 contents verification — confirm every cylinder holds >90% of nominal charge | MSC.1/Circ.1318/Rev.1 |
| Every 5 years | Internal inspection of control valves | MSC.1/Circ.1318/Rev.1 |
| Every 10 years | Hydrostatic test and internal inspection of high-pressure cylinders | MSC.1/Circ.1318/Rev.1 |
The spaces these cylinders stand guard over
Engine rooms, machinery spaces, magazines and vehicle decks are protected by fixed gaseous systems that have to work the instant they're called on. Ultrasonic testing lets a crew prove the agent is there — on a routine, without ever taking the protection offline.
Reading a Cylinder, Demonstrated
Footage published by Coltraco Ultrasonics — liquid-level checking and inert-gas pressure monitoring.
Order via ShipServ & IMPA
ShipServ
SepcoTech TradeNet — TN 317545
The Portalevel® range is listed in the IMPA Marine Stores Guide under IMPA 652776. Quote that code against TN 317545 on ShipServ, or add the instruments to your quote above. Portasteele®, Portalevel® IS and Portagas® references are confirmed at quotation.
Fire-Suppression Testing — FAQ
Questions about intervals and the regulations are answered in the servicing-intervals guide.
Which fire-suppression agents can be checked?
Do I have to remove or weigh the cylinders?
What is the difference between level, weight and pressure?
Can it be used in an ATEX / hazardous zone?
Can I order through ShipServ?
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· +45 6916 2400 · ShipServ TN 317545
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