Jerguson® Armored Level Glass Gages on a separator at a lithium recovery plant in SoCal

One of our Jerguson® Armored Level Glass Gages is in service on a separator at a plant in Southern California where lithium recovery is being evaluated. As industries — the auto industry in particular — continue to shift toward electrification, demand for domestically produced lithium is growing, and geothermal brine recovery is one of the pathways being developed to meet it.

Why Lithium Recovery Needs Level Instrumentation

Lithium extraction from geothermal brine involves separating lithium-rich fluid from geothermal steam and other process streams at various stages of the recovery process. Separators are a key piece of equipment in this process — vessels where different phases of fluid are allowed to settle and be drawn off separately.

Accurate level indication on these separators matters for the same fundamental reasons it matters in any separator application: operators need to know the liquid level to control the process correctly, prevent carryover between phases, and avoid running the vessel dry or overfull.

Why Armored Glass Gages for This Application

Handling Challenging Process Fluids

Geothermal brine used in lithium recovery is typically hot, high in mineral content, and can be chemically aggressive. This is exactly the kind of demanding service where armored glass gage design earns its value — the metal armor housing protects the glass from process pressure and mechanical stress, while glass or mica-protected components manage the fluid-facing side of the equation.

Direct Visual Verification

In a developing or evaluation-phase recovery process, having reliable direct visual confirmation of separator level is valuable — operators and process engineers can see exactly what's happening in the vessel as the extraction process is refined and optimized.

Durability in Continuous Operation

Lithium recovery facilities, like other continuous process operations, need instrumentation that holds up to sustained service without frequent replacement. The armored gage design — with its repairable, re-millable gage body — supports this kind of long-term reliability (see our related article on typical service life of armored glass gages).

The Broader Lithium & Geothermal Opportunity

As the lithium supply chain continues to develop domestically, particularly to support electric vehicle battery production, more facilities are likely to explore geothermal brine recovery and similar extraction methods. Each of these processes relies on the same fundamental need: reliable, accurate level indication across separators, tanks, and process vessels handling demanding, often corrosive fluids.

Clark-Reliance supports these emerging applications with level indication and control instrumentation across the full range of geothermal and lithium recovery process needs.

Applications in Emerging Energy & Materials Processing

• Geothermal Brine Processing: Separator and process vessel level indication

• Lithium Extraction: Direct evaporation, adsorption, and membrane-based recovery processes

• Battery Materials Supply Chain: Supporting instrumentation for evolving extraction and processing technologies

• General Chemical Separation: Any application requiring reliable level indication in aggressive process fluids

Learn More

If your facility is evaluating or developing lithium recovery, geothermal processing, or similar emerging extraction technologies, Clark-Reliance can help specify level indication equipment suited to your specific process fluid and operating conditions.

📧 sales@clark-reliance.com📞 +1 (440) 572-1500