UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

ME 525N 1A INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL

PLATE 1 MEASURING STATIC PRESSRE USING U-TUBE MANOMETER

SUBMITTED BY: ALVARO, TIM JOSEPH D. 20080113844 SUBMITTED TO: ENGR. DIOSDADO DOCTOR

DECEMBER 1, 2012

I.

INTRODUCTION

Pressure is the ratio of force to the area over which that force is distributed. In other words, pressure is force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. It is usually more convenient to use pressure rather than force to describe the influences upon fluid behavior. The standard unit for pressure is the Pascal, which is a Newton per square meter. The standard unit of pressure is the Pascal (Pa), equivalent to one Newton per meter squared (N/m 2 or N m -2 ). Alternatively, pressure can be measured in dyne s per centimeter squared (dyn/cm 2 or dyn cm -2 ).

Pressure can be measured using different gauges. There are types of pressure gauge, Hydrostatic gauge and Aneroid gauge. These two gauges are commonly used to accurately measure the pressure. Some example and types of these two gauges are presented below.

A. Hydrostatic Gauge - Measurements are independent of the type of gas being measured, can be designed to have a very linear calibration. They have poor dynamic response.

I. Piston An instrument for measuring high fluid pressures in which the pressure is applied to the face of a small piston that can move in a cylinder..

Figure 1: Piston Gauge

Source: us.flukecal.com

II.

Liquid Column An instrument consist of a vertical column of liquid in a tube whose ends are exposed to different pressures.

Figure 2: Liquid Column

Source: www.envcoglobal.com

III.

McLeod Gauge An instrument isolates a sample of gas and compresses it in a modified mercury manometer until the pressure is a few mmHg.

Figure 3: McLeod Gauge

Source: fscimage.fishersci.com

B. Aneroid Gauge - Are based on a metallic pressure sensing element that flexes elastically under the effect of a pressure difference across the elements.

I.

Bourdon An instrument uses the principle that a flattened tube tends to straighten or regain its circular form in cross-section when pressurized.

Figure 4: Bourdon Tube

Source: img.directindustry.com

II.

Diaphragm An instrument uses the deflection of a flexible membrane that separates regions of different pressure.

Figure 5: Diaphragm Gauge

Source: /www.marshallinstruments.com III.

Bellows An instrument intended to sense small pressures or pressure differences, or require that an absolute pressure be measured.

Figure 6: Bellows Pressure Gauge

Source: image.made-in-china.com

In Instrumentation and control process the pressure sensor are commonly used so that it can detect whether the pressure in the system are lower or higher and to get the right pressure according to their standards. A pressure sensor usually acts as a transducer; it generates a signal as a function of the pressure imposed. For the purposes of this article, such a signal is electrical. Pressure sensors are divided into five different categories as presented below:

A. Absolute Pressure Sensor - This sensor measures the pressure relative to perfect vacuum pressure.

B. Gauge Pressure Sensor - This sensor measures the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure.

C. Vacuum Pressure Sensor This sensor is used to describe that measures pressures below atmospheric pressure, showing the difference between that low pressure and atmospheric pressure.

D. Differential Pressure Sensor - This sensor measures the difference between two pressures, one connected to each side of the sensor.

E. Sealed Pressure Sensor - This sensor is similar to a gauge pressure sensor except that it measures pressure relative to some fixed pressure rather than the ambient atmospheric pressure (which varies according to the location and the weather). Pressure sensor plays an important role in instrumentation and control process. It is used for controlling and monitoring pressure system. Here are some applications of pressure sensors:

A. Altitude Sensing - This is useful in aircraft, rockets, satellites, weather balloons, and many other applications. All these applications make use of the relationship between changes in pressure relative to the altitude.

B. Pressure Sensing - This is where the measurement of interest is pressure, expressed as a force per unit area (. This is useful in weather instrumentation, aircraft, automobiles, and any other machinery that has pressure functionality implemented.

C. Flow Sensing - This is the use of pressure sensors in conjunction with the venturi effect to measure flow. Differential pressure is measured between two segments of a venturi tube that have a different aperture. A low pressure sensor is almost always required as the pressure difference is relatively small.

D. Level Depth Sensing - A pressure sensor may also be used to calculate the level of a fluid. This technique is commonly employed to measure the depth of a submerged body (such as a diver or submarine), or level of contents in a tank (such as in a water tower).

E. Leak Testing - A pressure sensor may be used to sense the decay of pressure due to a system leak. This is commonly done by either comparison to a known leak using differential pressure, or by means of utilizing the pressure sensor to measure pressure change over time.

II. APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENTS A. U tube Manometer - Used to measure pressure difference in pitot or orifices located in the airflow in air handling or ventilation system.

Figure 7: U-tube Manometer

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com

B. Fan - is a mechanical device for moving air or other gases.

Figure 8: Fan
Source: www.lulusoso.com

C. Anemometer - is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument.

Figure 9: Anemometer
Source: rinynovianty.files.wordpress.com

D. Experiment Set up

Figure 10: Experiment Set up

III. REPORT DISCUSSION

The objective of this experiment is to obtain the pressure heads. The machine consists of a blower which draws air from the surroundings and it blows the drawn air through the pipe going back to the surrounding, three manometers whose function is to measure the pressure head at each section of the pipe, a butterfly valve which can be adjusted is installed in the near end of the pipe, anemometer which can measure the velocity of wind and a ruler which can get values accurately. The wind speed on the intake and exhaust ports were not measured because there is no anemometer. The standard air velocity in a ducting system is 2000 feet per minute; this value will be used in the computation later in the error analysis. When the valve is fully open, the longer the length of the pipe, the higher the static head. As stated before, when the volume of the air is increasing, the force needed to push the air outside the pipe is also increasing thereby increasing the static head. The static head will decrease at any point of the pipe when a constriction is present. The constriction reduces the area to where the air will flow; thus, the volume of the air is decreased.

IV.

DATA AND FINDINGS

The data gathered in the experiment are presented below:

Table 1: Readings without filter in the intake

Trial 1 Point 1 Closed Half Open Trial 2 Point 1 Closed Half Open Trial 3 Point 1 Closed Half Open 51.1 51.2 50.9 50 50.1 50.1 46.7 47 47.3 Point 2 54.5 54.6 54.5 49.1 46.7 45.6 Point 3 49 51.7 52.9 51.3 51 51.3 49.9 50.1 50.1 46.6 47.1 47.2 Point 2 54.7 54.5 54.4 49.2 46.6 45.6 Point 3 49.1 51.9 53 51.4 51.2 51.1 50 50.1 50.2 46.8 47.1 47.2 Point 2 54.7 54.5 54.6 49.1 46.4 45.7 Point 3 49.3 52.1 52.9

Table 2: Average pressure heads obtained without filter Fully Close (in Manometer Fully Open (in H2O) Half-Open (in H2O) H2O) A 0.96 1.03 1.23 B 7.26 7.46 8.13 C 7.13 5.33 1.4

Table 3: Readings with filter on the intake Trial 1 Point 1 Closed Half Open Trial 2 Point 1 Closed Half Open Trial 3 Point 1 Closed Half Open 51.1 51.4 51.3 50.1 50.1 50.2 46.8 47.2 47.3 Point 2 54.9 54.5 54.3 49.4 46.7 45.5 Point 3 49 52.6 52.7 51.1 51.2 51.2 50.1 50.1 50.2 46.8 47 47.1 Point 2 54.8 54.7 54.5 49.3 46.9 45.6 Point 3 49.1 51.4 52.7 51.3 51.3 51.3 50.1 50 50.2 46.5 47.1 47.2 Point 2 54.8 54.7 54.5 49.3 46.8 45.6 Point 3 48.9 51.5 52.7

Table 4: Average pressure heads obtained with filter Fully Close (in Manometer Fully Open (in H2O) Half-Open (in H2O) H2O) A 1.06 1.23 1.06 B 8.13 7.53 8.13 C 0.4 5.27 0.4

V.

COMPUTATIONS

To get the percent error or the percent difference the formula below must be used: Equation A:

Calculated Values: To get the Static pressure head simply multiplying the total length of the duct to the value taken from the Friction loss chart. Using the formula below: Equation B:

In order to complete the calculations a friction loss chart(as shown in figure 11) must be used. In order for us to use the chart we must know the volume flow rate, the velocity of the fluid flow and the duct diameter.

Figure 11: Friction Loss Chart

Source: Air Pollution Engineering Manual, 2nd Edition

Inside Diameter of the Wind Tunnel = 82mm x 1/25.4mm = 3.23 inch Volumetric flow rate = 120cfm (When damper is fully open) Based on these data the value of the friction loss in the exhaust port of the wind tunnel 2.1 inWC per 100ft of pipe. By substituting the all values in equation B: ( ) ( )( )

After computing for the static pressure head, substitute the value to equation A to get the percent difference.

Based on the computed values, %error = 19.06%. It is because the equipment was not calibrated before starting the experiment, there are slight discrepancies in the readings. Also the fluid velocity in the pipe is only assumed. Another case is by using only the ruler in the manometer readings, the measurement is not accurate.

VI.

CONCLUSION

I therefore conclude that to minimize some error we must first calibrate the instrument materials before starting the experiment. Also its better to use the right materials for measuring values so that it will surely get the correct values/ accurate values.

REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/pressure http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pressure http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_measurement http://www.answers.com/topic/free-piston-gage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_sensor http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/u-tube-manometer-d_611.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_fan Duct Friction Loss Tables and Charts