Pressure Sensors

Pressure
• When a fluid (liquid or gas) comes into contact
with a surface, it produces a force perpendicular
to the surface. The force per unit area is called
the pressure.

• The SI unit for pressure is the Pascal (Pa) and 1 Pa

= 1 N/m2
Figure: Internet Source

• Pressure measurements is divided into three

categories:
• Absolute pressure,
• Gauge pressure, and
• Differential pressure
Pressure Types

Pressure Types

Absolute Pressure Gauge Pressure Differential Pressure

If a pressure sensor measures If the pressure transducer

The difference between the the difference between an
pressure at a particular point measures the difference
unknown pressure and local between two unknown
in a fluid and the absolute atmospheric pressure, the
zero of pressure, i.e. a pressures, neither of which is
measurement is known as atmospheric
complete vacuum. gauge pressure
Pressure Types

Figure Reference: Internet

 Pressure Measurement
Techniques

Balancing the unknown pressure Allowing the unknown pressure to

against the pressure produced by The unknown pressure is allowed
act on a known area. The resulting
a column of liquid of known to act on an elastic structure of
force is measured either directly
density known area and properties. Most
or indirectly. Normally only used
commercial pressure sensors
for calibrating other forms of
adopt this approach.
pressure sensor.

E.g. Manometers

E.g. Dead-weight Testers

Manometers
 Diaphragm Pressure Gauge
• The diaphragm pressure gauge consists of a circular WIKA Pressure Gauge
membrane, made from sheet metal, which can either
be flat or corrugated.
• The diaphragm is mechanically connected to the
transmission mechanism which will amplify the small
deflections of the diaphragm and transfer them to the
pointer.
• The process pressure is applied to the lower side of the
diaphragm, while the upper side is at atmospheric
pressure. The differential pressure arising across the
diaphragm, lifts up the diaphragm and puts the pointer
in motion.
• The deflection of the diaphragm is very small (+/- 1
mm) making it necessary to use a high-ratio multiplying
movement to rotate the pointer along the full length of
the scale.
 Diaphragm Types
• The diaphragm must be made in such a way that the
deflection is linear.
• A flat diaphragm made of metal will only be linear when
the deflection is very small.
• At larger deflections, a flat diaphragm loses its linearity
since more and more stress will occur in the diaphragm.
The diaphragm becomes increasingly stiffer due to the
growing tension, resulting in less deflection of the
diaphragm for a similar increase in pressure.
• A flexible material, such as a thin sheet of nylon, can
however serve as a flat diaphragm.
• For industrial applications, usually corrugated metal
diaphragms are being used. The corrugations ensure that
the diaphragm will be more elastic and they are arranged Image from Instrupedia.com
such that the deflection of the diaphragm is linear.
Diaphragm pressure gauge application
•Diaphragm pressure gauges are used for relative pressure as

well as for vacuum, compound and differential pressure

applications.

•Due to the presence of a diaphragm, these gauges are

extremely suitable for use on viscous media. For corrosive

gases and liquids, the diaphragm may be coated or covered

with a foil.

•Diaphragm pressure gauges for measuring differential

pressure are different from those made for the measurement

of relative or absolute pressure.

•On both sides of the membrane, there is a pressure chamber

Image from Instrupedia.com
closed off by a bellows. Each of these pressure chambers is

connected to a different pressure which creates a differential

pressure across the diaphragm.

 Bellows
• Bellows are thin-walled metallic cylinders, with
deep convolutions, of which one end is sealed and
the other end remains open. The closed end can
move freely while the open end is fixed.
• When pressure is applied to the closed end, the Bellow gauge from Techin Gauges and Instruments Pvt Ltd.

bellows will be compressed.

• The closed end will move upwards and the link,
which is the rod in between the closed end of the
bellows and the transmission mechanism, will go
up and rotate the pointer.
 Characteristics of bellows

• Compared with diaphragm, bellow gauges have the advantage of a

longer stroke length and they generate larger forces.
• The number of convolutions can vary between 5 and 20. More
convolutions means a longer stroke length and a larger measuring range.
• The diameter of the bellows determines the force that can be
transmitted to the transmission mechanism. Therefore a larger diameter
will be chosen for the measurement of very low pressures in order to
have sufficient surface area to which the measured pressure can act.
• A larger diameter also means a higher sensitivity and an improvement of
the accuracy.
Bellows Material and Deflection
• Bellows are fabricated from different materials. Each of these materials has its own specific
stiffness, which is proportional to the Young's modulus of the material, and is inversely
proportional to the outside diameter and the number of convolutions of the bellows.
• The relationship between the pressure exerted on the bellows, and its deflection is linear
and is only disrupted when the elastic limit is reached.
• The deflection can be expressed as follows:

Formula Reference: Instrupaedia.com

Bellows Working
• The bellows are used in two forms. In one arrangement, pressure is Gauge Pressure
applied to one side of the bellows and the resulting deflection is counter
balanced by a spring. This arrangement indicates the gauge pressure.

• In the second arrangement, the differential pressure is also indicated. In

this device, one pressure is applied to the inside of one sealed bellow
while the other pressure is applied to the inside of another sealed
bellow. By suitable linkage and calibration of the scale,
the pressure difference is indicated by a pointer on the scale.

• Advantages
• Its cost is moderate.
• It is able to deliver high force.
• It is adaptable for absolute and differential pressures.
• It is good to low-to moderate range. Differential Pressure

• Disadvantages
• It needs ambient temperature compensation.
• It is unsuitable for high pressures. Both the images
• The availability of construction metals is limited. are from
Instrupaedia.com
Selecting Pressure Gauge
• When choosing a pressure gauge for a specific application, several factors should be taken into
account.
• The size of the dial
• The size of the connection or port the gauge will be using
• Units of measurement that the gauge is capable of (e.g. PSI, mmHg, PA, etc.)
• Compatibility of gauge material with the operating conditions (including temperature,
corrosiveness, etc.)
• Whether the gauge should be dry or liquid filled (the latter tends to have longer life due to
shock absorption)
• One of the most important factors to consider is the pressure range of the gauge. Generally
speaking, a gauge that is able to read at least twice the amount of the expected working pressure is
selected. This provides a reasonable margin of safety for using the gauge.
• Bourdon type gauges are especially useful for medium to high pressure environments. However,
they do not work well for low pressure scenarios. Gauges which utilize bellows and diaphragm
chambers, on the other hand, are well suited to sensing low amounts of pressure and incremental
changes within them.
• For greater accuracy as well as greater speed, reliability, and durability – digital pressure gauges
should be used in place of analog devices.