Pressure Measurement

Pressure Hydrostatic, Static & Dynamic Pressure Terms Related to Pressure Measurement Pressure Transducers Pressure Transducers Piezoelectric
ic Sensors
Pressure Measurement
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Pressure Hydrostatic, Static & Dynamic Pressure Terms Related to Pressure Measurement Pressure Transducers Pressure Transducers Piezoelectric Sensors
Pressure
Pressure is defined as the force per area.
Pressure is also the force that is exerted due to the weights of
different gases and liquids.
Force
Pressure =
Area
Pressure is can also be defined as the workdone on a gas per
volume.
F l Workdone (Nm) N
Pressure = = =
Al Volume m3 m2
2 / 31
Hydrostatic, Static & Dynamic Pressure

The pressure at a depth in a liquid is called hydrostatic
pressure.
P = h (1)
where = specific weight, N/m3 (g ) and h = depth, m
Static pressure is the fluid or gas pressure that does not move.
Dynamic pressure is the gas or fluid pressure that is obtained
when it impacts with a surface or an object due to its motion
or flow.
Other units of pressure: torr , mmHg , atm, psi, Pa.
3 / 31
Terms Related to Pressure Measurement
Six terms are applied to pressure measurements. They include:
Total Vacuum zero pressure or lack of pressure.

Vacuum pressure measurement made between total vacuum
and normal atmospheric pressure.
Atmospheric pressure pressure on the earths surface due
to the weight of the gases in the earths atmosphere and
expressed at sea level as 14.7 psi or 101.36kPa.
4 / 31
Absolute pressure pressure measured with respect to a

vacuum (psia).
Gauge pressure pressure measured with respect to
atmospheric (psig ).
Differential pressure pressure measured with respect to
another pressure (P).
Absolute pressure, Pabs = Patm + Pgauge
5 / 31
Pressure Transducers
A pressure transducer is used to convert a certain value of

pressure into its corresponding mechanical or electrical output.
Measurement of pressure is of great importance in process
industries.
Pressure sensors are differentiated according to the amount of
differential pressure they are able to measure.
6 / 31
Types of Pressure Transducers
For low differential pressure measurement, liquid column

manometers are used.
Elastic type pressure gauges are also used for pressure
measurement up to 700 MPa.
Some of the common elastic/mechanical types are:
Diaphragms
Capsules
Bellows
Bourdon Tubes
7 / 31
Manometers
Manometers are good examples of pressure measuring devices.

U-tube manometer consists of U-shaped tubes partially filled
with a liquid or liquids.
The pressure difference is a direct indication of the difference
in the heights of the liquid in the columns as shown in Figure
1a and Figure 1b.
8 / 31
U-tube Manometer
(a) U-tube manometer (b) U-tube manometer with large

seal ports
Figure 1: U-tube manometer

9 / 31
The differential pressure is given as:

P1 P2 = gh(m 1 ) (2)
where, P1 = gas pressure, P2 = atmospheric pressure, m = density
of the manometric fluid and 1 = density of fluid over the
manometer.
An enhanced version of the U-tube manometer is shown in
Figure 1b with a seal liquid over the manometer liquid to
separate the process fluid from the manometer fluid avoiding
instances of absorption, mixing or explosion. Seal pots with
large diameters are also placed for increasing the range.
10 / 31
Inclined manometer
Inclined manometers were developed to measure low pressures.
The low pressure arm is inclined so that the fluid has a longer
distance to travel than in a vertical tube for the same pressure
change.
Figure 2: Inclined Manometer

11 / 31
Sample Problem 1
An inclined tube manometer (Figure 2) consists of a vertical
cylinder 35 mm in diameter. At the bottom of the cylinder, a
tube 5 mm in diameter is connected and inclined upward at an
angle of 15o to the horizontal and the top of the tube is
connected to a gas duct. The vertical cylinder is open to the
air and the manometric fluid has a relative density of 0.785.
Determine the pressure in the gas duct if the fluid moved
50 mm along the inclined tube.
What is the error if the movement of the fluid in the vertical
cylinder is ignored.
12 / 31
Solution 1
P1 P2 = hg = g (z1 + z2 )
For a manometer where rman >> r
z2 = xsin
A1 z1 = a2 x
D 2
A1 =
4
d 2
a2 =
4
13 / 31
2
a2 d
z1 = x =x
A1 D
Since P1 is atmospheric, P1 = 0
2
d
P2 = gxsin + x
D
" 2 #
d
P2 = gx sin +
D
14 / 31
x = 50 mm = 0.05 m
" 2 #
0.005
P2 = 0.785 103 9.81 (0.05) sin15 +
0.035
N
P2 = 107.51
m2
if the movement in the large cylinder is ignored, the term (d/D)2
will disappear.
15 / 31
P1 P2 = gxsin
N
P2 = 0.785 103 9.81 0.05 sin15 = 99.66
m2
107.51 99.66
Error = 100 = 7.30%
107.51
16 / 31
Gauges
Gauges are major group of sensors that measure pressure with

respect to atmospheric pressure.
Gauge sensors are devices that change their shape when
pressure is applied. They include: diaphragms, capsules,
bellows and bourdon tubes.
17 / 31
Diaphragms
Diaphragm consists of a thin layer or film of a material
supported on a rigid frame (Figure 3).
(a) (b)
Figure 3: Diaphragms
18 / 31
Diaphragms Contd
When there is a pressure difference between the two sides, the
center of the diaphragm becomes displaced.
This movement can be monitored by some form of
displacement sensor (e.g a strain gauge), piezoelectric or
changes in capacitance Figure 4.
(a) (b)
Figure 4: Diaphragm pressure gauge (a) capacitive sensor and (b) silicon pressure
sensor 19 / 31
Capsules
Capsules are two combined diaphragms and give greater
sensitivity.
Pressure can be applied to the space between the diaphragms
forcing them apart to measure gauge pressure.
The expansion of the diaphragm can be mechanically coupled
to an indicating device.
The deflection in capsule depends on its diameter, material
thickness and elasticity. Figure 5 shows a capsule coupled with
an LVDT (Linear variable differential transformer) to give a
pressure sensor with an electrical output.
20 / 31
Capsules Contd
(a) Capsule (b) Differential capsule pressure sensor with

closed loop electronic control
Figure 5: (a) Capsule and (b) Differential capsule pressure sensor
21 / 31
Bellows
Bellows are similar to capsules except that the diaphragms are

separated by a corrugated tube or a convoluted tube.
When pressure is applied to bellows, it elongates by stretching
the convolutions.
Bellows device can be used for absolute, gauge and differential
pressure measurements.
22 / 31
Figure 6: Differential bellows pressure gauge
23 / 31
Bourdon Tubes
Bourdon tubes are hollow, flattened or oval cross-sectional
beryllium, copper or steel tubes.
The operating principle is that the outer edge of the cross
section has a larger surface that the inner portion.
When pressure is applied, it causes the deformation of the
tube. And if the tube is of a C-shaped tube, the C opens up to
some extent when pressure in the tube increases. A helical
tube gives a greater sensitivity.
With the tube anchored at one end, the tube tends to
straighten and in doing so, the free end of the tube moves.
24 / 31
Bourdon Tubes Contd

This movement can be mechanically coupled to a pointer,
which will indicate pressure or it can be coupled to a
potentiometer, which will give a resistance value proportional
to pressure as an electrical signal.
(a) Helical (b) Spiral (c) C-type

Figure 7: Bourdon tube pressure sensors
25 / 31
Piezoelectric Sensors
Piezoelectric material when stretched or compressed generate

electric charges with one face of the material becoming
positively charged and the other negatively charged.
As a result, a voltage is produced. Piezoelectric materials are
ionic crystals which when stretched or compressed result in the
charge distribution in the crystal changing so that there is a
net displacement of charge with one face of the material
becoming positively charged and the other negatively charged.
26 / 31
Piezoelectric Sensors Contd

The net charge q on the surface is proportional to the amount
x by which the charges have been displaced, and since the
displacement is proportional to the applied force F :
q = Kx = SF (3)
where K is a constant and S a constant termed the charge

sensitivity
The charge sensitivity depends on the material concerned and
the orientation of the crystals.
27 / 31
Metal electrodes are deposited on opposite faces of the

piezoelectric crystal. The capacitance C of the piezoelectric
material between the plates is:
o r A
C= (4)
t
where r is the relative permittivity of the material, o is the
permittivity of free space, A is the area and t its thickness.
28 / 31
since the charge q = C , where is the potential difference

produced across a capacitor, then
St
= F (5)
o r A
The force F is applied over the area A and so the applied
pressure p is F/A.
29 / 31
if Sv = S/o r , the voltage sensitivity factor,
= Sv tp (6)
The Voltage is proportional to the applied pressure.

Piezoelectric sensors are used for the measurement of pressure,
force and acceleration.
30 / 31
Any fool can know. The point is to understand

Albert Einstein
31 / 31

Pressure Measurement

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Pressure Hydrostatic, Static & Dynamic Pressure Terms Related to Pressure Measurement Pressure Transducers Pressure Transducers Piezoelectric

Hydrostatic, Static & Dynamic Pressure

Terms Related to Pressure Measurement

Six terms are applied to pressure measurements. They include:

Total Vacuum zero pressure or lack of pressure.

Absolute pressure pressure measured with respect to a

Absolute pressure, Pabs = Patm + Pgauge

A pressure transducer is used to convert a certain value of

Types of Pressure Transducers

For low differential pressure measurement, liquid column

Manometers are good examples of pressure measuring devices.

(a) U-tube manometer (b) U-tube manometer with large

Figure 1: U-tube manometer

The differential pressure is given as:

Figure 2: Inclined Manometer

Gauges are major group of sensors that measure pressure with

(a) Capsule (b) Differential capsule pressure sensor with

Figure 5: (a) Capsule and (b) Differential capsule pressure sensor

Bellows are similar to capsules except that the diaphragms are

Figure 6: Differential bellows pressure gauge

Bourdon Tubes Contd

(a) Helical (b) Spiral (c) C-type

Piezoelectric material when stretched or compressed generate

Piezoelectric Sensors Contd

where K is a constant and S a constant termed the charge

Piezoelectric Sensors Contd

Metal electrodes are deposited on opposite faces of the

Piezoelectric Sensors Contd

since the charge q = C , where is the potential difference

if Sv = S/o r , the voltage sensitivity factor,

The Voltage is proportional to the applied pressure.

Any fool can know. The point is to understand

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