PRESSURE

MEASUREMENT
PART II of III
ER. FARUK BIN POYEN, Asst. Professor
DEPT. OF AEIE, UIT, BU, BURDWAN, WB, INDIA
faruk.poyen@gmail.com
Contents: 2
1. Elastic Pressure Transducer:
C type Bourdon Tube
Diaphragm Pressure Transducers
Bellows

2. Measuring Vacuum Method:

Capsule Gauge
Mc Leod Gauge
Thermal Conductivity Gauge
Pirani Gauge
Thermocouple gauge
Ionization Gauge
Knudsen Gauge
 3
Bourdon Tube
Elastic type Transducer
Range: 100,000 psi (700 MPa)
Cross-sectional tubing when
deformed in any way will tend to
regain its circular form under the
action of pressure.
C type Bourdon tube: 27 .
Commonly used materials:
phosphor-bronze, silicon-bronze,
beryllium-copper, inconel, and
other C-Cr-Ni-Mo alloys
C type, Helix type or spiral type.
Bourdon Tube
 4
Principle:
As the fluid pressure enters the bourdon tube, it tries to be reformed and
because of a free tip available, this action causes the tip to travel in free
space and the tube unwinds. The simultaneous actions of bending and
tension due to the internal pressure make a non-linear movement of the free
tip. This travel is suitable guided and amplified for the measurement of the
internal pressure.
 5
Spiral Low range 10 100kpa
C type Medium range 100 5000kpa
Helical High range 5000 20000kpa

Advantages of Bourdon Tube

Low cost
Simple construction
Wide variety of ranges
High accuracy

Disadvantages of Bourdon Tube

Low spring gradient
Susceptible to shock and vibration
Susceptible to hysteresis
 6
Diaphragm
Low pressure measurement.
Non metallic, metallic.
Non metallic (slack diaphragm) has no
elastic characteristics.
Make: Polythene, neoprene, silk, synthetic
material.
Metallic has good spring characteristics.
Materials used: phosphor-bronze, silicon-
bronze, beryllium-copper, inconel, and
other C-Cr-Ni-Mo alloys.
Range: 50 Pa 0.1 MPa
Diaphragm Pressure Transducer
 7
Diaphragm Type Transducer
Working Principle: 8
When a force acts against a thin stretched diaphragm, it causes a deflection
of the diaphragm with its centre deflecting the most.
Since the elastic limit has to be maintained, the deflection of the diaphragm
must be kept in a restricted manner.
This can be done by cascading many diaphragm capsules.
A main capsule is designed by joining two diaphragms at the periphery.
A pressure inlet line is provided at the central position.
When the pressure enters the capsule, the deflection will be the sum of
deflections of all the individual capsules.
 9

Corrugated Design and amount of deflection

Depends on following FACTORS:
*Number and depth of corrugation
*Number of capsules
*Capsule diameter
*Shell thickness
*Material characteristics
 10

Advantages Disadvantages
Moderate cost Affected by vibration and shock
High over range character istics Maintenance is difficult
Adaptable to absolute and differential Limited to relatively low pressure
pressure measurement
Good linearity
Available in materials which are good
corrosion resistive
Small in size
Adaptable to slurry services
Bellows Same principle as Diaphragm 11
Made of cascaded capsules.
Multiple individual diaphragms are
fastened together.
One piece expansible, collapsible, axially
flexible.
Range: 0.2 to 1 kg/sq cm.
Carbon steel. Phosper bronze, Silicon
bronze, Beryllium copper, Trumpet brass.
Many convolutions or folds.
Thin metal into
Turned into from solid stock of metal.
Soldered or welded stamped annular rings.
Rolled tube
By hydraulically forming a drawn tubing. Bellow Type Pressure Gauge
 12

Advantages Disadvantages
Moderate cost Ambient temperature
Able to deliver high force compensation required
Unsuitable for high pressure
Adaptable for absolute and
differential pressure
Good in low to moderate
pressure range
Measuring Vacuum Method
MEASUREMENT BELOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. 10-3 - 10-9 TORR .
MECHANICAL TYPE MC LEAD GAUGE,
THERMAL TYPE PIRANI GAUGE & THERMOCOUPLE,
IONIZATION TYPE HOT CATHODE & COLD CATHODE,
RADIATION VACUUM GAUGE ALPHATRON, QUARTZ REFERENCE
 14
Mc Lead Gauge
Vacuum Gauge with same principle as
manometer.
Range: 10-4 Torr
Multiple compression technique.

2
= (1 2 )

V- Volume of the bulb

dp2 /dt Pressure Gradient in time
between the two elements
K Flow conductance in the capillary.
McLeod Gauge
Working Principle
The gauge is used to compress a small quantity of low pressure gas to produce a
readable large pressure.
The mcleod gauge is independent of gas composition.
Bulb b of the gauge is attached to capillary aa.
The mercury level in the gauge is lowered up to l1 by lowering the reservoir, thereby
allowing a little process fluid to enter b.
By raising the reservoir, the gas is now compressed in the capillary aa till mercury
rises to the zero mark in the side tube and capillary bb. The capillary bb is required
to avoid any error due to capillary.
 16
Pirani Gauge
Fine wire of tungsten or platinum
0.02 cm in diameter.
Temperature range: (7-400) Celsius
Heating Current: 10 100 mA.
Range: 10-3 Torr to 1 Torr.

Pirani Gauge
Working Principle
When the pressure changes, there will be a change in current. For this,
the voltage V has to be kept constant.
The resistance R2 of the gauge is measured, by keeping the gauge
current constant.
The null balance of the bridge circuit is maintained by adjusting the
voltage or current.
An additional reference gauge can also be used in the adjacent arm of
another pirani gauge, in the bridge circuit.
 18
Thermocouple Vacuum Gauge

Similar to pirani gauge.

Hot wire temperature measured
by thermocouple.
The sensitivity of such an
instrument depends on the
pressure and the wire current.

Thermocouple Vacuum Gauge

Working Principle
Two sets of thermocouples are used to measure temperatures of heater wires
in the two chambers and oppose each other.
When there is a difference in pressures, there occurs an unbalance which is
measured by a potentiometer circuit.
Instead of a single thermocouple per wire, a thermopile is often chosen to
increase sensitivity.
Ionization Gauge Hot Cathode Type 20
A column of gas is introduced into which, a potential difference V is applied with free
electron in the space. This causes the electron with a charge e to acquire a kinetic energy Ve.
If the pressure range of the gas in the column goes below a certain limit, called the critical
pressure, then corresponding to a voltage larger than the critical voltage Vc, the energy Ve
may be high enough to initiate ionization, and positive ions will be produced when the
electrons collide with the gas molecules.
The value of Vc is smallest for Cesium (3.88V) and largest for helium (24.58V), among
monoatomic gases or vapours. For diatomic gases like N2, H2 and so on, it is roughly about
15V. This is known as the ionization potential and at this potential the pressure is also
important.
At very low pressures, during the intervals of time for transit from the cathode to the plate
in a vacuum chamber, more than one collision is unlikely for an electron. Then for a fixed
accelerating potential V>Vc, the number of positive ions formed would vary linearly with
the value of pressure. Thus, a determination of the rate of production of positive ions for a
given electron current should give a measure of the pressure.
Range: 10-8 to 10-3 Torr. Output current varying between 10-9 and 10-4 A.
 21
External Type Hot Ionisation Gauge
Hot cathode type ionization gauge consists of a
basic vacuum triode.
The grid is at a large +ve potential wrt the
cathode and the plate.
The plate is at a -ve potential wrt the cathode.
This method is known as the external control
type ionization gauge as the +ve ion collector is
external to the electron collector grid with
reference to the cathode.
The +ve ions available between the grid and the
cathode will be drawn by the cathode, and those External Type Ionisation Gauge
between the grid and the plate will be collected
by the plate.
Internal Type Hot Ionisation Gauge 22
Here the grid is the positive ion collector and the plate is the electron
collector.
It consists of a helical grid with a potential of +150 volts.
This huge potential attracts the electrons and thus causes gas ionization.
At -30 volts, the gas ions are attracted to the central ion collector, thus producing an ion
current of 100 mA/Torr.
At extreme high temperature and low pressure,
High current is passed through electrodes to
stop increase of pressure.
Internal control type is a better option to measure
pressure as low as 10-9 Torr.

Internal Type Ionisation Gauge

Ionization Gauge Cold
23
Cathode Type
Device consists of two cathodes and a hollow
anode in between.
Input voltage greater than 2 Kilovolt is applied
between them.
A strong magnetic field is produced due to the
applied voltage and thus the electrons are ejected.
At pressures below 10-2 Torr, the mean free path of
the gas is so large that a collision may not occur at
all so that discharge is not sustained or ionization
may not be initiated.
Collimating magnetic field increases the path
length for the electrons, enabling discharges
possible at pressures down to about 10-5 Torr. Ionization Gauge Cold Cathode

Non linear.
Alphatron Vacuum Gauge: 24
radiation gauge

Cold Cathode Ionzation Gauge.

Uses alpha particle to ionize the gas.
Number of ions directly proportional to gas
pressure.
Range: 103 to 10-3 Torr.
Current flow: 10-13 and 10-9 Amperes
Ions produced by the alpha particles are
collected by the collector electrode
Alphatron Vacuum Gauge
 25
Quartz Reference Vacuum Gauge

Principle similar to Bourdon tube.

2 bourdon tubes are used and a
formed into a helix.
When a pressure difference between
the two occurs, the setup begins to
rotate.
This rotational deflection is picked up
using an optical circuit .
Quartz is that it has good spring
characteristics.
Range: 1 milliTorr for 100 milliTorr . Reference Quartz Vacuum Gauge
Gets eroded by fluorine content
 26

Chapter 12: Pressure Measurement, Industrial Instrumentation and Control by S K

Singh. Tata McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition. 2009, New Delhi. ISBN-13: 978-0-07-026222-
5.
Chapter 10: Pressure Measurement, Instrumentation, Measurement and Analysis.
2nd Edition, B C Nakra, K K Chaudhry, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, 2005. ISBN:
0-07-048296-9.
Chapter 6: Pressure Sensors, Fundamentals of Industrial Instrumentation, 1st
Edition, Alok Barua, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, 2011. ISBN: 978-81-265-
2882-0.
Chapter 3: Pressure Measurement, Principles of Industrial Instrumentation, 2nd
Edition. D. Patranabis, Tata McGaw-Hill, New Delhi, 2004. ISBN: 0-07-462334-6.