Sensors

Pressure and level

 Most Common industrial sensors:

Pressure
Flow
Temperature
Level

Pressure
1. Absolute pressure
zero referenced against a perfect
vacuum.
it is equal to gauge pressure plus
atmospheric pressure
Absolute Pressure (psia) = Gauge
Pressure + Atmospheric Pressure
Absolute pressure = gauge
pressure + 14.7 psi

2. Gauge pressure
zero referenced against ambient air pressure.
It is equal to absolute pressure minus
atmospheric pressure
Gauge Pressure (psig) = Absolute
Pressure - Atmospheric Pressure
Gauge pressure = absolute pressure 14.7 psi

0 psig = 14.7 psia

3. Differential pressure
The difference in pressure between two
points

Engineering units = Pa, psi, bar,

kg/cm2, mmH2O, inH2O

Figure 1

1.

what is the reading of the pressure in figure 1?

in psig
in psia

2. What is the absolute pressure in the vacuum?

3. What is the gauge pressure in the vacuum?

0 psia

0 psi
vacuum

0 psig

14.7 psi
atmosphe
ric

Pressure sensors

Pressure sensor
Pressure gauge:
a self-contained indicator that converts
the detected process pressure into the
mechanical motion of pointer.

Bourdon tube
most common pressure sensor

Appendix C page C-1

A piece of tubing in the

form of horseshoe
One end sealed and the
other connected to the
pressure source
The cross section of the
tube is elliptical or flat, so
the tube tend to straighten
when pressure is applied.
Returns to its original form
when pressure is released.
Amount of the tube
straighten proportional to
the applied pressure.
If the open end of the
tubing is fixed, the close
end is connected to the
pointer to indicate pressure
/ transmitter to generate
signal

 Pressure range measured by the

Bourdon
Depends on
Wall thickness
Material of tubing

Bellows
-Looks like a corrugated
capsule
-Made up by elastic material

stainless steel or
brass
-When pressure increase,
the bellows expands
--when pressure decrease,
the bellows contracts.
-Amount of expansion and
contraction is proportional
to the applied pressure.

 Stainless steel bellows

Diaphragm sensor
Diaphragm sensor
Similar to the bellows
Pressure increase, the center of
diaphragm moves away from the
pressure.
The amount of motion is proportional to
the applied pressure

Level sensortransmitter

Level Sensor
-3 most important level sensors
Differential pressure
Float
Air bubbler sensors

 Differential pressure method

-Sensing the difference in
pressure between the
pressure at the bottom of a
liquid and above the liquid
level.
-The differential pressure is
caused by the hydrostatic
head developed by the
liquid level.
-The side that senses the
pressure at the bottom
high pressure side
-The side that senses the
pressure above is the low
pressure side.
-From The differential

-If vapor above the liquid

level are noncondensable
wet leg can be empty
-If vapor tend to condense
wet leg must be filled with
suitable seal liquid

Float sensor
-Detect the change in
buoyant force on a body
immersed in the liquid.
-The force required to keep
the float in place, which is
proportional to the liquid
level, then converted to a
signal by transmitter.
-Major disadvantage
-Unable to change their
zero and span

Bubbler sensor
-One

type of hydrostatic
pressure sensor
-Consist of air or inert gas
pipe
immersed in the liquid.
-The air / inert gas flow
through the pipe is
regulated
to produce continuous
stream
of bubbles.
- The pressure required to
produce this continuous