PRESSURE MEASUREMENT
PRESSURE MEASUREMENT: (07 hours)
Definition of pressure, Units, Types of pressure measurement devices, Manometers,
Dead weight tester, Bourdon tube pressure gauge, Diaphragms and bellows, Low
pressure measurement, Mcleod gauge, Pirani thermal conductivity gauge, Knudsen
gauge, Ionization gauge, Piezo electric transducer Selection of pressure measuring
devices for specific applications, Calibration of pressure measuring devices.
PRESSURE
Pressure is the force exerted by a medium, usually a
fluid, on a unit area. Measuring devices usually register
a differential pressure—gauge pressure. Pressure is also
defined as the force exerted over a unit area. Force may
be exerted by liquids, gases, and solids.
Pressure (P) = Force (F)/Area (A)
The following are the units and conversion factors that are normally used:
1. 1 Pa = 1 N/m2
2. 1 atm = 760 mmHg = 1.013 × 105 Pa
3. 1 mmHg = 1 Torr
4. 1 Torr = 1.316 × 10−3 atm = 133.3 Pa
5. 1 bar = 105 N/m2
Pressure Measurement Scales
1. Gauge pressure is measured above the local atmospheric pressure.
2. Total absolute pressure is the total pressure measured from zero pressure as the datum
point. When the absolute pressure exceeds the local atmospheric pressure, it may be
considered to be the sum of the gauge pressure and the local atmospheric pressure. Total
pressure is the sum of atmospheric pressure and gauge pressure.
Total absolute pressure = Atmospheric pressure + Gauge pressure
3. When the pressure to be measured is less than the local atmospheric pressure, it is called
vacuum pressure. In other words, when the gauge pressure is negative, it is termed as
vacuum. Vacuum is defined by the following relation:
Vacuum = Atmospheric pressure − Absolute pressure
4. Absolute pressure is measured above total vacuum or zero absolute. Zero absolute
represents total lack of pressure.
STATIC, STAGNATION AND DYNAMIC PRESSURES
In this equation p is called static pressure, because it is the pressure
that would be measured by an instrument that is static with respect to
the fluid. Of course, if the instrument were static with respect to
flowing fluid, it would have move along with the fluid.
When a flowing fluid is decelerated to zero speed by a frictionless
process, the pressure measured at that point is called stagnation
pressure.
In incompressible flow, applying Bernoulli equation between points in the
free stream and at the nose of tube and taking z = 0 at the tube centerline, we
get
Pressure range and instrumentation
Range of pressure Instrumentation
Below 1 mmHg Manometers and low-pressure gauges
Between 1 mmHg and 1000 atm Bourdon tube, diaphragm gauge,
bellow pressure gauge, and
dead-weight pressure gauge
Vacuum (760–10−9 Torr) McLeod gauge, thermal conductivity,
and ionization gauge
High pressure (1000 atm and above) Bridgman gauge, electrical resistance-
type, Bourdon tube
Variable pressure measurements Engine indicator, cathode ray
oscilloscope
Classification of Pressure Measuring Devices
1. Gravitation-type manometers
2. Mechanical displacement-type manometers:
(a) Ring balance
(b) Bell type
3. Elastic pressure transducers:
(a) Bourdon tube pressure gauges
(b) Diaphragm-type gauges
(c) Bellow gauges
4. Electrical pressure transducers:
(a) Resistance-type pressure transducer
(b) Potentiometer devices
(c) Inductive-type transducer
(d) Capacitive-type transducer
(e) Piezoelectric pressure transducer
(f) Bridgman gauges
6. Low-pressure measurement gauges:
(a) McLeod gauges
(b) Pirani or thermal conductivity gauges
(c) Ionization gauges
7. Engine indicator (for varying pressure measurements)
Manometers for Pressure Measurement
Manometers have been extensively employed for the measurement of
differential pressure.
Industrial U Tube Manometer
An improved U tube manometer is used for the measurement of high
pressures for industrial purposes. This type of manometer consists of two
limbs, often made of steel, where one limb is of a much larger diameter
than the other.
Manometer
In these types of manometers, a narrow tube is directly inserted into the wide limb.
P1 − P2 = r g (h + d)
We know that
A1d = A2h and therefore
d =(A2/A1)h
Hence, the following equation is obtained:
P1 − P2 = rgh (1 +A2/A1)
If the ratio of the areas of narrow
and wide tubes, that is,
A2/A1, is very small,
it can be neglected.
Then, P1 − P2 = rgh.
Hence, it can be concluded that the differential pressure
may be measured by measuring the
rise in the narrow tube directly
Inclined Tube Manometer
An inclined tube manometer comprises two limbs. One of the limbs is a
narrow glass tube that is inclined at an angle θ to the horizontal. The other
limb is a cistern, which is of a wider cross section.
We have the following equation:
P1 − P2 = r g (d + x sin θ)
In addition,
A1d = A2x;
therefore, d =(A2/A1)x
P1 − P2 = r gx [(A2/A1)+ sin θ ]
If the ratio of the areas of narrow and wide
tube, that is, A2/ A1 , is very small, it can be
neglected.
Hence, P1 − P2 = rgx sin θ.
The inclined tube manometer is an
improvement of the conventional U tube
manometer.
For the same differential pressure, the inclined
tube manometer provides an increased length
of scale compared with a simple U tube
manometer.