Fundamentals of Pressure Measurements
Fundamentals of Pressure Measurements
Objective
To introduce several pressure measurement techniques.
Apparatus
Three different devices shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 are used in the experiment: dial manometer, pressure
transducer, manometer panel.
1. The pressure gauge unit: For experimental purposes, the unit is supplied with a Bourdon spring
manometer already screwed in.
2. The load unit: The load unit consists of several weights and a cylinder with a piston. An increase
in the load results in an increase in pressure. The load unit is connected to the pressure gauge unit
via an oil-filled line, enabling the manometer to display the increase in pressure.
1. Table-top housing 6. Connection cable
2. Manual spindle for the compensation cylinder 7. Weights holder
3. Digital display 8. Compensation cylinder
4. Cylinder with covering cap 9. On/off switch
5. Pressure transducer
Figure 2: Details of the experimental setup.
A cutaway model of pressure sensor is also available. On the cutaway model the entire arrangement, can
be seen.
The manometer panel shown in Fig. 4 includes a U-shaped manometer, a slanted manometer, and two
dial manometers. The manometer tubes have quick action connections on the ends that enable one to
connect them to each other. The test pressures are generated using a plastic syringe.
The tested manometer or pressure transducer should now indicate zero, as it is only subjected to ambient
pressure. If the cylinder is not quite filled, despite the fact that the hand wheel has been screwed in
completely, the oil should be topped up. For this purpose, unscrew the hand wheel approximately 10 - 15
mm and pour oil into the cylinder until it is totally full.
Once the zero point of the manometer or pressure transducer has been tested, the weight support is re-
inserted into the cylinder of the pressure gauge unit. The piston is then slowly lowered by unscrewing the
counterbalance cylinder until it is freely suspended. In order to avoid static friction, set the weight
support in gentle rotation. The mass of the support is 385 g. Taking into account the piston diameter of 12
mm, it is now possible to determine the increase in pressure according to the following basic equation:
(1)
,
(3)
113.1
4
3.78 (4)
0.334
113.1
Discussion
1. Why should the pressure at the bottom of the piston be the same as the value measured by the
pressure gauge?
2. What is the difference between slanted and regular U-shape manometers?
3. Can you discuss on the accuracy of different pressure sensors? Which one do you recommend?
4. Calculate the linear regression and square of the correlation coefficient ( , using the formula
and software (e.g. MS excel) and compare the results. What does mean?