How to calibrate a pressure gauge using a

Pressure Comparator or Pressure Calibrator

Principles and practical tips about electrical, flow, pressure,
RF and temperature calibration

Presenter: Tim Francis, Fluke Calibration

 Agenda
• The Basics – The physics behind Pressure Measurement
– Pressure defined
– Laws of Physics
• The calibration process
– Steps to Include
– Technique
• Equipment Selection
– Calibration media…gas, oil, or water?
– Specifications…is this accurate enough
– Comparators versus deadweight testers
– Example Equipment
 Pressure Definition
• Pressure (P) is the measure of force
(F) exerted over an area (A)

P = F/A F

F
A
F
 Hydrostatic Pressure
• When calibration Pressure Gauges, we are
specifically interested in Hydrostatic Pressure
– Hydro – The media is a fluid (gas or liquid)
– Static – The pressure is stable and not changing
 Some Physical Principals

• Calculating head pressure

– Absolute pressure head calculation.

P   fluid  g l  h
TEST GAUGE

– Where
• ρ fluid = density of the media
• gl = local gravity
• h = difference in height

Reference
 Does Head Pressure matter?
• When using liquid, 1 inch = approximately 0.3
psi
– If calibrating a 100 psi, 0.25% gauge, then 1 inch is
greater than the specification, so yes.
– If calibrating a 10,000 psi, 0.25% gauge, then 1
inch is one one-hundredth of the specification, so
no.
• When using gas, 1 inch = 0.0003% reading.
Small height differences normally don’t affect
the measurement
 Some Physical Principals
• Pascal’s Principal
– In a fluid at rest in a closed container a pressure
change in one part is transmitted without loss to
every portion of the fluid and to the walls of the
container.
– This is what pressure metrologists depend on when
comparing instruments such as a reference and
UUT.
– The time it takes for Pascal’s principal to take affect
can be compromised with improper tubing size.
 Some Physical Principals

• Ideal gas law – R is the universal gas constant

– Pressure is absolute.
PV  nRT
• Re-arranged for pressure – use as an
evaluation tool.
nRT
P
V
 Adiabatic Effects
• As pressure increases, temperature also
increases
• When the pressure change stops, the
temperature slowly returns to ambient
• As the temperature decreases, the pressure
also decreases
• You chase a pressure leak that doesn’t exist.
The Calibration Process
Calibration Process Considerations
What actions need to be considered when performing a
pressure calibration?
• Pre-test actions
– Clean the DUT
– Leak Test
– Exercise the DUT
• During the test
– Dwell Time
– Cardinal Point versus Nominal Point
– Dithering
• Post-test actions
– Clean the DUT
 DUT Cleanliness

Is it important to clean your test instruments?

Why? What are the consequences?

• Contaminate the pressure medium

But why is that bad?

• Contaminate the reference

• Cause errors (fluid head and restrictions)
• Contaminate future test instruments.
 DUT Cleanliness

What are some ways to clean a test instrument?

• Disassemble the test...

Not always practical or possible. Could damage
test.
• Purge through the test...
Seldom possible. Difficult/risky to modify the
test.
• Fill and drain using a solvent...
Most logical choice but many different
techniques.
 Leaks
• Leaks can potentially result in measurement
errors
• Can slow down the process
• To check: Go to the Device Under Test’s full scale
pressure. Wait for a period of time (adiabatic
effects), then measure the pressure drop over a
given period of time (~ 1 min)
• Acceptable leak rate will depend upon volume of
the system and accuracy requirements. No set
rule.
• 100% leak free systems are like unicorns
 Exercising the DUT/Reference
• Some pressure measurement devices are impacted by
recent usage – they have a memory
• Always want your calibration process to mimic the actual
usage of the device
• Applying pressure causes the elastic element of the gauge
to behave like in normal usage
• Cycle full scale pressure (commonly 3 times)
Calibration Process Considerations
What actions need to be considered when performing a
pressure calibration?
• Pre-test actions
– Clean the DUT
– Leak Test
– Exercise the DUT
• During the test
– Dwell Time
– Cardinal Point versus Nominal Point
– Dithering
• Post-test actions
– Clean the DUT
 Dwell Time
• Change the pressure and wait…but for how long?
• Some devices respond faster than other devices
• Equipment may impact dwell time – restrictive tubing
may increase dwell time
• Wait long enough to insure that the pressure has
stabilized (adiabatic effects) and both the DUT and the
reference are properly reading the pressure
• Usually at least 30 seconds, may be longer
 How stable is stable?
• Pressure is impacted by changes in volume,
temperature, and leaks. It’s difficult to get
perfectly stable.
• Must be sufficiently stable that the operator
can determine the pressure reading
• Resolution – Extra digits on the reference can
kill you
 Cardinal Point Calibration
• Technique used to insure best resolution and take
out some of the operator influence.
• Consider case where you are calibrating a
traditional analog dial gauge using a digital
reference gauge as the reference standard.
• If the dial gauge pointer is between two lines, it
can be difficult to interpolate the pressure value
• Adjust the pressure until the analog dial gauge is
on the cardinal point and then read the output
off of the digital gauge.
 Dithering
• Dithering – Tapping on a mechanical gauge
• Goal – Release any friction that could be holding
mechanical components in place and keeping it from
reading properly
• When should you do it? When it’s reasonable to assume
that the gauge is dithered during its normal operation
– If gauge is mounted behind thick glass behind a block wall, then
it isn’t dithered during usage, so it shouldn’t be dithered during
calibration
Calibration Process Considerations
What actions need to be considered when performing a
pressure calibration?
• Pre-test actions
– Clean the DUT
– Leak Test
– Exercise the DUT
• During the test
– Dwell Time
– Cardinal Point versus Nominal Point
– Dithering
• Post-test actions
– Clean the DUT
Equipment Selection
 Choosing a Media
• Gas Media (Pneumatic)
– Normally used for lower pressures
• Cutoff may be as low as 300 psi
• Often used up to 1,000 – 3,000 psi
• May be used for higher pressures (up to 15,000 psi)
– Extra safety precautions required at higher pressures
– Generate pressure by increasing the number of molecules
in the system
• Compress ambient air
• Supply from a bottle
– “Clean” media, used for high pressures when
contamination with oil or water is not allowable
 Choosing a media
• Oil Media (hydraulic)
– Normally used for higher pressures
• Head height error becomes an issue with low pressures
• Easier to generate high pressures
– Helps lubricate and extend the life of equipment
– Easy to generate higher pressures – just change
the volume in the system
– Purging the gas from the system
• Purging/Priming Pump
• Vacuum fill
 Why use water?
• Pressure is too high for gas
• Oil contamination of the device under test is
not allowable
• Oil is messy, so water is often preferred, but
has its limitations
– Not a good lubricant
– Not all water is created equal – tap water is
normally not a good idea
 Is this accurate enough
• Concept of Calibration – compare the output of
the test device against a known reference
standard
• Reference standard must be sufficiently accurate
– Sufficiently accurate can be hard to define
– Normally presented as a test ratio comparing the
uncertainty of the reference standard against the
uncertainty of the DUT
– Acceptable ratio is dependent upon application and
industry. Rule of thumb is 4:1, but that’s often just a
guideline
 Apples to Apples
• It’s imperative that when comparing the uncertainty of
the reference standard and the DUT that you compare
“apples to apples”
• If the DUT is 0.1% FS and the standard is 0.02% FS:
– Nominally, that is a 5:1 ratio, but what if…
– The reference has a full scale of 1000 psi and the DUT has
a ratio of 100 psi
• Standard = +/- 0.2 psi
• DUT = +/- 0.1 psi
• Ratio is 0.5:1. not 5:1
– Always best to compare in actual pressure units, psi:psi
Pressure Generation
Pressure Generation/Control
The Ideal Gas Law:

PV = nRT
Volume
Pressure Generation/Control
The Ideal Gas Law:

PV = nRT
Number of Molecules

DUT
Gas In Exhaust
Pressure Generation/Control
The Ideal Gas Law:

PV = nRT
Temperature
 Calibration System Components
• Ability to generate the pressure
– Pneumatic Systems
• Supply Bottle or pump to compress ambient air
• Ability to meter the pressure or fine adjust (variable volume)
• Ability to vent the pressure
– Hydraulic Systems
• Reservoir for liquid
• Method for purging gas and priming the system
• Screw Press or similar pump to generate pressure
• Method to fine tune the pressure
• Ability to measure the pressure (Reference)
– Digital Reference Gauge
– Floating Piston
 Deadweight Tester versus Comparator

• Deadweight Tester
– Pressure measured by a floating piston with masses used
to apply a force
– Generates a stable pressure – sinking of piston offsets
adiabatic effects
– Can be very stable over time
– More accurate – inherently % reading, so can be used on a
wide range of pressures
– Impacted by many influences, including gravity
– Requires using heavy weights
– Difficult to do cardinal point technique
 Deadweight Tester versus Comparator

• Pressure Comparator
– Uses a digital reference gauge or similar to measure
pressure
– Easy-to-use – Just read the display, no corrections to
apply
– Sufficient accuracy for most applications
– Not impacted by gravity
– No weights to carry around
– Pressure not as stable (adiabatic effects)
– Requires more routine calibration
 Examples of Comparators

P5510 Pneumatic P5515 Hydraulic

Pressure Comparator Pressure Comparator

2700G Reference
Pressure Gauge
 Conclusion
• Dial Gauges can be properly and efficiently
calibrated by:
– Following common techniques
– Using the right equipment for the pressure range
and application.
 Special limited-time offer!

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 Questions or Comments?
Email the moderator, Nicole VanWert:
nvanwert@Transcat.com

Transcat: 800-800-5001
www.Transcat.com
For related product information, go to:
www.Transcat.com/Fluke