4.

4 DIAPHRAGM SEALS
- Diaphragm seals isolate the process fluid from the measuring element while communicating
the pressure signal through connecting liquid-filled capillary tubing. The seal is normally a very flexible
membrane, such as an elastomer or thin metallic diaphragm capable of transmitting the process-fluid
pressure with minimum pressure drop to the liquid inside the capillary.
SIZE
- A seal membrane must be capable of transferring the required volume of liquid to actuate
the measuring element through its full range. The seal membrane must also be able to accommodate
changes in volume that result from thermal expansion or contraction of the filling liquid.

Filling liquid
- Selection of a filling liquid should take into account its coefficient of thermal expansion,
compressibility, viscosity (including constancy of viscosity over the working temperature range, since
that affects response time), its freezing and boiling points, tendencies to decompose at the maximum
operating temperature, compatibility with the materials of the measuring element and seal system.

Capillary
- Capillary length is often dictated by the application, but when there is a choice, length should
be kept to a minimum. With length established, the volume-transfer requirement, viscosity of the filling
liquid, and capillary bore size determine the response time.

Elevation
- Diaphragm-seal systems are subject to static-head effects when the measuring element and seal
are mounted at different elevations. For a particular temperature, the static head can be corrected by
the user during installation. This involves re-zeroing the measuring element.
4.5 INSTALLATION EFFECTS
Most pressure indicators are located remote from the pressure sensor, often at a different elevation.
This difference in height introduces a bias in the pressure measurement for which there must be a
correction factor introduced. A typical setup is shown in Fig. 4.24.

Estimating the required length of horizontal run can be done quite easily and reliably with an equation
derived from one-dimensional heat transfer.
Here all temperatures have been referenced to a surrounding temperature of zero. A correlation for the
free convection from a horizontal tube has been given as:

where G, is the Grashof number and P, is the Prandtl number of the surrounding fluid, Using the Nusselt
number for free convection will ensure an ample length of tubing for all conditions. A comparison of the
calculations for200"C (392°F) water in 1.27 cm ('h in.) tubes of stainless steel and steel is shown in Fig.
4.25.
The subject of flow measurement has an interesting application of these ideas because while a
difference between two pressures is measured, the two pressure sensors are sometimes located at
different elevations.

Figure 4.26 shows such an application.

If it is assumed that the temperature of the fluid in the pipe is uniform at T, and that the horizontal legs
of the connecting tubing are adequate to ensure that the vertical leg is at the temperature of the
surroundings TS (different from T,), then there will be a pressure difference between ports 1 and 2 of
the transducer when there is no flow across the fluid meter. The amount of this pressure difference is
given by

merely the difference in the specific weights y of the fluid evaluated at the two temperatures, times the
vertical distance between the tubing connections. This pressure difference is a bias which must be
subtracted from all AP measurements across the fluid meter.
4.6 UNCERTAINTIES IN PRESSURE MEASUREMENT
All measurements, including pressure, have errors associated with them. Error is the difference
between a measured value and the true value. This difference cannot be known, but an estimate of its
probable magnitude can be made. The estimate is usually referred to as the “measurement
uncertainty.” The uncertainty of a measurement is composed of two types of errors: random errors and
bias errors. Random errors are variable from measurement to measurement and are characterized by
words like precision or repeatability.

4.6.1 Error Propagation

Any measurement is the final step in a series of steps, a measurement chain. At the beginning of the
chain is the National Bureau of Standards to which all important engineering measurements must be
traceable. Each link in the chain adds to the final uncertainty of the measurement. Starting with the NBS
reference, which might be a deadweight tester, for example, there is a small uncertainty contribution to
calibration of the transfer standard. The transfer standard has an uncertainty as does the working
standard that is actually used to calibrate the pressure measurement system used. Finally, the calibrated
system itself will have some uncertainty associated with it. It is usually the case that the contribution of
each link increases with the smallest contribution from the NBS reference and the largest from the
calibrated system.