A course on

‘’ Fluid Mechanics-II (MNEG 4361)’’

By : Demise Molawork (PhD Candidates)
School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAiT)
Addis Ababa University (AAU).

3.3. Pressure Measurements

TOPICS

❑ Pressure
❑ Absolute, differential, and gauge pressures

❑ Static pressure, Dynamic pressure & total pressure

❑ Pressure Gauges

▪ Diaphragms

▪ A Piezoelectric pressure sensor

▪ Bellows

▪ Bourdon tube
 PRESSURE
❑ Pressure is the force per unit area that a liquid or gas exerts on
its surroundings, such as the force or pressure of the
atmosphere on the surface of the Earth, and the force that
liquids exert on the bottom and walls of a container.
❑ Pressure is not only an important parameter for process
control, but also as an indirect measurement for other
parameters.
❑ Pressure is most commonly expressed in
❑ Pounds per square inch (psi) in English units; or
❑ Pascals (Pa) in metric units, which is N/m2.
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ABSOLUTE, DIFFERENTIAL, AND GAUGE PRESSURES

❑ Total vacuum is zero pressure, as would be experienced in

outer space, and is very difficult to achieve in practice.
❑ Atmospheric pressure is the pressure on the Earth’s surface,
due to the weight of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere
(101.325 kPa absolute). The pressure decreases above sea level.
❑ Absolute pressure is the pressure measured with respect to a
vacuum, and is expressed in psia or kPa.
❑ Gauge pressure is the pressure measured with respect to
atmospheric pressure, and is normally expressed in psig or
kPa(g).
❑ Differential pressure is the pressure measured with respect to
another pressure, and is expressed as the difference between the
two values, ∆P.
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STATIC PRESSURE, DYNAMIC PRESSURE & TOTAL PRESSURE

❑ Static pressure is the pressure of a fluid or gas that is

stationary or not in motion.

❑ Dynamic pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid or

gas when it impacts on a surface or an object due to its
motion or flow.

❑ Impact pressure (total pressure) is the sum of the static

and dynamic pressures on a surface or object.

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 PRESSURE GAUGES
❑ Many of the devices used to monitor fluid pressure in industrial
processes involve the monitoring of the elastic deformation of
diaphragms, bellows and tubes.
❑ The following are some common examples of such sensors.

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 DIAPHRAGMS
❑ Diaphragms consist of a thin layer or
film of a material supported on a rigid
frame.
❑ The movement of the center of a
circular diaphragm as a result of a
pressure difference between its two
sides is the basis of a pressure gauge.
❑ The displacement will be proportional
to the value of pressure difference.

❑ The movement of the center of a diaphragm can be monitored by

some form of displacement sensor.
❑ Pressure can be applied to one side of the film for gauge sensing,
with the other inlet port being left open to the atmosphere.
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 DIAPHRAGMS
❑ Pressures can be applied to both sides of the film for differential
sensing.
❑ Absolute pressure sensing can be achieved by having a partial
vacuum on one side of the diaphragm.
❑ A wide range of materials can be used for the sensing film: from
rubber to plastic for low pressures, silicon for medium pressures,
and stainless steel for high pressures.
❑ When a pressure is applied to the

diaphragm, the film distorts or becomes

slightly spherical, and can be sensed
using a strain gauge, piezoelectric, or
changes in capacitance techniques

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DIAPHRAGMS
❑ Sensing the position of the diaphragm using capacitance and ac
bridge is very accurate, and excellent linear correlation between
pressure and output signal amplitude can be obtained.

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 A PIEZOELECTRIC PRESSURE SENSOR
❑ When certain crystals, such as quartz is
stretched or compressed, electrical charges
appear on their surfaces. This effect is
called piezo-electricity.
❑ As a result of the diaphragm movement a
potential difference appears across it.
❑ The voltage produced by the crystal is proportional to Pressure
exerted on the crystal surface. This voltage can be amplified, and
hence the device is used as a pressure sensor. This sensor does not
require any voltage supply.
❑ However, if the pressure keeps the diaphragm at a particular
displacement, the resulting electrical charge is not maintained but
leaks away. Therefore, this sensor is not suitable for static pressure
measurements but is suitable for fast changing pressure. 10
 BELLOWS
❑ Bellows are a corrugated tube or a tube with convolutions.
❑ When pressure is applied to the bellows, it elongates by stretching
the convolutions, rather than the end diaphragms.
❑ The bellows is the most sensitive of the mechanical devices for
low-pressure measurements (i.e., 0.5 to 210 kPa).
❑Bellows devices can be used for
absolute, gauge, and differential
pressure measurements.

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 BELLOWS
❑ Differential measurements can be made by mechanically
connecting two bellows to be opposing each other when pressure
is applied to them, as shown in below.
❑ When pressures P1 and P2 are applied to the bellows, a differential
scale reading is obtained. P2 could be atmospheric pressure for
gauge measurements.

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USING LVDT WITH BELLOWS
The LVDT can be used to convert the linear motion of a bellows into
an electrical signal. The bellows converts the differential pressure
between P1 and P2 into linear motion, which changes the position of
the core in the LVDT. The device can be used as a gauge sensor when
P2 is open to the atmosphere.

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BOURDON TUBE
❑ The Bourdon tube is C-shaped tube with an almost rectangular or
elliptical cross-section made from e.g. stainless steel or phosphor
bronze.
❑ When the pressure inside the tube increases the closed end of the
C opens out, thus the displacement of the closed end becomes a
measure of the pressure.

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BOURDON TUBE
❑ The operating principle is that the outer edge of the
cross section has a larger surface than the inner portion.
When pressure is applied to the Bourdon tube, the outer
edge has a proportionally larger total force applied
because of its larger surface area, and hence the free end
of the tube moves outward.
❑ This movement can be mechanically coupled to a
pointer, which will indicate pressure on a scale, or it can
be coupled to a potentiometer, which will give a
resistance value proportional to pressure as an electrical
signal.
❑ The Bourdon tube is reliable, inexpensive, and one of
the most common general-purpose pressure gauges.
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BOURDON TUBE
❑ Bourdon tubes can also be shaped into helical or spiral shapes
to increase their measurement range.

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