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TOPIC KNUDSEN GAUGE

SUBJECT-PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION

PRESENTATION DATE-11/11/2019

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED

BY:
Dr. Shiv Om Meena Akash Gupta(2018UCH1407)
Kshitij Pal(2018UCH1476)
 CONTENTS
 Low pressure measurement brief outline
 Introduction to knudsen gauge
 History
 Construction
 Working Principle
 Working
 Advantages & Disadvantages
 Applications
 References
 Low pressure measurement (Brief Outline)

 Measurement of pressure which is not accessible to conventional gauges.

 Measurement below atmospheric pressure in range of 10^(-3)-10^(-9)

torr.

The various instruments for low pressure

measurement are:
 McLeod Gauge
 Pirani Gauge
 Thermocouple gauge
 Knudsen Gauge
 Ionisation Gauge Digital Pirani Gauge
 Introduction to Knudsen Gauge
 A knudsen gauge is a device which is used to measure absolute pressure in
the range of 10^(-8)-10^(-3) torr.

 Named after it’s inventor Martin Knudsen who was a Danish physicist.

 Independent of composition of gas ,hence

suitable for laboratory operation.

 Based on momentum transfer operations.

 Pressure is determined by interaction of

particles with it surface its kinetic energy
and is temperature dependent.
 HISTORY
 The device was invented by Martin Knudsen in in19th century.
 The only reliable device at that time was Herbert McLeod Gauge
In which a small slug of gas is compressed with mercury the volume

depending on the pressure.

• Unlike this , Knudsen imagine exploiting molecular motion to cause
object to move.
 He suspended a thin metal plate by silk thread and placed it between
two surfaces,one cooled and one heated.
 Watching with a microscope the plate moves towards cold side and
molecule striking gained momentum and stuck plate with great speed..
 By controlling the temperature difference he found a beautiful linear
relationship behavior independent of molecular weight of gas.
 The framework was depicted on assumptions on nature of crucial
assumptions about nature of matter that it consist of discrete particles
and behave as independent entity.
 For some physical scientists it was too much ,
especially Ernst Mach and Wilhelm Ostwald
refused to accept it.
 Later on Knudsen was accoladed at
the Solvay Congress in Brussels
in 1911 after a series of research
on vacuum and nature of gases.
 Working Principle

 Pressure is determined by interaction of particles with a surface its kinetic

energy is temperature dependent .
 When a particle hits a hotter surface , heat transfer will take place particles and
will gain energy and momentum . When particle hit a cold surface the opposite
occurs.
 Particles that interact with hotter & colder surface will exert a force on that
surface.
 The relationship between force and pressure can be expressed by the relation
 P=KF/((T/Tg)-1)^(1/2)
where P= gas pressure Tg= gas temperature
F = Force measured T=Fixed plate temperature
using angular deflection
 Construction
The important parts of a knudsen gauge :
 Vanes : The two vanes are joint to make a rectangular frame
suspended by a thin filament fibre .
 Mirror : The mirror is fitted in the thin filament fibre to note the
deviations of the pressure.
 Thin plates : Two fixed heated plates are located opposite to
these vanes. These plates are maintained at
temperature T. The separation between vanes and
plates is less than mean free path of gas..
 Air Inlet : It allow the passage of low chamber gas to the gas
chamber .
 Heater : The heater keeps the temperature of the fixed plates higher than
surrounding gas pressure
 WORKING
 .Two vanes V along with mirror M are mounted on thin filament
suspension.
• The two heated plates P are maintained at a temperature T.
• The separation distance between two gases is less than mean
free path of the surrounding gas.
• The vanes are maintained at gas temperature Tg.
• Gas molecules through the air inlet striking the vanes from the
hot plates have a higher velocity than those leaving the vanes
because of of the difference in temperature.
• Thus there is a net momentum imparted to the vanes which
may be measured by observing the angular dispacement of
mirror
• Similar o technique use in light beam galvanometer
 The total momentum exchange with the vanes is a function of
molecular density , which in term is related to pressure and
temperature of gas.
• The gas pressure can be obtained by
• the formula p=KF((T/Tg)-1)^(1/2)
where pressure is in dyne per
centimetre square Force is in
dyne and temperature is in
Kelvin.
• The gauge will function correctly
when the pressure is in range of
10^(-3)-10^(-8) and mean free path
is so short that convection currents
are set up causing erratic behaviour
of the vane.
 ADVANTAGES
The pressure measurement is
independent of molecular weight of gas.
Involves No objectionable medium such
as mercury ,with an undesirable vapour
Highly stable and insensitive to external
influences.
Zero point can be obtained by simply
turning current off the heater . Hence
minimum deviations are observe.
No expensive electrical measuring
instruments are involved.
DISADVANTAGES
The device is fragile & should be handle
with extreme caution
It is slow to respond to input.
It is subjected to hysteresis , due to
magnetic charecterIstics .
The readings can only be conveniently
Be taken by looking at gauge scale itself.
The device is extremely bulky.
 APPLICATIONS
• Used for pressure measurement of non condensible gases such
oxygen and nitrogen.
• Earlier used for measuring gas pressure in ion discharge
experiments.
• Commonly used in petroleum industries to measure gaseous
hydrocarbon’s pressure
 References
Instrumentation Measurement and Analysis B.C Nakra K.K Chaudhary Third
edition
https://www.wikipedia.com
http://www.nptel.ac.in
https://www.chemistryworld.com
https://ui.adsabs.hardvard.edu
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs
https://books.google.com
THANK YOU