Differential Pressure Transmitter

Mrs. Meera Ajit Khandekar

Department of Instrumentation & Control
College of Engineering, Pune
 Differential Pressure Transmitter
• Types
• Mounting
• Manifold
• Application of DPT for level measurement
• Zero elevation, suppression
 Pressure Sensors
• Metal diaphragm
• Silicon pressure sensor
excellent elastic properties, good
repeatability, no hysteresis
Types of Si pressure sensor
• Diffusion (Piezo) resistance type
• Si capacitance type
• Si Resonant type
 DPT Accessories
• Valve manifolds isolate and equalize pressure
from the process to the transmitter, for
maintenance and calibration purpose.
• Bleed valve used to vent trapped fluid
pressure to atmosphere
• Three valves cast together into one block of
metal, attaching to the pressure transmitter by
way of a flanged face with o-ring seals
 In normal operation, the two block valves are left open to
allow process fluid pressure to reach the transmitter.
The equalizing valve is left tightly shut so no fluid can pass
between the “high” and “low” pressure sides.
To isolate the transmitter from the process for maintenance,
one must first close the block valves, then open the equalizing valve to
ensure the transmitter “sees” no differential pressure.
The “bleed” valve is opened at the very last step to relieve
vent-up fluid pressure within the manifold and transmitter chambers
A variation on this theme is the five-valve manifold, shown in
this illustration
Equalizing valve(s) never be open while both block valves are open, doing so will
allow process fluid to flow through the equalizing valve(s) from the high pressure
side of the process to the low-pressure side of the process.

If the impulse tubes connecting the manifold to the process are intentionally
filled with a fill fluid (such as glycerin, to displace process water from entering
the impulse tubes; or water in a steam system), this fill fluid will be lost.

Also, if the process fluid is dangerously hot or radioactive, a combination of open

equalizing and block valves will let that dangerous fluid reach the transmitter
and manifold, possibly causing damage or creating a personal hazard
Pressure transmitter valve manifolds also come in single block-and-bleed
configurations, for gauge pressure applications. Here, the “low” pressure port
of the transmitter is vented to atmosphere, with only the “high” pressure
port connected to the impulse line:
 Bleed Valve
• Bleed valves may be used to bleed unwanted fluids from the pressure
chambers, for example bleeding air bubbles from an instrument
intended to sense water pressure, or bleeding condensed water out of
an instrument intended to sense compressed air pressure
• The following photographs show bleed fittings installed two different
ways on the side of a pressure transmitter flange, one way to bleed gas
out of a liquid process (located on top) and the other way to bleed
liquid out of a gas process (located on bottom)
 Impulse piping
• The best location for the transmitter in relation to the
process pipe depends on the process material
• Ensure that corrosive or hot process material does not
come in contact with the transmitter.
• Ensure that sediment does not build up in the impulse
piping.
• Ensure that the liquid head remains balanced on both legs
of the impulse piping.
• Keep impulse piping as short as possible.
• Avoid ambient temperature gradients and fluctuations.
• Weatherize impulse piping to prevent freezing of process in
impulse lines.
Liquid pressure:
• Taps to the sides of the line to prevent sediment deposits
• Mount the transmitter beside or below these taps so gases can
vent into the process line

Gas pressure and differential pressure service, place

• Taps in the top or side of the line,
• Transmitter beside or above the taps so the liquid will drain into
the process line

Steam pressure :
• Taps to the side of the line,
• Transmitter below to ensure that the impulse piping stays filled
with condensate
The piping between the process and the transmitter must transfer the
pressure at the process taps to the transmitter. In this pressure transfer, there
are five possible sources of error: leaks, friction loss (particularly if purging is
used), trapped gas in a liquid line, liquid in a gas line, and temperature-
induced density variation between the legs.
To minimize the potential for error, observe the following precautions:
• Make impulse piping as short as possible.
• Slope piping at least one inch per foot (8 cm per meter) up toward the process
connection for liquid and steam.
• Slope piping at least one inch per foot (8 cm per meter) down toward the
process connection for gas.
• Keep both impulse legs at the same temperature.
• Use impulse piping of sufficient diameter to avoid friction effects.
• Drain all liquid/condensate from gas piping legs.
• Vent all gas from the liquid piping legs.
• Fill both piping legs to the same level when using a sealing fluid.
• Avoid purging through the transmitter. When purging, make the purge
connection close to the process taps, and purge through equal lengths of the
same size pipe.
 DPT for level measurement
As liquid level increases,
the hydrostatic pressure
applied to the “high”
side of the differential
pressure transmitter
also increases, driving
the transmitter’s output
signal higher.
Transmitter’s impulse line contains a 30-foot elevation head of ethanol, so the transmitter
“sees” 30 feet of ethanol when the tank is empty and 70 feet of ethanol when the tank is
full. A 3-point calibration table for this instrument would look like this, assuming a 4 to 20
mA DC output signal range
 Transmitter suppression and elevation
• The lower range value (LRV) of the transmitter’s
calibration is a positive number, is called zero
suppression.

• If the zero offset is reversed (e.g. the transmitter

mounted at a location higher than the 0% process
level), it is referred to as zero elevation.
• In this example, the transmitter is
mounted exactly at the same level as the
vessel bottom, but the level
measurement range goes from 4 feet to
9 feet (a 5 foot span). At the level of
castor oil deemed 0%, the transmitter
“sees” a hydrostatic pressure of 1.68
PSI (46.5 inches of water column) and
at the 100% castor oil level the
transmitter “sees” a pressure of 3.78
PSI (105 inches water column). Thus,
these two pressure values would define
the transmitter’s lower and upper range
values (LRV and URV), respectively
• In this example, we see a remote seal system
with a fill fluid having a density of 58.3
lb/ft3, and a process level measurement
range of 0 to 11 feet of sea water (density =
64 lb/ft3). The transmitter elevation is 6
feet, which means it will “see” a vacuum of
-2.43 PSI (-67.2 inches of water column)
when the vessel is completely empty. This,
of course, will be the transmitter’s calibrated
lower range value (LRV). The upper range
value (URV) will be the pressure “seen”
with 11 feet of sea water in the vessel. This
much sea water will contribute an additional
4.89 PSI of hydrostatic pressure at the level
of the remote seal diaphragm, causing the
transmitter to experience a pressure of +2.46
PSI
 Compensated leg system
• To measure liquid level
inside an enclosed (non-
vented) vessel is to
continuously compensate
for gas pressure
• A differential pressure
transmitter responds only
to differences in pressure
between “High” and
“Low” sides, it will
naturally subtract the gas
pressure (Pgas) to yield a
measurement based
solely on hydrostatic
pressure (γh):
 It is common for enclosed vessels to hold condensable
vapors, which may over time fill a compensating leg full
of liquid.
• Hydrostatic pressure generated by
the wet leg will be constant, so long
as the density of the condensed
vapors filling that leg (γ2) is constant.

• we can compensate for it by

calibrating the transmitter with an
intentional zero shift, so it indicates as
though it were measuring hydrostatic
pressure on a vented vessel.

Differential pressure = γ1h1 − Constant

We could also use a differential pressure transmitter with remote seals and
capillary tubes filled with liquid of known density:
for a gasoline storage vessel and water as the wet leg fill fluid

assuming a density of:

41.0 lb/ft3 for gasoline,
62.4 lb/ft3 for water,
A 0 to 10 foot
measurement range and
An 11 foot wet leg height:
 Instrument Turndown/Rangedown
• “Turndown” is defined as the ratio of maximum
allowable span to the minimum allowable span for a
particular instrument.

• Suppose a pressure transmitter has a maximum

calibration range of 0 to 300 pounds per square inch
(PSI), and a turndown of 20:1

• A technician may adjust the span anywhere between

300 PSI and 15 PSI
Definition of SMART transmitter

Simple to use. The digital interface should relieve the system

designer of the time consuming task of transducer research and
design.
Maintainable. Much of the transmitters functionality is governed
by firmware, which allows it to be controlled tested and adjusted
through a digital data link.
Accurate. The user has only a single accuracy specification to
understand. The specified accuracy of the transducer is sure to
be fully realized when the transducer is integrated into the
system.
Reliable. The simplicity and stability of the digital mechanization
insures it.
Trainable. The microcomputer can be programmed to scale a
limit output data in accordance with a field-inserted function.
 SMART transmitter
• Intelligent or smart transmitter are microprocessor
based
• Store data digitally
• Correct for sensor nonlinearity
• Perform temperature and pressure compensation
• High turn down ratio(50 to 1)
• Temperature output option
• In addition to zero, span and lower and upper range
values, engineering unit can also be changed.
• Smart transmitter designs are provided with spare or
standby or with multiple sensors
Circuit block diagram
Thank You