Pressure sensors

Presented by: David Azevedo / Global Support Manager

Damage to a pressure transducer is commonly caused by their installation into an improperly machined hole.  In forcing a transducer into a too-small or eccentric hole, the transducer diaphragm may be crushed and as a result the instrument will not function. 

Many transducers in fluid power systems fall victim to short-duration pressure overloads– commonly called pressure spikes. If these spikes are severe enough, a permanent, positive zero shift in the transducer's output can occur.After investigating these spikes, we developed a laboratory method for determining the magnitude of the actual pressure spike that caused a specific field failure. The method shows that pressure spikes many times that of nominal system pressure can occur in a system.

For over 60 years, Dynisco pressure sensors have been used in various applications around the world. The original patent holder for the melt pressure sensor used in extrusion, Dynisco has remained the world class industry leader in this technology by working side by side with our end users to meet the ever changing demands of the plastics market.

A transducer is an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another. In the case of a Dynisco pressure transducer, the process fluid exerts a pressure force on a thin flexible metal diaphragm at the tip of the sensor. This, in turn, stresses a small sensing device called a strain gage. This strain gage then converts the pressure stresses to a low level millivolt signal, which can be further conditioned to yet another signal type.

A sensor is any device that provides measurement of a physical value, by converting this value into a signal output that can be observed by an operator or instrumentation. Pressure Sensors are used in various applications, to help operators monitor and control process stability, while maintaining equipment safety.