Whether it’s hydraulically measuring the pressure of a control loop that provides feedback for pump pressure in an HVAC system, or measuring the pressure of coolant flow, heavy-duty sensors are capable of outputting high-level signals. Currently, design engineers are faced with the enormous challenge of designing more complex control systems. These systems rely on more feedback signals than previous systems. As a result, design engineers must consider components that meet requirements for high accuracy, lower overall cost, and ease of application implementation.The current control system mostly uses pressure switch to control. The switch opens and closes around a set point, and its output is usually reviewed at the end of the day. Such systems are mainly used for monitoring. Compared to the control systems described above, systems using pressure sensors can measure pressure spikes in a timely and precise manner to warn of hazards or control system failures.The sensor is connected to the computer to measure the actual pressure, allowing the user to precisely monitor and control the system. Pressure data is generally used to dynamically measure system performance, monitor usage status, and ensure system energy efficiency. Systems using sensors can provide more and more efficient data points.
In short, a heavy-duty pressure sensor is a pressure measurement device with a housing, a metal pressure interface, and a high-level signal output. Many sensors come with a round metal or plastic housing that has a cylindrical appearance with a pressure port on one end and a cable or connector on the other. These heavy-duty pressure sensors are often used in extreme temperature and electromagnetic interference environments. Customers in industry and transportation use pressure sensors in control systems to measure and monitor the pressure of fluids such as coolant or lubricating oil. At the same time, it can also detect pressure spike feedback in time, find problems such as system blockage, and find solutions immediately.
Control systems are becoming smarter and more complex, and sensor technology must keep pace with application requirements. Gone are the days of sensors that required signal conditioning and calibration. You no longer have to worry about sensor functionality when designing, implementing, and implementing your application. Given that sensors are very important pressure measurement devices, and the variety and quality of sensors on the market vary, you must choose carefully.
Overview of possible scenarios
Before making a list of sensor purchases, it is important to review the various application scenarios. Consider what alternatives are available and how to meet the requirements and specifications of your own design. As mentioned earlier, control and monitoring systems have changed dramatically over the past few decades, largely due to increased design complexity. These changes include manual systems to electronic-based control systems, multiple components to highly integrated products, and increased focus on cost issues. There are multiple solutions for overloading applications, and what are the overloading environments? Here are just some specific examples, such as environments with a wide temperature range (eg -40 °C to 125 °C [-40 °F to 257 °F]), refrigerants, oil, brake fluid, hydraulic oil, etc. Harsh media and environments where compressed air is used. While the above temperature ranges and harsh environments may not be the most extreme, they represent most transportation and industrial environment applications.
Heavy-duty pressure sensors can be used in the following areas:
• For HVAC/R applications, monitoring system performance, controlling compressor inlet and outlet pressures, rooftop chillers, cooling bays, refrigerant recovery systems, and compressor oil pressure.
• For air compressors, monitoring compressor performance and efficiency, including monitoring compressor inlet and outlet pressure, filter pressure drop, cooling water inlet and outlet pressure, and compressor oil pressure.
• Used in transportation applications to maintain heavy-duty equipment by monitoring pressure, hydraulics, flow and fluid levels in critical systems such as pneumatics, light-duty hydraulics, brake pressure, oil pressure, transmissions, and truck/trailer air brakes performance.
The variety and quality of sensors available on the market require careful study of alternatives. Specifically, the product should be analyzed in terms of reliability, calibration, zero compensation, sensitivity, and total error range.
Use heavy-duty sensors to control compressor inlet and outlet pressure, rooftop chillers, and other recovery and pressure systems in HVAC/R applications
Selection criteria
As with most electronics, sensor selection criteria reflect important design challenges. System design requires stable sensors to ensure that the system can work properly at any time and place. Consistency of the system is equally important, one sensor taken out of the box must be interchangeable with any other sensor in the box, and the product must perform the same as intended. The third criterion to consider is cost, which is a ubiquitous challenge. Due to the increasing intelligence and precision of electronic equipment, older components in the solution had to be updated. The cost does not depend solely on the individual sensor, but on the overall cost of product substitution. What products did the sensor replace? Do you need to perform operations such as pre-calibration or full compensation before replacing?
When choosing a sensor for an industrial or transportation application, consider the following factors:
1) Configurability
When using each sensor, do you need to consider whether the device is a standardized or customized product? Customization options include connectors, pressure ports, reference pressure types, ranges, and output styles. Whether off-the-shelf or configured, is the selected product easy to meet precise design requirements and available quickly? When you design your product, can you get samples quickly so that time-to-market is not delayed or compromised?
2) Total error range
The total error bound (TEB) (pictured below) is an important measurement parameter that is comprehensive and clear. It provides true accuracy of the device over a compensated temperature range (40 °C to 125 °C [-40 °F to 257 °F]), critical for measuring product consistency and ensuring product interchangeability. For example, when the total error range is ±2%, no matter what the temperature is, as long as it is within the specified range, and regardless of whether the pressure is rising or falling, the error is always within 2% of the range.
Error composition of the total error range
Often, manufacturers do not list the total error range on the product data sheet, but instead list the various errors separately. When the various errors are added together (that is, the total error range), the total error range will be very large. Therefore, the total error range can be used as an important selection basis for selecting sensors.
3) Quality and performance
What performance standards does the product meet? In many cases, sensors are manufactured to one or two sigma tolerances. However, if a product is manufactured to Six Sigma standards, it will have the advantages of high quality, high performance, and consistency, and thus can be considered as performing according to the product specification.
4) Other considerations
When choosing a heavy duty sensor, the following factors should also be considered:
• Sensors must be compensated, calibrated, amplified, and must be off-the-shelf – adaptable to application requirements without additional resources.
• Custom calibration, or custom calibration combined with custom output, should be able to output various specified voltages and meet design specifications without changing the design.
• The product complies with the CE directive, meets the requirements of IP protection level, has a long mean time to failure, meets the requirements of electromagnetic compatibility, and has high durability even in harsh environments.
• The wide compensation temperature range enables the same device to be used in various parts of the system, and the application field is wider.
• A variety of connectors and pressure ports enable sensors to meet a variety of application needs.
• Small size makes sensor placement more flexible
• Consider the overall cost of the sensor, including integration, configuration, and implementation costs.
Another major factor to consider is design and application support. Is there anyone who can answer important questions for design engineers during design, development, testing, and production? Does the supplier have enough global locations, products and support to assist customers with design through to global manufacturing?
Design engineers can make quick and sound decisions based on real, verifiable data by using a complete selection checklist to select a heavy-duty pressure sensor. With today’s sensor accuracy levels far exceeding those of just a few years ago, it’s important for design engineers to be able to quickly select products that can be used without changes.
Post time: Oct-14-2022