Tips: How to Choose the Best Pressure Sensor

While choosing the pressure sensor for your design, you require looking for some critical parameters that are important. Based on these parameters, you require picking the available sensors. Of work, you require to look through the economical angle also.

Following are the main parameters to look for -

1. Accuracy - First & foremost parameter is accuracy. What kind of accuracy you are looking for? Is your pressure dynamic? Changing quickly? Or is the fine-tune slow? What is the rate of fine-tune? Do you require to continuously monitoring the pressure & record the information or you require measuring it periodically? Based on your method, you require picking, what kind of accuracy you are looking for. This will pick the type of sensors. Sensors are available with 0.5% accuracy to 0.1%, 0.25% & 0.05% accuracy. As the accuracy increases so do the prices.

2. Output - After you pick the accuracy, you have to look for the kind of output. These sensors come with Voltage & current output.

Sensors with voltage output are usually used, where the sensors & measuring tool or Data Acquisition system, both are close to each other. These sensors give out put in mV (millivolt-1000th of a volt) in the range of around 0 - 30 or 100 mv. Some sensors also have internal amplifier that offer output in the range of 0-5V or 0-10V. These kinds of sensors usually use strain gauges. The sensors with inbuilt amplifiers also provide internal zero & span manipulation facility. Though, because of these internal amplifiers, the frequency response is slow.

Sensors with current output are usually used when the distance between sensors & the measuring tool or Information Acquisition method is more, like in immense plants. As the output is in current form, they have high noise immunity. They also provide zero & span manipulation besides offering high frequency response.

3. Surroundings - The location of the sensors. This criteria is also important in deciding the type of sensor. The operating surroundings will pick the mechanical structure of the sensor. If the sensor has to be used in harsh surroundings, it will have additional protection & because of these, it will cost more. While the sensors, which are used inside, cost less.

4. Fitting - This is also an important factor. How are you going to fit the sensor? Does the sensor come with simple fitting couplings? Or you require making a spatial mechanical arrangement for fitting? You need to think about all these factors before thinking about a specific type of pressure sensor which will fit in to your design.