Princess Sumaya University for Technology

King Abdullah II Faculty of Engineering

Electrical Engineering Department

Power Systems Protection

EE24562

Differential Pressure Sensor in (BMS)

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What are differential pressure sensors?
Sometimes it’s not necessary to know the absolute pressure of a liquid or a gas. Instead, only the
difference between two points in the system being monitored need be known. In such situations,
you can turn to differential pressure sensors.

The differential pressure sensor will give you a comparative measurement between two points
(see diagram right). One example may be before and after a valve in a pipe. If the valve is fully
open, the pressure on both sides should be the same. If there’s a difference in the pressure, it
could be the valve isn’t fully open or there’s a blockage.

Differential pressure sensors are typically packaged with two ports to which pipes can be
attached. The pipes are then connected to the system where the measurement is to be made.
Industrial differential sensors may be integrated into a standardized fitting, allowing it to be built
into existing pipework.

The measurements made are fully independent of atmospheric pressure, unlike gauge sensors.

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How does a differential pressure sensor sense pressure?
Typically, the two pressures to be measured are applied to opposite sides of a single diaphragm.
The deflection of the diaphragm, either positive or negative with respect to the resting state,
determines the difference in pressure.

Some industrial differential sensors actually use two separate absolute sensors, utilizing internal
electronics to calculate and provide the difference in pressure to the control system .

If required, a differential pressure measurement can be made using two absolute pressure sensors
and software on a control system,

Or if necessary, the differential measurement can also be achieved using two absolute pressure
sensors then calculating the difference on an industrial control system. This may be the case in
situations where two different types of sensors are required due to the medium being measured,
such as a liquid and a gas, or the environment of the measurement.

Many of the board-level sensors available utilize piezoresistive sensing elements. The simplest of
these use a Wheatstone bridge configuration which requires a signal conditioning circuit to
amplify its output (see left).

Circuits like the above diagram apply a constant current to the bridge. The output signal is then
amplified and applied to the input of the measurement system. If your application is based upon
a microcontroller, the signal could be connected to an ADC input pin. Otherwise, there are many
standalone ADCs with digital outputs that could be sourced as an alternative.

The analogue front end (AFE) may also need to allow provision for offset voltage, temperature
compensation, and span.

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If you’re looking for a simpler solution, many manufacturers provide fully integrated differential
sensors. For example, some may include temperature compensation circuitry together with two
stages of amplification, enabling it to be simply connected to the ADC input of a microcontroller.

An example circuit for amplifying the signal from a Wheatstone bridge piezoresistive pressure sensor

What applications are differential pressure sensors used

in?
Differential pressure sensors often find a home in industrial environments where a difference in
pressure can be used to determine the flow of gases or liquids. This can include effluent
treatment plants, offshore and subsea gas and oil processing, and remote heating systems
utilizing heated water or steam.

They also find their way into the sprinkler systems installed for fire protection.

If it’s necessary to measure the volume of liquid in a closed vessel, a differential pressure
transmitter can also be used. As long as the density of the fluid does not change with
temperature variation, the height of the column of liquid can be determined from the pressure,
liquid density and gravity.

In the medical field, differential pressure sensors are used for treatment of deep vein thrombosis,
infusion pumps, and respirator and breathing detection equipment.

If you'd like to read more on other pressure measurement types then click the links below:

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 Absolute pressure
 Differential pressure