Pressure – is the force exerted by a fluid per unit area. We speak of pressure when we deal with a gas or a liquid.

uid. The
counter part of pressure in solid is stress
Customary U.S. pressure units are pounds per square inch (lbs/in 2). Standard SI pressure units are kPa or
MPa, although bars are also used in tabulations of thermodynamic data. (1 bar = 10 5 Pa = 100 kPa).
Most pressure gauges read atmospheric pressure, but in general, thermodynamic calculations will be
performed using absolute pressure. The values of a standard atmosphere in various units are given:

Standard Atmospheric Pressure

1.000 atm (atmosphere)
14.696 psia (pounds per square inch absolute)
2116.2 psfa (pounds per square foot absolute)
407.1 in w.g. (Inches of water; inches water gauge)
33.93 ft w.g. (Feet of water; feet water gauge)
29.291 in Hg (inches of mercury)
760.0 mm Hg (millimeter of mercury)
760.0 torr
1.013 bar
101.325 kPa (kilopascals)

Pressure measurement

Pabs (Absolute pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure)

Pgage (ordinary pressure gage reads: difference between absolute

absolute and atmospheric pressure)
Standard atmospheric or barometric pressure (29.921 in Hg or 14.7 psia or 101.325 kPa

Gage pressure Zero

Pvac (Pressure Vacuum - negative pressure gage)

Barometric reads (Patm) ordinary vacuum gage reads difference between atmospheric
and absolute pressure

Pabs (absolute pressure – that is less than atmospheric pressure)

absolute pressure zero
(Pabs = 0) absolute zero datum (absolute vacuum)

Pabs = Pgage + Patm (for pressure above Patm)

Pvac = Patm – Pabs (for pressure below Patm)

The word “gage” is generally used in statements of gage pressure, e.g., P = 100 kPa gage. If “gage” is
omitted, the pressure will, in general, be an absolute pressure. Atmospheric pressure is an absolute pressure
and will be taken as 100 kPa (at sea level), unless otherwise stated. It should be noted that atmospheric
pressure is highly dependent on elevation

 Positive sign (+) is used when the gauge pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure or surrounding
pressure of the system.
 Negative sign (-) is used when the gauge pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure. Negative
gauge pressure is also called as vacuum pressure.