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Pressure Control and Measurement

Fluid pressure control controls and regulates the difference of pressure applied by liquids, gases, and plasmas in hydraulic systems between two levels. Pressure measurement of fluids measures a force per unit area applied by liquids, gases, and plasmas.

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Fluid pressure is the measure of force per unit/area exerted by a fluid perpendicularly to any surface it contacts. A fluid can be either a gas or a liquid.

Pressure control is used to regulate pressures applied during mechanical ventilation. Fluid pressure control involves controlling the pressure of liquids instead of mechanical control.

A fluid pressure control system can be classified depending on the pressure source, the pipe system structure, and the control element. Depending on the pressure source type, the flow control systems can be equipped with centrifugal or volumetric pumps. Concerning the pipe structure, the flow control systems can be used within the hydraulic systems with branches or without branches.

Fluid pressure measurement analyzes an applied force by a fluid, liquid or gas, on a surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area.

How is fluid pressure measured?

Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of pressure and vacuum. Instruments used to measure and display pressure in an integral unit are pressure meters, pressure gauges, or vacuum gauges. A manometer uses the surface area and weight of a liquid column to measure and indicate pressure. Likewise, the widely used Bourdon gauge, a mechanical device, measures and indicates.

Other pressure measurement methods involve sensors that can transmit the pressure reading to a remote indicator or control system.

Why is it important to measure fluid pressure?

Across various industries, measuring the pressure of a substance is an integral part of the manufacturing process. Obtaining accurate and meaningful data is vital in determining the quality and consistency of the product. For these reasons, accurate sensors are critical in receiving this information. Each sensor takes the physical pressure of the element and transfers it into electrical energy of some kind that can be measured.

Pressure Control & Measurement

Pressure measurements can be divided into three different categories: absolute pressure, gauge pressure, and differential pressure.

Absolute pressure refers to the total value of the force per unit/area exerted by a fluid surface. Therefore, absolute pressure is the difference between the pressure at a given point in a fluid and total zero pressure or a perfect vacuum. Gauge pressure is the difference between absolute pressure and local atmospheric pressure, and local atmospheric pressure can vary depending on ambient temperature, altitude, and local weather conditions.

Differential pressure is simply the measurement of one unknown pressure concerning another unknown pressure. The pressure measured is the difference between the two unknown pressures. This pressure measurement is commonly used to measure the pressure drop in a fluid system. Since a differential pressure measures one pressure referenced to another, it is not necessary to specify a pressure reference.

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Experts for Pressure Control and Measurement

Natalie Waldecker, Portfolio Manager Food and Pharma, knows the challenges of the demanding industries inside out. With her broad application knowledge, she is at home on topics such as hygiene design, certificates and cleanability. As product manager for pressure measurement technology, she is also responsible for one of the most important measuring principles for the industry. Natalie gathers her knowledge as close to the application as possible. Preferably directly at the customer’s site, experiencing “real world” practice. She has thus gotten thoroughly acquainted with international customer requirements and knows the ins and outs of the market. With this background, she is able to not only explain technical relationships in an understandable way, but also offer valuable tips and convincing solutions. In the 12 years she has been with VEGA, she has steadily improved her expertise which makes her the right person to contact for new product ideas and tailored customer solutions.
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Jan Christensen has nearly 40 years of experience in precision flow and pressure control instrumentation. He began his career as a Canadian Service Specialist where he traveled out to the field and repaired valve instrumentation and control systems. Now with 35 years at Brooks Instrument, he assumes the role of Regional Manager. As a Regional Manager he is responsible for the northern part of the United States and Canada learning about the exciting projects our customers are working on and how Brooks Instrument can serve them. Jan has worked extensively in oil and gas, biotech, and semiconductor industries as a flow, technical, and application expert. He is a global traveler, fluent in Danish, German, and English, and has visited every continent except for Australia. Jan has a diploma in materials management from Seneca College and a diploma in electronics from Sheridan College. He also served in the Canadian Air Force for seven years where he learned about electronics specifically repairing radar.
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Dave is Vice President of Sales at Hawk Measurement (HAWK) and has more than 40 years of experience in the process instrumentation industry. Dave started working as an outside sales engineer in 1979 for his father’s company, AO Grumney. While there, he learned the importance of value added selling and superior customer support. He later became a manufacturer’s rep for various companies such as Siemens, Miltonic’s, AMETEK and many others. Several years later, Dave started his own company, Delta Instrumentation, a manufacturers’ rep agency which serves the process instrumentation and automation industries. In 1989 Dave started FLO-CORP, a US manufacturing company of flow, level and monitoring instrumentation. Through manufacturing his own line of process instrumentation, he found it allowed him to gain more control over origin of product, quality and lead times. In 2019, FLO-CORP merged companies with Hawk Measurement, the world leader in level, positioning, asset monitoring and flow measurement technology that provides cutting-edge equipment and complete solutions to the global industrial market. Throughout his wide range of experiences as sales engineer, sales rep, president, owner and CEO, the position he currently holds at Hawk Measurement as VP of Sales, allows him to do what he loves. Dave has always had a passion for meeting new people, building relationships and helping customers solve problems. His values align with HAWK’s as they are committed to providing best-in-class products, services and technologies that will have unsurpassed value to their customers.
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Erik Tiemensma, Sales Knowledge Manager, has over 20 years of experience in flow and pressure measurement and control for gas, liquid and vapour. For many years Erik worked as Sales Engineer supporting worldwide sales channels in finding the best solutions for customers’ applications. At Bronkhorst we are convinced that sharing experiences and knowledge is an added value for customers, when discussing the most suitable products for their applications. As part of this expert panel, looks forward to your challenging flow or pressure questions.
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Ryan Fitzgerald, Product Manager at Anderson-Negele, is an expert for the process management sensor portfolio which includes electromagnetic flow meters, Coriolis flow meters, temperature sensors and pressure sensors. He has spent the past years turning customer pain points into innovative sensing and measurement solutions. Given Anderson-Negele’s global 90+ year focus in the hygienic industry Ryan also has a vast knowledge of hygienic/sanitary design standards and requirements that apply to sensors primarily used in the Food & Beverage and Life Science industries. After completing a BS in Mechanical Engineering at Clarkson University Ryan joined the Team at Anderson-Negele in Fultonville NY. Ryan has developed technical product and application knowledge throughout his career through roles in design and application engineering. A passion for understanding and solving customer problems led Ryan to his current position as product manager at Anderson-Negele.
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