Renewable energy sources continue to evolve as society strives to curtail its reliance on fossil fuels. Many of these alternative fuels require precise measurements for gage, absolute, and compound pressures in potentially corrosive environments. Capacitive sensing technology is built to measure a variety of pressure types and keep up with the demands of renewable energy applications. Renewable energy encompasses a wide variety of fuels, including CNG, LNG, hydrogen, and wind.

Although hydrogen is in its infancy as a fuel source, its future is incredibly bright. The technology behind hydrogen fuel cells is improving daily and its viability as a replacement to the internal combustion engine seems likely. Hydrogen is already being used in specialty vehicles such as forklifts and buses, and it’s only a matter of time before infrastructure is in place to serve the consumer automotive market. Why do hydrogen fuel cells have such great appeal? Because their only byproducts are heat and water vapor, making hydrogen fuel cells a truly zero-emission locomotive technology.

What is Water Hammer?

Water hammer is shock wave produced by the sudden stoppage or reduction of a fluid flow. This can cause sudden rises in pressure and damage instrumentation. In tank level measurement applications, high pressures can be generated by the sudden closure of a valve on an outlet line. Although it might seem to be a consistent flow, the water inside pipes tumbles as it moves through.

1. Pressure

The first and most important consideration is pressure. A number of questions must be answered to ensure the correct transducer is selected. What is the pressure range that the transducer will measure? What is the maximum pressure the transducer will encounter? What is the potential for over pressure in the system?

Pressure transducers today are more rugged and reliable than ever. Made of stainless steel construction, they provide abundant overpressure protection, improved total error band, and offer negligible orientation and vibration effects. They are ideal for long-term use even in harsh environments of extreme temperature, humidity, and vibration.

The accuracy of differential pressure transducers has greatly improved to provide better solutions for demanding applications. This article discusses why accuracy is an important consideration when selecting a pressure transducer for low-differential, critical pressure applications.

Below are terms that are associated with use of transducers and electrical equipment in areas which are defined as hazardous by national rating agencies.

Capacitive Transducers

Setra’s capacitive pressure transducers are expertly designed adaptations of a simple, durable and fundamentally stable device...the electrical capacitor. In a typical Setra configuration, a compact housing contains two closely spaced, parallel, electrically isolated metallic surfaces, one of which is essentially a diaphragm capable of slight flexing under pressure. 

Newly Added Restricted Products Under RoHS2 Affects Manufacturing

In 2013, RoHS2 was created by the European Union legislation, nearly a decade after the original RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) was implemented.  RoHS2 is merely an evolution of RoHS1 that provides greater clarity on the legal scope of products that should adhere to the hazardous material guidelines. The combination of

Total Error Band (TEB) is a measurement of worst case error; it is the most comprehensive and concise measurement of a sensors true accuracy over a compensated temperature range.  TEB is extremely important to know when trying to determine how well a sensor will work within a particular design system. By calculating TEB you'll be able to understand the different possibilities for error. Formulating TEB can be tricky if you don't have the right inputs readily available.