Air compressor pressure transducer-A complete guide:

The air compressor pressure transducer is used to measure pressurized air to control pressure levels. So,  what happens exactly inside the air compressor pressure transducer, Is the most important thing to ponder upon. Instead of wasting your time scroll down immediately and head towards the guide.

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What is the air compressor pressure transducer?

An Air compressor pressure transducer is a device that senses pressure and converts it into an electrical signal to control the operation of an air compressor.

Therefore the transducer performs the function of turning on the air compressor when the pressure drops below the minimum value in the tank. And turn off the air compressor when it reaches the maximum set value.

Hence it allows the compressor to maintain the working charge constant throughout the process. On the other hand, it is the main criteria for industries that rely upon compressed air for certain processes.

How does the air compressor pressure transducer work?

The Air compressor pressure transducer measures the pressure of the fluid (liquids or gas). The pressure is the form of force needed to stop the liquid from expanding, it can be measured using the formula force per area. Moreover, the pressure transducer converts the pressure into an electrical signal. Furthermore, the signals are usually in digital or analog form.

It normally sense using diaphragm technology. Hence it measures the difference in pressure on either side of the diaphragm. This diaphragm design uses strain gauges as resistive elements. Several types of Air compressor pressure transducer captures and transmits very small pressure signal.

The companies manufacture transducers using piezoelectric materials for instance quartz. Some of the Air compressor pressure transducers use the binary method to operation. Therefore when the transducer obtains pressure it completes or breaks the circuit. Hence it is known as pressure switches.

Components of air compressor pressure transducer:

The transducer consists of the following six main components.

Contacts:

Contacts are the points in the pressure transducer that comes together and goes apart when completing or breaking the circuit is required. It is usually made up of conductive material.

Diaphragm:

A diaphragm is a membrane that consists of a flexible material. Hence the membrane moves when the inside tank pressure changes with time. Furthermore, when the desired temperature is reached, the conductive contact points separate from each other to break the circuit.

Terminals:

The pressure transducer directs the air compressor to turn on by completing or breaking the circuit. The incoming and outgoing wires connect the terminal to the pressure transducer.

Relief valve:

This relief valve relieves pressure trapped between the pump and check valve. A relief valve is found in the base of the pressure transducer connected with a check valve with a nylon or copper tube.

Springs:

The springs adjust the cut-in and cut-out points for the air compressor. Hence it works in a way that tight springs need more pressure from the diaphragm, whereas the loose spring made the diaphragm moves with less pressure.

On/off lever:

The pressure valve includes an on /off lever to control the pressure transducer. The lever is on it uses the determined cut-in and cut-out settings to set the motor on and off timings. Moreover when the lever is on "off" settings a plastic piece wedge between the contacts to cut the power.

Categories of Pressure transducer:

When we referring to the type of pressure, the different type of pressure transducer categories are:

Gauge pressure transducer:

A gauge pressure transducer measures the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure at a location.

Absolute pressure transducer:

The absolute pressure transducer measures the pressure in relation to vacuum pressure.

Vacuum pressure transducer:

A vacuum pressure transducer used to measure pressure less than the atmospheric pressure.

Differential pressure transducer:

As the name suggests the differential pressure transducer measures the difference between two input pressure.

Induction based air compressor pressure transducer:

This type of pressure transducers uses the induction method in a way that deformation of diaphragm converted into linear movement of the ferromagnetic core. Just as the core moves its movement is converted into an electrical signal.

Technologies used in air compressor pressure transducer:

Several new technologies become part of the air compressor pressure transducer to make it more efficient for instance:

Piezoresistive Semiconductor:

This technology measures the conductivity of semiconductors that occurs due to pressure change.

Silicon resonance:

To compute the pressure, silicon resonance also known as vibrating elements measure the vibrational changes on the molecular level of a material due to pressure change.

Mechanical based deflection:

By integrating this technology we can measure the mechanical properties of liquid to know about the pressure. For instance, it measures the effect of pressure on a spring system.

Microelectronics system:

This system combines microelectronics with gears and valves on a single semiconductor chip because of nanotechnology integration to compute pressure.

Change of capacitance:

As the pressure changes the distance between the capacitor plates, this technology converts the capacitance to electrical signals to measure pressure.

Applications:

Pressure measurement:

One of the most important applications of air compressor pressure transducer is pressure measurement. Its wide scope of application includes aerospace, weather instrumentation, automotive parts, and machinery that includes pressure functionality.

Uses of pressure transducers are water depth measurement, pneumatics food, and beverage processing.

Some special versions are also introduced, for instance, ATEX Pressure transducer, field adjustable pressure transducer, and high-temperature pressure transducer.

Flow measurement:

The air compressor pressure transducer also used to measure flow by using the venture effect. Hence the pressure transducer measures differential pressure of the two sides of the venturi tube having a different aperture. Moreover, the pressure difference between the two sides of the venture is directly proportional to the flow rate through the venture. A high-pressure sensitive transducer should be placed because the pressure difference is almost negligible.

Altitude measurement:

The pressure transducer sometimes uses the relationship between change in pressure and altitude.

Applications include Rockets and satellite.

Criteria to consider:

Here are the criteria to consider before choosing an air compressor pressure transducer to meet your need:

Range of pressure:

The pressure range should match your equipment's maximum allowable pressure limit. In order to reduce the chances of transducer failure due to excess pressure.

Precision:

Some pressure transducers work better at room temperature rather than at high temperature. If you want accuracy then choose high precision transducer.

Flexibility:

When placing a transducer near the equipment is necessary to choose a robust design. In order to prevent the pressure transducer from any kind of shock and vibration. Moreover, if you place the transducer in extreme hot or cold weather look if their housing is strong enough to provide protection.

Compatibility:

What type of transducer fittings are used determines whether or not it threads perfectly with the setup. Does your system need analog output? This is a must thing to know for checking the compatibility.

Cost:

This is the most important criteria to consider because why pay more than you need? However, with cheap pressure transducers, you have to compromise with accuracy.

Durability:

To check the durability the need for maintenance and robustness are important factors to check before installing a pressure transducer.

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Time of response:

The adjustable response time of pressure transducers eliminates false triggering.