How Often You Should Calibrate Pressure Transducer?

Brian Craig

June 22, 2017

A pressure transducer is a device, which converts the pressure applied to it into a measurable electrical signal. These transducers are used in applications, such as leak testing, altitude sensing, pressure sensing, depth or level sensing, and more. However, if these transducers are not calibrated over time, they may start showing false readings, which can affect their performance. Therefore, for a pressure transducer to perform well, and deliver precise output, requires timely calibration. Now, you may ask how often is it required to calibrate a pressure transducer? This post will discuss the time interval you need to maintain for calibrating your transducer.

What is the Frequency of Calibration of a Pressure Transducer?

This is a very common question that arises, when it comes to calibrating pressure transducer. Answers to the following 3 Whats will make it clear how often it is necessary to calibrate a pressure transducer:

The total probable error is calculated by taking into account the base accuracy of the transducer and probable effects of temperature errors and static pressure on the performance accuracy. If this value is high, then you need to calibrate your transducer.

The second most important factor to consider is operating conditions in which the transducer is expected to operate. Ambient temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure have a considerable impact on the working of the device.

Different applications require different accuracies. There are some applications for which transmitter calibration is not that much needed. However, some applications that have a direct bearing on the performance, efficiency, and safety of the plant, is where high accuracy is important. Thus, in such cases calibrating your device becomes vital.

What is the Total Probable Error (TPE) of the Transducer?
What are the Operating Conditions?
- Ambient Temperature: Ambient temperature variation can lead to unstable readings of the device, as well as premature component failure. The precision of the device is greatly dependent on temperature variations. Thus, you are required to take proper care and calibrate the device to minimize the effect of temperature on the accuracy of the transducer.
- Humidity: Similar to ambient temperature, humidity can affect the accuracy of a transducer. Vapor enters into the transducer housing, and damage sensitive components, thus leading to failure or wrong readings. So, it is required to calibrate the transducer in humid operating conditions.
- Atmospheric Pressure: The effect of atmospheric pressure on a transducer varies with the pressure range of the device. If the device has a wide pressure range, then the atmospheric pressure has a little effect on the output. On the other hand, in case of lower pressure range, the atmospheric pressure may have a big impact on the output. Therefore, you need to calibrate your transducer considering these conditions.
What is the Optimal Performance Necessary for an Application?

Now that you have a proper knowledge about how often you should calibrate your pressure transducer, you can implement this in your organization. If you still have any queries related to the calibration of these transducers, you can always take help from experts. One such expert, who is well-known for transmitter calibration is The Transmitter Shop. The company provides calibration services adhering to the global industry standards.