Absolute Pressure Transmitters: Overview of Working and Applications

Brian Craig

August 25, 2020

Pressure transmitters often referred to as pressure transducers, are designed to measure the pressure of gases and liquids used in process industries. As technology is developing rapidly, these transmitters have also evolved with a lot of technological advancements and features. Primarily, they were equipped with capacitance and piezo-resistive technologies. Today, they feature various microprocessor-based technologies, thus hailed as smart pressure transmitters, which are being widely used today. Among them, absolute pressure transmitters are the most commonly required ones.

What is Absolute Pressure Transmitter?

Absolute pressure transmitter measures pressure in a complete vacuum with no contents inside. The measurement taken in absolute pressure uses absolute zero as the reference point. So, here there is no comparison in terms of pressure changes or relativity. With such importance in many industrial processes, it is essential to understand the pressure transmitter working principle along with their applications. This post discusses the same.

How Does an Absolute Pressure Transmitter Work?

With absolute pressure transmitters, the pressure is measured relative to a perfect vacuum. This mean, they are not influenced by any external atmospheric change including altitude or air pressure variations. As they do not have any connection with the external system, there is no release node in the system. Simply, the side of the absolute pressure transmitter which is not in contact with the pressure media is being exposed to a permanently sealed vacuum chamber. These transmitters convert pressure or mechanical energy into electrical signals. Transmitters with absolute zero pressure are used as the part of elevation or barometric related pressure estimations.

What are the Applications of Absolute Pressure Transmitter?

Absolute pressure transmitters are used to measure temperature, pressure, gases, and flowrate in closed systems across industries. The following are some industries where pressure sensors are widely used:

The absolute pressure transmitter is widely used wherever elevation above altimeter measurement is required, such as navigation systems.
Nowadays, these transmitters are also contributing to the weather forecasting field for barometric measurements. They allow weather stations to be miniaturized. For instance, one can forecast the weather using tiny sensors in smartphones or tablets.
Most of the industrial applications demand a partial vacuum. This applies in case of food packaging systems, where residual pressure determines the life of the inside product. The absolute pressure sensor helps ensure the same pressure in each package.
Absolute pressure transmitters are also used in the automation industry. In petrol and diesel vehicles, they are used for measuring the pressure in the engine manifold. Thus, they are known as manifold absolute pressure or MAP sensors. The engine’s electronic control unit (abbreviated as ECU) uses this information to fix optimal combustion of the ignition timing and air-fuel mix.

In addition to this, they are used in industries like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, science research, and more.

Are you looking for an absolute pressure transmitter for your industrial application? If yes, then it is important to source them from a reliable supplier like The Transmitter Shop. The company offers you appropriately designed pressure sensors from recognized brands such as Emerson. Their inventory consists of a variety of pressure transmitter models. Contact us today to solve your specific queries about absolute pressure transmitters.