Where our pressure transmitters are used: Differential pressure
Stable air pressure is a must in cleanrooms to avoid contamination. It reduces disturbances in the air and generates the desired air flows. The air is cleaned via various filter systems and either a permanent positive pressure or negative pressure is generated. This technology is used in a wide variety of manufacturing processes, e.g. in the semiconductor industry, food technology and pharmaceuticals. For compliant cleanroom systems, protection for people and products must be guaranteed. Our differential pressure transmitters help with this and enable reliable measurement thanks to their diaphragm design and solenoid valves.
Cleanroom operating requirements are becoming ever more stringent. The maintenance of overpressure is a good example of this process at work. The objective is to prevent any inflow of contaminated air by maintaining stable pressure cascades. Facilities with a number of cleanrooms (or plants with a number of mini environments) create areas with different pressure levels in order to provide the greatest possible protection for the most sensitive zones.
In the past, auditors could often be satisfied by showing them the pressure measurement on a large, round pressure gauge display. Much more accurate methods are required today. And this is perfectly justifiable. Uncontrolled contamination can endanger the quality of the end product and, in extreme cases, create a health risk.
The obligation to ensure continuous monitoring of overpressure described in standard DIN EN ISO 14644 cannot be met simply by installing a display. Where are the regulating countermeasures if the overpressure falls below the critical threshold value? It is also unrealistic to expect that operating personnel will be close at hand to rectify the situation at precisely the moment that this happens. Consequently, it is now standard practice to measure differential pressure continuously (i.e. using a pressure transmitter) and transmit this signal to a control module.
Solutions based on either “static“ differential pressure transmitters or a “dynamic“ approach are available on the market for this purpose. The latter is based on the overflow principle – a small quantity of air flows from one room into the next; the velocity of flow is recorded and used to calculate the differential pressure. This “dynamic“ method has two important disadvantages:
However, there are differences even between “static“ differential pressure transmitters and the details separate the men from the boys. Measuring tiny pressures in the range below 30 or even 10 Pascal reliably and over many years is anything but technological “child‘s play“. By way of comparison: normal air pressure of approx. 1 bar is equal to around 100,000 Pascal, so 10 Pascal are a vanishingly small fraction of the pressure of our environment! Most “static“ differential pressure transmitters have two key weaknesses in this measurement range:
Background: many suppliers use sensors, which do not meet the high standards required for measuring the smallest pressure ranges. The measurement technology specialist halstrup-walcher has over forty years of experience in this area and exploits this know-how in refined and reliable solutions to both these problems. For example, improvements made to the membrane design over many decades have produced world class measurement range stability. At the same time, solenoid valves ensure that the zero point is always maintained with perfect accuracy. This is done by a regular, automatic “zeroing“ process performed with the help of solenoid valves. Every measurement is therefore absolutely reliable even after years of operation.
Until a few years ago there was a trend in cleanroom measurement technology: so-called “panels“ with integrated sensors. These panels are set into the cleanroom wall and display a variety of climate data such as temperature and humidity as well as overpressure. The pressure and usually the other values are measured directly at the panel. These instruments are not as frequently used today because the most advantageous position for the sensors may not be the ideal installation point for the panel. For example, the preferred location for measuring humidity and temperature is in the exhaust air duct because the value obtained here reflects the climate of the room as a whole. Furthermore, it is more convenient to install differential pressure sensors in a neighbouring control cabinet than directly behind a wall mounted panel.
Installing differential pressure transmitters in a control cabinet offers two advantages:
When selecting the appropriate differential pressure transmitter for a control cabinet, professional cleanroom equipment suppliers ensure that the unit has a compact design, ideally a narrow “disk module“, that permits a large number of units to be installed alongside each other. Not only the size but also the accuracy of the pressure transmitter must meet the required standards (min. 0.5 % of the max. value, or even 0.2 % of the max. value for exceptionally critical applications). Wiring and the ease of replacing modules during servicing are also important criteria to consider when selecting a suitable pressure transmitter.
The new P 34 differential pressure transmitter from halstrup-walcher for control cabinet installation is the optimum solution to all three of these requirements:
One further feature demonstrates that the P 34 was designed by practical engineers for practical use: the measurement value can be read out via two galvanically separated analogue outputs. This enables the building control system and the monitoring system to receive the measurement signal independently of each other.
As already mentioned at the beginning of this article, cleanroom operating requirements are becoming ever more stringent. When selecting components, this is one good reason to rely on manufacturers who offer suitable cleanroom concepts that meet these requirements.
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