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Industrial Instrumentation Assignment

Topic:
U tube Manometer

Well Type Manometer

Inclined Manometer

Barometer

Submitted To : Miss Qandeel

Submitted By : 2007-Ch -146


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CONTENTS:

1. U-Tube Manometer
1.1. Definition
1.2. Principle
1.3. Explanation
1.4. Types
1.5. Advantages of U-tube Manometer
1.6. Disadvantages of U-tube Manometer
2. Well Type Manometer
2.1. Definition
2.2. Principle
2.3. Working
3. Inclined Manometer
3.1. Definition
3.2. Principle
4. Barometer
4.1. Definition
4.2. History
4.3. Types
4.4. Applications
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1. U-Tube Manometer
1.1. Definition:

A manometer consisting of a U-shaped glass tube partly filled with a liquid of


known specific gravity [1]

1.2. Principle:
When the legs of the manometer are connected to separate sources of pressure,
the liquid rises in one leg and drops in the other; the difference between the levels is
proportional to the difference in pressures and inversely proportional to the liquid's
specific gravity [1]
1.3. Explanation:
Liquid column gauges consist of a vertical column of liquid in a tube whose ends
are exposed to different pressures. The column will rise or fall until its weight is in
equilibrium with the pressure differential between the two ends of the tube. A very simple
version is a U-shaped tube half-full of liquid, one side of which is connected to the region of
interest while the reference pressure (which might be the atmospheric pressure or a
vacuum) is applied to the other. The difference in liquid level represents the applied
pressure. The pressure exerted by a column of fluid of height h and density ρ is given by the
hydrostatic pressure equation, P = hgρ. Therefore the pressure difference between the
applied pressure Pa and the reference pressure P0 in a U-tube manometer can be found by
solving Pa − P0 = hgρ. If the fluid being measured is significantly dense, hydrostatic
corrections may have to be made for the height between the moving surface of the
manometer working fluid and the location where the pressure measurement is desired.
Although any fluid can be used, mercury is preferred for its high density (13.534
g/cm3) and low vapor pressure. For low pressure differences well above the vapor pressure
of water, water is commonly used (and
"inches of water" is a common pressure
unit). Liquid-column pressure gauges are
independent of the type of gas being
measured and have a highly linear
calibration. They have poor dynamic
response. When measuring vacuum, the
working liquid may evaporate and
contaminate the vacuum if its vapor
pressure is too high. When measuring
liquid pressure, a loop filled with gas or a
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light fluid must isolate the liquids to prevent them from mixing. Simple hydrostatic gauges
can measure pressures ranging from a few Torr (a few 100 Pa) to a few atmospheres.
(Approximately 1,000,000 Pa)

1.4. Types:

Using a "U"-Tube enables the pressure of both liquids and gases to be measured with the
same instrument. The "U" is connected as in the figure and filled with a fluid called the
manometric fluid. The fluid whose pressure is being measured should have a mass density less
than that of the manometric fluid and the two fluids should not be able to mix readily - that is,
they must be immiscible. tube manometer[2,3,4,5]
1. Simple U - tube manometer
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2. Inverted "U"-Tube Manometer


3. U - tube with one leg enlarged
4. Two fluid U - tube manometer

1.4.1. Simple U - tube manometer:


A well-known very simple device used to measure the pressure is the U-tube manometer.
The name U-tube is derived from its shape.(Figure 1.1)
1.4.1.1. Construction
This manometer consists of a U shaped tube in which
the manometric liquid is filled. The manometer is used to
measure the pressure which is unknown by the balancing
gravity force and acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.81
m/sec2
The manometer consists of a steel, brass and aluminum
material. It has a glass tube made up of parallax glass. The
graduations are made on the tube in terms of mm or in
some condition it is graduated in kilo Pascal.[6]

1.4.2. Inverted U-tube Manometer


Inverted U-tube manometer is used for measuring
pressure differences in liquids. The space above the liquid
in the manometer is filled with air which can be admitted
or expelled through the tap on the top, in order to adjust
the level of the liquid in the manometer.
For inverted U - tube manometer the manometric fluid
is usually air.

1.4.3. U-tube with one Leg Enlarged


Industrially, the simple U - tube manometer has the
disadvantage that the movement of the liquid in both the
limbs must be read. By making the diameter of one leg
large as compared with the other, it is possible to make the
movement the large leg very small, so that it is only
necessary to read the movement of the liquid in the narrow leg. In figure, OO’ represents the
level of liquid surface when the pressure difference P1 - P2 is zero.
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1.4.4. Two fluid U-tube Manometer


Small differences in pressure in gases are often
measured with a manometer of the form shown in the
figure.This type of manometer is used for more accurate
readings of small pressure differences.

1.5. Advantages of U-tube Manometer:


1. Simple in construction
2. Low cost hence easy to buy.
3. Very accurate and sensitive
4. It can be used to measure other process
variables.

1.6. Disadvantages of U-tube Manometer:


1. Fragile in construction.
2. Very sensitive to temperature changes.
3. Error can happen while measuring the height.

1.7. Characteristics of liquid used in U-tube Manometer:


1. Viscosity should be low.
2. Low surface tension is required.
3. The liquid should stick on the walls.
4. Should not get vaporized.

2. Well Type Manometer:


2.1. Definition:
A type of double-leg, glass-tube manometer; one leg has a relatively small diameter,
and the second leg is a reservoir; the level of the liquid in the reservoir does not change
appreciably with change of pressure; a mercury barometer is a common example.

2.2. Principle:

The well type manometer used the principle of balancing an unknown pressure with
pressure exerted by an unknown pressure with pressure with pressure exerted by a quantity of
liquid whose density is known
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2.3. Working:

The principles of manometric measurements


have been discussed in reference to the U-type
manometer. However the manometer has been
arranged in other forms to provide greater convenience
and to meet varying service requirements. The well type
manometer is one of these variations.
As illustrated in Figure , if one leg of the
manometer is increased many times in area to that of
the other, the volume of fluid displaced will represent
very little change of height in the smaller area leg. This
condition results in an ideal arrangement whereby it is
necessary to read only one convenient scale adjacent to
a single indicating tube rather than two in the U-type.
The larger area leg is called the "well".
For this reason, the well type lends itself to use
of direct reading scales graduated in meaningful units
for the process or test variable involved. It does, however, place certain operational
requirements not found with the U-type. The higher pressure source being measured must
always be connected to the well connection "P". A lower pressure source must always be
connected to the top of the tube, and a differential pressure must always have the higher
pressure source connected at the well connection "P". In any measurement the source of
pressure must be connected in a manner that will cause the indicating fluid to rise in the
indicating tube.
The true pressure still follows the principles previously outlined and is measured by
the difference between the fluid surfaces. It is apparent that there must be some drop in the
well level. This is readily compensated for by spacing the scale graduations in the exact
amount required to reflect and correct for this "well drop". By carefully controlling tolerances
of the well area and internal diameter of the indicating tube, Meriam well type manometers
and scales are manufactured to a high degree of accuracy. [7]

2.4. Applications:

Designed for a maximum line pressure of 250 PSI (500 PSI optional) these
instruments may also be used for:
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 Tank level
 Flow measurement
 Leak detection

3. Inclined Type Manometer:


3.1. Definition:
A glass-tube manometer with the leg inclined from the vertical to extend the
scale for more minute readings.

3.2. Working:
Many applications require accurate measurement of low pressure such as drafts and
very low differentials, primarily in air and gas installations. In these applications the
manometer is arranged with the indicating tube inclined, as in Figure , therefore providing
an expanded scale. This arrangement can allow 12" of scale length to represent 1" of
vertical liquid height. With scale subdivisions to .01 inches of liquid height, the equivalent
pressure of .000360 PSI per division can be read using water as the indicating fluid.

4. Barometer:
4.1. Definition:
An absolute pressure gage specifically designed to measure atmospheric pressure. This
instrument is a type of manometer with one leg at zero pressure absolute[8]
History:
In a famous experiment of 1644, Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647) filled a glass tube
with mercury, closed it at one end, and turned it upside down in a small basin also filled
with mercury. He observed that the mercury column did not descend completely into
the basin, but remained at a height of about 76 cm from the open end of the tube.
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Torricelli correctly identified atmospheric pressure as the cause of the phenomenon.


Experiments later performed across Europe established that the level of the mercury
column varied with the changes in atmospheric pressure at different altitudes. This led
to the development of a new instrument—the barometer—which was soon used for
weather forecasting. Later models were built in different shapes and sizes. Many design
changes made the instrument more sensitive, simpler to read, and easily transportable.
In the nineteenth century, the barometer became a very popular instrument for "telling
the weather" in middle-class homes and public places. By c. 1850, the aneroid
barometer—compact, rugged, and easy to carry—had became an international fixture.

4.2. Types:

4.2.1. Water-based barometers

The concept that 'decreasing


atmospheric pressure predicts stormy
weather' was postulated by Lucien Vidie -- and
it's the basis for a weather prediction device
called a 'storm glass' or 'Goethe barometer'
(who popularized it in Germany). It consists of
a glass container with a sealed body, half filled
with water. A narrow spout connects to the
body below the water level and rises above the
water level, where it is open to the
atmosphere. When the air pressure is lower
than it was at the time the body was sealed,
the water level in the spout will rise above the
water level in the body; when the air pressure
is higher, the water level in the spout will drop
below the water level in the body. A variation
of this type of barometer can be easily made at home.[9]

4.2.2. Mercury barometers

A mercury barometer has a glass tube of at least 33 inches (about 84 cm) in height,
closed at one end, with an open mercury-filled reservoir at the base. The weight of the
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mercury creates a vacuum in the top of the tube. Mercury in the tube adjusts until the
weight of the mercury column balances the atmospheric force exerted on the
reservoir. High atmospheric pressure places more force on the reservoir, forcing
mercury higher in the column. Low pressure allows the mercury to drop to a lower
level in the column by lowering the force placed on the reservoir. Since higher
temperature at the instrument will reduce the density of the mercury, the scale for
reading the height of the mercury is adjusted to compensate for this effect.

Design changes to make the instrument more sensitive, simpler to read, and easier to
transport resulted in variations such as the basin, siphon, wheel, cistern, Fortin,
multiple folded, stereometric, and balance barometers. Fitzroy barometers combine
the standard mercury barometer with a thermometer, as well as a guide of how to
interpret pressure changes. Fortin barometers use a variable displacement mercury
cistern, usually constructed with a thumbscrew pressing on a leather diaphragm
bottom. This compensates for displacement of mercury in the column with varying
pressure. To use a Fortin barometer, the level of mercury is set to the zero level before
the pressure is read on the column. Some models also employ a valve for closing the
cistern, enabling the mercury column to be forced to the top of the column for
transport. This prevents water-hammer damage to the column in transit.

4.2.3. Aneroid barometers

An aneroid barometer uses a small, flexible metal box called an aneroid cell. This
aneroid capsule (cell) is made from an alloy of beryllium and copper.[10] The evacuated
capsule (or usually more capsules) is prevented from collapsing by a strong spring.
Small changes in external air pressure cause the cell to expand or contract. This
expansion and contraction drives mechanical levers such that the tiny movements of
the capsule are amplified and displayed on the face of the aneroid barometer. Many
models include a manually set needle which is used to mark the current measurement
so a change can be seen. In addition, the mechanism is made deliberately 'stiff' so that
tapping the barometer reveals whether the pressure is rising or falling as the pointer
moves. It also was invented by Blaise Pascal.

4.2.4. Basin barometer

Instrument directly derived from the Torricellian experiment. The lower end of the
barometric tube stands in a basin filled with mercury. The changes in the mercury
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level corresponding to the variations in atmospheric pressure are read on the tube.
[13]

4.2.5. Siphon barometer

In this type of barometer, atmospheric-pressure variations are recorded through


changes in the level of mercury in a U tube (siphon), whose shorter arm is open.

4.2.6. Wheel barometer

A special type of siphon barometer invented by the English scientist Robert Hooke
(1635-1702) c. 1664. Thanks to a system of floats and pulleys, the changes in mercury
level are translated into the movements of a pointer on a dial. [13]

4.2.7. Cistern barometer

In this model, the barometric tube, containing mercury, stands in a vessel also filled
with mercury, whose bottom consists of a leather membrane. By changing the
position of the membrane, the mercury can be made to rise in the tube until it is
completely filled. This prevents sudden movements of the mercury, thus making the
instrument easier to transport. [13]

4.2.8. Fortin barometer

This portable model was developed by the French scientific-instrument maker Nicolas
Fortin (1750-1831). The cistern is partly made of glass; the bottom is made of leather.
A screw is used to compress the leather and calibrate the barometer by adjusting the
lower mercury level to coincide with a reference mark. [13]

4.2.9. Multiple folded barometer

Barometer whose tube displays several bends or "folds"; the vertical arms are filled
alternately with mercury and a liquid serving both as a level indicator and a medium
for transmitting the mercury's movements. Folded barometers are shorter and more
manageable than standard mercury versions, but less precise. First described by
Guillaume Amontons (1663-1705) in 1688. [13]
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4.2.10. Stereometric barometer

Model invented by Marsilio Landriani (1751-1815), who gave it the name


"stereometric barometer." Thanks to a tap, the mercury in the cistern can be made to
flow into a graduated and calibrated tube, where its quantity can be measured. [13]

4.2.11. Balance barometer

Model in which the barometric tube (or the cistern) is suspended from the arm of a
balance. The atmospheric pressure is therefore calculated not from the mercury's
level, but from its weight in the tube (or the cistern). [13]

4.2.12. Barographs

A barograph, which records a graph of some atmospheric pressure, uses an


aneroid barometer mechanism to move a needle on a smoked foil or to move a pen
upon paper, both of which are attached to a drum moved by clockwork.[10]

4.2.13. More unusual barometers


There are many other more unusual types of barometer. From variations on
the storm barometer, such as the Collins Patent Table Barometer, to more traditional
looking designs such as Hooke's Otheometer and the Ross Sympiesometer. Some,
such as the Shark Oil barometer [12], work only in a certain temperature range,
achieved in warmer climates such as that of Bermuda.

4.3. Applications:
A barometer is commonly used for weather prediction, as high air pressure in a
region indicates fair weather while low pressure indicates that storms are more likely.
When used in combination with wind observations, reasonably accurate short-term
forecasts can be made.[12] Simultaneous barometric readings from across a network
of weather stations allow maps of air pressure to be produced, which were the first
form of the modern weather map when created in the 19th century. Isobars, lines of
equal pressure, when drawn on such a map, gives a contour map showing areas of
high and low pressure. Localized high atmospheric pressure acts as a barrier to
approaching weather systems, diverting their course. Low atmospheric pressure, on
the other hand, represents the path of least resistance for a weather system, making
it more likely that low pressure will be associated with increased storm activities.
Typically if the barometer is falling, deteriorating weather or some form of
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precipitation is indicated; however, if the barometer is rising, it is likely there will be


fair weather or no precipitation.

References:

1. http://www.answers.com/topic/u-tube-manometer
2. http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/Physics/Mechanics/FluidMechanics/Stat
ics/Measurement/Measurement.htm\
3. www.wilipedia.org
4. LESSON 2: PRESSURE MEASUREMENT AND MANOMETER Rai University
5. www.epa.state.oh.us/opp
6. http://ezinearticles.com/?Pressure-Measurement-Using-U-Tube-
Manometer&id=4507020
7. http://www.transcat.com/technical-reference/newsletters/Manometer_Merium.htm
8. http://www.answers.com/topic/barometer (Sci-Tech Encyclopedia)
9. JetStream. Learning Lesson: Measure the Pressure - The "Wet" Barometer. Retrieved on
2007-05-05.
10. Enotes.com. How Products Are Made: Aneroid Barometer. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
11. Glossary of Meteorology. Barograph. Retrieved on 2007-05-05.
12. Shark Oil Barometer Barometer World Retrieved on 2009-09-26.
13. http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/museum/esim.asp?c=200301

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