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Thermal-transient effects on pressure measurements

Thermal transients at the boundaries of diaphragm-type pressure transducers can cause mechanical deformations in the diaphragm, and simulate erroneous pressure transients

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Abstract

A set of experiments were performed on a flush-mounted strain-gage pressure transducer to determine the nature of erroneous responses induced by two types of thermal transients. The thermal transients studied were a constant step increase in transducer-diaphragm surface temperature, and a constant step increase in diaphragm-surface heat flux. The responses of the transducer to changes in ambient temperature and to temperature gradients in the transducer housing at steady state were investigated also.

Analytic models for the transducer were solved under the experimental conditions and compared with the experimental results for the first two transients. These models predicted the response of the transducer quite well for about the first 25 percent of the transient period. Beyond this short time, the transducer behavior was drastically different from the models.

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Abbreviations

A, B :

constants in eq (7)

C :

constant in eq (9)

C p :

heat capacity

E :

Young's modulus

F 0 :

heat flux

k :

thermal conductivity

L :

diaphragm thickness

M T :

temperature moment

r :

diaphragm radius

t :

time

t c :

time limit

T :

temperature

v :

voltage

x :

axial coordinate

α:

thermal diffusivity

ϱ:

density

ω:

deflection

i :

initial

m :

maximum

o :

zero

p :

pressure transducer

S :

surface

w :

water

References

  1. Shay, W.M., Brough, W.G. and Miller, T.B., “Instrumenting a Pressure Suppression Experiment for a MK 1 Boiling Water—Another Measurements Engineering Challenge,” Lawrence Livermore Laboratory UCRL-52314 (July 16, 1977).

  2. Chan, C.K., “Dynamical Pressure Pulse in a Steam Jet Condensation,” Proceedings of the 6th International Heat Transfer Conference, 1978, Toronto, Canada.

  3. Private Communication, Idaho Nuclear Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

  4. Edwards, D.K., Denny, V.E. and Mills, A.F., Transfer Process, Hemisphere Publishing Co. (1976).

  5. Carslaw, H.S. andJaeger, J.C., Conduction of Heat in Solids, 2nd ed., Oxford, Eng., Clarendon Press (1959).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Boley, B.A. andWeiner, J.H., Theory of Thermal Stresses, 402, Wiley, New York (1960).

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical, Nuclear and Thermal Engineering Department, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, 90024, Los Angeles, CA

    C. K. Chan (Assistant Professor and Research Assistant) & M. E. Simpson (Assistant Professor and Research Assistant)

Authors
  1. C. K. Chan
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  2. M. E. Simpson
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Chan, C.K., Simpson, M.E. Thermal-transient effects on pressure measurements. Experimental Mechanics 19, 324–330 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324153

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324153

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