A leading manufacturer of back up / standby pumping systems for the power generation industry has upgraded the pressure measurement equipment used on their single and dual circuit engine coolant pressurization units. This has improved performance and reliability of their system, which is typically only operational during an engine fault condition and therefore subject to an intermittent use / load environment.
The compact, cabinet based pressurisation unit provides a standby control system to ensure constant feed of coolant for the water jacket / after cooler on fixed plant engines used by generator companies for the national grid. The pressurisation unit is activated when the engine cooling system develops a leak or fault that reduces pressure or produces an overload. It ensures continuity of the correct system pressure, protecting the engine during an unexpected fault condition. The pressurisation units are fitted with solenoid and non return valves to ensure that should one system fail the other acts as a redundancy to stop the circuit flooding back into the tank and then potentially flooding the plant room.
Replacing a sensor which exhibited long term drift, Hydrotechnik’s HT-SML series pressure transducer is now used to accurately and reliably monitor the circuit pressurization. Used extensively in harsh industrial environments the HT-SML is a compact, rugged stainless steel transducer containing a thin film silicon on stainless steel diaphragm and advanced digital signal processing. This provides a fast response with accurate and stable measurements and high resistance to shock and vibration, suitable for long term continuous operation or infrequent / intermittent use applications.
The -1 to +6 bar pressure range used for this application provides a 3 wire electrical interface with 0 to 10Vdc full range output. Standard accuracy is +/-0.5% of range including all room temperature errors such as non-linearity, hysteresis, repeatability and zero / span offsets, avoiding the need for user accessible zero /span potentiometers. Options also include accuracy to 0.25% and a high precision series HT-SHP is available for tolerances down to 0.1%.
The HT-SML thin film technology uses a thin layer of silicon with an integrated strain gauge bridge, sputtered directly onto a stainless steel diaphragm to produce a single integrated measuring element with no fluid isolation. The rear electrical DIN plug assembly is a fixed design with no internal potentiometers. The result is a highly rugged and reliable sensor equally suitable for low or high pressure hydraulic systems and proven to be significantly more accurate, stable and reliable in this application. In addition the modular design also makes it very cost effective, providing the user with improved productivity and lower measurement costs.
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For more information on specific applications for the HT-SML pressure sensor contact us on 0115 9003 550 or alternatively email sales@hydrotechnik.co.uk