MAPÚA UNIVERSITY

School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Experiment No. 4
PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE

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BERMAS, Jon Dean C. March 5, 2019
ME139L / B1 March 19, 2019
Group No. 1

Engr. Teodulo A. Valle

Instructor

GRADE
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

A. Objectives 1
B. Theory and Principle 1
C. List of Apparatus 5
D. Procedure 7
E. Set-up of Apparatus 9
F. Final Data Sheet 10
G. Sample Computation 11
H. Test Data Analysis 12
I. Questions and Answers 13
J. Conclusion 15
K. References 16
L. Preliminary Data Sheet 17
OBJECTIVES

1. To be able to learn how to calibrate and use the bourdon dead weight gage
tester.
2. To be able to learn how to calibrate and use thermometers with known melting
and freezing points.
3. To familiarize oneself with the different types of pressure and temperature
measuring devices.

THEORY AND PRINCIPLE

PRESSURE

Since pressure is defined as force per unit area, it is apparent that

measurements of pressure and force are virtually the same thing.
Measurements of pressure are accomplished by balancing the pressure to be
measured against a known force. In barometers, manometers, and dead-
weight testers, the pressure is balanced against the force of gravity acting on
a measured column of liquid or a known weight. In bourdon and other spring
gages, the known force is produced by the deflection of a calibrated spring.

In most engineering measurements the force is expressed in pounds and

the area in square inches (psi). But the terms pressure and head are often used
interchangeably, as when the ventilating engineers speaks of a “static pressure
of 2 in. of water” in a fan duct or the meteorologist refers to a “barometric
pressure of 29 in.” (of mercury).

Pressures are measured either from a datum of absolute zero or from

atmospheric pressure. The term vacuum refers to a pressure measured
downward from the atmospheric line; hence when the barometer reads 30 in.,
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the equivalent of a “vacuum of 10 in. mercury’ is an absolute pressure of 20
in. of mercury.

Higher pressures are commonly measured by balancing the pressure

against the resistance of a metal spring. Deflection then becomes a measure
of pressure, but of course this device must be calibrated.

The ASME Test Codes recommend that a mercury barometer should

always be used. In many cases, pressures less than atmospheric are given in
inches of mercury, vacuum. In such cases, the vacuum recorded is the read on
the scale of a mercury column.

In the bourdon gage the spring is a flattened tube, bent to form a circular
arc. When subjected to internal pressure the tube will tend to straighten out.
The fixed end of tube is connected to the pressure source, and the free end is
sealed and connected to a multiplying and indicating mechanism, from which
the pressure is read. The common pressure ranges for full-scale readings of
bourdon gages are 15 to 10,000 psi, but higher ranges are also available.
Vacuum gages of the same type are calibrated in inches of mercury and
compound gages are marked in pounds per square inch above the atmosphere
and inches of mercury below atmosphere.

Dead-weight pressure gages are devices by which exact values of fluid

pressure may be produced through the use of standard weight acting vertically
on a frictionless piston of known area. Dead-weight gages are also used for
precise measurement and control of important pressures, such as the operating
steam pressure in a large electric central station.

A dead-weight tester and standard weights are to be used as the

calibration standard for pressures above atmosphere. For vacuum-gage

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calibration, an arrangement is made for direct comparison with a mercury
manometer. Water and mercury manometers may also be used for calibrations
in the range 0 to 15 psig, and a hook-gage manometer or other vertical micro
manometer is used for calibration of gages reading less than 5 in. of water.

TEMPERATURE

Three general types of instruments are commonly used for measuring

temperatures below the incandescent range, viz., expansion thermometers,
resistance thermometers, and thermocouples. Accurate temperature
measurements are not easy to make, but the difficulties are more often due to
wrong methods of installation and use than to the instruments themselves.
Hence, the title and content of this experiment.

ASME Tests of Temperature-measuring Instrument and Apparatus,

under many of the conditions met in power tests the desired accuracy in the
measurement of temperature can be obtained only by observance of suitable
precautions in the installation and use of temperature-measuring instruments,
and in the interpretation of the results obtained with them.

Many of the instruments available for temperature measurements are

capable of indicating temperature far more accurately than is required in most
tests. The difficulties in the use of the instruments are due either to wrong
installation or to careless use.

Three methods are readily available for checking thermometers and

thermocouples. The apparatus required is as follows:

1. Comparison with Standard instruments. A thermometer – comparison

bath with mechanical stirrer should be provided, and the instruments
immersed in closed proximity in the bath of water or oil. For high
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 temperatures a bath of molten salt or an electric muffle furnace can be
used. The accuracy of the comparison standard must be certified,
preferably by a Bureau of Standards calibration. Stem-emergence
corrections must be carefully determined for the thermometers.
2. Checking by Reference to Known Boiling or Melting Points – Suitable
beakers, crucibles, and heat sources are required, depending on the
materials used and on the temperature range. For the boiling point of
water, a total-immersion steam bath is preferred.
3. Checking by Reference to Saturated-steam Temperatures – this method
is successful only when a dead-weight platform or other very accurate
method of measuring the steam pressure is available. True temperatures
are read from steam tables.

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LIST OF APPARATUS
1. Dead Weight Tester

2. Set of Standard Weights

3. Analog Thermometer

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4. Digital Thermometer

5. Laser Thermometer

6. Steam Bath

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 7. Water

8. Stop Watch

PROCEDURE:

A. Calibration of Bourdon Gage by Dead Weight Tester

1. Examine the Internal construction of available gages and make sketches of
them.
2. Loosen the screw of the handwheel by turning it counterclockwise and
remove the valve cover that covers the oil reservoir.
3. Pour the hydraulic oil into the reservoir up to its proper level then close the
valve cover.

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 4. To eliminate or remove the air that is trapped inside the cylinder, open the
drain level and screw the handwheel slowly by turning it clockwise. In this
way, the air bubbles will spill out through the drain cock.
5. Lock the drain valve.
6. Spin the rotating plunger to minimize the friction and slowly screw the
handwheel counterclockwise until the platform reaches the start point.
7. For trial 1, slowly turn the screws of the platform and the plunger rises
(floating freely) to approximately 1 inch above the starting point.
8. Record the gage reading.
9. For the succeeding trials, load the platform gradually with the standard
weight specified by the instruction and provided of the data sheet.
10.Record the gage readings for each weight added.
11.Calculate the percentage difference between the gage to be calibrated and
the tester.

B. Taking the Temperature

1. Place a measured amount of water on the steam bath, take the initial
temperature then turn the device on.
2. Then given three temperatures, get the required temperature using the laser
thermometer and record the time.
3. Measure as well using the analog and digital thermometer after the reading
on the laser thermometer has reached the required temperature.

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SET-UP OF APPARATUS
1. Pressure

2. Temperature

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FINAL DATA SHEET
A. Pressure
Standard Standard
Gage
Group Trial Pressure Equivalent Difference %
Reading (psi)
(kg/cm3) (psi)
1 0.5 7.11 8 0.89 11.78
2 0.7 9.96 10.5 0.54 5.28
3 1.0 14.23 14.5 0.27 1.88
4 1.1 15.65 16 0.35 2.21
5 1.2 17.07 17 0.07 0.41
II
6 1.3 18.50 19 0.50 2.67
7 1.5 21.34 21 0.34 1.61
8 1.6 22.76 23 0.24 1.05
9 1.7 24.19 24.1 0.09 0.37
10 2.5 35.37 35 0.57 1.62

B. Temperature
Group Setting Initial Time Digital Analog Laser QA
(oC) T. (oC) (min) T. (oC) (oC) (oC) (W)
I 50 32.5 4:21 46 36 47.7 1060.45
II 70 50 5:42 65 45 67.9 953.05

Mass of water = 4.35kg

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SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS

 Pressure
Standard Pressure = 0.5 kg/cm2
0.5 kg/cm2 * (2.54 cm)2/1 in2* 9.81 N/1kgf * lbf/4.448N = 7.11lbf/in2
Gage Pressure = 8 kg/cm2
Difference = |PS – PG| = |7.11 – 8| = 0.89 kg/cm2
0.89
%= 7.11+8 ∗ 100% = 11.78%
2

 Temperature
Q A = mC∆T
1
Q A = 4.35 ∗ (4186) ∗ (47.7 − 32.5) ∗ ( )
261
Q A = 1060.45 W

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TEST DATA ANALYSIS
The first part of the experiment was about the calibration of the bourdon gage
through dead center test. In this test, we observed several things. First, when the load
is applied, there was a positive movement in the pressure gage. This movement was
caused by the oil inside the appartus. When load is applied and the mechanism is
twisted, it increased the pressure inside the bourdon tube causing the gage to move.
This movement is the actual gage pressure. Based from the data, as the weight
increased, the pressure also increased. Second, whenever the plunger is not stable
and moves down, we remove air inside the apparatus because it causes bubbles and
may affect the actual pressure reading. Third, the pressure exerted on the fluid
represents same pressure in the bourdon gage.
In the experiment, pressure is directly proportional to the weight. Though
having a direct relationship, the results were inaccurate due to their percent errors.
As we can see, the percentage error increases as the weights increase. There is an
increasing margin of error as we increase the pressure being measured in the
bourdon.
In the second part of the experiment, we observed the following things. First,
the ice melts slowly at room temperature. This means that temperature difference
between the surrounding and the ice plays an important role in heat loss of the ice.
Furthermore, the mass of the ice also shows a direct relationship with its melting
time.
In the third part of the experiment, we observed two things. First, the boiling
points of both water samples were the same, by using two temperature devices.
Based from the results, the tap water boils slower than the distilled matter. This is
mainly because the distilled water has fewer impurities than tap water. These
impurities increased the time of boiling the tap water.

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QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. Define (a) static pressure, (b) velocity pressure.
Static pressure is pressure that is measured when water is at rest.
Static pressure is uniform in all directions, so pressure measurements are
independent of direction in an immovable (static) fluid. Flow, however,
applies additional pressure on surfaces perpendicular to the flow direction,
while having little impact on surfaces parallel to the flow direction.
Velocity pressure is the pressure due to velocity of a moving fluid. It is
also known as dynamic viscosity. It is the difference between static and
stagnation pressures.

2. It is standard practice when using a dead-weight tester to rotate the

weights, and piston and to tap the gage lightly while obtaining
readings. Explain why.
Rotating the weights and piston and tapping the gage lightly are
method carried out to prevent uncertain measurements of the instrument.
They are means of moving and eliminating any excess air interfering with
the device. Moreover, tapping the device helps the bourdon tube to
stabilize and produce the appropriate reading.

3. Barometers are usually provided with an adjustable cup or flexible

leather bottom. Why?
The barometer is provided with adjustable cups and leather bottom
to adjust the fluid level in the barometer. Therefore, it eases the means of
adjusting the level of fluid in the barometer. Adjusting the barometers fluid
level is important, since it will ensure correct and acceptable readings.

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4. What is the source of the energy which actuates the pointer or
recording pen of a pressure type of thermometer?
Thermal energy from the body is the main source of energy for
driving the pointer of a pressure type thermometer. Inside pressure type
thermometer, there are two inter-twined metal strips which contracts and
expands when subjected to changing temperature condition (thermal
energy). These contraction or expansion action actually moves the strip.
5. Can a vapor-pressure pressure-actuated thermometer be used to
measure temperatures when the bulb temperature is lower than the
rest of the system?
No, the bulb temperature should be higher than the temperature of
the system.

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CONCLUSION
The group was successful in performing the experiment. Based from the
results, the following generalities were concluded. First, in the first part, we learned
how to calibrate bourdon gage, it was important to ensure that no air remained inside
the tester to prevent flaws in the results. Second, pressure is directly proportional to
force this was proven by the graphical representation. Third, percentage error
increases with the weight.
In the second part of the experiment, we have analyzed that the melting of ice
is influenced by the mass of the ice sample and the temperature difference between
the ice and the surrounding. Ice melts longer the bigger its mass and the lower the
temperature difference.
In the last part of the experiment, we have analyzed that the distilled water
boils faster than the tap water. This is because the tap water has more impurities than
the distilled water. These impurities increase the boiling temperature and the length
of boiling of the water sample.
The possible source of error is instrumental errors such as the bourdon gage
attached to the tester was not fully calibrated and it cannot handle very large or very
small loads resulting to inaccurate measurements. Another possible source of error
is human error in reading the pressure in the bourdon gage.

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REFERENCES
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermometer
 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pman.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_measurement

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