Experiment three

Engineering Measurement lab ( 0620345)

Supervisor: Eng. Nessreen Al-Zboon

(Measurements)

Characteristics of the humidity sensor, flow sensor and pressure sensor.

Experiment (3)
3.1 Characteristics of the humidity sensor.

3.2 Characteristics of the flow sensor.

3.3 Characteristics of the pressure sensor.

Experiment three

3.1 Characteristics of the humidity sensor

Theory:
The warmer the air is, the more water vapour it can ‘hold’. Humidity is an expression
used to describe the amount of water vapour in the air.

‘Relative Humidity (RH)’ is the term used most often in weather information meant for
the public.

Relative humidity is the amount of water vapour actually in the air compared with the
amount of vapour needed to make the air saturated at the air’s current temperature. It
is expressed as a percentage and can be computed in a variety of ways.

E.g. %RH 100 ⋅ Pw/Ps(t)

Where Pw = partial water pressure

Ps = water vapour’s saturation pressure
t = ambient temperature in °C
Example:
1 The air temperature is 30°C and the air has 9 grams of water vapour per cubic
meter of air (Absolute humidity). Divide 9 by 30 and multiply by 100 to get a
relative humidity of 30% - the air has 30% of the water vapour it could hold at its
current temperature.
2 The air cools down to 10°C, divide 9 by 9 and multiply by 100 to get a relative
humidity of 100% - the air now has all the vapour it can hold at its new
temperature.

Useful definitions:
Humidity: Humidity Refers to the water vapour content in air or other gases. Humidity
measurements can be stated in a variety of terms and units. The three commonly used
terms are absolute humidity, dew point, and relative humidity (RH).

Absolute humidity: Absolute humidity is the ratio of the mass of water vapour to the
volume of air or gas. It is commonly expressed in grams per cubic meter. It can be
calculated from known RH, temperature, or wet bulb, or it can be measured directly.
Experiment three

Dew point: Dew point, expressed in °C or °F, is the temperature and pressure at
which a gas begins to condense into a liquid.

Relative humidity: Abbreviated as RH, relative humidity refers to the ratio (stated as a
percent) of the moisture content of air compared to the saturated moisture level at the
same temperature and pressure.

Choosing a humidity sensor, a review of three technologies:

Capacitive Humidity Sensors
Capacitive relative humidity sensors (see figure 3.1 below) are widely used in
industrial, commercial, and weather telemetry applications.

Fig. 3.1 - Capacitive Humidity Sensors

They consist of a substrate on which a thin film of polymer or metal oxide is deposited
between two conductive electrodes. The sensing surface is coated with a porous metal
electrode to protect it from contamination and exposure to condensation

Capacitive sensors are characterized by low temperature coefficient, ability to function

at high temperatures (up to 200°C), full recovery from condensation, and reasonable
resistance to chemical vapors. The response time ranges from 30 to 60 s for a 63% RH
step change.

Resistive Humidity Sensors

Resistive humidity sensors (see figure 3.2 below) measure the change in electrical
impedance of a hygroscopic medium such as a conductive polymer, salt, or treated
substrate, The impedance change is typically an inverse exponential relationship to
humidity.

Fig. 3.2 - Resistive Humidity Sensors

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Thermal Conductivity Humidity Sensors

These sensors measure the absolute humidity by quantifying the difference between
the thermal conductivity of dry air and that of air containing water vapor.

Summary
Rapid advancements in semiconductor technology, such as thin film deposition, ion
sputtering, and ceramic/silicon coatings, have made possible highly accurate humidity
sensors with resistance to chemicals and physical contaminants at economical prices.
No single sensor, however, can satisfy every application.

Resistive, capacitive, and thermal conductivity sensing technologies each offer distinct
advantages. Resistive sensors are interchangeable, usable for remote locations, and
cost effective.

Capacitive sensors provide wide RH range and condensation tolerance, and, if laser
trimmed, are also interchangeable.

Thermal conductivity sensors perform well in corrosive environments and at high

temperatures. For most applications, therefore, the environmental conditions dictate
the sensor choice
Experiment three

Practical Part

Connect the circuit as shown in figure.

Connect the moving coil meter to the output of the HUMIDITY SENSOR.

Note at the beginning the value signed on the meter.

Try now to blow on the sensor (blu area) and note the movement of the instrument’s index
indicating the change in humidity felt by the sensor.

If you need more precision in the values try to connect the output of the sensor to the input of an
amplifier (1 or 2 in DL 2312AMPHG) adjusting either the fine and/or the coarse gains.

Make more tests to understand in detail the behaviour and characteristics of the humidity
sensor.
Experiment three

3.2 Characteristics of the flow sensor

Flow meters
Measuring flow rate is an important requirement in many experimental and industrial
applications. Flow meters are used for a variety of applications where it is desired to
measure the flow rate or volume of a given fluid or gaseous material.

Flow sensors
A flow sensor is a device that responds to fluid flow by providing an output indicative
of the fluid flow rate.

Flow sensors are utilized in a variety of fluid-sensing applications for detecting the
quality of fluids, including gas and liquid.

Practical Part

Connect the circuit as shown in figure.

Connect the moving coil meter to the output of the FLOW SENSOR.

Note at the beginning the value signed on the meter.

Try now to pump air in the sensor (upper orifice) through the supplied syringe and note the
movement of the instrument’s index indicating the change in flow felt by the sensor.
Experiment three

Remove the tube from the upper orifice of the sensor and put it into the lower one and try again
to pump air and observe the indications in the moving coil meter in this case.

If you need more precision in the values try to connect the output of the sensor to the input of
an amplifier (1 or 2 in DL 2312AMPHG) adjusting either the fine and/or the coarse gains.

Make more tests to understand in detail the behaviour and characteristics of the flow sensor.

3.3 Characteristics of the pressure sensor

Pressure transducers
Pressure metrology is the technology of transducing pressure into an electrical
quantity. Normally, a diaphragm construction is used with strain gauges either bonded
to, or diffused into it, acting as resistive elements. Under the pressure-induced strain,
the resistive values change.

The resistors are connected as a Wheatstone Bridge, the output of which is directly
proportional to the pressure.

The device of DL 2312HG is a silicon piezoresistive pressure sensor providing a highly

accurate and linear voltage output - directly proportional to the applied pressure.

Figure 3.3 illustrates a block diagram of the internal circuitry on the stand-alone
pressure sensor chip.

Fig.3.3
Experiment three

The differential voltage output of the transducer is directly proportional to the

differential pressure applied.

The absolute sensor has a built-in reference vacuum. The output voltage will
decrease as vacuum, relative to ambient, is drawn on the pressure (P1) side.

The output voltage of the differential or gauge sensor increases with increasing
pressure applied to the pressure (P1) side relative to the vacuum (P2) side. Similarly,
output voltage increases as increasing vacuum is applied to the vacuum (P2) side
relative to the pressure (P1) side.

Practical Part

Connect the circuit as shown in figure .

Connect the moving coil meter to the output of the PRESSURE SENSOR.

Adjust the fine gain of the AMPLIFIER 1 to 0.50.

Adjust the coarse gain control of the AMPLIFIER 1 to 100.

Note at the beginning the value signed on the meter.

Experiment three

Try now to pump air in the sensor (the right orifice _ continuous line) through the supplied
syringe and note the movement of the instrument’s index indicating the change in pressure felt
by the sensor.

Remove the tube from the right orifice of the sensor and put it into the left one (dashed line) and
try again to pump air and observe the indications in the moving coil meter in this case (it must
be opposite to the latter case).

Make more tests to understand in detail the behaviour and characteristics of the pressure
sensor.