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Pressure sensors... — Parallax Forums

Pressure sensors...

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2001-05-31 00:23 in General Discussion
Hello stampers,
Can anybody suggest a low pressure sensor, to be used for measuring the depth of fluid in a tank. Tank size may be from 2 Metres (6 Feet) to approx 12 Metres (36 Feet) ?.
It is for use with diesel fuel so it needs to be fairly good quality.

Regards,
Chris

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 10:04
    Hello Chris,

    One possibility is to measure hydrostatic pressure by means of an air-filled tube open at the bottom with a pressure gauge on top.· The gauge does not then have to be special in any way because it comes in contact only with air.· It could be differential, comparing atmosphere + diesel fluid to atmosphere.

    Another way could use an acoustic or microwave distance gauge looking down at the surface of the liquid.· This works well with water, no idea about diesel oil.

    Hope this is of some help,
    Dov

    Original Message
    From: Chris Anderson
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 9:31 AM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Pressure sensors...

    Hello stampers,
    Can anybody suggest a low pressure sensor, to be used for measuring the depth of fluid in a tank. Tank size may be from 2 Metres (6 Feet) to approx 12 Metres (36 Feet) ?.
    It is for use with diesel fuel so it needs to be fairly good quality.

    Regards,
    Chris

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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 12:16
    Do you just want to know when the tank is getting low? If so, one of the
    solid-state differential pressure elements would work. Not sure who the
    manufacturer is or where to get one -- we used them at work and I "saved"
    one or two, but they have no markings. I saw some at Tanners Electronics and
    they were made by Motorola. Of course, you can always use the fill switch
    out of a washing machine.


    Original Message

    Can anybody suggest a low pressure sensor, to be used for measuring the
    depth of fluid in a tank. Tank size may be from 2 Metres (6 Feet) to approx
    12 Metres (36 Feet) ?.
    It is for use with diesel fuel so it needs to be fairly good quality.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 13:02
    Thanks Rodent,
    The main thing I need is to interface the gauge with an existing fuel
    monitoring system we make. The fuel system is accessed via the mobile phone
    network. The user would like to be able to take a reading of the gauge, and
    do an approximate calculation of how much fuel they have left, so that they
    can order the correct amount. I know that ultrasonics etc can be used but a
    simple gauge and and adc converter or a digital output from the gauge would
    be nice.
    Regards,
    Chris

    Original Message
    From: Rodent <daweasel@s...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 7:16 PM
    Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Pressure sensors...


    > Do you just want to know when the tank is getting low? If so, one of the
    > solid-state differential pressure elements would work. Not sure who the
    > manufacturer is or where to get one -- we used them at work and I "saved"
    > one or two, but they have no markings. I saw some at Tanners Electronics
    and
    > they were made by Motorola. Of course, you can always use the fill switch
    > out of a washing machine.
    >
    >
    >
    Original Message
    >
    > Can anybody suggest a low pressure sensor, to be used for measuring the
    > depth of fluid in a tank. Tank size may be from 2 Metres (6 Feet) to
    approx
    > 12 Metres (36 Feet) ?.
    > It is for use with diesel fuel so it needs to be fairly good quality.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed with. Text in the Subject
    and Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 13:27
    At 5/30/2001 Wednesday 08:02 AM, Chris Anderson promulgated:
    >Thanks Rodent,
    >The main thing I need is to interface the gauge with an existing fuel
    >monitoring system we make. The fuel system is accessed via the mobile phone
    >network. The user would like to be able to take a reading of the gauge, and
    >do an approximate calculation of how much fuel they have left, so that they
    >can order the correct amount. I know that ultrasonics etc can be used but a
    >simple gauge and and adc converter or a digital output from the gauge would
    >be nice.
    >Regards,
    >Chris
    Hi Chris -

    Motorola has a whole line of sensors, with pressure sensors among them.
    Take a look here at the main sensors page, and drill down as needed:
    http://mot-sps.com/sensors/

    Hope that gets you started.

    Regards,

    Bruce Bates
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 17:51
    Digi-Key stocks a variety of pressure sensors in stainless steel...

    >Can anybody suggest a low pressure sensor, to be used for measuring the
    depth of fluid in a tank. Tank size may be from 2 Metres (6 Feet) to approx
    12 Metres (36 Feet) ?.
    It is for use with diesel fuel so it needs to be fairly good quality.

    Mike Hardwick, for Decade Engineering -- <http://www.decadenet.com>
    Manufacturer of the famous BOB-II Serial Video Text Display Module!
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 19:54
    The reason I suggested it was that the company I used to work for
    manufactured an overfill alarm that used this sensor. You have two tubes
    that hang down into the tank, a short one as a reference, the other one
    longer, cut at the high level plus about 3 inches. As the fluid level rises,
    it reaches the longer tube and compresses the air in the tube. The sensor
    detects the difference in pressure between the two tubes and triggers an
    alarm.

    Morrison Brothers manufactures a clock gauge with a setable contact -- also
    for overfill, but usable for a low-level alarm. Morrison also makes a 1018
    gauge that monitors the tank level continuously, but these are expensive.
    This is esentially a large version of their clock gauge / float with an
    encoder wheel indicating the absolute position of the float.

    Does your fuel system not have a totalizer for the tank? I would think you
    could maintain a basic tank inventory with this, as long as the customer
    could remember to add deliveries to the total.

    Original Message

    > The main thing I need is to interface the gauge with an existing fuel
    > monitoring system we make. The fuel system is accessed via the mobile
    phone
    > network. The user would like to be able to take a reading of the gauge,
    and
    > do an approximate calculation of how much fuel they have left, so that
    they
    > can order the correct amount. I know that ultrasonics etc can be used but
    a
    > simple gauge and and adc converter or a digital output from the gauge
    would
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-30 23:33
    Rodent,
    The 'inventory' method has been suggested, the user has around Aust $4000
    worth of measuring equipment on the tank, but for some reason does'nt like
    the idea of having to calculate the balance (I guess he could be responsible
    then if he gets it wrong !!). I will do some more searching for 'pressure
    transducers' as another reply suggested. I thought I would throw the
    question at the group because there are people from all walks on this group.
    Thanks for your help,
    Chris
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-05-31 00:23
    http://www.morbros.com/ast.htm#Gauges%20and%20Alarms


    Original Message

    > The 'inventory' method has been suggested, the user has around Aust $4000
    > worth of measuring equipment on the tank, but for some reason does'nt like
    > the idea of having to calculate the balance (I guess he could be
    responsible
    > then if he gets it wrong !!). I will do some more searching for 'pressure
    > transducers' as another reply suggested. I thought I would throw the
    > question at the group because there are people from all walks on this
    group.
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