Pressure Measuring Cell Trough-Shaped Chamber Frost Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pressure transducers face challenges in measuring fluids with density anomalies, particularly in conditions where the measurement medium freezes, leading to mechanical stress on the membrane and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A pressure measuring cell with a trough-shaped chamber design, featuring a support body with varying transverse diameters and sloped inner surfaces to guide freezing forces away from the membrane, reducing mechanical stress and eliminating the need for additional compensation components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional pressure measuring cell with a membrane is used to measure pressure of a measurement medium that may freeze, then the membrane experiences mechanical stress and potential damage from freezing forces, but adding compensation components like bellows increases device complexity and reliability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the membrane from direct exposure to the measurement medium by introducing a protective housing with a through-opening. The membrane is positioned such that it does not directly contact the measurement medium, eliminating the source of freezing damage while maintaining pressure measurement functionality through the housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is segmented into functional zones: a through-opening for medium flow, an accommodation region for the membrane protected from direct medium contact, and a measurement region. This segmentation isolates the membrane from harmful freezing forces while preserving measurement capability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If additional compensation components like bellows are added to protect the membrane from freezing, then frost protection is improved, but the device complexity and potential for component failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful freezing forces are extracted from the membrane environment by designing a housing that prevents direct contact between the measurement medium and the membrane. The through-opening allows medium flow while the accommodation region isolates the membrane from frost damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure itself provides the frost protection function that would otherwise require separate compensation components. The geometric design of the housing with its through-opening and accommodation region inherently protects the membrane without needing additional bellows or compensators.
3Measurement precision
If the membrane is directly exposed to the measurement medium for accurate pressure measurement, then measurement precision is maintained, but the membrane is vulnerable to mechanical stress from freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a measurement region where pressure is accurately sensed and an accommodation region that protects the membrane. The through-opening allows the measurement medium to reach the measurement region while the segmentation prevents freezing forces from directly stressing the membrane.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary between the measurement medium and the membrane. It transmits pressure information to the membrane while filtering out harmful freezing forces, enabling accurate measurement without direct exposure to frost damage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The geometric frost protection design enhances the drift characteristics of pressure transducers by reducing mechanical stress and avoiding the use of fault-prone compensation components, making them suitable for applications with measurement media that exhibit freezing.
Implementation Method 1
the inner surface of the support body is shaped such that a transverse diameter of the trough-shaped chamber at the second side of the cavity is larger than the transverse diameter at the first side of the cavity... guide freezing forces away from the membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure measuring cell is described, including a membrane with a first surface and a second surface, and a support body, the support body including a cavity which is transversely delimited by an inner surface of the support body and axially delimited at a first side by the first surface of the membrane and open at a second side opposite to the first side to form a trough-shaped chamber for accommodating a measurement medium, wherein the inner surface of the support body is shaped such that a transverse diameter of the trough-shaped chamber at the second side of the cavity is larger than the transverse diameter at the first side of the cavity.