Information

4 Fluke Calibration How to choose a pressure comparator
Features to look for in a liquid
pressure comparator
• Test port connections. Using a pressure
comparator to calibrate a device requires that
both a reference gauge and a device under
test to be connected to the comparator. If
your normal workload includes gauges with
a wide variety of pressure ranges and con-
nection types, then make sure that the type
of connection enables you to change refer-
ence gauges easily and also handle a wide
variety of connection types.
• Media compatibility. You must ensure that
the pressure comparator you choose is com-
patible with the media you intend to use.
Most pressure comparator manufacturers
provide a list of all of the wetted materials
so that users can determine whether the
comparator is compatible with a given fluid.
• Pressure generation. The pressure com-
parator needs to have some system (normally
a screw press) capable of generating the full
scale pressures you need.
• Priming system. If your application includes
a potentially large volume that may have
quite a bit of gas in it, then you’ll gener-
ally want to have a method for priming the
system. Ideally, the priming system should
be able to displace a large amount of fluid
quickly.
• Fine adjustment. The fine adjustment of
pressure on a liquid system can be done
in a number of ways. If the system has a
well-designed priming system, then the
main screw press can have a smaller over-
all displacement and finer thread forms.
This allows you to use the screw press for
both major pressure generation and fine
adjustment, like what is found in the Fluke
Calibration P5515.
• Platform stability. The turning of a screw
press at high pressures often requires quite a
bit of force. While not always necessary, you
might want to clamp or semi-permanently
attach the pressure comparator to a bench.
If you do, you’ll need to choose a comparator
whose design makes that easy to do.
Conclusion
Pressure comparators can provide an easy-
to-use, low cost solution for basic pressure
calibration. There are a number of different
types of pressure comparators available, each
with different advantages and disadvantages
depending upon the application. The P5500
Pressure Comparator product line is a complete
product line that can be combined with one of
the Fluke Calibration 2700G Series Reference
Pressure Gauges to provide a complete pres-
sure calibration solution for both gas and liquid
pressures.
Fluke Calibration
PO Box 9090,
Everett, WA 98206 U.S.A.
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. [phone] or Fax [phone]
In Europe/M-East/Africa [phone] or Fax [phone]
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Web access: http://www.flukecal.com
©2014 Fluke Calibration. Specifications subject to change without notice.
Printed in U.S.A. 7/2014 6003164A_EN
Pub-ID 13216-eng
Modification of this document is not permitted without written permission
from Fluke Calibration.
Fluke Calibration. Precision, performance, confidence.
™
Test port
connections
Priming pump
Pressure generation
and fine adjustment
Features to look for in a liquid pressure comparator, as shown on a Fluke Calibration P5515
Comparison Test Pump.