There is a loose convention across manufacturers for designating the type of reference that a pressure sensing device has, which can be confusing if you are unfamiliar with specifying this often overlooked but critical specification parameter.
To help identify the reference of a particular pressure range found on a product label or technical data sheet a list of abbreviated suffixes is provided below.
Vented Gauge Reference Pressure Range
Measuring pressure with reference to atmospheric pressure, also referred to as Relative and Vented Gauge:
- g
- G
- rel
- REL
- vg
- VG
KL1 Cable Junction Box for Submersible Level Transmitters
+/- 30 inches of water compound range pressure transmitter
Vacuum gauge to measure both absolute & negative gauge pressure
50 psi g freshwater pressure transducer with 10 Vdc output signal
Sealed Gauge Reference Pressure Range
Not vented to atmospheric pressure, but instead the reference is fixed to 1 bar.
- sg
- SG
Submersible sensor for measuring sludge pressure in pipe
700 bar pressure gauge with fast update rate peak memory
250 bar pressure transducer with 20 millivolt full scale output
Event triggered high sampling rate pressure logger
Absolute Reference Pressure Range
Referenced to absolute zero pressure or a perfect vacuum
- a
- A
- abs
- ABS
Measuring steam pressure up to 10bar with analog/digital output
SWL Marine Bronze Submersible Level Sensor
10 metre range non-vented submersible absolute range pressure and barometric sensor
500 kPa absolute intrinsically safe pressure transmitter
Differential Pressure Range
The difference in pressure at point B compared to the pressure at point A.
- d
- D
- diff
- DIFF
- dp
- DP
150psi freshwater differential pressure sensor & panel indicator
70 bar range dp transmitter with a 450 bar overpressure rating in both directions
-200 to 200 Pa bi-directional range 4-20mA output dp pressure transmitter for venturi tube
Clean Room Monitor for Air Differential Pressure, Temperature and Humidity – PMDS4
On product marking labels or any document that includes a description of the pressure range, the reference type is included after the pressure unit type e.g. 15 psi abs or 15 psia.