Maintaining strict environmental controls during renovation or construction within active hospitals is paramount for patient safety. A key challenge is verifying the negative air pressure in sealed-off work zones to prevent the migration of dust and airborne pathogens. This requires instrumentation capable of resolving very small pressure differences with high stability.
- Application: Monitoring a minimum 20 Pascal negative pressure differential in a hospital construction vestibule.
- Problem: Existing sensors lacked the necessary measurement resolution, unable to accurately confirm the low-pressure threshold.
- Solution: A DPS series low-range differential pressure transducer configured for a 0-50 Pa range.
A contractor working on renovation projects within active hospital environments faced a critical challenge related to air quality and infection control. To protect patients and staff from construction dust and potential airborne contaminants, their process required the setup of temporary, airtight vestibules to completely isolate the work zone from the rest of the facility. A crucial part of this safety protocol was establishing a negative pressure environment within the sealed construction area. This ensures that airflow is always directed into the work zone, preventing any contaminated air from escaping into the clean hospital environment.
The core requirement was to continuously measure and verify that the pressure inside the construction zone was at least 20 Pascals (Pa) lower than the adjacent hospital areas. However, the engineering team encountered a significant instrumentation problem. Their existing Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring platform utilized ambient pressure sensors whose resolution was in hectopascals (hPa), where one hectopascal equals 100 Pascals. This level of resolution was far too coarse to reliably detect or monitor a small, critical differential of just 20 Pa, making it impossible to guarantee compliance with the safety protocol. The team needed a sensor solution with much finer resolution, specifically designed for measuring very low pressure differentials, which could then be integrated into their IoT platform for live data monitoring.
The proposed solution was the DPS series low-range differential pressure transducer. This instrument was perfectly suited for the application, as it is engineered to precisely measure extremely low-pressure variations in non-aggressive gases like air. It utilizes a highly reliable inductive measurement system, which provides excellent long-term stability—a critical factor for continuous, unattended monitoring. The transducer was configured with a measurement range of 0 to 50 Pascals, providing ample resolution to accurately monitor and confirm the required 20 Pa differential.
The DPS series transducer provides a pressure-proportional analog output signal, such as 0-10V, which can be seamlessly fed into the customer’s existing IoT monitoring system via a suitable analog input module. This allows the pressure differential data to be transmitted to their cloud platform for remote monitoring and data logging. To further enhance the reliability of the measurement in a dynamic construction environment where pressures might fluctuate due to personnel movement, the transducer incorporates an internal damping feature. For applications requiring the highest level of stability over time, an optional automatic zero adjustment function is available, which periodically re-calibrates the sensor’s zero point to compensate for any potential drift. Furthermore, the unit can be equipped with optional limit contacts, or relay switches, which could be configured to trigger a local audible or visual alarm if the pressure differential falls below the mandatory 20 Pa threshold, providing an immediate on-site alert to construction personnel.
DPS Low Range Differential Pressure Transducer
- Pressure Range: 0-50 Pa
- Range Type: Differential (0 to +P)
- Output Signal & Supply Type: 0-10V 3 wire, 19-32Vdc supply
- Output Options: Linear signal
- Accuracy (linearity only): 1% full scale
- Electrical Connection: M12 x 1.5 cable glands with 5 internal screw terminals
- Process Connection: 6.6mm dia x 11mm barbed connections
- Media Compatibility: Non aggressive gases compatible with Ni, Al, CuBe, PU, silicon rubber