AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Vacuum Technology Monday Sessions
       Session VT-MoA

Paper VT-MoA1
Investigations on the Dynamic Response of Pirani Gauges

Monday, November 9, 2009, 2:00 pm, Room C1

Session: Pressure, Partial Pressure, and Flow Measurement
Presenter: M. Wüest, INFICON, Liechtenstein
Authors: M. Wüest, INFICON, Liechtenstein
B. Andreaus, INFICON, Liechtenstein
R. Stocker, INFICON, Liechtenstein
Correspondent: Click to Email
For over 100 years the Pirani sensors measure vacuum pressure from ~5x10-5 mbar to atmosphere. Pirani sensors are based on heat conduction through gas. Due to this measurement principle the accuracy of Pirani sensors is reduced near atmospheric pressure. Yet many industrial processes use the low cost Pirani sensors for venting applications and the trend is to faster cycle times. Depending on the construction Pirani sensors can display various inaccuracies during rapid pressure changes. This is because the wall temperature measurement used for temperature compensation lags the pressure change. Here we present an investigation to optimize Pirani sensor design for rapid pressure venting applications.