Calibration of Differential Pressure Transmitter

To calibrate an instrument involves checking that the output of the

given instrument corresponds to given inputs at several points throughout
the calibration range of the instrument. For the analog DP transmitter, its
output must be calibrated to obtain a zero percent (4mA) to 100 percent (20
mA) output proportional to the DP transmitters zero percent to 100 percent
range of input pressures.
In other words calibration of the transmitter is required to make the
transmitters percent input equal to the transmitters percent output. This is
accomplished by adjusting screws located and clearly marked as ZERO and
SPAN on the analog transmitters outer casing. The ZERO and SPAN screws
may also be referred to as the ZERO and RANGE adjustment screws for
some manufacturers of DP transmitters.
Whatever the model/manufacturer of your DP transmitter, it can be
easily calibrated according to the manufacturers specific instruction on how
to calibrate it. For every calibration you need to do, consult your
manufacturers specific instruction for calibrating the specific DP transmitter.
However there are general guidelines you need to follow before you
calibrate any transmitter:
Step 1:
Ensure all the materials needed for the calibration are within reach (e.g
meters, pressure source, pressure gauge, Digital multimeter, power supply
module 24Vdc, etc)
Step 2:
Record and put down the following (can easily be sourced from
transmitter nameplate):
a) Transmitter make and model
b) Transmitter calibration range
c) Transmitter span
d) Transmitter MWP(Maximum Working Pressure)
Step 3:
Connect all the equipment needed for the calibration exercise in the
appropriate manner. To ensure you dont make any mistake, you should draw
a connection diagram for all equipment involved paying particular attention
to polarity of transmitter and power source! Then connect them according to
your connection diagram. A typical DP cell transmitter calibration diagram is
shown below:

For your application, this could be modified slightly. For example if the
pressure source is a hand pump, you can easily control the pressure applied
to the DP cell. However, if you are doing field calibration that requires the

use of the actual process pressure, you will need a pressure regulator in
conjunction with a pneumatic calibrator to help you control the pressure
applied to the DP cell.
Step 4:
Most transmitter calibration done is a five point calibration. That is for
0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of input span or range (in this case pressure
input into the DP transmitter). This should correspond exactly to 0%, 25%,
50%, 75% and 100% of the transmitter output span (4- 20mA). The graph
below illustrates the correlation between input and output values.

Readings are taken for both increasing and decreasing input values
and the corresponding transmitter output values are recorded
Step 5:
The low port of the DP transmitter cell is vented to the atmosphere (as
shown in the connection diagram above) and the high port of the DP
transmitter connected to a pressure source e.g a hand pump or any other
suitable pressure source in a bench calibration or the actual process pressure
through a pressure regulator and a pneumatic calibrator in a field calibration.
So once your equipment is well setup, power it up and pressurize the high
port of your DP transmitter. Record the current reading in (m A) which will be
your first data point. Continue pressurizing the transmitter and recording
your readings for the five points (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of input
pressure). All the reading obtained will be the as found readings. If you
calibrate the DP transmitter before first testing and recording the as found
data, the history of the device performance data will be lost.
Step 6
Start to calibrate the DP transmitter. Note that during the calibration
process, the transmitters zero percent, (LRV), is to be calibrated to the,

LRV, of the calibration range and the transmitters span is to be calibrated to

the, URV, of the calibration range. For example, suppose a DP transmitter
with output 4 20mA is to be used to measure pressure in the range 0 300
psig, then the transmitter zero percent (LRV) is 4mA and will be calibrated to
0psig and the transmitters 100%, URV, which is 20mA will be calibrated to
300psig. Locate the manufacturers instruction manual and with it locate the
transmitters ZERO and SPAN adjustment screws sometimes called Zero and
Range adjustment screws. Note that these screws each connect to a variable
resistance (potentiometer) and can be turned indefinitely. That is the
potentiometer is of a type that once fully adjusted clockwise or counter
clockwise the screw may continue to turn without further varying the
resistance for either direction.
The potentiometer has a maximum of 20 turns between minimum and
maximum resistance therefore turning the ZERO or SPAN screws clockwise
or counter-clockwise for 20 turns will cause the potentiometer to be at either
maximum or minimum. Please note that for the analog DP transmitter, the
ZERO and SPAN adjustments are interactive. That is, adjusting one has an
effect on the other. Specifically, changes made to the span adjustment
almost always alter the DP transmitters ZERO point. This back and forth
adjustment of the ZERO and SPAN is what makes the DP transmitter
calibration sometimes tedious.
Step 7:
Turn the ZERO and SPAN screws both 20 turns clockwise. Next turn
both screws 10 turns counter clockwise to approximately adjust the
potentiometer
to
the
mid
resistance
point
(50%).
Step 8:
Apply the 0% (LRV) pressure to the transmitters High side, and the
transmitters low side vented so that there is no differential pressure acting
across
the
transmitters
DP
cell.
Step 9:
Adjust the ZERO screw on the transmitter while observing the current
meter to cause the indication to be 4m A, which is the transmitters LRV
output. This may not be exactly 4mA but depending on your plants
acceptable margin of error, you should get a value very close to 4mA.
Step 10:
Next pressurize the high side of the DP transmitter to cause the
pressure applied to the high side to increase to the 100 percent value (URV)
of
the
calibration
range.
Step 11:

Adjust the SPAN screw while observing the meters current indication
to cause the meter to indicate 20 mA, which is the 100% (URV) output value
signal
for
the
DP
transmitter.
Step 12:
100% input to the transmitter (pressure) exactly equals the
transmitters 0 % through 100 % output (4 - 20 mA current). A correctly
calibrated DP transmitter can be described as one where the % input equals
the % output for all values between 0 and 100 percent.
Once you are satisfied with the level of accuracy of the calibration result, you
are done with the calibration of the DP transmitter otherwise you will have to
continue fine tuning the calibration process until a reasonable accuracy is
achieved.
Effective Tips in Calibration of DP Pressure Transmitters
Calibration of a DP pressure transmitter involves a process by which
the output of the transmitter is adjusted to properly represent a known
pressure input. Calibration is one of the most frequently performed
maintenance operations on pressure transmitters. If well performed, the
transmitters performance improves otherwise its performance could
deteriorate with grave consequences. A pressure input is used to provide
zero and span adjustments to the transmitter in the calibration process.
The following tips are general guides that you should have at the back
of your mind when calibrating a DP pressure transmitter:
Tip 1: - Read and understand the calibration procedure in the
manufacturers instruction manual. The calibration procedures in the manual
should be followed carefully to ensure a proper calibration.
Tip 2: - The use of proper calibration equipment is crucial. The pressure
source and any readout device in use must be of greater accuracy than the
instrument being calibrated. Some experts in calibration have posited that as
a general rule, the pressure source and readout device should be at the
minimum four times more accurate than the device being calibrated. High
accuracy measurements cannot be obtained when the calibration is done
with low-accuracy equipment. It should be a regular practice to check the
accuracy of calibration equipment against a higher standard on a regular
basis to maintain the accuracy of the calibration equipment.
Tip 3: - When doing calibration, leaks are a potential source of error.
Eliminate all leaks in the calibration system. Use TEFLON tape on all pressure
connections.

Tip 4: - Trapped liquids in the pressure transmitter are also a potential

source of error. Drain all liquids from the transmitter and impulse piping
before starting calibrating.
Tip 5: - Linearity adjustments are crucial in any calibration process involving
transmitters. Linearity adjustments should only be made at one point. All
other points should be used to check the adjustments only.
Tip 6: - Most DP pressure transmitters come with an electronic damping pot
for curbing erratic output. Therefore, damping should only be set after the
pressure transmitter is placed in service.
Tip 7: - Temperature is a critical parameter in transmitter calibration.
Transmitter performance is affected by changes in ambient temperature. To
minimize the effect of temperature change, calibration should be done at the
expected ambient temperature. If temperature is expected to fluctuate, it
will be good practice to calibrate between the extremes.
Tip 8: - Transmitter performance is also affected by changes in static
pressure. We can reduce these effects if we calibrate at the line pressure. If
this is not practicable then the pressure transmitter should be put in service
after calibration and re-zeroed after the transmitter has reached the
operating pressure.
**

Calibration Data Sheet

Instead of temperature
units,
use
corresponding pressure
units.

Common terms Used in DP Transmitter Calibration

Lower Range Limit (LRL)
This is the lowest value of the measured variable that a transmitter can be configured
to measure. This is different from Lower Range Value (LRV).
Lower Range Value (LRV)
Lowest value of the measured variable that the analog output of a transmitter is
currently configured to measure.

Transmitter Re-ranging
Configuration function

that

changes

transmitter

4mA and 20mA settings

Upper Range Limit (URL)

This is the highest value of the measured variable that a transmitter can be configured
to measure. This is different from Upper Range Value (URV).
Upper Range Value (URV)
Highest value of the measured variable that the analog output of a transmitter is
currently configured to measure
Span
Span is defined as the algebraic difference between the upper (URV) and lower range
(LRV) values of the DP transmitter.
Span = URV LRV
For example, if the DP transmitter is being used to measure a pressures in the range 0
300psig, then URV = 300, and LRV = 0
Therefore span = URV LRV = 300 0 = 300
Calibration Range
The calibration range of a DP transmitter is defined as the region between the limits
within which a quantity is measured, received or transmitted, expressed by stating the lower
and upper range values. The limits are defined by the zero and span values of the DP
transmitter. The zero value is the lower end of the range. For example a DP transmitter being
used to measure pressures of 0 500 psig has a calibration range of 0 500 psig.
Instrument Range

This refers to the capability of the DP transmitter. If a manufacturer has designed a DP

transmitter for the range 0 700psig for example, then 0 700 psig is the instrument range of
the transmitter. Under no circumstances should the DP transmitter be used in an application
where the pressure is expected to be above 700psig as this will inevitably destroy the
transmitter because its capability has been exceeded.
The calibration range may be the same or differ from the instrument range. For
example, a DP transmitter may have a nameplate instrument range of 0700 psig and output
of 4 - 20 mA. However, if an engineer has determined the instrument will be calibrated for 0to-300 psig = 4-to-20 mA. Then, the calibration range would be specified as 0-to-300 psig = 4to-20 mA. In this example, the zero input value is 0 psig and zero output value is 4 mA. The
input span is 300 psig and the output span is 16 mA.

MWP
MWP means the Maximum Working Pressure of the DP transmitter. MWP refers to the
amount of gauge pressure common to each port (High and Low), not the differential pressure
between ports, which the DP transmitter can safely handle without being damaged.
Transmitter Damping
Output function that increases the response time of a transmitter to smooth the
output when there are rapid input variations
Zero Trim
A zero-based, one point adjustment used in different pressure applications to
compensate for mounting position effects or zero shifts caused by static pressure.