Index

Fluid Pressure Measurement Pressure

Since static fluid pressure is determined by the fluid density and depth, the concepts
depth or height difference of a given liquid is commonly used
for pressure measurement:

The fact that the

liquid levels are the
same in these three
manometers shows
that the pressure in
the glass manifold
above them is
uniform. This is
under static
conditions with no
air flow through the
system so that all
parts of it are
atatmospheric
pressure. The fact
that open liquids
will seek a common
level is the principle
behind liquid levels
for construction
purposes.
The flow in this
system is from left
to right, driven by a
high pressure air
supply. The system
is said to have a
positive gauge
pressure exerted by
the air supply. This
pressure acts to push
the manometer
levels down, so the
minimum height in
the left manometer
indicates that it is
subjected to the
highest pressure.

The fact that the center manometer has a higher level under these conditions of
rapid air flow indicates that the pressure has been lowered in the constriction
by the Bernoulli effect. Note that the liquid level in the right hand tube is
slightly higher than the left tube, indicating that the pressure there is slightly
less than that at the left hand tube. This is indicative of the normal pressure
drop in a flowing fluid fromPoiseuille's law since the diameters of the top tube
are the same at the left and right tubes.

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 Fluid Pressure Calculation
Fluid column height in the relationship

is often used for the measurement of pressure. After

entering the relevant data, any one of the highlighted
quantities below can be calculated by clicking on it.
Pressure difference = density x g x height
Top of Form

If the fluid density is

ρ= gm/cm3 = kg/m3 Index

and the column height is Pressure
concepts
h= m= x 10^ m

h= ft
then the pressure difference is

Discussion ΔP = kPa

ΔP = lb/in2

ΔP = mmHg= inches Hg

ΔP = atmos

ΔP = inches water= cm water

Bottom of Form

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 Atmospheric Pressure
The surface of the earth is at the bottom of an atmospheric sea. The
standard atmospheric pressure is measured in various units:
1 atmosphere = 760 mmHg = 29.92 inHg = 14.7 lb/in2 = 101.3 KPa
The fundamental SI unit of pressure is the Pascal (Pa), but it is a small unit
so kPa is the most common direct pressure unit for atmospheric pressure.
Since thestatic fluid pressure is dependent only upon density and depth,
choosing a liquid of standard density like mercury or water allows you to Index
express the pressure in units of height or depth, e.g., mmHg or inches of
water. The mercury barometeris the standard instrument for atmospheric Atmospheric
pressure measurement in weather reporting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure
pressure with height can be predicted from the barometric formula. demos
The unit mmHg is often called torr, particularly in vacuum applications:
760 mmHg = 760 torr Pressure
concepts
For weather applications, the standard atmospheric pressure is often called
1 bar or 1000 millibars. This has been found to be convenient for recording
the relatively small deviations from standard atmospheric pressure with
normal weather patterns.
Force of atmosphere on an area.

Constituents of the atmosphere

Standard temperature and pressure (STP)

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 Mercury Barometer
The mercury barometer and other manometer devices are reliable pressure
measurement devices since fluid pressure depends only on fluid density and
depth. The atmospheric pressure provides the force necessary to push the
mercury up the evacuated tube. Even though it acts downward in the
illustration, by Pascal's principle we know that the pressure acts in all
directions and can force the mercury up the tube until its weight is enough to
equal the force of the atmosphere.

Index

Pressure
concepts

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Units
Mercury column

The SI unit for pressure is the pascal (Pa), equal to one newton per square meter (N/m2 or kg·m−1·s−2). This special name for

the unit was added in 1971;[3]before that, pressure in SI was expressed simply as N/m2.

Non-SI measures such as pounds per square inch and bar are used in some parts of the world, primarily in the United States of

America. The cgs unit of pressure is the barye (ba), equal to 1 dyn·cm−2 or 0.1 Pa. Pressure is sometimes expressed in grams-

force/cm2, or as kg/cm2 and the like without properly identifying the force units. But using the names kilogram, gram, kilogram-

force, or gram-force (or their symbols) as units of force is expressly forbidden in SI. The technical atmosphere (symbol: at) is 1

kgf/cm2 which, in US Customary units, is 14.223 psi.

Since a system under pressure has potential to perform work on its surroundings, pressure is a measure of potential energy

stored per unit volume measured in J·m-3, related to energy density.

Some meteorologists prefer the hectopascal (hPa) for atmospheric air pressure, which is equivalent to the older

unit millibar (mbar). Similar pressures are given in kilo pascals (kPa) in most other fields, where the hecto- prefix is rarely used.

The inch of mercury is still used in the United States. Oceanographers usually measure underwater pressure in decibars (dbar)

because an increase in pressure of 1 dbar is approximately equal to an increase in depth of 1 meter.Scuba divers often use a

manometric rule of thumb: the pressure exerted by ten meters depth of water is approximately equal to one atmosphere.

Americans learn that 34 feet of fresh water or 33 feet of sea water equals one atm.

The standard atmosphere (atm) is an established constant. It is approximately equal to typical air pressure at earth mean sea

level and is defined as follows:

standard atmosphere = 101325 Pa = 101.325 kPa = 1013.25 hPa.

Because pressure is commonly measured by its ability to displace a column of liquid in a manometer, pressures are

often expressed as a depth of a particular fluid (e.g., centimetres of water or inches of water). The most common choices

are mercury (Hg) and water; water is nontoxic and readily available, while mercury's high density allows for a shorter

column (and so a smaller manometer) to measure a given pressure. The pressure exerted by a column of liquid of

height h and density ρ is given by the hydrostatic pressure equation p = ρgh. Fluid density and local gravity can vary

from one reading to another depending on local factors, so the height of a fluid column does not define pressure

precisely. When millimeters of mercury or inches of mercury are quoted today, these units are not based on a physical

column of mercury; rather, they have been given precise definitions that can be expressed in terms of SI units. One

mmHg (millimeter of mercury) is equal to one torr. The water-based units still depend on the density of water, a

measured, rather than defined, quantity. These manometric units are still encountered in many fields. Blood pressure is

measured in millimeters of mercury in most of the world, and lung pressures in centimeters of water are still common.

Gauge pressure is often given in units with 'g' appended, e.g. 'kPag' or 'psig', and units for measurements of absolute

pressure are sometimes given a suffix of 'a', to avoid confusion, for example 'kPaa', 'psia'. However, the US National

Institute of Standards and Technology recommends that, to avoid confusion, any modifiers be instead applied to the

quantity being measured rather than the unit of measure[4] For example, "Pg = 100 psi" rather than "P = 100 psig".

Presently or formerly popular pressure units include the following: