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This article was originally published on July 5, 2022, and updated on November 4, 2024. Critical environments like cleanrooms, data centers, laboratories, hospital operating rooms, isolation rooms and other controlled spaces must adhere to strict environmental guidelines requiring close pressure monitoring. To ensure these areas are not compromised, your pressure-measuring instruments must be highly accurate, reliable and compliant with these very specific requirements. Choosing the wrong instrument can result in equipment damage, worker injury or incorrect measurements. As the product manager who oversees the low-pressure sensor product line at Ashcroft, I understand the complexities of these environments and am often asked for guidance on selecting sensors for critical applications such as these. In this article, you will learn some factors to consider when choosing a low-pressure transducer for critical environments, so you’ll know you’re getting the proper equipment for your process. You will also be directed to additional resources that can help answer other common questions about this topic.

Working in cleanrooms, operating rooms and critical environments found in pharmaceutical and other industries requires you to maintain a positive pressure to prevent contaminants from entering these spaces. The pressure level necessary to keep these areas contaminant-free is typically between 0.01 to 0.15 inches of water differential. There are also negative pressure applications such as isolation rooms that require you to maintain pressures to similar levels. So, how exactly can you maintain such precise conditions to ensure these environments are safe for use? The solution lies in carefully choosing instruments specifically designed and calibrated for these critical environments, coupled with an understanding of the future calibration requirements necessary to guarantee precise and reliable readings over time. During the past eight years as a product manager overseeing the low-pressure sensor product line at Ashcroft, I’ve helped customers address this very issue with great success. In this article, you will learn about critical environments, reasons why instrument calibration is needed and how Ashcroft makes the process easier than traditional methods. You will also be directed to additional resources that can help answer other common questions about this topic.

Pressure transducers are important instruments that are used to measure air, gas or liquid pressure in many industrial applications. They work by measuring pressure at various stages of a process and converting the measurement into an electrical signal, which is used to monitor and control the overall system. Ashcroft has been making pressure transducers for decades and one question we are often asked is whether these instruments can be installed in any orientation. While the short answer is “yes, they can,” there are factors to consider before you install your transducers. Read this article to learn how transducers work, the effect that changing the orientation may have on the instrument’s accuracy and how position errors can be fixed. You will also be directed to additional resources that can help answer other common questions about pressure transducers.

Measuring very low-pressure in controlled environments like data centers, isolation rooms, labs, and operating rooms, for example, is challenging because they must maintain a very specific and very controlled atmosphere. If these environments are compromised in any way, it puts the people and the equipment you are protecting at risk. That's why you must ensure your pressure measurement instrumentation meets the specified guidelines for accuracy and reliability. As a product manager at Ashcroft, I have 26 years of industry experience, including the past eight years working exclusively on low-pressure sensing technology. In this article, you will see how we define 'very low' pressure, see examples of controlled environments where low-pressure measurements are required, and learn how pressure is measured in these applications. You will also gain a better understanding of the impact temperature has on pressure measurement and what to look for in a pressure measurement instrument to ensure your controlled environment stays secure. When you are done reading, you will also be directed to additional articles and resources that may be of interest for other questions you may have.

In semiconductor applications, your pressure instrumentation needs to stand up to the conditions as well as meet high-purity standards and regulations. Ashcroft's line of fluoropolymer pressure transducers provides reliable pressure measurements for your semiconductor applications. How do you know which of these transducers is the right one for your application? This blog will compare Ashcroft’s ZL91, ZL92 and ZL95 pressure transducers and discuss their features and benefits to help you find the best solution for your needs.

Your low-pressure transducer is an important part of your HVAC, critical environment, clean room or pharmaceutical application. Strict requirements for safety and sanitation need accurate and reliable pressure measurements. In some installations, the pressure transducer is required to be located at a certain distance away from the pressure source. But what if the transducer is located far away from the pressure source? What effect can the length of pressure tubing have on your pressure readings?