Your pressure transducer can be used in a variety of applications, many of which are exposed to the elements. Rain, snow, wind and sunlight can all have an impact on your pressure instrument if you don’t have the right equipment for the job.
Using the correct electrical connector for your pressure transducer can ensure that your equipment keeps running even when impacted by the environment.
But how do you choose the best electrical connector for your application?
This article will discuss the factors to consider when selecting an electrical connector for a transducer that can stand up to the environmental impacts of your application.
Considerations When Selecting Electrical Connectors
When choosing an electrical connector that would function best in your application, be it indoors or outdoors and exposed to the elements, there are many factors to keep in mind.
NEMA Rating/IP Rating
The ratings required on your equipment are dependent upon the conditions of the environment around your application. Will your pressure transducer be installed outside? Will it be regularly exposed to moisture, dust or sunlight?
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the International Electrotechnical Commission standardized ingress protection code (IP) ratings that reference how well an enclosure or sensor protects against solid or liquid intrusion.
There are many different NEMA ratings that define how well an enclosure performs in keeping the user safe from electrical hazards as well as preventing the intrusion of elements such as dust and rain into the enclosure. Most Ashcroft pressure sensors predominately fall into the NEMA 4, NEMA 4X, NEMA 7/9 category ratings.
NEMA 4 is defined as indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment. It protects against falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, hose-directed water and corrosion so that the external formation of ice won’t damage the enclosure.
NEMA 7 enclosures are designed to contain an internal explosion without causing an external hazard.
NEMA 9 enclosures are designed to prevent the ignition of combustible dust. You can learn more about other NEMA ratings on this website.
Ingress protection ratings typically consist of two numbers. The first indicates how well the instrument protects against solids (like dust). Solid ratings go from a low of 1 up to the highest rating of 6. The second number indicates how well the enclosure or sensor protects against liquids.
Liquid ratings range from a low rating of 1 up to a high rating of 9. Most Ashcroft pressure sensors have a dust rating of 6 and a liquid rating of anywhere between 5 and 8.
An IP dust rating of 6 means the enclosure or device is dust-tight, with no ingress of dust.
Other IP liquid ratings are defined as follows:
- 5 – Protects against water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects (low-pressure spray).
- 6 – Protects against water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects (high-pressure spray).
- 7 – Protects against ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
- 8 – The enclosure or device is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions specified by the manufacturer.
For example, If you have an E2G pressure transducer that has a rating of IP67, this means the device is dust-tight and can survive being immersed in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.
Environmental Effects
Another important factor to consider when selecting an electrical connector is the environment in which the device will be located. Will it be mounted indoors in a controlled environment or outdoors where it could be exposed to the sun, rain or snow? What are the process and ambient temperatures of the mounting location and are both the sensor and connector rated for these conditions?
Pressure transducers can be used in many different applications from a gas and oil plant to mobile hydraulic equipment to food processing equipment, each having its own set of requirements.
Ease of Installation
After picking a connector that will handle the environmental requirements of your application, you should pick a connector that is best suited for installation in your application. Consider how many wires and pins your connector will need so that it can be properly wired into your system. The number of wires and pins you require may guide your choice of connector.
Also, consider the wiring and installation of the mating connector. Will the wiring be run through a conduit or cable tray, or will you need a short lead wire to install the mating connector? This will determine whether you need a custom wire harness to install your sensor properly into your system.
Ashcroft can supply pressure transducers with electrical connectors that can be used indoors or outdoors. We have a wide variety of connectors available (view the A2, E2, G2 and S1 data sheets) that can be integrated into the design of the sensor to meet your specific application’s needs.
We don’t like to pressure you, but we have more information.
Now that you know the factors to consider when choosing the right electrical connector, you can research the solution that’s best for your application. Keeping these factors in mind can help ensure that you avoid problems and keep your process running with reliable and accurate pressure measurements.
If you want to learn more about pressure sensors, read some of our other articles:
- How Does Media Temperature Affect Pressure Transducer Performance?
- Choosing a Pressure Transducer for Critical Environments
- How Are Pressure Transducers Affected by Hydrogen Permeation?
- How to Protect and Optimize Pressure Transducers on Mobile Hydraulics
- How Much Do Pressure Transducers Cost? (6 Factors Impacting Price)
Feel free to contact us today to talk to one of our industry experts and get your questions answered.