MEASUREMENT & MONITORING
ULTRA LOW-RANGE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE SENSORS
FURNESS CONTROLS
PRESSURE DECAY LEAK TESTING
Furness Controls are UK manufacturers of
ultra-low-range differential pressure sensors
and leak testing equipment. Founded in 1963,
the company has become world-renowned
for its range of multifunction leak testers, flow
testers and differential pressure transmitters,
and for their UKAS-accredited calibration
laboratory. between the flow of air through a leak, and
the flow of more viscous liquids such as
water or oil. In fact, if the rate of air-leak is low
enough, a water-carrying device such as a tap
can safely be regarded as leak tight. This is
why most standard test parameters for such
devices are given in air leak rates such as cc/
min at a given pressure in bar.
For leak testing, Furness
Controls has developed
a range of automated
instruments capable of
detecting very fine air leaks
through the differential
pressure decay method. With
this approach, products are
pressurised, isolated from
the pressure source and
monitored for very small
changes in pressure over
time. Not only are Furness Controls’
leak testers sensitive, due to their
differential pressure sensors,
over time they have developed
many other features such as
automated test cycles, industrial
communications, programmable
electrical I/O and pneumatic
outputs. The latest line of
instruments can happily run an
entire test station or be controlled
through a PLC. They have large
colourful touch screens for
ease-of-use, and support multiple ancillary
test types such as blockage tests, ramp
tests, sealed-part tests, and bell tests. The
applications for pressure decay leak detection
are too numerous to list, and cover most
industries, but a sample of the latest solutions
the company has provided include: Air-
conditioning pumps, automotive fuel lines, EV
batteries, surgical robotics and military radio
enclosures.
By using a differential sensor, comparing
the pressure in the item against a reference,
very low pressure drops can be measured,
equating to a mere 0.01 ml/min in some
applications. For manufacturers, the
key realisation is that air decay testing
is applicable across a range of leak test
problems; there is a well-defined relationship
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Flow testers are also a major product line
for Furness, with a range of touch screen
instruments recently released in parallel
with the leak testers. These instruments use
laminar flow elements to accurately measure
flows in products such as heat exchangers,
gas burners and exhaust systems.
With a range of high accuracy pressure
transmitters, laminar flow elements, Pitot
tubes and calibrators, Furness Controls aims
to provide the complete solution for the
testing and measurement in the arena of low
flow and pressure, and have been innovating
in the field for over 50 years.
www.furness-controls.com
+44 1424 819 980