Dead Wieght Tester

Majnoon Oil Field
D EADWEIGHT T ESTER
Prepared by : Elkhomainy Hamed

Majnoon Oil Field
Introduction to dead weight tester

A dead weight tester is an instrument that calibrates pressure by determining the weight of force divided by the area
the force is applied.
Deadweight tester-types:
 Pneumatic Deadweight tester
 Hydraulic Deadweight tester
 Oil type
 Water /Alcohol Mixture type

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Working principle
The basic principle is that

P= F/A
Where the pressure (P) acts on a known
area of a sealed piston (A), generating a
force (F).
The force of this piston is then compared
with the force applied by calibrated weights
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Hydraulic DWT-construction
1 - Hand pump
2 - Testing Pump
3 - Pressure Gauge to be calibrated
4 - Calibration Weight
5 - Weight Support
6 - Piston
7 - Cylinder
8 - Filling Connection
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Hydraulic DWT-Operation
The testing pump (2) is connected to the

instrument to be tested (3), to the actual
measuring component and to the filling
socket. A special hydraulic oil is used as the
pressure transfer medium. The measuring
piston is then loaded with calibrated weights
(4). The pressure is applied via an
integrated pump (1).
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This pressure is applied until the loaded measuring

piston rises and 'floats' on the fluid. This is the
point where there is a balance between pressure
and the mass load. The piston is rotated to reduce
friction as far as possible. Since the piston is
spinning, it exerts a pressure that can be calculated
by application of a derivative of the formula:
P = F/A
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✓ Both the piston and cylinder are made from

Tungsten Carbide.
✓ Tungsten Carbide has very small pressure
and thermal expansion coefficients,
✓ Protected in a solid stainless steel housing
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How HDWT measures pressure
✓ It allows the operator to know or calculate

the pressure when the system is in a
specific state.
✓ This state, known as Floatation, is
achieved when there is enough force from
the hydraulic pressure medium to support
the piston in a floating state.
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✓ The resulting pressure is proportional to how

much force is applied by the mass loaded.
✓ The mass produces a force because it is
accelerated by gravity.
✓ When the piston is floating, the pressure (P)
is derived by:
P=F/A
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Calibrating an analogue gauge
✓ The operator connects the gauge in parallel

with the piston.
✓ He then applies the same pressure to both at
the same time.
✓ The operator sets each test pressure in a
previously defined sequence, one at a time.
✓ At each point, the operator records the
analog gauge reading and the calculated
pressure from the deadweight tester.
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Calibrating an analogue gauge
✓ The test data is checked against the

specified tolerance .
✓ Further if gauge requires adjustment,
registered procedures are used to
bring gauge into tolerance.
✓ Then a second test sequence is run
to confirm that the adjustments were
correct.
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Causes of Gauges Failure
When a pressure gauge doesn’t work as expected, the cause can be traced back to at
least one of these eight reasons:
✓ Mechanical vibration
✓ Pulsation
✓ Extreme temperature
✓ Pressure spikes
✓ Overpressure
✓ Corrosion
✓ Clogging
✓ Mishandling/abuse
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Mechanical vibration
Vibration is the main cause of pressure gauge failure in manufacturing facilities. Vibration
has a negative impact on gauge accuracy in two ways.
➢ It is difficult to read the pointer on a dial when a gauge is vibrating.
➢ Incremental damage to the pointer mechanism from vibration can eventually move a
pointer off zero, producing inaccurate readings.
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Risks posed by mechanical vibration

✓ Wear and tear of internal components.
✓ Loss of accuracy/functionality.
✓ Pressure system failure.
Solutions for gauges experiencing mechanical vibration
A liquid-filled case is the most way to protect pressure gauges from vibration. The
glycerin or silicone-oil case fill acts as a damper to slow down the movement. It also
lubricates the pinion and segment gears, thereby reducing wear and prolonging the life
of a gauge.
A second solution is to move the gauge away from the source of the vibration.
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Pulsation
Vibration refers to regular oscillation of mechanical parts. Pulsation, on the other hand, is
regular instances of rapid pressure increases and decreases of the media.
Visible signs of pulsation:
✓ Pointer flutter.
✓ Loose or broken pointer in extreme cases.
Risks posed by pulsation
✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading

✓ Wear and tear of internal components
✓ Loss of accuracy/functionality
✓ Pressure system failure
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Solutions for gauges experiencing pulsation

Using a socket restrictor. This small device has a
small orifice to restrict and slow down the pressure of
the media before it encounters the gauge. See figure
below
For more extreme pulsation, use a snubber or needle

valve. Snubbers function like restrictors but come in
more material choices, orifice sizes, and psi ratings.
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Extreme temperature
Different gauges have different tolerances for extreme temperatures. We look at both
ambient temperatures and the temperature of the process media.
Visible signs of extreme temperature
✓ Dial and/or liquid fill is discolored, usually yellow, orange, brown, or black.
✓ Dial, case, or window is melted – usually because the media is too hot.
Risks posed by extreme temperature
✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading.

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Solutions for gauges in extreme temperatures

✓ A diaphragm seal with capillary allows pressure measurement to occur away from
extreme ambient or media temperatures.
✓ Attach a cooling adapter like the Miniature Cooling Adapter.
✓ Glycerin is the typical fill fluid for pressure gauges. For extremely hot or cold ambient
temperatures, silicone oil is the better choice as it will not discolor in heat over time or
freeze in sub-zero environments.
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Pressure spikes
Spikes occur when the pressure sharply increases and then suddenly drops. This condition
can cause all sorts of problems for gauges not designed for this condition.
Visible signs of pressure spikes
✓ Bent pointer, like a fishtail or fish hook, from hitting the
stop pin too often.
✓ Nicked or broken pointer from hitting the stop pin too hard.
✓ Broken stop pin.
Risks posed by pressure spikes
✓ Increased wear on movement and components.
✓ Split Bourdon tube, leading to released media.
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Extreme temperature
Different gauges have different tolerances for extreme temperatures. We look at both
ambient temperatures and the temperature of the process media.
Visible signs of extreme temperature
✓ Dial and/or liquid fill is discolored, usually yellow, orange, brown, or black.
✓ Dial, case, or window is melted – usually because the media is too hot.
Risks posed by extreme temperature
✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading.

Majnoon Oil Field
Solutions for gauges experiencing pressure spikes
✓ As with pulsation, good solutions for dampening the effects of pressure spikes are to
use a liquid-filled gauge and/or accessories like restrictors, snubbers, needle valves, or
diaphragm seal with capillary.
✓ Another way to prevent damaged pointers and internals is to replace the gauge with
one that has a higher pressure range.
✓ For greater reassurance that a gauge never exceeds a certain maximum, attach an
overpressure protector to the instrument. If the pressure ever reaches that value, the
protector’s spring-loaded piston valve will automatically close, preventing the gauge
from experiencing the spike.
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Overpressure
This situation is very similar to pressure spikes, but occurs when the gauge regularly
measures pressures near or at the maximum range.
Visible signs of overpressure
✓ Pointer buried against stop pin.

✓ Pointer dislodges stop pin.
Risks posed by overpressure
✓ Increased wear on movement and components.
✓ Split Bourdon tube, leading to released media.
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Solutions for gauges experiencing overpressure

✓ As overpressure is similar to pressure spikes, so is the fix: use a gauge with a higher
pressure range, and attach an overpressure protector.
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Corrosion
Many industries work with harsh chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid in refineries.these
media find their way into gauges.
Visible sign of corrosion
✓ Discoloration and deterioration of the gauge case, pointer, connection, and dial.
Risks posed by corrosion
Solutions for gauges in corrosive environments

Isolate the gauge from harsh chemicals by using a diaphragm seal made of the
appropriate corrosion-resistant materials.
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Clogging
Clogging is an issue for paper plants, wastewater plants, pharmaceuticals, and other
industries, as slurry, pulpy, viscous, and high-particulate media can gum up the system.
Visible sign of clogging
✓ Gauge at or near zero when the system is operating.
Risks posed by clogging
✓ Possibility of overpressure.
Solutions for gauges measuring clogging media
✓ Use a diaphragm seal to separate the gauge from the

challenging media.
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Mishandling/abuse
Operators might grab on to a gauge as they move around process skids on wheels, or step
on them as they climb scaffolding. Not only is this practice unsafe, it increases the chances
of gauge damage and failure.
Visible signs of mishandling/abuse
✓ Cracked case.
✓ Broken window.
✓ Loss of case filling.
✓ Crooked or bent gauge and/or
process connection.
Risks posed by mishandling/abuse
✓ Loss of functionality.
Majnoon Oil Field
Solutions for gauge mishandling/abuse
Training is the best prevention. Employees should be aware of the dangers of

mishandling gauges. They should also know how to properly connect gauges.
For example, when threading the gauge onto the process, some people tighten it by hand,
which risks torqueing the case. When the NPT or G connection has a wrench flat area, use
a wrench to tighten the gauge.
Majnoon Oil Field
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Majnoon Oil Field

Prepared by : Elkhomainy Hamed

Introduction to dead weight tester

 Pneumatic Deadweight tester

 Hydraulic Deadweight tester

 Water /Alcohol Mixture type

The basic principle is that

The testing pump (2) is connected to the

This pressure is applied until the loaded measuring

✓ Both the piston and cylinder are made from

How HDWT measures pressure

✓ It allows the operator to know or calculate

✓ The resulting pressure is proportional to how

Calibrating an analogue gauge

✓ The operator connects the gauge in parallel

Calibrating an analogue gauge

✓ The test data is checked against the

Causes of Gauges Failure

Risks posed by mechanical vibration

Solutions for gauges experiencing mechanical vibration

Risks posed by pulsation

✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading

Solutions for gauges experiencing pulsation

For more extreme pulsation, use a snubber or needle

Visible signs of extreme temperature

Risks posed by extreme temperature

✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading.

Solutions for gauges in extreme temperatures

Visible signs of extreme temperature

Risks posed by extreme temperature

✓ Difficulty in obtaining an accurate reading.

Solutions for gauges experiencing pressure spikes

✓ Pointer buried against stop pin.

Solutions for gauges experiencing overpressure

Solutions for gauges in corrosive environments

Solutions for gauges measuring clogging media

✓ Use a diaphragm seal to separate the gauge from the

Solutions for gauge mishandling/abuse

Training is the best prevention. Employees should be aware of the dangers of

Click to see the video

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