Kistler launches world’s smallest, media isolated pressure sensor

Kistler says its new 4017A piezoresistive (PR), absolute pressure sensor combines excellent measurement capability with suitability for a wide range of applications, especially power train development at the highest levels of motorsport.

The compact, innovative design, wide operating temperature range and outstanding media compatibility suits the new sensor to automotive engine development and industrial hydraulic and pneumatic applications.

The miniature absolute PR pressure sensor has a mounting size of only M5x0.5 and was specifically designed for maximum robustness and accuracy. The oil-filled measuring cell is media-isolated by a stainless-steel diaphragm and delivers a very high level of media compatibility for both gaseous and liquid media.

The new sensor is available in four measuring ranges for pressures up to 5, 10, 20 or 50 bar all with digital temperature compensation from –20°C to +140°C ensuring a high level of accuracy (≤1% FSO), even in the harshest environments The integrated temperature measuring element (operating temperature: –40 to +180°C) allows sensor health monitoring during measurements.

Piezoresistive pressure sensors consist of a silicon-based Wheatstone bridge which changes its electric resistance when exposed to pressure with minimum drift making them ideal for capturing both static pressures and rapidly changing dynamic pressures even in low-pressure ranges. These qualities make PR sensors a good choice in automotive applications, where precise measurements in the engine air and fuel path are required and for subsystem development such as brakes and cooling applications, all of which demand high precision pressure measurements.

The sophisticated design allows for a very high resistance against contamination, along with easy cleaning and maintenance. When used in high-temperature environments, such as exhaust manifolds, the 4017A can be installed with a water-cooling adapter available as an optional accessary. Where required, the sensors can be delivered with an ATEX certificate (Zone 2) suitable for applications in potentially hazardous areas.

The new 4017A miniature pressure sensor is 100% compatible with its predecessor series 4005 and 4007. The PiezoSmart technology from Kistler offers automatic sensor identification and eliminates any risk of errors due to manual setup and handling during daily use. The measuring chain can be completed with Kistler’s piezoresistive amplifiers of types 4665B (module for SCP, KiBox1), 4667A (module for KiBox2) or 4624A (stand-alone one-channel unit).