The pressure is on

Novasina, the specialist in precise measurement of relative humidity and temperature in air and materials as well as differential air pressure, has recently launched the Pascal product line for differential pressure (dP) and air velocity measurement. The new transmitters are suitable for monitoring and controlling of low differential air pressures from –100 to +100 Pa with an accuracy of +0.05 Pa, a resolution of 0.016 Pa and an overpressure resistance up to 2 bars. It does not matter whether the equipment is installed for monitoring and controlling of dP in cleanrooms, or detecting the air velocity by measuring the dP over a restricting orifice in a FFU or monitor an air filter. The products are able to solve any critical factor in applications in connection with accuracy, stability, reproducibility as well as robustness problems. Pascal products are based on the principle that it is more effective for cost and customer satisfaction to build quality than to inspect defects out. It has been noted that the semiconductor industry in particular requires reliable, high performance products and constant improvements. Silicone wafers are among the most highly refined materials on earth. Therefore immaculate cleanrooms and mini-environments are a must. Only consistent and reliable equipment sets let manufacturers improve process conditions, increase the efficiency and minimise rejects. Reliable detection For achieving such high requirements and meeting customer's expectations, the company has chosen a particular measurement technology for detecting the differential air pressure. In fact, the sensors detect the mass flow and transform it into a differential pressure or air velocity value. This principle permits a very accurate and reliable detection of a dynamic dP, even in the Sub-Pascal range without any drift and hysteresis. The sensors do not require moving mechanical parts, unlike other instruments that use diaphragm technology which is very sensitive to damage caused by overpressure, has frequent drifts and is subject to hysteresis. Demanding applications, such as process drifts can be as harmful to yield as particles and hysteresis make dP or air velocity control very difficult. Such deviations cause considerably additional costs in system maintenance due to frequent calibration procedures.

Pascal for measurements To cope with such risks during production processes in semiconductor as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing, a wide range of Pascal products are offered. There is an ideal solution for all demanding requirements in differential pressure or air velocity measurement. Whether for monitoring or controlling, with a PascalSwitch, PascalDat or PascalVision there is a suitable product solution for all applications. The PascalSwitch model is available with 0 to 20 or 0 to 100 Pa measurement range and can be used for monitoring purposes in stand-alone applications. Freely adjustable alarms given by relays, such as for switching ON/OFF alarm lamps, make this product very versatile in use.

State of the art The PascalDat (without display) and PascalVision (with display) are available with –20 to 20 or –100 to 100 Pa measurement ranges. These instruments are state of the art sensors for monitoring and controlling. Scalable and adjustable analogue outputs as well as RS232 digital output make them indispensable for demanding monitoring and control systems. A DLL (Dynamic Link Library) is also available to help system integrators embed output signals into a PLC or other monitoring systems. All instruments are protected by a resistant PBT housing (polytetramethylenterephthalat) with a smooth surface in order to avoid any deposition of undesirable substances such as bacteria and dust particles. Calibration and configuration of all instruments can be easily carried out using the specific Pascal-Tool Palm and Pascal-Tool Win configuration software running on Palm handheld or PC. The software can be downloaded for free from the Novasina homepage.

T: +41 5541 666 60 info@novasina.ch

www.novasina.com