Industrial facilities — manufacturing plants, process industries, power generation, water treatment, and building services — deploy pressure and temperature sensors in thousands of measurement points. This hub maps major application categories to sensor technologies, specifications, and output protocols.
Industrial Application Overview
| Industry | Typical Sensors | Key Spec | Protocol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil & Gas | Pressure transmitter, DP sensor | 0–700 bar, ATEX | HART, Profibus PA |
| Chemical process | Pressure, temperature, DP | Hastelloy wetted, 0–250 bar | HART, Foundation Fieldbus |
| Pharmaceutical | Pressure, temperature, DP filter | Hygienic, FDA compliant | Modbus, 4–20 mA |
| Water treatment | Level, pressure, flow (DP) | 0–16 bar, IP68 | Modbus, PROFINET |
| Power generation | Steam pressure, temperature | 0–250 bar, 600°C | HART, 4–20 mA |
| Food & beverage | Hygienic pressure, temp | 3-A certified, CIP/SIP | IO-Link, 4–20 mA |
| HVAC | DP, temperature, humidity | 0–2000 Pa, IP54 | BACnet, Modbus |
| Compressors | Pressure, vibration | 0–350 bar, ATEX | IO-Link, 4–20 mA |
Output Signal Selection: 4–20 mA vs Digital
The choice of output protocol affects system architecture, cable runs, and diagnostic capability:
| Output Type | Standard | Max Distance | Diagnostics | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–20 mA (2-wire) | IEC 60381-1 | >1000 m | Wire-break only (0 mA) | 12–16 bit internal |
| HART over 4–20 mA | IEC 61158 | >1000 m | Full device diagnostics | 24 bit |
| IO-Link | IEC 61131-9 | 20 m | Full diagnostics + | 24 bit |
| Profibus PA | IEC 61158 | 1900 m | Full + synchronised | 24 bit |
| Foundation Fieldbus H1 | IEC 61158 | 1900 m | Full + function block execution | 24 bit |
| EtherNet/IP | ODVA | 100 m copper | Full + time-stamped | 32 bit |
Safety Instrumented Systems: SIL Requirements
For process applications where pressure or temperature exceedance has safety consequences (overpressure rupture, runaway reaction, flammable release), sensors must meet IEC 61511 requirements:
- SIL-1: PFDavg 10⁻² to 10⁻¹ — single sensor with proof-test interval ≤1 year
- SIL-2: PFDavg 10⁻³ to 10⁻² — redundant sensors (1oo2D voting) or single sensor with high diagnostic coverage
- SIL-3: PFDavg 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻³ — triple redundancy (2oo3) required
🔒 SIL Certification
Sensors used in SIS applications must have a third-party SIL certificate (TÜV, Exida) with documented Dangerous Failure Rate (λD) and Diagnostic Coverage (DC).