Pressure transmitter copes with extremes

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 6, 2001

Bourdon Sedeme's FlexBar 3501 is a rugged digital pressure transmitter protected by an AISI 316 stainless steel housing and able to operate in the most demanding of conditions

Bourdon Sedeme introduces the FlexBar 3501, a rugged digital pressure transmitter able to operate in the most demanding of conditions.

It is ideal for applications including tank level and line pressures in power stations, reactor vessels in chemical industries, dusty environments such as cement works, hazardous areas in the petrochem and offshore industries, process and holding tanks in the paper and pulp sector and pressure measurements in the food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries.

Protected by an AISI 316 stainless steel housing, the FlexBar 3501 is resistant to extreme electrical, mechanical and chemical conditions, making it suitable for use in the harshest industrial and process environments.

The FlexBar 3501 is approved to EEx ia, EEx d and ATEX II 1G, rated up to IP67 and can cope with temperatures from -40C to 125C.

EMC compliance is to the NAMUR NE21 standard.

Machine builders and OEMs requiring high accuracy and robust construction will also welcome the FlexBar 3501's high turndown ratio of 25:1giving a minimum span of 4mbar, programmability and excellent vibration immunity.

The FlexBar 3501 is a loop powered, configurable press transmitter measuring absolute or gauge pressure in the ranges 0-0.1 bar to -1-70 bar to an accuracy of better than 0.1% by means of a ceramic, capacitive sensor.

With HART communication capability, it can be operated as a conventional 4-20mA device or connected to a two-wire HART network.

The unit can be configured via the integral pushbuttons, a handheld HART 275 communicator or a dedicated FlexProgrammer unit connected to a standard PC with a 9-pole serial port.

On site adjustments of span, auto-zero, zero point and the unique Lower Range Value/Upper Range Value (LRV/URV) auto function can be made with the pushbuttons even in hazardous zones.

The URV limit is 4-100% and the LRV 0-96% of the full range.

For fluctuating pressure applications, up to 60 seconds damping is available, while a 30 point linearisation table can be entered to compensate for non-linear tank measurements.

The FlexBar 3501 is available with six different process connections and a range of chemical separators.

The housing can be rotated through 270� relative to the connection.

An optional four digit LCD can be integrated into the transmitter body to show a range of standard engineering units including bar, mbar, psi, kPa and MPa.

With these features, the FlexBar 3501 beats its nearest competitors on function, operation, design and finish, and in recognition of its outstanding design it has received a German Industrie Forum Design Award.

The FlexBar 3501 joins the Bourdon, Haenni and Kamstrup range of high- performance pressure, temperature, force and acceleration switches and sensors available from Bourdon Sedeme.