Kavlico, a global business unit of Custom Sensors & Technologies (CST) has recently introduced a rugged aerospace grade differential pressure (DP) sensor for monitoring pressure drop across a turbine engine style inlet air filter or also known as an inlet barrier filter. The DP sensor monitors filter health by detecting increases in pressure across the filter element. The pressure difference increases in proportion with the amount of filtrate captured by the filter. The DP sensor provides a continuous measure of filter health, with a predetermined pressure difference used to indicate critical air flow restriction by the filter.

In applications of turbine engines where the sensor indicates the air flow has been critically restricted by a clogged filter, an inlet bypass can be opened to maintain flow to the engine until filter maintenance can be performed.

The DP sensor incorporates a piezo-resistive sense element and is available in pressure ranges of 0-1, ±1, ±5, and ±10 PSID, with other option available. Other significant features include and operating temperature range of -40 to +125ºC with a storage temperature of -55 to +150ºC, an accuracy of ±1.5% of full scale over the operating temperature, and an operating voltage of 5 to 15 Vdc. The lightweight device (<6.5 ounces) is rugged by design and has a housing constructed of an anodized aluminum with an MTBF of 300,000 hours at normal operating temperature. The DP sensor typically provides an output of 50 mV at a 10 Vdc excitation. The pressure port can be specified with either a right or left hand facing installation scheme and the electrical connector is a Mil-38999style with flying leads. Custom electrical and pressure ports can be configured to meet application-specific requirements.