Applications of First Sensor Pressure Sensors in Water Treatment

The water treatment industry, as a core sector ensuring water resource security and sustainable development, is facing the dual challenges of resource scarcity and environmental pressure. As global freshwater resources become increasingly constrained, China’s environmental water industry has developed rapidly under strong national policy support. By 2026, the market size has expanded significantly, with smart water management and digital transformation becoming mainstream trends.

As the “neural endpoints” of water treatment systems, pressure sensors play an indispensable role in water supply, wastewater treatment, and pumping station control. Nexisense focuses on high-reliability pressure sensors, using advanced ASIC signal processing technology and robust protective designs to provide precise and stable monitoring solutions for pumping stations and water treatment plants. These solutions help enterprises improve system efficiency, reduce operation and maintenance costs, and ensure production safety. This article explores in depth the core applications, technical principles, and future development trends of pressure sensors in water treatment.

Core Role of Pressure Sensors in Water Treatment

Water treatment processes cover the entire chain from raw water intake, coagulation and sedimentation, filtration and disinfection, to sludge treatment. Each stage requires real-time pressure monitoring to ensure safe equipment operation and compliance with water quality standards. Pressure sensors convert liquid or gas pressure into standard electrical signals (such as 4–20 mA or 0–10 V) for pump and valve control, pipeline pressure monitoring, and level calculation.

In water supply systems, sensors are installed at pump outlets and key pipeline nodes to monitor supply pressure in real time, preventing water hammer effects or supply interruptions caused by insufficient pressure. In wastewater treatment plants, sensors are used to monitor aeration tanks, sludge pump pressure, and backwashing processes to ensure proper filter operation. Especially in pumping stations and variable-frequency water supply scenarios, abnormal pressure may lead to equipment damage or energy waste. Sensors combined with limit alarm functions can provide early warnings and interlock protection.

Nexisense pressure sensors feature wide temperature operation, vibration resistance, and protection ratings of IP65 and above, making them suitable for humid and highly corrosive water treatment environments. The products are widely used in municipal water supply, industrial wastewater treatment, and sewage treatment plants, helping users achieve stable operation and energy-saving optimization.

Principle and Advantages of Diffused Silicon Pressure Sensors

Diffused silicon pressure sensors are the mainstream technology in water treatment applications, based on the piezoresistive effect. The sensing element adopts a monocrystalline silicon cup structure, with a Wheatstone bridge formed on the silicon diaphragm through semiconductor diffusion processes. When medium pressure is transmitted through an isolation diaphragm and silicone oil to one side of the silicon cup, while atmospheric reference pressure acts on the other side, the silicon diaphragm undergoes slight elastic deformation, causing resistance changes in the bridge arms and producing a voltage signal proportional to the differential pressure.

This structure offers high accuracy, good linearity, excellent repeatability, and long-term stability. Silicon, as an ideal elastic material, exhibits deformation strictly proportional to pressure with excellent recovery characteristics, making it suitable for static liquid pressure measurement and level calculation. In water treatment, sensors are commonly used for level monitoring in storage tanks, sedimentation basins, and clean water reservoirs, achieving non-contact measurement based on hydrostatic principles and avoiding mechanical wear.

Nexisense uses high-performance diffused silicon cores combined with temperature compensation and nonlinear correction to ensure high accuracy over a wide temperature range from -20°C to 85°C. The products support multiple pressure ranges and output formats to meet different process requirements.

ASIC Technology Empowerment: Customization and High Stability

Advances in electronics have significantly improved pressure sensor performance. In recent years, ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) technology has become an industry standard, integrating signal conditioning, amplification, and compensation functions into a single chip to achieve miniaturization, low power consumption, and high reliability. Customers can customize parameters such as zero point, full scale, and temperature compensation according to specific applications, greatly enhancing adaptability.

Under harsh water treatment conditions such as extreme temperatures, mechanical vibration, and water hammer impact, traditional sensors are prone to failure. Nexisense leverages ASIC technology to develop product series with highly stable output and optional limit alarm relay functions. For example, in high-speed centrifugal fan lubrication oil pressure monitoring, sensors can be set with warning thresholds (such as >2.5 kg/cm²). When pressure drops below the threshold, an alarm is triggered to prevent dry running and equipment damage. Compared with traditional electrical contact pressure gauges, Nexisense solutions significantly reduce failure rates while supporting remote monitoring and automated control.

Analysis of Typical Application Scenarios

• Water supply pumping stations and variable-frequency water supply: Sensors monitor pump outlet pressure and pipeline pressure to achieve constant-pressure water supply. Combined with frequency converters, pump speed is automatically adjusted according to water demand, resulting in significant energy savings.

• Wastewater treatment processes: Differential pressure and level are monitored during aeration, sedimentation, and filtration stages to control sludge return and backwashing intensity. Corrosion-resistant designs ensure long-term reliability.

• Fan and blower oil pressure protection: High-reliability sensors provide limit alarms to prevent abnormal oil pressure from causing equipment overload.

• Level measurement: Based on hydrostatic principles, sensors installed at tank bottoms or side walls enable continuous level monitoring of clean water and balancing tanks, supporting SCADA system integration.

In these applications, Nexisense products are widely used in municipal and industrial water treatment projects due to their impact resistance and anti-interference characteristics.

Development Trends: Integration of Smart Water and IoT

By 2026, the water treatment industry is accelerating its transition toward intelligence. The integration of IoT sensors and AI analytics enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and energy optimization. The global IoT water treatment market is expected to grow from USD 2.6 billion in 2025 to USD 7.1 billion in 2034, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 11%.

Domestic smart water initiatives, such as “urban lifeline safety projects,” actively promote the deployment of high-reliability sensing equipment. In the future, pressure sensors will evolve toward wireless communication, low power consumption, and multi-parameter integration. Nexisense continues to invest in R&D, supporting edge computing and digital protocols such as Modbus RTU and 4–20 mA HART, enabling seamless cloud integration, remote diagnostics, and data-driven decision-making.

FAQ: Common Questions on Pressure Sensors in Water Treatment

How do pressure sensors measure liquid level?
Based on the hydrostatic principle: the sensor is installed at the bottom of the container to measure the static pressure P relative to atmospheric pressure Po. The liquid level h is calculated as h = (P - Po) / (ρg), where ρ is the medium density and g is gravitational acceleration.

What special requirements do water treatment environments impose on sensors?
They must be corrosion-resistant, resistant to water hammer and vibration, support wide temperature ranges, and have protection ratings above IP65. An isolation diaphragm with silicone oil filling is recommended to prevent direct contact between the medium and the sensing element.

How can damage from water hammer be avoided?
Select sensors with damping or impact-resistant designs, install buffer pipes or pressure-reducing valves, and combine limit protection functions to provide early warnings.

How does sensor accuracy affect water treatment systems?
High accuracy ensures precise control of pumps, valves, and levels, preventing overflow or dry running. Typical requirements are 0.25% FS or better; Nexisense products can achieve up to 0.1% FS.

Conclusion

The application of pressure sensors in water treatment directly affects system safety, efficiency, and sustainable water resource utilization. From diffused silicon principles to ASIC empowerment, technological progress has brought more reliable monitoring solutions to the industry. Nexisense high-reliability pressure sensors, with excellent performance, customization capabilities, and stable output, support intelligent upgrades in water supply and wastewater treatment.

In the wave of smart water development, choosing suppliers with strong engineering experience and technical expertise is crucial. Looking ahead, as IoT and AI continue to integrate deeply, pressure sensors will remain a core component, driving the water treatment industry toward higher efficiency, sustainability, and intelligence. Enterprises should proactively adopt advanced sensing technologies to jointly safeguard water resource security and ecological civilization.