HBK - Hottinger Brüel & Kjaer (Germany) - Press Release:  HBK, a global leader in test and measurement solutions, has enhanced its high-temperature measurement capabilities with a new piezoelectric material: gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4).

This technology delivers reliable and accurate performance at ultra-high temperatures - up to 700°C (1300°F) and even higher for certain applications.

Designed to deliver unmatched accuracy in the most demanding high-temperature applications, these sensors are ideal for industries including aerospace and defence, oil and gas, power generation, pulp and paper, and steel rolling.

In practice, the sensors can be used in a wide variety of harsh environments:

• Acceleration sensors can provide stable vibration measurements for predictive maintenance and are ideal for long term monitoring of rotating shafts, turbine blades, fans and bearings.
• Pressure sensors can monitor performance and gather data for control systems. They are particularly useful in harsh environments where combustion processes take place, including gas turbines for electric power plants, jet and rocket engines.
• Force sensors can be used in demanding applications such as flatness measurement in steel rolling processes or hot sealing machines.

Engineers who use HBK’s piezoelectric sensors benefit from unmatched long-term data stability, which is unaffected by even the most demanding high-temperature environments. HBK sensors exhibit the longest Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) in the industry and are less likely to fail, significantly reducing the chances of equipment downtime and lowering maintenance costs.

All sensors can be customised to suit customers’ needs – ensuring they fit specific applications and deliver optimum results.

HBK’s Director of R&D, Denis Varak commented: 

"As piezoelectric sensor designers, we are always on the lookout for new piezoelectric materials to better serve our customers' needs. There is no single material that can do it all. Typically, a material is suited for a particular application. When it comes to ultra-high-temperature applications (over 450°C), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) offers unsurpassed performance, stability and conservation of measurement properties. This addition to our piezoelectric materials family will expand our ultra-high-temperature measurement capabilities and help us maintain leadership in acceleration, force and pressure measurements."

The GaPO4 growth technology at HBK aligns seamlessly with its extensive experience in sensor design and application development. This combination makes HBK highly resilient to supply chain fluctuations and enables the company to deliver quick solutions to customer challenges.

These piezoelectric sensors are part of a new offering from HBK, enhanced by the acquisition of Piezocryst, the company that originally pioneered the growing process of the GaPO4 crystals for industrial use.

Dr. Alexander Schricker, Head of Product Development at Piezocryst by HBK added: 

"At Piezocryst, we’ve guided our customers towards direct measurement in turbines using our extensive sensor expertise and years of active participation in the industry. Our sensor technology has pioneered new developments in turbomachinery instrumentation, enabling direct combustion measurement in air-breathing engines. This advancement is now being mirrored in many more applications, such as the monitoring of flame stability in hydrogen (H2) combustion. As part of HBK, we’re looking forward to further enhancing our high-temperature solutions for our customers.”

From understanding the specific requirements of challenging applications, to expertly designing and manufacturing custom sensors, both Piezocryst and HBK have strong backgrounds in helping customers find solutions to complex challenges.

For more information about HBK’s high-temperature force, acceleration and pressure sensors, explore the company’s high-temperature capabilities on the link below.