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EXPERIMENT : 06
NO

TITLE : TO STUDY THE CHARACTERISTICS

OF A HUMIDITY SENSOR

DATE OF : 13th December 2023

EXPERIMENT

SUBMITTED BY :

Syeda Rumesa Ali 220101053

Eiman Kamran 220101090
Hamza Nawaz Khan 220101061
Muhammad Qasim 220101015

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INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT
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CONTENTS
Page

1. CONCEPT ………………..……………………………………………. 3
1.1 PURPOSE ……………………………………………………… 3
1.2 THEORY ………………………………………………………. 3
1.3 OBJECTIVE ..................……………………………………….. 4

2. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT ……………………………………….….. 4

3. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE ………………………………………. 5

4. OBSERVATIONS AND READINGS …………………………….….. 6

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RESULTS ………………………………….… 6

FIGURES
Page

FIGURE 1 Construction of the Humidity Sensor ……....…….…........ 4

FIGURE 1 Circuit for Humidity sensor ……....…….……………....... 5

TABLES
Page

TABLE 1 Humidity measurement ………………………………..….. 6

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1. CONCEPT

1.1. PURPOSE
The purpose of the experiment is to study the characteristics of a humidity sensor.

1.2. THEORY
Capacitive type Humidity Sensors detects a change in the capacitance reluctance
of the sensor electrodes. The Capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is

A
C = єo єr
D
Where;
A = Effective Area of the Electrodes
D = Distance between the object and electrode
Єo = permittivity of free space (Constant)
Єr = Relative permittivity

In case of Humidity sensor the relative permittivity changes with the moisture so
it changes the capacitance.
The construction of one of the popular humidity sensors is shown in the figure. In
the center is a sensor element constructed in microscopic holes. These holes are
made out of MgCr2O4 and TiO2 metal oxides. The sensor element is sandwiched
by two electrodes which are made of RuO2. Finally, a cleaning heater element
surrounds the entire structure. The size of the hole on the surface of the sensing
element is in the order of 1um or less. The conductivity between two electrodes
changes as these holes attract moistures. The rate of change of the conductivity
due to the change in humidity is not linear, and it requires to have a compensation

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amplifier. The purpose of the cleaning heater is to remove unwanted particles

collected at the sensor.
The sensor element is connected to an AC voltage source in series with a resistor.
The input signal is usually obtained at the voltage dividing point of the divider
stick. A logarithmic amplifier is used to linearize the sensor output.

Fig. 1 Construction of Humidity Sensor

1.3. OBJECTIVE
I. To measure the Moisture using Humidity Sensor.

2. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

• Humidity measurement Module.

• Digital Multimeter.
• Connecting Wires.

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3. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE
I. To measure the Moisture using Humidity Sensor:
Connect the humidity measurement circuit. For first reading at room temperature
power up the circuit and note the readings on the measuring scale in the module.
The reading of the humidity meter is in %age. Also check the amplitude of the
circuit. For next reading blow for a while on the humidity sensor from a distance
of 5 cm. read the readings and %age humidity from the meter. For rest of the
readings decrease the distance and note down the readings in the table
accordingly.

C3
R1 C4
Rf
R3 RF
C1 C2
R4
R1 R2
Vs
Relative Humidity
Vo Meter
C1
HUMIDITY
SENSOR

Fig. 2 Circuit for Humidity sensor

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4. OBSERVATIONS AND READINGS

I. To measure the Moisture using Humidity Sensor:

Samples of Humidity
Normal 1 2 3
(at Room Temp)
Temperature (in 0C) 18.7 22.5 25 28.1

Output Voltage (in V) 3.3 3.5 3.9 4.6

Humidity Indication (%) 30 41 55 60

Table 1 Humidity measurement

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RESULTS

The conclusion of this experiment is that as the temperature increases, the output voltage
increases. The humidity also increases with increase in temperature. As the humidity
increases, the relative permittivity decreases. When the relative permittivity decreases,
the capacitance also decreases, which causes an increase in voltage.

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