Sunday, July 29, 2018

Introduction to Industrial Instrumentation

Instrumentation deals with measurement and control in automated systems. Industrial Instrumentation covers areas like:
  • Fluid Pressure
  • Fluid Flow rate
  • Temperature measurement
  • Chemical concentration
  • Machine position, motion or acceleration
  • Fluid volume measurement
  • Electrical voltage, current or resistance etc. 
Once a measurement of a given quantity is taken, it is then transmitted as a signal representing its quantity to an indicating or computing device where automated or human action takes place. If the controlling action is automated, the computer sends a signal to a final controlling device which then influences the quantity being measured. 
The final control device usually takes one of the following forms:
  • Electric motor
  • Control valve
Both the measurement device and the final control device connect to some physical system which we call the process. 
Let's take an example of a Home Thermostat as our measurement and control system. Our home's internal air temperature is our process under control. The thermostat serves two functions: 
  • Sensing
  • Control
The home's heater adds heat to the home to increase the temperature while the air conditioner extracts heat from the home to decrease temperature. The work of this control system is to maintain air temperature at some comfortable level, with the heater or air conditioner taking action to correct temperature if it strays too far from the desired value  (set point). 
From the above, you have an idea of what we mean by industrial instrumentation.

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