Instrumentation and Process Control

Quality Assurance – Graduate Certificate

Week 1

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process control

Instructor: Dr.Srinivas Ganapathyraju, Ph.D.

School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrumentation:
 Instrumentation is the basis for process control
in industry.
 Found in almost all kinds of applications from
home to industry.
 Instruments are used to measure variables.

Examples:
 Measuring variable temperature used to control
gas, oil, or electricity flow to the water
heater, or heating system, or electricity to the
compressor for refrigeration, to complex
industrial process control applications such as
used in the petroleum or chemical industry.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument:
 Is a device that is used to measure a physical
variable.

Example:
 Thermometer, Flow meter, Pressure sensor etc.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Variable:
 Is a value that is measured by the
instrument.

Example:
 Temperature in degrees Celsius.

Process:
 A sequence of operations carried out to
achieve a desired goal or result.

Process Control:
 is the automatic control of an output
variable by sensing the amplitude of the
output parameter from the process and
comparing it to the desired or set level and
feeding an error signal back to control an
input variable
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Process Control Example:

a) Manual control b) Automatic control

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Control Loop:
 Control loop is the logic and wiring for the
transfer of information from a primary
element to the controller, from the
controller to the final element, from the
final element to the process, and from the
process back to the primary element.
 A closed loop is a control system that
provides feedback to the controller on the
state of the process variable.
 A open loop is a control system that sends a
control signal to a final element but does
not verify the results of that element.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Automatic Process Control Loop with Feedback Example:

a) Closed Loop System

a) Open loop system

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Measurement device/Detector/Sensor:
 Device that detects or measures variables and
produces and output signal that represents the
status of the controlled variable.

Feedback Signal:
 The feedback signal is the output of the
measurement device.

Set Point:
 The desired value at which the process should
be controlled.
 It is the prescribed input value applied to the
loop that indicates the desired condition of
the controlled variable.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Controller:
 The controller is the brain of the system.This
element of the process control loop decides
what action needs to be taken.

Examples of controllers include: Microprocessor

(Raspberry PI), Programmable Logic Controller
(PLC)etc.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Actuator:
 Are devices that are used to control an input
variable in response to a signal from a
controller.

Examples of actuators include:

 Flow-control valve that can control the rate of
flow of a fluid in proportion to the amplitude
of an electrical signal from the controller.

 Magnetic relays that turn electrical power on

and off. Examples are actuators that control
power to the fans and compressor in an air-
conditioning system in response to signals from
the room temperature sensors.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Magnetic Relay Example:

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Sensor:
 They are devices that can detect physical
variables, such as temperature, light
intensity, or motion, and have the ability to
give a measurable output that varies in
relation to the amplitude of the physical
variable.

Transducer:
 They are devices that can change one form of
energy to another.

Example: thermocouple converts temperature into

voltage

Note: Many transducers are grouped as sensors.

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Error Signal:
 is the difference between the set point and the
amplitude of the measured variable..

Correction Signal:
 is the signal used to control power to the
actuator to set the level of the input
variable.

Example: thermocouple converts temperature into

voltage

Note: Many transducers are grouped as sensors.

Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Accuracy:
 of an instrument or device is the difference
between the indicated value and the actual
value.
 Accuracy is determined by comparing an
indicated reading to that of a known standard.
 Standards can be calibrated devices.

The range:
 of an instrument specifies the lowest and
highest readings it can measure.
 Example a thermometer whose scale goes from
−40°C to 100°C has a range from −40°C to
100°C.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

The Absolute Accuracy:

 of an instrument is the deviation from true as
a number not as a percentage.
 If a voltmeter has an absolute accuracy of ±3
V in the 100-volt range, the deviation is ±3 V
at all the scale readings, e.g., 10 ± 3 V, 70
± 3 V and so on.

The Reading Accuracy:

 is the deviation from true at the point the
reading is being taken and is expressed as a
percentage.
 if a deviation of ±4.35 psi was measured at
28.5 psi, the reading accuracy would be
(4.35/28.5) × 100 = ±15.26% of reading.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

The Span:
 of an instrument is its range from the minimum
to maximum scale value.
 Example a thermometer whose scale goes from
−40°C to 100°C has a span of 140°C.
 The % Span of the instrument is calculated by
dividing the accuracy by the span.

Example:
 If the largest pressure that can be read with a
pressure gauge is 30 lb/in2 and the gauge accuracy
is ± 2.5 lb/in2, what is the % span if the scale
begins at 3 lb/in2.
Solution: % Span = (Abs Accuracy/Span) * 100%
% Span = [(±2.5)/(30-3)] *100
= ± 9.26%
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Precision:
 Precision is the closeness to which elements
provide agreement among measured values.
 Precision refers to the fineness with which the
instrument can be read.

Resolution:
 Resolution is the smallest amount of the
variable being measured that the instrument can
resolve.
 the smallest change in a variable to which the
instrument will respond.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Reproducibility:
 is the ability of an instrument to repeatedly
read the same signal over time, and give the
same output under the same conditions.
 An instrument may not be accurate but can have
good reproducibility.

Repeatability:
 Is a measure of the closeness of agreement
between a number of readings.
 the smallest change in a variable to which the
instrument will respond.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Hysteresis:
 is the difference in readings obtained when an
instrument approaches a signal from opposite
directions.
 This is due to stresses induced into the
material of the instrument by changing its
shape in going from zero to full-scale
deflection.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Linearity:
 is a measure of the proportionality between the
actual value of a variable being measured and
the output of the instrument over its operating
range.
 The graph shows the pressure input versus
voltage output curve for a pressure to voltage
transducer with the best fit linear straight
line. As can be seen, the actual curve is not a
straight line. The maximum deviation of +5 psi
from linear occurs at an output of 8 V and −5
psi at 3 V giving a deviation of ±5 psi or an
error of ±5 percent of FSD.
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Instrument Parameters:

Linearity:
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Motion Control:
 A motion control system is an automatic control
system that controls the physical motion or
position of an object.

Characteristics of motion Control:

 Motion control devices control the position,
speed, acceleration of a mechanical object.
 The motion or position of the object being
controlled is measured.
 Motion devices respond to input commands
quickly.

Examples:
 CNC – Computer numerical controlled machines.
 Printing presses.
 Robots
Introduction to Instrumentation and Process Control

Motion Control: