A pneumatic controller receives a process variable (PV) signal as a variable air pressure, compares that…
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Self-balancing pneumatic instrument mechanisms are very similar to negative-feedback operational amplifier…
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The Law of Continuity for fluids states that the product of mass density (\(\rho\)), cross-sectional pipe area…
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Using filter cells to eliminate wavelengths associated with interfering gases is called positive filtering in…
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The digital multimeter (DMM) is quite possibly the most useful tool in the instrument technician’s…
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Certain types of nuclear radiation easily penetrates the walls of industrial vessels, but is attenuated by…
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Non-dispersive analysis, while newer in discovery than dispersive analysis (Isaac Newton’s 17th-century…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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By definition, a source is a device delivering energy into a system, while a load is a device extracting…
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Temperature measurement devices may be classified into two broad types: contact and non-contact. Contact-type…
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The key to understanding how three-phase electric motors work is to have an accurate mental picture of the…
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Circuit breakers used in residential, commercial, and light industrial service are self-tripping devices: they…
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Three-phase AC is the dominant mode of electric power generation and distribution in modern societies.…
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Measuring the flow rate of liquid through an open channel is not unlike measuring the flow rate of a liquid…
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An important performance parameter for transmitter instruments is something often referred to as turndown or…
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In November of 2007 a new computer virus was submitted to a virus scanning service. The purpose of this new…
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Fluid pressure exerts force on any surface area it contacts, as described by the formula \(F = PA\). One…
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The efficient identification and correction of instrument calibration errors is an important function for…
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A number of different sensors used in instrumentation generate DC voltage signals proportional to the process…
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The final element of PID control is the “D” term, which stands for derivative. This is a calculus…
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An interesting parallel to the “unity fraction” unit conversion technique is something referred to…
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By definition, a source is a device delivering energy into a system, while a load is a device extracting…
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Many liquid substances undergo a process whereby their constituent molecules split into positively and…
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The final step in treating wastewater before releasing it into the natural environment is to kill any harmful…
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A unique form of differential pressure-based flow measurement deserves its own section in this flow…
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A unique form of technical diagram for describing the abstract functions comprising a control system (e.g. PID…
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Perhaps the most important rule of controller tuning is to know the process before attempting to adjust the…
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A completely different way of measuring liquid level in vessels is to bounce a traveling wave off the surface…
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Disturbances in the liquid tend to complicate liquid level measurement. These disturbances may result from…
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To summarize some of the key points and concepts for teaching: Do not waste class time transmitting facts to…
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A damper (otherwise known as a louvre) is a multi-element flow control device generally used to throttle large…
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Perhaps the most valuable skill an instrument technician can possess is the ability to efficiently diagnose…
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Much of our knowledge about atomic structure comes from experimental data relating the interaction between…
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A much simpler alternative to continuous vibration sensors (displacement or acceleration) and monitoring…
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The concepts of calibration (trimming) and ranging are often difficult for new students of instrumentation to…
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Nearly every technical course teaches and tests students on definitions, basic concepts, and at least some…
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A level switch is one detecting the level of liquid or solid (granules or powder) in a vessel. Level switches…
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It is possible to convey electrical power and communicate analog information over the same two wires using 4…
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To better understand the design and operation of self-balancing pneumatic mechanisms, it is helpful to examine…
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A laser is a light source emitting waves of light that not only share the exact same frequency (color)…
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