Programmable logic controllers are essentially nothing more than special-purpose, industrial computers. As…
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There is much to be said for neatness of assembly in electrical signal wiring. Even though the electrons…
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pH is the measurement of the hydrogen ion activity in a liquid solution. It is one of the most common forms of…
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RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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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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A design-based fortification is one rooted in technical details of system architecture and functionality. Some…
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Labwork is an essential part of any science-based curriculum. Here, much improvement may be made over the…
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Some of the simplest types of digital communication networks found in industry are defined by the EIA…
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Light has long been used as a long-range signaling medium. While communication by light through open air is…
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An engineer named Bob Metcalfe conceived the idea of Ethernet in 1973, while working for the Xerox research…
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DC electric current signals may also be used to communicate process measurement information from transmitters…
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I remember first learning about the world-wide Internet, and wondering what it actually looked like. The first…
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Learning PLC programming is a very important skill. If your job involves programming, then you will likely…
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One of the great benefits of digital technology is the ability to communicate vast amounts of information over…
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Developed by the Modicon company (the original manufacturer of the Programmable Logic Controller, or PLC) in…
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Some self-powered (4-wire) analog electronic transmitters are designed to behave as electrical loads rather…
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The vast majority of PID controllers in service today are digital in nature. Microprocessors executing PID…
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Layer 1 of the OSI Reference Model is where we define the “physical” elements of a digital data…
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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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Perhaps the most important rule of controller tuning is to know the process before attempting to adjust the…
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While the term “probability” may evoke images of imprecision, probability is in fact an exact…
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To understand just how different FOUNDATION Fieldbus is from other digital instrument systems, consider a…
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Thermodynamics is the study of heat, temperature, and their related effects in physical systems. As a subject,…
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Imagine a liquid-level control system for a vessel, where the position of a level-sensing float sets the…
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Diagnostic ability is arguably the most difficult skill to develop within a student, and also the most…
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Another category of control strategies involves the use of signal relays or function blocks with the ability…
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Any conductor possesses a characteristic called inductance: the ability to store energy in the form of a…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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Phasors are to AC circuit quantities as polarity is to DC circuit quantities: a way to express the…
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Multiple accessories exist for pressure-sensing devices to function optimally in challenging process…
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The concepts of calibration (trimming) and ranging are often difficult for new students of instrumentation to…
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Most people reading this book have likely had the experience of adjusting water temperature using two hand…
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One of the most important accessories for any temperature-sensing element is a pressure-tight sheath known as…
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Modern analog-to-digital converters are phenomenally accurate, dependable, repeatable, and surprisingly…
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In the United States, the ANSI and IEEE organizations have standardized a set of numerical codes referring to…
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Once while working as an instrument technician in an aluminum foundry, a mechanic asked me what it was that I…
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The term “grid” refers to the conductors and equipment interconnecting power sources to power…
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Process measurements are often of an analog nature: the temperature of a furnace, the rate of fluid flow…
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To show a practical process example, let’s examine three diagrams for a compressor control system,…
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The following animation shows how a radio-energy pulse travels down and then up the waveguide of a guided-wave…
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Two extremely important principles in electric circuits were codified by Gustav Robert Kirchhoff in the year…
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A simple control system drawn in block diagram form looks like this: Information from the measuring device…
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Steam boilers are very common in industry, principally because steam power is so useful. Common uses for steam…
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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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Some problem-solving techniques are unique to quantitative problems, involving mathematical calculations. In…
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A flow switch is one detecting the flow of some fluid through a pipe. Flow switches often use…
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In order for any PID controller to be practical, it must be able to do more than just implement the PID…
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In a manually-controlled process, a human operator directly actuates some form of final control element…
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Up until this point, we have explored various types of instrumentation diagram, each one making reference to…
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Pipe is a hollow structure designed to provide an enclosed pathway for fluids to flow, usually manufactured…
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The three “elementary” particles of matter comprising all atoms are electrons, protons, and…
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The dispersion of visible light into its constituent colors goes all the way back to the 17th century with…
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A very common form of on/off valve used for pneumatic and hydraulic systems alike is the solenoid valve. A…
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Capacitive level instruments measure electrical capacitance of a conductive rod inserted vertically into a…
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In this section I will show screenshots from a process loop simulation program illustrating the effectiveness…
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Electromechanical relays may be connected together to perform logic and control functions, acting as logic…
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The term “grid” refers to the conductors and equipment interconnecting power sources to power…
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