RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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Developed by the Modicon company (the original manufacturer of the Programmable Logic Controller, or PLC) in…
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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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An engineer named Bob Metcalfe conceived the idea of Ethernet in 1973, while working for the Xerox research…
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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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Some of the simplest types of digital communication networks found in industry are defined by the EIA…
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Programmable logic controllers are essentially nothing more than special-purpose, industrial computers. As…
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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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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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DC electric current signals may also be used to communicate process measurement information from transmitters…
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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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A design-based fortification is one rooted in technical details of system architecture and functionality. Some…
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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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I remember first learning about the world-wide Internet, and wondering what it actually looked like. The first…
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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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The vast majority of PID controllers in service today are digital in nature. Microprocessors executing PID…
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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 self-powered (4-wire) analog electronic transmitters are designed to behave as electrical loads rather…
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Learning is not merely a process of information transfer. It is first and foremost a transformation of…
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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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One very convenient feature of waves is that their properties are universal. Waves of water in the ocean,…
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An important design parameter of a control valve is the position it will “fail” to if it loses…
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Self-balancing mechanisms consisting solely of a baffle/nozzle detector coupled to a feedback bellows, while…
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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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The two “process variables” we rely on most heavily in the field of electrical measurement and…
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An variable-area flowmeter is one where the fluid must pass through a restriction whose area increases with…
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Calculus has a reputation for being difficult to learn, and with good reason. The traditional approach 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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To show a practical process example, let’s examine three diagrams for a compressor control system,…
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A chemical reaction resulting in a net release of energy is called exothermic. Conversely, a chemical reaction…
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A pressure switch is one detecting the presence of fluid pressure. Pressure switches often use diaphragms or…
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All substances are comprised of various elements in various combinations and proportions. Elements may thus be…
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Perhaps the most valuable skill an instrument technician can possess is the ability to efficiently diagnose…
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PID control can be a confusing concept to understand. Here, a brief summary of each term within PID (P. I, and…
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Control strategies such as cascade, ratio, feedforward, and those containing limit and selector functions can…
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Suppose we wished to measure the rate of propane gas flow through a hose to a torch: Flowmeters appropriate…
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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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A simple control system drawn in block diagram form looks like this: Information from the measuring device…
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A fundamental limitation of proportional control has to do with its response to changes in setpoint and…
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First, let us review some of the properties of differentials and derivatives, referencing the expression and…
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An important type of “accessory” relay, especially for legacy electromechanical protective relays,…
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This animation shows the basic operation of a gas chromatograph, showing the separation of different molecular…
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As previously defined, calibration refers to the checking and adjustment of an instrument so that its output…
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A machine in the broad sense of the word is any device designed to translate some form of energy into useful…
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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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Flow, by definition, is the passage of material from one location to another over time. So far this chapter…
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This section shows some of the many instrument symbols found in different types of technical diagrams used to…
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A great many precision instruments use the principle of balance to measure some quantity. Perhaps the simplest…
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Circuit breakers used in residential, commercial, and light industrial service are self-tripping devices: they…
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Most of these formulae appear in molecular chemical form rather than structural form. For example, ethanol…
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Calculus has a reputation for being difficult to learn, and with good reason. The traditional approach to…
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As discussed at the beginning of this chapter, instrumentation safety may be broadly divided into two…
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At the root of successful system diagnosis is a rigorous adherence to scientific reasoning. There exists no…
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Filled-bulb systems exploit the principle of fluid expansion to measure temperature. If a fluid is enclosed in…
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A proximity switch is one detecting the proximity (closeness) of some object. By definition, these switches…
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Electromechanical relays may be connected together to perform logic and control functions, acting as logic…
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An important performance parameter for transmitter instruments is something often referred to as turndown or…
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