In contrast to quantitative tuning procedures where definite numerical values for P, I, and D controller…
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A fluid is any substance having the ability to flow: to freely change shape and move under the influence of a…
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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing the…
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Instrument technicians should not have to concern themselves over the programming details internal to digital…
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Three-phase AC is the dominant mode of electric power generation and distribution in modern societies.…
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The two “process variables” we rely on most heavily in the field of electrical measurement and…
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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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An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
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An interesting parallel to the “unity fraction” unit conversion technique is something referred to…
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Displacer level instruments exploit Archimedes’ Principle to detect liquid level by continuously…
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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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Valves can experience a number of problems, most of them either preventable or repairable. These problems can…
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While the term “probability” may evoke images of imprecision, probability is in fact an exact…
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As we have seen, feedforward control is a way to improve the stability of a feedback control system in the…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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One of the fundamental laws of electric circuits is Kirchhoff’s Current Law, which states the algebraic…
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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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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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All masses require force to accelerate (we can also think of this in terms of the mass generating a reaction…
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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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As we have seen, feedforward control is a way to improve the stability of a feedback control system in the…
Textbook
RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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Hydrogen ion activity in aqueous (water-solvent) solutions is a very important parameter for a wide variety of…
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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing the…
Textbook
The two “process variables” we rely on most heavily in the field of electrical measurement and…
Textbook
“Polyphase” means “many phases,” describing a form of AC electrical system where…
Textbook
A completely different way of measuring liquid level in vessels is to bounce a traveling wave off the surface…
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The simple PLC ladder diagram (LD) commands consist of contacts and coils, arranged in sequences that mimic…
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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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As we have seen, the concept of integration is finding the accumulation of one variable multiplied by another…
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The efficient identification and correction of instrument calibration errors is an important function for…
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In the United States, the most common language used to program PLCs is Ladder Diagram (LD), also known as…
Textbook
An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
Textbook
Three-phase AC is the dominant mode of electric power generation and distribution in modern societies.…
Textbook
One of the fundamental laws of electric circuits is Kirchhoff’s Current Law, which states the algebraic…
Textbook
The transformer is one of the most important components in all of AC circuitry. Principally used to…
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Constructing PID control systems using discrete components is a fairly simple method involving operational…
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“Feedforward” is a rather under-used control strategy capable of managing a great many types of…
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A technological advance introduced in the late 1980’s was HART, an acronym standing for Highway…
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Some problem-solving techniques are unique to quantitative problems, involving mathematical calculations. In…
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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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When I began teaching full-time in 1998, most of what I thought I understood about good teaching was actually…
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The electrical conductivity of liquids is an important analytical measurement in many industrial processes.…
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When control valves operate between fully open and fully shut, they serve much the same purpose in process…
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Every programmable logic controller must have some means of receiving and interpreting signals from real-world…
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Capacitive level instruments measure electrical capacitance of a conductive rod inserted vertically into a…
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A very simple device used to measure pressure is the manometer: a fluid-filled tube where an applied gas…
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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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One of the marks of a successful problem-solver is a habit of applying general principles to every new problem…
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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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A fundamental principle in instrumentation system troubleshooting is that every instrument has at least one…
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Perhaps the most confusing aspect of discrete sensors is the definition of a sensor’s normal status.…
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A variety of technologies exist to measure the quantity of stored material in a vessel. For liquid…
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So far we have just looked at instruments that sense, control, and influence process variables. Transmitters,…
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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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Any physical location in an industrial facility harboring the potential of explosion due to the presence of…
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Developed by the Modicon company (the original manufacturer of the Programmable Logic Controller, or PLC) in…
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A special type flowmeter suited for powdered or granular solids is the weighfeeder. One of the most common…
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Regulating the electric power sent to an electric motor is a task performed by high-speed switching…
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