In this section I will show screenshots from a process loop simulation program illustrating the effectiveness…
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Much has been written about the benefits of robust PID control. Increased productivity, decreased equipment…
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The simplest form of 4-20 mA current loop is the type used to represent the output of a process controller,…
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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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Control strategies such as cascade, ratio, feedforward, and those containing limit and selector functions can…
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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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Sample sizes of chemical substances are often measured in moles. One mole of a substance is defined as a…
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The following animation shows a rotating phasor in three-dimensional form. The phasor rotates in a complex…
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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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An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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Electrical Resistance Resistance (\(R\)) is the dissipative opposition to an electric current, analogous to…
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Electrical power grids primarily consist of three-phase AC circuits. This means most power lines (transmission…
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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 great many chemical composition measurements may be made indirectly by means of electricity, if those…
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Capacitors store energy in electric fields, proportional to the square of voltage. Inductors store energy in…
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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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The following animation shows how the “rotating” magnetic field of a three-phase AC induction…
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Suppose we wished to measure the consumption of propane over time for a large propane storage tank supplying a…
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In addition to Ohm’s Law, we have a set of rules describing how voltages, currents, and resistances…
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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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The very purpose of physics is to quantitatively describe and explain the physical world in as few terms as…
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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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As previously defined, calibration refers to the checking and adjustment of an instrument so that its output…
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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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Capacitive level instruments measure electrical capacitance of a conductive rod inserted vertically into a…
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Any power grid large enough to meet the demand of an entire nation must have multiple generators drawing from…
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RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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As we have seen, the concept of differentiation is finding the rate-of-change of one variable compared to…
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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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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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There are multiple motives for compromising the security of an industrial control system, some of which…
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Visualizing the actions of P, I, and D tuning parameters using graphs is extremely useful in predicting the…
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An interesting parallel to the “unity fraction” unit conversion technique is something referred to…
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AC induction motors are based on the principle of a rotating magnetic field produced by a set of stationary…
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Level gauges are perhaps the simplest indicating instrument for liquid level in a vessel. They are often found…
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A positive displacement flowmeter is a cyclic mechanism built to pass a fixed volume of fluid through with…
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Programmable logic controllers are essentially nothing more than special-purpose, industrial computers. As…
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The advent of “smart” field instruments containing microprocessors has been a great advance for…
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The following photograph shows a large air blower in a wastewater treatment facility equipped with a…
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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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One of the fundamental laws of electric circuits is Kirchhoff’s Current Law, which states the algebraic…
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Tube, like pipe, is a hollow structure designed to provide an enclosed pathway for fluids to flow. In the case…
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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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