A much simpler alternative to continuous vibration sensors (displacement or acceleration) and monitoring…
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First, let us review some of the properties of differentials and derivatives, referencing the expression and…
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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 unique form of technical diagram for describing the abstract functions comprising a control system (e.g. PID…
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A whole class of problem-solving techniques focuses on altering the given problem into a simpler form that is…
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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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A different strategy for controlling the flow of fluid is to insert a rotary element into the flow path.…
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In the United States, the most common language used to program PLCs is Ladder Diagram (LD), also known as…
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Fieldbus devices require far more attention in their initial setup and commissioning than their analog…
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When a high-energy photon strikes an atom, it may eject one of the lower-level electrons from its shell,…
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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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Some of the simplest types of digital communication networks found in industry are defined by the EIA…
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Recall that an exothermic chemical reaction is one that releases a net sum of energy, as opposed to an…
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The next level of detail is the Process and Instrument Diagram, or P&ID. Here, we see a “zooming…
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Virtually any mass above absolute zero temperature emits electromagnetic radiation (photons, or light) as a…
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Volumes could be written about poor diagnostic technique. The following mistakes are not intended to comprise…
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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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Any conductor possesses a characteristic called inductance: the ability to store energy in the form of a…
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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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Most pneumatic instruments use a simple but highly sensitive mechanism for converting mechanical motion into…
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The fundamental principle of electromagnetism is that an electric current will create a magnetic field at…
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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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Circuit breakers used in residential, commercial, and light industrial service are self-tripping devices: they…
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Virtually any mass above absolute zero temperature emits electromagnetic radiation (photons, or light) as a…
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Capacitance Any two electrical conductors separated by an insulating medium possess the characteristic called…
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The electrical conductivity of liquids is an important analytical measurement in many industrial processes.…
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Many years ago, when I was first learning about electricity, I happened to discover a length of coaxial…
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There are many process control applications in the industry where it is desirable to have multiple control…
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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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A bridge circuit is basically a pair of voltage dividers where the circuit output is taken as the difference…
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The digital multimeter (DMM) is quite possibly the most useful tool in the instrument technician’s…
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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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The reason why a pneumatic control valve’s stem position corresponds linearly to the amount of air…
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So far we have just looked at instruments that sense, control, and influence process variables. Transmitters,…
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It is often useful to express the amplitude of an alternating quantity such as voltage or current in terms…
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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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A wise PLC programmer once told me that the first thing any aspiring programmer should learn about the PLC…
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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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Instrument technicians should not have to concern themselves over the programming details internal to digital…
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An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
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A unique form of differential pressure-based flow measurement deserves its own section in this flow…
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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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Imagine a liquid-level control system for a vessel, where the position of a level-sensing float sets the…
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The three “elementary” particles of matter comprising all atoms are electrons, protons, and…
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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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To summarize some of the key points and concepts for teaching: Do not waste class time transmitting facts to…
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A vertical column of fluid generates a pressure at the bottom of the column owing to the action of gravity on…
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The Law of Mass Conservation states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed. The Law of Energy…
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Perhaps the most basic and necessary protective relay function is overcurrent: commanding a circuit breaker to…
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To show a practical process example, let’s examine three diagrams for a compressor control system,…
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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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Any physical location in an industrial facility harboring the potential of explosion due to the presence of…
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A number of different sensors used in instrumentation generate DC voltage signals proportional to the process…
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“Polyphase” means “many phases,” describing a form of AC electrical system where…
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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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One of the great benefits of digital technology is the ability to communicate vast amounts of information over…
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Self-balancing mechanisms consisting solely of a baffle/nozzle detector coupled to a feedback bellows, while…
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RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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Every programmable logic controller must have some means of receiving and interpreting signals from real-world…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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