Thermodynamics is the study of heat, temperature, and their related effects in physical systems. As a subject,…
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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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Shown here is a partial listing of principles applied in the subject matter of this chapter, given for the…
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Cyber-security seems to have its own vocabulary, ranging from unwieldy technical acronyms to slang terms…
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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 we have seen, the concept of integration is finding the accumulation of one variable multiplied by another…
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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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Hydrogen ion activity in aqueous (water-solvent) solutions is a very important parameter for a wide variety of…
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A variety of problem-solving techniques have been presented for students over the years which are all helpful…
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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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Developed by the Modicon company (the original manufacturer of the Programmable Logic Controller, or PLC) in…
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“Feedforward” is a rather under-used control strategy capable of managing a great many types of…
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The efficient identification and correction of instrument calibration errors is an important function for…
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Like so many other industrial data networks, FOUNDATION Fieldbus is an “unswitched” or…
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At the next OSI Reference Model layer (layer 4) is a set of protocols specifying how reliable communication…
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In November of 2007 a new computer virus was submitted to a virus scanning service. The purpose of this new…
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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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There are multiple motives for compromising the security of an industrial control system, some of which…
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“Radio” systems use electromagnetic fields to communicate information over long distances through…
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These fortifications focus on human behavior rather than system design or component selection. In some ways…
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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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Instrument technicians should not have to concern themselves over the programming details internal to digital…
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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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Diagnostic ability is arguably the most difficult skill to develop within a student, and also the most…
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Light is known to interact with matter in very specific ways, which may be exploited as a means of measuring…
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An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
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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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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing the…
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While the term “probability” may evoke images of imprecision, probability is in fact an exact…
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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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The efficient identification and correction of instrument calibration errors is an important function for…
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“Polyphase” means “many phases,” describing a form of AC electrical system where…
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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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Data-processing modules within FF systems are known as function blocks. Sometimes these blocks serve merely to…
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The transformer is one of the most important components in all of AC circuitry. Principally used 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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One of the fundamental laws of electric circuits is Kirchhoff’s Current Law, which states the algebraic…
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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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Mechanical pressure-sensing elements include the bellows, the diaphragm, and the bourdon tube. Each of these…
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The vast majority of modern process transmitters (both analog and digital) come equipped with a feature known…
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The term “grid” refers to the conductors and equipment interconnecting power sources to power…
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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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Process analyzers measure the concentration of specific substances for the purpose of measuring and/or…
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Every programmable logic controller must have some means of receiving and interpreting signals from real-world…
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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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A variety of problem-solving techniques have been presented for students over the years which are all helpful…
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Fluid pressure exerts force on any surface area it contacts, as described by the formula \(F = PA\). One…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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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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Self-balancing pneumatic instrument mechanisms are very similar to negative-feedback operational amplifier…
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In this section I will show screenshots from a process loop simulation program illustrating the effectiveness…
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A form of protection against faults on long-distance power lines is called distance relaying, so named because…
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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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Disconnect Switches Disconnects are switches designed to isolate sections of a power system in case of damage…
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A proximity switch is one detecting the proximity (closeness) of some object. By definition, these switches…
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An electromechanical relay is an electrical switch actuated by an electromagnet coil. As switching devices,…
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Current is the name we give to the motion of electric charges from a point of high potential to a point of low…
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Certain types of nuclear radiation easily penetrates the walls of industrial vessels, but is attenuated by…
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