An extremely important topic in engineering is that of transfer functions. Simply defined, a transfer function…
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RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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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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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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While 50 and 51 (instantaneous and time overcurrent) relay functions monitor line current magnitude and guard…
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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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Three-phase AC is the dominant mode of electric power generation and distribution in modern societies.…
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Non-dispersive analysis, while newer in discovery than dispersive analysis (Isaac Newton’s 17th-century…
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While the term “probability” may evoke images of imprecision, probability is in fact an exact…
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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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The two “process variables” we rely on most heavily in the field of electrical measurement and…
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Imagine a major marathon race, where hundreds of runners gather in one place to compete. When the starting gun…
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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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As discussed at the beginning of this chapter, instrumentation safety may be broadly divided into two…
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“Feedforward” is a rather under-used control strategy capable of managing a great many types of…
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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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Valves can experience a number of problems, most of them either preventable or repairable. These problems can…
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The vast majority of PID controllers in service today are digital in nature. Microprocessors executing PID…
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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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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing 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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What is Calibration? To calibrate an instrument means to check and adjust (if necessary) its response so the…
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The digital multimeter (DMM) is quite possibly the most useful tool in the instrument technician’s…
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Measuring the flow rate of liquid through an open channel is not unlike measuring the flow rate of a liquid…
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Several different technologies exist for the conversion of fluid pressure into an electrical signal response.…
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In a manually-controlled process, a human operator directly actuates some form of final control element…
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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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The three “elementary” particles of matter comprising all atoms are electrons, protons, and…
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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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An electric motor is often used as a discrete control element in a control system if driving a pump, conveyor…
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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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As described earlier in this chapter, calibration refers to the adjustment of an instrument so its output…
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Much of our knowledge about atomic structure comes from experimental data relating the interaction between…
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A laser is a light source emitting waves of light that not only share the exact same frequency (color)…
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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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Certain types of nuclear radiation easily penetrates the walls of industrial vessels, but is attenuated by…
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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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Stoichiometry is the accounting of atoms before and after a chemical reaction. It is an expression of the Law…
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Multiple accessories exist for pressure-sensing devices to function optimally in challenging process…
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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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