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 this section I will show screenshots from a process loop simulation program illustrating the effectiveness…
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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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Imagine a major marathon race, where hundreds of runners gather in one place to compete. When the starting gun…
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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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Some self-powered (4-wire) analog electronic transmitters are designed to behave as electrical loads rather…
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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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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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Feedback Control System Components Before we begin our discussion on process control, we must define a few key…
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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing the…
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One of the most important accessories for any temperature-sensing element is a pressure-tight sheath known as…
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Negative feedback systems, in general, tend to cause confusion for those first learning their fundamental…
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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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A very common method for directly controlling low flow rates of fluids is to use a device known as a metering…
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All substances are comprised of various elements in various combinations and proportions. Elements may thus be…
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A chemical reaction resulting in a net release of energy is called exothermic. Conversely, a chemical reaction…
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In reliability engineering, it is important to be able to quantity the reliability (or conversely, the…
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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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Recall that an exothermic chemical reaction is one that releases a net sum of energy, as opposed to an…
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One very convenient feature of waves is that their properties are universal. Waves of water in the ocean,…
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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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Control strategies such as cascade, ratio, feedforward, and those containing limit and selector functions can…
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Binary patterns are not just able to represent numerical values. Given a standardized code, they may represent…
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Classical mechanics (often called Newtonian mechanics in honor of Isaac Newton) deal with forces and motions…
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Every flow-measuring instrument exploits a physical principle to measure the flow rate of fluid stream.…
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Certain types of nuclear radiation easily penetrates the walls of industrial vessels, but is attenuated by…
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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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One of the simplest classes of temperature sensor is one where temperature effects a change in electrical…
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Since we often use electricity to convey energy from one location to another, it is important to be able to…
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A pressure switch is one that detects the presence of fluid pressure. Pressure switches often use diaphragms…
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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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Atom: the smallest unit of matter that may be isolated by chemical means. Particle: a part of an atom,…
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“Feedforward” is a rather under-used control strategy capable of managing a great many types of…
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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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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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A hand switch is exactly what the name implies: an electrical switch actuated by a person’s hand motion.…
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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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A special type flowmeter suited for powdered or granular solids is the weighfeeder. One of the most common…
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Volumes could be written about poor diagnostic technique. The following mistakes are not intended to comprise…
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A very common form of on/off valve used for pneumatic and hydraulic systems alike is the solenoid valve. A…
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DC electric current signals may also be used to communicate process measurement information from transmitters…
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In a manually-controlled process, a human operator directly actuates some form of final control element…
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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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