Learning is not merely a process of information transfer. It is first and foremost a transformation of…
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Fieldbus devices require far more attention in their initial setup and commissioning than their analog…
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Mechanical pressure-sensing elements include the bellows, the diaphragm, and the bourdon tube. Each of these…
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Modern analog-to-digital converters are phenomenally accurate, dependable, repeatable, and surprisingly…
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Sometimes we encounter a diversity of instrument signal standards in one control system. Such is the case with…
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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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A fundamental principle in instrumentation system troubleshooting is that every instrument has at least one…
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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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In some process applications, it is important that the control valve be able to completely stop fluid flow…
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Suppose we wished to measure the rate of propane gas flow through a hose to a torch: Flowmeters appropriate…
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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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The next level of detail is the Process and Instrument Diagram, or P&ID. Here, we see a “zooming…
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In modern industry, the most popular form of field-level signal transmission for variable industrial…
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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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Finally, we arrive at the loop diagram (sometimes called a loop sheet) for the compressor surge control system…
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Although analog electronic process controllers are considered a newer technology than pneumatic process…
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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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Control valves are supposed to deliver reliable, repeatable control of process fluid flow rate over a wide…
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In this section I will show screenshots from a process loop simulation program illustrating the effectiveness…
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Circuit breakers used in residential, commercial, and light industrial service are self-tripping devices: they…
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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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One of the simplest classes of temperature sensor is one where temperature effects a change in electrical…
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Control valves are supposed to deliver reliable, repeatable control of process fluid flow rate over a wide…
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A variety of technologies exist to measure the quantity of stored material in a vessel. For liquid…
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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 fundamental principle in instrumentation system troubleshooting is that every instrument has at least one…
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While the term “probability” may evoke images of imprecision, probability is in fact an exact…
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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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Regulating the electric power sent to an electric motor is a task performed by high-speed switching…
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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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A flow switch is one that detects the flow of some fluid through a pipe. Flow switches often use…
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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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A completely different way of measuring liquid level in vessels is to bounce a traveling wave off the surface…
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Like many other mathematical operations, the derivative and the integral perform inverse operations from each…
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Solids tend to expand when heated. The amount that a solid sample will expand with increased temperature…
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One of the most common, and most useful, pressure measuring instruments in industry is the differential…
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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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Imagine a major marathon race, where hundreds of runners gather in one place to compete. When the starting gun…
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RTDs are completely passive sensing elements, requiring the application of an externally-sourced electric…
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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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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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At the root of successful system diagnosis is a rigorous adherence to scientific reasoning. There exists no…
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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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A much simpler alternative to continuous vibration sensors (displacement or acceleration) and monitoring…
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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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Visualizing the actions of P, I, and D tuning parameters using graphs is extremely useful in predicting the…
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Classical mechanics (often called Newtonian mechanics in honor of Isaac Newton) deal with forces and motions…
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Displacer level instruments exploit Archimedes’ Principle to detect liquid level by continuously…
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Human-machine interfaces, or HMIs, are a critical part of nearly all control systems, complementing the…
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Suppose we wished to measure the rate of propane gas flow through a hose to a torch: Flowmeters appropriate…
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A Safety Instrumented Function, or SIF, is one or more components designed to execute a specific…
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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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Perhaps the most important rule to obey when using pneumatic instruments is to maintain clean and dry…
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Volumes could be written about poor diagnostic technique. The following mistakes are not intended to comprise…
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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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Regulating the electric power sent to an electric motor is a task performed by high-speed switching…
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(Will be addressed in future versions of this book)
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In a manually-controlled process, a human operator directly actuates some form of final control element…
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A design-based fortification is one rooted in technical details of system architecture and functionality. Some…
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