PROCESS AND

INSTRUMENTATION
DIAGRAM (P&ID)

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Process control employs a standard set of symbols and
definitions to represent a plant and its associated control
systems.
This standard was developed and approved by a
collaboration between the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) and the Instrumentation, Systems and
Automation (ISA) Society.
The P&ID depicts the entire plant and associated control
system.

This includes plant operating units, product flow lines,

measurement and control signal lines, sensors,
controllers and final control elements.

INTRODUCTION
A complete control loop includes instrumentation for
measurement and control of a process variable.

The complete loop includes the process, the process

measuring device, the controller and the process
adjusting device.

THE IDENTIFICATION
FORMAT
Each loop on P&ID used ISA symbols to show the
particular devices that perform certain functions.
The first letter of tag number is correspond to the
measured process variables.

The succeeding letters in the tag number describe the

function of the elements in the loop such as T for transmit,
I for indicate, R for record, and or C for control.

Table A.1. Fraser (2001).Process measurement and control

INSTRUMENTATION
IDENTIFICATION LETTERS

TYPICAL TAG NUMBER

TIC-103 Temperature Indicate Control (loop number) 103
Where

TXX-103 identifies the loop by first letter and number

and IC in place of XX identifies the functions by succeeding
letter.
Hyphens are optional

INSTRUMENT LINE SYMBOLS

Figure A.1. Fraser (2001).Process measurement and control

EXAMPLE LIQUID FLOW AND

LEVEL CONTROL LOOPS

EXAMPLE LIQUID FLOW AND

LEVEL CONTROL LOOPS

EXAMPLE LIQUID FLOW AND

LEVEL CONTROL LOOPS
Flow loop F-212 includes both flow element and flow
transmitter.
Level loop needs only the level transmitter.
The P&ID shows all the instrument functions so that the
detailed drawings will reflect the complete loop and so
that any engineering cost estimates will be complete.

10

The dotted line coming from the flow and level measuring
sensors to their controllers represent the electrical
feedback signal.

GENERAL INSTRUMENTS OR
FUNCTIONS
The ballons, rectangles, hexagons, and diamonds are
used to denote the instrumentation.
A line through a symbol means it is accessible to an
operator, such as being in a panel in the control room.

No lines means that the instrument is located in the field

and is not accessible to the operator.

11

A dashed line means that the device is inaccessible by

virtue of being located within other equipment, such as
behind the panel of a control room.

12

GENERAL INSTRUMENTS OR
FUNCTIONS