Instrumentation & Measurement

Lecture#1

Maliha Saleem Bakhshi

Course Contents
Course contents available on:
http://www.uet.edu.pk/faculties/facultiesinfo
/mechatronics_control/course_machatronics.
html

Course Objective
Upon completion of Instrumentation & Measurement, you should be
able to:

Explain the role of sensors and instruments in a control process.

Explain sensor principle, design and operation.

Understand design, interfacing and signal conditioning for each

sensor type.
Select and calibrate sensors or instruments.
Work with most of the sensor types.

Topics to be covered today

Application of Instrumentation and
Measurement
Electronic Instrumentation systems
Sensors and Transducers
measurement sensitivity, range, accuracy,
precision

Application of instrumentation and measurement

Process control requires sensors for measuring variables and valves for implementing
decisions and itself work as decision makers.
Successful process control requires appropriate instrumentation, so engineers should
have the understanding of the principles of common instruments.

Human natural observation capabilities are generally not

designed for process conditions.
Instruments must have desired
capabilities to match process
conditions.
Process Control has the role of a
decision makers (Like brain)
Sensors feel the condition and originate the signal followed by
modification and amplification for effective display /transmission or
control objectives.

Process control

Sensors & Transducers

----- Sensors to measure process conditions and valves to influence process operations are
essential for all aspects of engineering practice. Engineers want to design and operate
processes that remain in safe conditions, produce the desired amounts of high quality
products and are profitable. Therefore, engineers must provide measuring devices for key
variables and valves (or other devices, such as variable speed electric motors) to influence or
steer the process.
----To be useful, systems must interact with their environment. To do this they use sensors
and actuators. Sensors and actuators are examples of transducers
A transducer is a device that converts
one physical quantity into another
examples include:
a mercury-in-glass thermometer (converts temperature into displacement of a
column of mercury)
a microphone (converts sound into an electrical signal).

Almost any physical property of a material that changes in response to some excitation
can be used to produce a sensor. A sensor is a device that converts a physical
phenomenon into an electrical signal. As such, sensors represent part of the interface
between the physical world and the world of electrical devices, such as computers. The
other part of this interface is represented by actuators, which convert electrical signals
into physical phenomena.

Instrument
Tool or equipment for Sensing, Detecting, Measuring, Recording, Controlling
or

Communicating

measurand.

Can

be

manual

or

automatic.

Typical components of instrument

A Sensor:
(measures a physical quantity and converts it into a
signal)
A Modifier
(Change the type of signal)
A Display unit
(transmitting arrangement )

Measurement System
Sensor
RTD
Potentiometer
Strain Gage

LVDT

Processor
or Signal
Conditioner
Wheatstone
Bridge
Operational
Amplifier

Display
Digital
Analog

Simple Instrument Model

Modern/Electronic Instrument model

Instrumentation System

Typical Example:

Functional Elements of an Instrument

Fluid
Temperature
Measured
Quantity

Process/
Measured medium

Tubing

Temperature Tube

Primary
Sensing
Element

Variable
Conversion
Element

Pressure

Data
Transmission
Element

Pressure

Variable
Conversion
Element

Motion

Variable
Manipulation
Element

Motion

Data
Presentation
Element
Observer

Spiral Bourdon
Tube

Linkage Gear

Scale & Pointer

Modern Example

Performance Characteristics of Instruments

Sensors are used for process monitoring and for process control. These are
essential elements of safe and profitable plant operation that can be achieved
only if the proper sensors are selected and installed in the correct locations.
While sensors differ greatly in their physical principles, their selection can be
guided by the analysis of a small set of issues, which are presented in this
section. Each issue is introduced here with process examples, and details on
the issues are provided in the remainder of this site for the most common
sensors in the process industries.
---- The performance characteristics of an instrument are very necessary for
choosing the most suitable instrument for specific measuring task.
Static Characteristics: considered for instruments used to measure an
unvarying process conditions
Dynamic Characteristics: for measuring quantities that fluctuates with time.
---- The relative importance of each issue depends upon the specific
application; for example, one application might require excellent accuracy,
while another might require only moderate accuracy, but high reliability.
Generally, we find that the greater the requirements for good performance,
the higher the cost for purchase and maintenance. Therefore, we must find
the proper balance of performance and cost, rather than always specify the
best performing sensor

Performance Characteristics of Instruments (Contd)

Characteristics of an instrument includes;
Sensitivity
Accuracy
Precision
Repeatability
Range
Resolution

Others (Span, Dead zone etc.)

Static Characteristics

Measurement Sensitivity
The sensitivity of measurement is a measure of the change in
instrument output that occurs when the quantity being
measured changes by a given amount. Thus, sensitivity
is the ratio:
Output
Input

Static Characteristics

Accuracy
Accuracy is the degree of conformity of
the measured value with the accepted
standard or ideal value, which we can
take as the true physical variable.

Accuracy is usually expressed in engineering units or as a

percentage of the sensor range, for example:
Thermocouple temperature sensor with accuracy of 1.5 K.
Orifice flow meters with accuracy of 3% of maximum flow range

Static Characteristics

Precision

Precision is the degree of exactness for which

an instrument is designed or intended to
perform.

Accuracy vs. Precision

Precision without
accuracy

Accuracy without
precision

Precision and
accuracy

Static Characteristics

Range/Span
Range represents the minimum and maximum values which
can be determined by an instrument or equipment.
Difference between upper and lower range is known as Span.
Span can be the same for two different range instruments.

If a chemical reactor typically operates at 300 C, the engineer might

select a range of 250-350 C.
Since the reactor will be started up from ambient temperature
occasionally, an additional sensor should be provided with a range of
-50 to 400 C.