Distributed Control System Interview Questions

4/9/2019 Distributed Control System Interview Questions | DCS Engineer Questions
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Control Systems Interview Questions PLC Tutorials
Distributed Control System

Interview Questions
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Instrumentation Tools assists you a complete guide which mainly targets

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the aspirants of Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Streams to
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https://instrumentationtools.com/dcs-field-instruments-interview-questions/ 1/28
crack the interview.
Here’s a definitive list of Distributed Control System Interview

Questions that will guarantee a sail-through to the next level as the
guide been prepared in a strategic manner.
In case you have attended any competitive exams or interviews recently,

or have additional questions beyond what we covered, we encourage
you to post them in our Inst Forum to discuss about it further.
Distributed Control System Interview Questions

When Proportional (P) Controller is Used ?
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Proportional (P) Controller is used during the following conditions:
Load Changes are small

Offset (error exist due to difference between steady state value and
desired value) can be tolerated
The process reaction rate is such as to permit a narrow proportional
band. Since this reduces the amount of the offset
When Integral (I) Controller is Used ?
Integral (I) controller is used during:
When the offset must be eliminated

Integral saturation due to sustained deviation is not objectionable
When Derivative (D) Controller is used ?

Large transfer or distance velocity lags are present
It is necessary to minimize the amount of deviation caused by the
system changes
When Proportional plus Integral (PI) Controller is used ?

Proportional and Integral action is employed when
System changes is small

OffsetWe'll
must be eliminated 
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No objection onMore
Read the recovery duration
When Proportional and Derivative (PD) controller is used

?
PD action is employed when:
When the system changes are small

Improve the recovery time
When system lags are high
When Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID)

Controller is used ?
PID controller is used when system requires:
System changes are small

Offset must be eliminated
Fast recovery time
How can we measure di erential temperature?

Presently this is best achieved by using a smart temperature transmitter
with two sensors transmitting a signal proportional to the temperature
difference.
In split range control, whether the signal is splitted

through I/P convertor or the convertor itself? 
This can be typically achieved by two ways:
Read More
By connecting o/p of one I/P converter to two positioners adjusted

suitably for split range operation of control valves.
Taking two AO from DCS. Split range to be defined in DCS. Both I/P
converters and positioners to be calibrated with input as 4to20 ma dc
and 3to15 psi respectively.
When do we use SOV of rating 110vac and 110vdc?

Primarily depends upon the availability of reliable power supply source
& application.
What is the safest distance a control valve should be

mounted from a pump discharging 60 bar pressure?
share answers through comments
How is cold junction compensation in thermocouple

carried?
This is typically performed in modern programmable instruments by
means of measuring actual reference junction temperature using a
temperature sensor mounted close to the ref. junction and
compensating for the same using appropriate look-up table stored
within the instrument’s memory.

Read More
ALSO READ : CERTIFIED AUTOMATION PROFESSIONAL

(CAP) QUESTIONS
In which applications do we use 4 wire RTD?

Three wire is a better alternative. Primary objective of 3-wire and 4-wire
arrangements is to eliminate effects of lead resistance on temp.
measurement.
What is the sensor used in coriollis mass ow meter to

measure density?
Density is measured here by measuring the resonant frequency of a
vibrating U-tube.
What if thermocouple wire is opened in the eld? What

signal goes to DCS?
In most modern instruments the signal may be programmed to go to
either maximum or minimum depending upon end user’s requirement.
What if the power supply connections to a two-wire

transmitter get interchanged? What signal will go to DCS?

Read More
Usually there is a blocking diode to protect the transmitter against

supply reversal and almost zero current signal should be transmitted.
What are the possible reasons for the failure of barrier?

Fuse blowing sometimes. Power circuits are most likely to fail.
How can we say that the given RTD or Thermocouple is

correct?
We can only measure sensor output (resistance / maillots ) accurately
and look-up corresponding temperature in reference tables.
The accuracy depends upon quality / condition of the sensor. Degraded

sensors may not give accurate readings and must be replaced.
To test a sensor, the sensor response may be tested using a high quality
temperature calibrator and compared with reference tables.
In some cases we have to select the cam position in a

control valve for di erent application? How do we select
that?
Refer to instruction manual for the positioner / control valve. The cams
are often marked with limited amount of information, which may help
an experienced person.

Read More
What is the di erence between a hart patch card and a

eld terminal assembly?
A field terminal assembly is a DCS component where field signals are

terminated. In a DCS using analog transmitter signals but smart
remotely configured transmitters field signals from barriers are first
brought to a HART patch panel.
From here the analog signals are wired to the DCS field termination
assembly or I/O card.
The digital signals are wired to the HART multiplexes who extract the
digital information and provide two way communication path between
smart instruments and a computer running suitable software.
What is the di erence between a protocol and a eld bus?

A protocol defines a standard method for communications.
A fieldbus is a multidropping arrangement where multiple instruments

communicate with special interface hardware using the same pair of
wires and in most of the cases draw power from the same pair of wires.
Explain Open Loop Control System ?

Control System in which output quantity has no effect on the input
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Read More automatically the error generated in the output.
From output of the system no feedback is given back to the input for
correction. In Open loop control system the output can be varied by
varying the input.
But due the external disturbance system output may change. Any
variation in the output from the desired once again attained by varying
the inputs manually.
Advantages:
Open loop system is simple and economical

Construction of open loop system is easier
Open loop systems are generally stable
Disadvantages:
Open loop systems are inaccurate and unreliable

The changes in the outputs due to external disturbance are not
corrected automatically
Explain Closed Loop Control System ?
Control system in which the output has an effect on the input quantity in

such a manner that the input quantity will adjust itself based on the
output generated is called Closed loop Control System.
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the changes in the output due to external disturbance.
Hence closed loop control system is called automatic control system.
Advantages:
Closed loop control systems are more accurate even in the presence
of non-linearities
The sensitivity of the system may be made small to make the system
more stable
The closed loop systems are less affected by noise.
Disadvantages:
Closed loop control systems are costlier and complex

The feedback in the closed loop system may lead to oscillatory
response
The feedback reduces the overall gain of the system
Stability is the major problem in the closed loop system and more
care is needed to design a stable closed loop system.
What happens if transmitter wires get shorted?

The barrier if installed limits electrical energy flowing into hazardous
area. If there is no barrier, typically a fuse in the power distribution
system will blow. 
Read More
What is equipotential connection (earth bonding)? How

many types of such Connections are possible?
– Share Your Answer though comments
What will happen if thermocouple wires get shorted?
A cold junction compensated instrument will typically indicate

temperature of the location where the T/C wires are shorted.
What is di erence between ground terminal & protective

ground terminal?
Share Your Answer through comments
Why do we require loop-terminating resistor in any

digital communication loop?
A minimum loop resistance is required so that modulated current signal

produces a modulated voltage signal, which may be detected by the
receiving equipment.
What is adapter ange?

It is a transmitter part for allowing process connection to pipe/tube.
How to calculate the safe distance between cables to

avoid electromagnetic interference of each other ? Accept
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The design engineers / equipment manufacturers follow/publish certain

guidelines w.r.t. different types of cables and the voltages/currents and
types of signals carried by them.
How Control loop should be tuned in process loop?
You may use Ziegler-Nichol’s method ( open loop / closed loop ) or

special tuning software tools.
What is the signi cance of single ended & di erential

ended input for PLC? Application wise comparison of
these two types of inputs?
Differential inputs provide better common mode rejection and signal-to-

noise ratio.
What is Ground Loop? Preventive steps to avoid ground

loop?
When ground wiring is not done properly, grounding of various points is

not effective and potential differences exist between them resulting in
currents flowing between them.
This leads to measurement errors and is not desirable. It can be

eliminated by proper ground wiring.

Read More
In a globe type control valve, what is the importance of

ow direction (top to bottom or bottom to top)?
Control valves must be installed as per direction marking provided by

the manufacturers or instruction manuals. Though people tend to
generalize, this is often misleading.
What is ATEX directives / FM Approval / CSA approved / CE

certi ed ? What is the importance of individual
certi cation? Are all these certi cation required for each
instruments? Which certi cation do we prefer?
ATEX/FM/CSA certifications generally refer to certification for suitability

of instruments for use in hazardous area when installed in accordance
with recommended guidelines.
Any certification, which is locally acceptable as per statutory

requirements, may be used. We typically accept
American/European/Indian certifications/approvals in India.
Advantages of tachometer as speed measuring device

compared to inductive type proximity switches?
Some tachometers provide analog output with almost instantaneous
response time.

They are highly suitable for speed control in some applications.
Read More
Application wise advantages of Inductive type proximity

switches over capacitive type switches?
Inductive proximity switches are better suited for detection of
conducting metal objects and are easily tested for proper operation.
Capacitive switches are typically used for detecting non-conductive

materials
What are the accuracies and temperature ranges of the

various thermocouples?
You can find out more about thermocouple accuracy and temperature
ranges on this thermocouple color code table.
It is important to remember that both accuracy and range depend on

such things as the thermocouple alloys, the temperature being
measured, the construction of the sensor, the material of the sheath, the
media being measured, the state of the media (liquid, solid, or gas) and
the diameter of either the thermocouple wire (if it is exposed) or the
sheath diameter (if the thermocouple wire is not exposed but is
sheathed).
Should we use a grounded or ungrounded probe?
It depends on the instrumentation. If there is any chance that there may

be a reference to ground (common in controllers with nonisolated
Read More
inputs), then an ungrounded probe is required.
If the instrument is a handheld meter, then a grounded probe can

almost always be used.
Can we use any multimeter for measuring temperature

with thermocouples?
The magnitude of the thermoelectric voltage depends on the closed

(sensing) end as well as the open (measuring) end of the particular
thermocouple alloy leads. Temperature sensing instruments that use
thermocouples take into account the temperature of the measuring end
to determine the temperature at the sensing end.
Most millivoltmeters do not have this capability, nor do they have the
ability to do non-linear scaling to convert a millivoltage measurement to
a temperature value.
It is possible to use lookup tables to correct a particular millivoltage

reading and calculate the temperature being sensed. However, the
correction value needs to be continuously recalculated, as it is generally
not constant over time.
Small changes in temperature at the measuring instrument and the

sensing end will change the correction value.

Read More
How to choose between thermocouples, resistance

temperature detectors (RTD’s), thermistors and infrared
devices?
You have to consider the characteristics and costs of the various sensors
as well as the available instrumentation. In addition, Thermocouples
generally can measure temperatures over wide temperature ranges,
inexpensively, and are very rugged, but they are not as accurate or
stable as RTD’s and thermistors.
RTD’s are stable and have a fairly wide temperature range, but are not
as rugged and inexpensive as thermocouples. Since they require the use
of electric current to make measurements, RTD’s are subject to
inaccuracies from self-heating.
Thermistors tend to be more accurate than RTD’s or thermocouples, but

they have a much more limited temperature range. They are also
subject to selfheating. Infrared Sensors can be used to measure
temperatures higher than any of the other devices and do so without
direct contact with the surfaces being measured.
However, they are generally not as accurate and are sensitive to surface
radiation efficiency (or more precisely, surface emissivity). Using fiber
optic cables, they can measure surfaces that are not within a direct line
of sight. 
Read More

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4/9/2019 Distributed Control System Interview Questions | DCS Engineer Questions

electrical wiring flow control plc controls and autom

calibration pressure measuring instruments i need a job

Home » Distributed Control System Interview Questions

Control Systems Interview Questions PLC Tutorials

Distributed Control System

Instrumentation Tools assists you a complete guide which mainly targets

crack the interview.

Here’s a definitive list of Distributed Control System Interview

In case you have attended any competitive exams or interviews recently,

Proportional (P) Controller is used during the following conditions:

Load Changes are small

When Integral (I) Controller is Used ?

Integral (I) controller is used during:

When the offset must be eliminated

When Derivative (D) Controller is used ?

When Proportional plus Integral (PI) Controller is used ?

System changes is small

When Proportional and Derivative (PD) controller is used

When the system changes are small

When Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID)

System changes are small

How can we measure di erential temperature?

In split range control, whether the signal is splitted

By connecting o/p of one I/P converter to two positioners adjusted

When do we use SOV of rating 110vac and 110vdc?

What is the safest distance a control valve should be

How is cold junction compensation in thermocouple

ALSO READ : CERTIFIED AUTOMATION PROFESSIONAL

In which applications do we use 4 wire RTD?

What is the sensor used in coriollis mass ow meter to

What if thermocouple wire is opened in the eld? What

What if the power supply connections to a two-wire

Usually there is a blocking diode to protect the transmitter against

What are the possible reasons for the failure of barrier?

How can we say that the given RTD or Thermocouple is

The accuracy depends upon quality / condition of the sensor. Degraded

In some cases we have to select the cam position in a

What is the di erence between a hart patch card and a

A field terminal assembly is a DCS component where field signals are

What is the di erence between a protocol and a eld bus?

A fieldbus is a multidropping arrangement where multiple instruments

Explain Open Loop Control System ?

has no facility to correct

Open loop system is simple and economical

Open loop systems are inaccurate and unreliable

Explain Closed Loop Control System ?

Control system in which the output has an effect on the input quantity in

the changes in the output due to external disturbance.

Hence closed loop control system is called automatic control system.

Closed loop control systems are costlier and complex

What happens if transmitter wires get shorted?

What is equipotential connection (earth bonding)? How

– Share Your Answer though comments

What will happen if thermocouple wires get shorted?

A cold junction compensated instrument will typically indicate

What is di erence between ground terminal & protective

Share Your Answer through comments

Why do we require loop-terminating resistor in any

A minimum loop resistance is required so that modulated current signal

What is adapter ange?

How to calculate the safe distance between cables to