INSTRUMENTATION

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 1
What is it?

Definitions of Instrumentation from the Web:

• The use of rods, screws, plates, hooks, wires, bolts,
etc. to correct and stabilize abnormalities of the spine.
• The art of composing, orchestrating, or arranging for
an instrumental ensemble.
• An electrical or pneumatic device placed in the field to
provide measurement and/or control capabilities for
the system.

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 2
Objectives:

Learning the fundamentals of industrial

instrumentation
• Terminology and Symbols
• Measuring Means
• Pressure, Temperature, Level, Flow
• Controlling Means
• Simple Closed Loop Control
• PID Loop tuning

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 3
 Automation Technology
Instrumentation plays an important role in almost every aspect of Automation Technology.

• Industrial Automation
• Manufacturing Automation
• Process Automation
• Building Automation

Everyone needs to measure and/or control something – and that’s what instrumentation is
all about.

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 4
Measurement

Things that are measured include:

• Pressure, temperature, level, flow, humidity, speed,
motion, position, weight, density, conductivity, pH, light,
quality, quantity, and more.

Devices that process or do the measuring are called:

• Sensors, transducers, transmitters, indicators, displays,
recorders, data loggers, and data acquisition systems.

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 5
Controllers
These are the devices that do the controlling:
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
• Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC)
• Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
• Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) Controllers
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
• Building Automation Controllers (BAC)
• Energy Management Systems (EMS)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 6
Control Elements

These are the devices the controller operates:

• Pneumatic valves, solenoid valves, rotary valves,

motors, switches, relays, variable frequency
drives.

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 7
Overview of Process Automation
The process is “that portion of an automation operation which use energy
measurable by some quality such as pressure, temperature, level, flow,
(and many others) to produce changes in quality or quantity of some
material or energy.”

Input PROCESS
Energy
or
Some Quality or
Quantity Desired
Material
of the Result
Material or Energy

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 8
Level Process
The control objective is to maintain a constant liquid level of oil inside the tank (e.g. 100 gallons
+/- 20 gallons). The hand valve is opened and closed as required to maintain the desired tank
level.

Oil Stock

Level Indicator

Oil Feed to
next
process

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 9
Terminology used to describe the process
• PROCESS: Level
• CONTROLLED VARIABLE: Head pressure at
bottom of tank
• CONTROL POINT: The level of oil in the Oil Stock

tank (Set Point = 100 gallons) Level Indicator

• MEASURING MEANS: Level Indicator Oil Feed

(Head Pressure) to next
process

• CONTROL AGENT: Volume of oil stock

• MANIPULATED VARIABLE: Flow rate of oil
(gpm)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 10
Basic Model of a Process
The process is maintained at the desired point (SP) by changing the FCE based on the
value of the PV
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
CONTROL PROCESS
Control Desired
ELELMENT (Temperature,
Agent (valve) Result
pressure, level, flow)

Measuring
pH, conductivity, humidity, Means
density, consistency, etc. (transmitter)
Actuating
Input

Process Variable (PV)

Process equilibrium (balance) is when the input energy maintains the output at a constant
“desired” point.

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 11
Basic Model of a Process
The measuring means provides the standardized signal that represents the condition of
the process, i.e. is the process at the desired point?
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
CONTROL PROCESS
Control Desired
ELELMENT (Temperature,
Agent (valve) Result
pressure, level, flow)

Measuring
pH, conductivity, humidity, Means
density, consistency, etc. (transmitter)
Actuating
Input

Process Variable (PV)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 12
 Measuring Means
Transmitters
Strain gauge
Pressure Piezo-electric
Pneumatic
Capacitance
3-15 PSI
Bourdon Tube
Electrical
Level Mechanical Floats
Guided Wave Pressure Transmitter Current
Weight (load cell) 4 – 20 mA
Ultrasonic Level Transmitter 0 – 20 mA
Flow Differential 10 – 50 mA
Pressure Differential Pressure
Cell Voltage
0–5V
Temperature Head meters Flow Transmitter
(orifice, venturi) 1–5V
pH Coriolis, velocity, Temperature 0 – 10 V
Mass, Transmitter
Humidity Digital
ON/OFF
Density Thermocouples Field Bus
RTDs / ModBus
Speed Thermistors ProfiBus
Filled Systems HART
Bi-metallic

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 13
Open Loop Control
Open loop (or manual control) is used when very little change occurs in the
Process Variable (PV)
Manipulated Controlled
Variable Variable
FINAL
CONTROL PROCESS
Control Desired
ELELMENT (Temperature,
Agent (valve) Result
pressure, level, flow)

Measuring
pH, conductivity, humidity, Means
density, consistency, etc. (transmitter)
Actuating
Input

Process Variable (PV)

Corrective action is provided by manual feedback

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 14
Closed Loop Control
Closed loop or feedback control provides a corrective action based on the deviation between the PV and the SP
Manipulated Controlled
FINAL Variable Variable
Control CONTROL PROCESS Desired
Agent ELELMENT (Temperature,
(valve)
Result
pressure, level,
flow)
Measuring
pH, conductivity, Means
humidity, density,
consistency, etc.
(transmitter)

Automati Manual
c

CONTROLLING
MEANS
Controller Output Controller Input (PV)

(3-15 psi, 4-20mA (3-15psi, 4-20mA etc)

etc)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 15
Controlling Means

Controllers provide the required control action to

position the FCE at a point necessary to maintain the
PV at the desired SP.
• PID (single loop feedback controller)
• DCS (distributed controllers)
• PLC (programmable logic controllers)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 16
Single Loop Feedback Control
The TT provides the signal (PV) that represents the condition of the process being controlled. The TIC
compares the PV to the SP and opens and closes the FCE to maintain the process at equilibrium.
Temperature Controller and
Recorder
2
1. Measuring Means
Temperature
Transmitter
2. Controlling Means
3. Final Control
3 1 Element
4
4. Temperature
Sensing
Process
Bulb

Steam

Pneumatic
Control Valve
Heat Exchanger

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 17
Summary
• Process automation makes use of instrumentation to maintain the process at some
desired condition.
• Common instrumentation used in a process loop are the measuring means (usually
transmitters), the controlling means (usually a PID controller), and the Final Control
Element (usually some type of valve)
• The measuring means provides the feedback signal (PV) used in the process loop. The
controlling means operates the FCE based on the difference between the PV and the SP.
• Process equilibrium is maintained when the difference between the PV and SP is zero or
constant (offset?)

BY: DR. EDWIN R. TORILLO, PME

6/23/2020 18