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Instrumentation and Control

1. Measurement instruments can be classified in several ways, including as analog or digital, passive or active, mechanical or electrical/electronic, manual or automatic, null output or deflection output, self-contained or remote indicating, and indicating-type output or signal-type output. 2. Passive instruments are self-operated and do not require external power, while active instruments require an external power source. Mechanical instruments are simple but unable to rapidly respond, while electrical/electronic instruments can respond faster but are more complex. 3. Automatic instruments do not require an operator, unlike manual instruments. Null output instruments measure to a balanced point while deflection instruments show movement on a scale. Remote
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
39 views7 pages

Instrumentation and Control

1. Measurement instruments can be classified in several ways, including as analog or digital, passive or active, mechanical or electrical/electronic, manual or automatic, null output or deflection output, self-contained or remote indicating, and indicating-type output or signal-type output. 2. Passive instruments are self-operated and do not require external power, while active instruments require an external power source. Mechanical instruments are simple but unable to rapidly respond, while electrical/electronic instruments can respond faster but are more complex. 3. Automatic instruments do not require an operator, unlike manual instruments. Null output instruments measure to a balanced point while deflection instruments show movement on a scale. Remote
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ME 306 Chapter 1.

MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

CLASSIFICATION OF MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS

Measurement devices involve the use of instruments as a physical means of determining

quantity and value of some physical variable being measured. These measurement

instruments may be classified as follows:

1. Analog and Digital Instruments

(Previously explained in Class Notes_2)

2. Passive (Self-Operated) and Active (Power-Operated) Instruments

a) Passive (Self-Operated) Instruments:

Figure: pressure measurement with a Passive (Self-Operated) Instrument

■ Example of a passive instrument is the shown pressure gage. The pressure of the fluid

is translated into a movement of a pointer against a scale. The energy expended in

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

moving the pointer is from the measured pressure and there are no energy inputs to

the system.

■ The Passive (or Self-Operated) instrument has its output signal that is entirely

produced by the physical system and the quantity being measured.

■ This instrument type does not require any outside power for its operation; the output

energy is supplied totally by the input signal from the physical system.

Other examples include:

▪ Mercury-in-glass thermometer,

▪ Pressure-actuated temperature gage,

▪ U-tube manometer,

▪ Bourdon tube pressure gage

b) Active (Power-Operated) Instrument:

Figure: Float-type tank level measurement with an Active (Power-operated) Instrument

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

■ An example of an active instrument is a float-type tank level indicator shown in the

Figure.

■ As the liquid level rises in the tank, the float is raised. Its arm causes the wiper

(potentiometer arm) to move over the potential divider whose output terminals are

connected to a voltmeter.

■ As a float rises, a greater part of the potential divider resistance is included in the

output circuit giving an increased output voltage.

■ The output voltage is proportional to the liquid level.

■ The energy in the output voltages signal comes mainly from the external power

source.

■ The Active (or Power-operated) instruments are those instruments which require

some auxiliary external source of power (such as electricity, compressed air, hydraulic

supply, etc.) for their operation.

■ The external power source is usually in electrical form, but in some cases, it can be

other forms of energy such as a pneumatic or hydraulic one.

■ In such instruments, the energy in the output signal comes mainly from the external

power source and the input signal represents a small fraction and an insignificant

portion of the output power.

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

3. Mechanical and Electrical/Electronic Instruments.

(a) Mechanical Instruments:

■ Mechanical instruments are very reliable for static and stable conditions. They are

simple in design and use, and relatively cheaper in cost.

■ However, mechanical instruments are unable to respond rapidly to the

measurements of dynamic and transient conditions because they have moving parts

that are rigid, heavy, and bulky.

■ In addition, most of the mechanical instruments cause noise and are not suitable

when remote indication is needed.

(b) Electrical/Electronic Instruments:

■ Most of the scientific and industrial instruments require very fast responses. Such

requirements cannot be met with mechanical instruments.

■ Electrical/Electronic instruments are more rapid than that of mechanical instruments

and are suitable for remote indication and electronic recording functions.

■ Electrical/Electronic instruments use semiconductor where the response time is

extremely small.

■ With the use of Electrical/Electronic devices very weak signals can be easily detected

by using electronic amplifiers.

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

4. Manual and Automatic Instruments.

■ The manual instruments require the services of

an operator, example is the deadweight

pressure gauge shown.

■ Automatic instruments do not require the

services of an operator.

■ Automatic instruments are preferred

because of their faster response

compared to manual instruments and due to their low operational cost.

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

5. Null Output and Deflection Output Instruments.

■ The deadweight pressure gauge shown is a

null-type instrument.

■ Here, the operator adds and subtracts weights

until a null point is reached, where the

downward force balances the fluid pressure

on the piston.

■ Null-type instruments are more accurate than

deflection types and they are used for calibration duties.

■ The shown pressure gauge is a

deflection type instrument, where

the value of the quantity being

measured is displayed in terms of the

movement of a pointer.

■ Deflection type instrument is more convenient since it is simpler to read the position

of a pointer against a scale than to add and subtract weights until a null point is

reached.

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ME 306 Chapter 1. MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEMS

6. Self-Contained and Remote Indicating Instruments.

■ A self-contained instrument has all its different elements in one physical assembly.

■ In a remote indicating instrument, the primary sensing element may be located at a

sufficiently long distance from the secondary indicating element.

■ In the modern instrumentation technology, there is a trend to install remote

indicating instruments where the important indications can be displayed in the central

control rooms.

7. Indicating-Type Output and Signal-Type Output Instruments

■ Indicating-type output instruments give an audio or visual indication of the

magnitude of the physical quantity measured.

■ Signal-type output Instruments give an output in the form of a measurement signal

whose magnitude is proportional to the measured quantity.

■ They are commonly used as part of automatic control systems or in measurement

systems where the output measurement signal is recorded in some way for later use.

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