MEASUREMENT
TECHNIQUE
Assist. Prof. Dr. Tahir DURHASAN
MEASUREMENT
• Measurement is a systematic, replicable process by which
objects or events are quantified and/or classified with respect
to a particular dimension
• This is usually achieved by the assignment of numerical values
• It is a cornerstone of most natural sciences, technology,
economics, and quantitative research in other social sciences
INSTRUMENTATION
is the use of measuring instruments to monitor and control a process. It is the art and science of
measurement and control of process variables within a production, laboratory, or manufacturing area
An instrument is a device that
measures a physical quantity
such as flow, temperature, level,
distance, angle, or pressure.
Instruments may be as simple as
direct reading thermometers or
may be complex multi-variable
process analyzers. Instruments
are often part of a control
system in refineries, factories,
and vehicles.
The control of processes is one
of the main branches of applied
instrumentation
A control post of a steam turbine
Ensuring the safety and effectiveness of
healthcare diagnostics and treatments
Measuring the composition, energy value and
quantity of gas piped to our homes, or of fuel in
our vehicles
Ensuring safe operation of aircraft in flight
Ensuring consistency of international time
standards so we can communicate reliably and
navigate accurately throughout the world
Quantifying emissions of greenhouse gases to
understand and mitigate climate change
Ensuring the security and sustainability of our
food supply
Ensuring fairness between buyers and sellers in
markets where goods are sold by weight or
volume
1. Measure
2. Calculate
*Make
3. Estimate* LOGICAL
Estimations!..
Instrument Types
Instruments can be subdivided into separate classes according to several criteria. These subclassifications
are useful in broadly establishing several attributes of particular instruments such as accuracy, cost, and
general applicability to different applications.
1. Active and Passive Instruments
Instruments are divided into active or passive ones according to whether instrument output is produced
entirely by the quantity being measured or whether the quantity being measured simply modulates the
magnitude of some external power source.
An example of a passive instrument is the pressure-measuring
device shown in Figure 2.1.
An example of an active instrument is a float-type petrol tank
level indicator as sketched in Figure 2.2
One very important difference between active and passive
instruments is the level of measurement resolution that can be
obtained.
In terms of cost, passive instruments are normally of a more
simple construction than active ones and are therefore less
expensive to manufacture. Therefore, a choice between active
and passive instruments for a particular application involves
carefully balancing the measurement resolution requirements
against cost.
Null-Type and Deflection-Type Instruments
The pressure gauge just mentioned is a good example of a
deflection type of instrument, where the value of the quantity
being measured is displayed in terms of the amount of
movement of a pointer. An alternative type of pressure gauge is
the dead-weight gauge shown in Figure 2.3, which is a null-type
instrument.
In terms of usage, a deflection-type instrument is clearly more convenient. It is far simpler to read the
position of a pointer against a scale than to add and subtract weights until a null point is reached. A
deflection-type instrument is therefore the one that would normally be used in the workplace. However, for
calibration duties, a null-type instrument is preferable because of its superior accuracy. The extra effort
required to use such an instrument is perfectly acceptable in this case because of the infrequent nature of
calibration operations.
Analogue and Digital Instruments
The deflection-type of pressure gauge described earlier in this chapter (Figure 2.1) is a good example of an analogue
instrument. As the input value changes, the pointer moves with a smooth continuous motion. While the pointer can
therefore be in an infinite number of positions within its range of movement, the number of different positions that
the eye can discriminate between is strictly limited; this discrimination is dependent on how large the scale is and how
finely it is divided.
A digital instrument has an output that varies in discrete steps and so
can only have a finite number of values. The rev counter sketched in
Figure 2.4 is an example of a digital instrument. A cam is attached to the
revolving body whose motion is being measured, and on each
revolution the cam opens and closes a switch. The switching operations
are counted by an electronic counter. This system can only count whole
revolutions and cannot discriminate any motion that is less than a full
revolution.
The distinction between analogue and digital instruments has become particularly important with rapid growth in the
application of microcomputers to automatic control systems. Any digital computer system, of which the
microcomputer is but one example, performs its computations in digital form.
An instrument whose output is in digital form is therefor particularly advantageous in such applications, as it can be
interfaced directly to the control computer. Analogue instruments must be interfaced to the microcomputer by an
analogueto-digital (A/D) converter, which converts the analogue output signal from the instrument into an equivalent
digital quantity that can be read into the computer. This conversion has several disadvantages.
First, the A/D converter adds a significant cost to the system.
Second, a finite time is involved in the process of converting an analogue signal to a digital quantity, and this time can
be critical in the control of fast processes where the accuracy of control depends on the speed of the controlling
computer. Degrading the speed of operation of the control computer by imposing a requirement for A/D conversion
thus impairs the accuracy by which the process is controlled.
Indicating Instruments and Instruments with a Signal Output
The final way in which instruments can be divided is between those that merely give an audio or visual indication
of the magnitude of the physical quantity measured and those that give an output in the form of a measurement
signal whose magnitude is proportional to the measured quantity.
A common analogue indicator is the liquid-in-glass thermometer. Another common indicating device, which exists
in both analogue and digital forms, is the bathroom scale. The older mechanical form of this is an analogue type
of instrument that gives an output consisting of a rotating pointer moving against a scale (or sometimes a rotating
scale moving against a pointer). More recent electronic forms of bathroom scales have a digital output consisting
of numbers presented on an electronic display. One major drawback with indicating devices is that human
intervention is required to read and record a measurement. This process is particularly prone to error in the case
of analogue output displays, although digital displays are not very prone to error unless the human reader is
careless.
Instruments that have a signal-type output are used commonly as part of automatic control systems. In other
circumstances, they can also be found in measurement systems where the output measurement signal is recorded
in some way for later use. Usually, the measurement signal involved is an electrical voltage, but it can take other
forms in some systems, such as an electrical current, an optical signal, or a pneumatic signal.
References:
ocw.jhsph.edu
National Instruments; www.ni.com
http://www.npl.co.uk/commercial-services/products-and-services/training/e-learning
National Physical Laboratory; www.npl.co.uk
Recommended books:
Measurement and Instrumentation Principles, Butterworth-Heinemann, 3rd Edition
Experimental Methods for Engineers, J. P. Holman, 7th edition
