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Instrumentation Lecture II

The document discusses various types of instruments used for measurement, categorizing them into active and passive, null-type and deflection-type, analogue and digital, indicating instruments and those with signal outputs, as well as smart and non-smart instruments. It highlights the differences in energy sources, accuracy, resolution, and cost associated with each type. The document emphasizes the importance of calibration and the applications of these instruments in measurement and control systems.

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okellopau26
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17 views17 pages

Instrumentation Lecture II

The document discusses various types of instruments used for measurement, categorizing them into active and passive, null-type and deflection-type, analogue and digital, indicating instruments and those with signal outputs, as well as smart and non-smart instruments. It highlights the differences in energy sources, accuracy, resolution, and cost associated with each type. The document emphasizes the importance of calibration and the applications of these instruments in measurement and control systems.

Uploaded by

okellopau26
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Instrument types and

performance characteristics
1. Active and passive instruments
• Instruments are divided into active or passive
According to whether the instrument output is
entirely produced by the quantity being
measured (Passive)
or whether the quantity being measured
simply modulates the magnitude of some
external power source(active)
An example of a passive instrument
• The pressure of the fluid is translated into a
movement of a pointer against a scale

• The energy expended in moving the pointer is


derived entirely from the change in pressure
measured

• There are no other energy inputs to the


system
An example of an active instrument is a float-type
• The change in petrol level moves a
potentiometer arm

• The output signal consists of a proportion of


the external voltage source applied across the
two ends of the potentiometer

• The energy in the output signal comes from


the external power source. Which One?
Other differences between Active and Passive
Instruments

• Resolution> Longer Pointer vs magnitude of


external energy input

• Cost> Simple Vs complex construction

• Resolution and cost balanced for application


2. Null-type and deflection-type instruments

• The pressure gauge is a deflection type of


instrument

• 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
deadweight gauge
• It is a null-type instrument
• Weights are put on top of the piston until the
downward force balances the fluid pressure
• Weights added until the piston reaches a
datum level, known as the null point
• Pressure measurement is made in terms of
the value of the weights needed to reach this
null position
Accuracy of the above two?
• Calibration> scale and linearity vs merely
calibrating of weights
• Null-type more accurate
3. Analogue and digital instruments
• An analogue instrument gives an output that
varies continuously as the quantity being
measured changes
• The output can have an infinite number of
values within the range that the instrument is
designed to measure
• E.g The deflection-type of pressure gauge
• As the input value changes, the pointer moves
with a smooth continuous motion
• The pointer can 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,
depending upon 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
• A cam is attached to the revolving body whose
motion is being measured
• 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
4. Indicating instruments and instruments with signal
outputs
• Some instruments merely give an audio or visual indication
of the magnitude of the physical quantity measured.
Indicating instruments include all null-type instruments and
most passive ones, Analog output and digital display
Indicators

• Others give an output in the form of a measurement signal


whose magnitude is proportional to the measured quantity

• Instruments that have a signal-type output are commonly


used 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
5. Smart and non-smart instruments
• Smart instruments incorporate a
microprocessor
• Non-smart instruments don’t

• End Of Lecture II
• Refer to textbook for details

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