BASICS

WHAT IS INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL ENGINEERING?

 Instrumentation engineering is the branch of engineering that specializes on the principle and
operation of measuring instruments that are used in fields of design, configuration of automated
systems and deals with controlling and measuring different variable quantities like flow, temp,
pressure etc. The variation in subjects goes from Pneumatic and Hydraulics , Thermodynamic of
mechanical , Electrical drives , power electronics of electrical , microprocessor and
microcontroller of electronics, data structures, computer networks of computer , and core subjects
of instrumentation like robotics , soft computing , sensors etc.
WHAT DOES INTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL ENGINEERING DO?
 The required tasks are very domain dependent; instrumentation engineers typically work for
industries with automated process with the goal of improving the productivity, reliability, safety,
optimization and stability. Instrumentation engineers are commonly responsible for integrating
the sensors with the, transmitters, control systems. They may design or specify installation,
wiring and signal conditioning and they are also responsible for calibration and maintenance of
the system.
WHAT ARE THE TERMINOLOGIES IN INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL ENGINEERING
 Measured Variable – Is the measured quantity or condition , which is to be measured. ( e.g.
temperature , pressure , rate of flow etc.
 Measured Signal – Is the Electrical , Mechanical , Pneumatic , or other variable applied to the
input of the device. ( e.g. In thermocouple measured signal is EMF ) a measured signal is produce
by a primary element
 Input signal – Is the signal applied to a device or system
 Output signal – Is the signal delivered by a device or system produced at the output connection of
a transmitter
 Range – Is the region between the limits within which a quantity is measured , received or
transmitted.
 Span – Is the algebraic difference between the upper and lower range values.
 Suppressed zero – Is used when lower range values are greater than zero
 Elevated zero – is used when lower range values are lower than zero
 Range ability or turndown – Ratio of the maximum adjustable span / the minimum adjustable
span for a given instrument.
 Repeatability – Ability of the instrument to give identical indications or response for repeated
applications of the same value of the quantity measured under the same conditions of used.
 Accuracy - Degree of conformity of an indicated value to a recognized accepted standard value,
or ideal value.
 Hysteresis – That property of an element evidenced by the dependence of the value of the output,
for a given excursion of the input, upon the history of prior excursions and the direction of the
current traverse.
 Dead time – The interval of time between initiation of an input change or stimulus and the start of
the resulting observable response.
 Dead band – The range through which an input can be varied without initiating observable
response.
 Sensitivity – is the ratio of the change in transducer output to the corresponding change in the
measured value.
WHAT ARE THE INSTRUMENTS USED IN INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL
ENGINEERING?
Temperature indicators
Temperature indicators are installation instruments which can process signals from temperature sensors
and show them on the display. Temperature indicators enable easy and economic valuation of resistance
sensors

Flow meter
A flow meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a gas or liquid moving through a
pipe. Flow measurement applications are very diverse and each situation has its own constraints and
engineering requirements.
Level sensors
is a device for determining the level or amount of fluids, liquids or other substances that flow in an open
or closed system. There are two types of level measurements, namely, continuous and point level
measurements.
Continuous level sensors are used for measuring levels to a specific limit, but they provide accurate
results. Point level sensors, on the other hand, only determine if the liquid level is high or low.
The level sensors are usually connected to an output unit for transmitting the results to a monitoring
system. Current technologies employ wireless transmission of data to the monitoring system, which
isuseful in elevated and dangerous locations that cannot be easily accessed by common workers.

Pressure regulator
Is a control valve that reduces the input pressure of a fluid to a desired value at its output. Regulators are
used for gases and liquids, and can be an integral device with an output pressure setting, a restrictor and a
sensor all in the one body, or consist of a separate pressure sensor, controller and flow valve.
Pressure sensor
Is a device that senses pressure and converts it into an electric signal where the amount depends upon the
pressure applied.

Pressure Switch
Is a form of switch that closes an electrical contact when a certain set fluid pressurehas been reached on
its input. The switch may be designed to make contact either on pressure rise or on pressure fall. Pressure
switches are widely used in industry to automatically supervise and control systems that use pressurized
fluids.

Instrumentation and Control Engineering, and its Industrial

application in various fields
1 . Aerospace Industries.
2 . Biomedical Industries.
3 . Nuclear Industries.
4 . Oil and gas industries.
Aerospace Industries.
Aircraft - aircraft has sophisticated suite of sensors and displays, which are embedded
into avionics systems. The aircraft may contain inertial navigation systems, global positioning
systems, weather radar, autopilots, and aircraft stabilization systems. Redundant sensors are used for
reliability. A subset of the information may be transferred to a crash recorder to aid mishap investigations.
Modern pilot displays now include computer displays including head-up displays.
 Avionic System - Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and
management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to perform
individual functions.

 Inertial navigation system - (INS) is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors
(accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes), and occasionally magnetic sensors
(magnetometers) to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and
the velocity (direction and speed of movement) of a moving object without the need for external
references.
 Global Positioning System - The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation
system made up of at least 24 satellites. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the
world, 24 hours a day, with no subscription fees or setup charges. The U.S. Department of
Defense (USDOD) originally put the satellites into orbit for military use, but they were made
available for civilian use in the 1980s.

 Weather Radar - Airborne weather radar is an excellent tool on aircraft used to avoid dangerous
clouds, such as Cbs. It is invented and developed to detect the position of the active and
significant cloud cells and its intensity in order to provide information to the pilot for their
avoidance. However, in order for pilots to successfully use weather radar to keep them out of
trouble, they need to have a good understanding of how weather radar works, how to use the
technology and how to interpret the information and display.
 The flight data recorder (FDR) is a device that preserves the recent history of the flight through
the recording of dozens of parameters collected several times per second. The cockpit voice
recorder(CVR) preserves the recent history of the sounds in the cockpit, including the
conversation of the pilots. The two recorders give an accurate testimony, narrating the aircraft's
flight history, to assist in any later investigation.

 Head-up display - also known as a HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without
requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from
a pilot being able to view information with the head positioned "up" and looking forward,
instead of angled down looking at lower instruments. A HUD also has the advantage that the
pilot's eyes do not need to refocus to view the outside after looking at the optically nearer
instruments. Although they were initially developed for military aviation, HUDs are now used in
commercial aircraft, automobiles, and other (mostly professional) applications.
Biomedical Industries
Body Instruments
 Ultra-Sonography -
Ultrasonography is a diagnostic medical procedure that uses sound waves to produce images on a
screen, which allows medical providers to view internal structures of the body.

 Thermograph - Instrument that gives a continuous record of temperature for a day or for a week.
The device uses a helical strip of two metals with differing coefficients of expansion. The
resulting opening and closing of the coil operates a pen which produces a line over a calibrated
chart on a round clock drum.

 Radiograph - is actually a photographic recording produced by the passage of radiation through

a subject onto a film, producing what is called a latent image of the subject.
  Endoscope - is an illuminated optical, typically slender and tubular instrument (a type
of borescope) used to look deep into the body and used in procedures called an endoscopy.

Petrochemical Industries
 Pressure Measurement - A pressure to current converter (P/I converter) in petrochemical
industries is used to measure the pressure developed by liquified petroleum gas (LPG), crude
oil, petrol, and various other petroleum byproducts. In the P/I converter, the indicated pressure
can be a digital or an analog form.
 Analysis instrument - Industrial chromatographs are generally used in olefin processing in
the petrochemical industry. Continuous gas analyzers are also widely used.
Processes of Measurement Instrumentation in Petrochemical Industries
Process Measurement Instrumentation

 Industrial process measurement – temperature, pressure, flow, level, angular velocity, displacement
 Signal processing – measurement, conversion, linearization, filtering, amplification, system response
  Signal transmission – analogue, 2-wire loop, digital, HART, FISCO, Fieldbus systems
 Use of instrumentation in a hazardous environment – Zener/galvanic barriers, I.S., ATEX and DSEAR
 Application of calibration equipment – meters, heat baths, pressure calibrators, flow rig
 Application of fault finding techniques – root cause analysis, analysis of symptoms, 5 Whys, FMECA
 System analysis – sensor selection, process considerations, system characteristics
 Indicators – analogue, digital, recorders, loop powered indicators
 System maintenance – fault finding, root cause analysis, verification, calibration, reporting

History of Instrumentation Engineering

Throughout the first industrial revolutions of mechanical innovation and mass production,
instrumentation and its development were a key supporting technology.

Instrument developments at the sensor level have engaged both the mechanical, and chemical sectors,
whilst the transmission of values has made use of the electronic industries forging the advancements
through the third industrial revolution using electronics and computers to further the analysis of signal
data processing. With the coming of mechanization, their soon developed a need for very basic control,
but to control something, you first need a measure something.

It is probable that the steam engine governor could be considered the first closed loop
control system using instrumentation. Invented in 1788 by James Watt, this very basic and functional
solution was able to measure engine speed through the rotation of two metal balls. As the machine went
faster, the balls would simply move apart through centrifugal force. This provided a direct measurement
of speed and when coupled into a steam control valve, controlled the final speed of the engine by
regulating flow. Whilst the governor is still with us today, the next step in instrumentation needed to be
measurement in a format that could be visualized, recorded and understood.

Continuing the steam engine theme, the possible measurements that can be taken include steam pressure
and temperature, water levels, flow rates and speed. The instruments were mechanical, using basic
sensors for example; bimetallic strips for temperature, bellows for pressure and simple sight glasses for
level.