1.

INSTRUMENTATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION AND TERMINOLOGY

The process control scheme
Before we begin, we should first describe some of the basics of
process control schemes. Process control is the interplay between
the sensors, the controllers, the control devices, and the process
itself:

Transmission of information
Measurement of process variables is only the initial step in getting
the information to the controller. This transmission of information
across the process control scheme is facilitated in by following
discreet units:
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1. INSTRUMENTATION

1. Sensor: This senses the process variable and translates into

an analog representation, such as electrical voltage, electrical
current, mechanical force, etc.
2. Transducer: This converts one standardized instrumentation
signal into a standardized instrumentation signal, and may
perform processing on that signal. For example, a
pressure/current (I/P) converter changes a 4-20 mA
electrical signal into a 3-15 psi pneumatic signal (both of
these are analogue transmission systems). Note that signals
may also be transmitted digitally.
3. Transmitter: This translates the signal from the sensor into a
standardized instrumentation signal (such as 3-15 psi air
pressure or 4-20 mA DC electrical current).
4. Actuator: This controls an input variable in response to a
signal from a controller.

Sensor and transmitter signals

As mentioned above, there are some standard instrumentation
signals. These are values of a particular property such as voltage,
current, or air pressure, which correspond to associated values of
the process variable being measured.
Some common standard values are:
Voltage: 1-5 V DC, 0-5 V DC, (-10)-(+10) V DC
Current: 4-20 mA
Pneumatic: 3-15 psi
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1. INSTRUMENTATION

The conversion of a measured variable to a transmitted signal

occurs according to the following basic scheme:
Physical variable (temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc)

Sensor

Measurement (voltage, current, air pressure, etc)

Transmitter

Standardized instrumentation signal

The standardized instrumentation signal coming out of the
transmitter often varies linearly with the measured variable. Such
devices have two required adjustments:
Span: This is the magnitude of the range of the transmitter
signal.
Zero: This is the lower limit of the transmitter signal.
If we know the zero and the span, we can arrive at both the upper
and lower values of the range of the measured variable:
Lower range value = (zero adjustment)
Upper range value = (zero adjustment) + (span adjustment)

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