Instrumentation and Measurements

Dr. Abid Imran

------Faculty of Mechanical Engineering----

FALL SEMSTER 2019

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 Text book:

Alan S. Morris, Reza Langari, “Measurements and Instrumentation.

Theory and application”, 2012, Elsevier.

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 Introduction (Definitions)
• System: is a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism.
E.g. Electric Geyser: water temperature is controlled in real time:

Media: water.
Control variable: temperature Elements of
Source: electric heater the system
Thermostat: sensor to on or off the heater.

• Variable: are the physical quantities of a system which changing with the
time.
• Measurement: is to quantify the property of a system to understand the
amount.
• Instrument: are used to measure, record or control the system variables.
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Control Variables
 Introduction (Definitions)
• Sensor: Is a device that detect the • Transducer: Transfer power from one system
change in physical stimulus and turn it into to another in the same or different form.
a signal which can measured or recorded • Sensor plus associate circuit

Thermistor

Sensor mechanism Transducer mechanism (Thermal to electrical)

Solar cell is sensor and transducer

Radial energy to electrical energy

Actuator

• Actuator: Actuator reacts to input signal and Sensor

require source of energy. It provides a mechanical Amplifier
response
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 Measurement system applications

1. Measuring physical quantities

 E.g. Mass, volume and length
measurements
Calibrate Until Current Temp
Ta  Td
2. Measuring instruments for Controller
monitoring function
 E. g: Greenhouse temperature control
Turn heat on or open the window

3. Measuring instruments in the

automatic process
 E. g: Figure Desired Temp

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Closed loop feed back system (Example)
 Element of measuring system

Signal manipulation
e.g amplification of voltage

Data storage
Observer
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 Element of measuring system: Example

signal amplification
Data transmission

Sensing ele. variable Data presentation

conversion element element

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Measuring System (pressure measurement)
 Instrument Type (Passive/Active)

Passive instrument Active instrument

External
voltage source

Pressure Measuring device level indicator

No External source of power

 Null- and deflection: types continued

Deflection Type Null type

Accuracy depend on the linearity and Accuracy depend on the calibration of the
calibration of the spring dead weight
Easy to use More accurate
 Analogue- digital: types continued
Analogue instruments Digital Instruments

Revolution counter

 Can only measure full revolution

 Gives infinite values of output with  Digital instruments are better in terms of
in the range of the instrument  Data storage
 No need of signal conversion A/D
 Less time delay
 Static and dynamic characteristics of Instruments

Dynamic Steady value of Static

Change in Input output
behavior Charac.

1-Accuracy
2-precision
3-Tolerance
4-Range or span
We want 5-Linearity
Static 6-Sensitivity of measurement
characteristics 7-Sensivity to disturbance
8-Threshold
We don't want 9-Resolution
10-Hysterisis
11-Dead space
 Static characteristics of Instruments

Accuracy
The closeness of a measurement to the true value.

Precision
The closeness of a measured output to each other.

Accurate Precise, but

Not Precise, Not accurate
precise Not accurate
 Static characteristics of Instruments
Tolerance
Maximum error that is to be expected in some value.

Range or span
Defines minimum and maximum measurable values by an instrument.
Linearity: defined as the maximum deviation from the linear characteristics as a percentage
of the full scale output
 Static characteristics of Instruments
• Threshold: It is the minimum input measured by an instrument from zero.

• Resolution/Discrimination: is the minimum detectable value by an instrument

• Sensitivity to measurement: is the magnitude of the change in the output to the change
in the input of an instrument
Calculate the sensitivity of the following
measurements for the thermocouple.
 Static characteristics of Instruments
• Sensitivity to disturbance:
• Calibration are valid under controlled condition such as temperature and pressure.
• static characteristics change Under different condition
• The instrument is affected by two ways: zero drift (bias) and sensitivity drift
• zero drift (bias): is a constant error existing in a full span reading of an instrument
 Example 2.5 Load (Kg) 0 1 2 3
Deflection(mm) at 20 0C 0 20 40 60
A spring balance is calibrated at
20 oC and has the deflection Deflection(mm) at 30 0C 5 27 49 71
As given in R2:
40 − 20 𝑚𝑚
The recorded deflection 𝑠= = 20 𝑎𝑡 20 𝑜𝐶
2−1 𝑘𝑔
reading at 30 oC are given in R3:
49 − 27 𝑚𝑚
𝑠= = 22 𝑎𝑡 30 𝑜𝐶
2−1 𝑘𝑔
(a) Find the sensitivity at 20 and 30 oC Zero drift (bias) = 5mm
(b) Zero drift Sensitivity drift =2mm/kg
(c) Sensitivity drift
(d) Zero drift coefficient ZD coefficient=
5
= 0.5𝑚𝑚/0C
(e) Sensitivity drift coefficient 10
2
Sensitivity drift coefficient= = 0.2(𝑚𝑚/𝑘𝑔)/0C
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 Static characteristics of Instruments
Hysteresis.
Dead space
• Refers to the difference between
responses to increasing and decreasing Range of different input values over which there is no
sequence of inputs. change in output values: Due to back lash.
• It can occur due to gear backlash in
mechanism, magnetic hysteresis or due to
elastic hysteresis