Screen, Shield and Braid - they all are sometime used for same meaning.

The way I see the

differences are:

Screen: The term screen is used to keep the electrical signals of the cables separated from outside
electromagnetic, electrostatic and radio frequency interference. This is like putting a screen between
the cable signal and the outside noise signal.

Shield: A metallic or semi-conductor layer used around the cable or conductor for the screening
purpose.

Braid: Braid is one of the styles of cable shield. It is the style of using the shield filaments with
interwoven in cylindrical form.

So, we can say 'the braided shield is used for screening the cable from outside electro-magnetic
interference'.

The changing magnetic field of the cable signals produce voltage across the lengths of the shields and
if both ends of the shield are grounded, a circulating current flows through the shield. This causes
power loss and additional temperature increase of cable insulation. To prevent the circulating current,
only one side of the shield is grounded.

Environmental noise disturbers:

Environmental noise is comprised of magnetic and electric fields. Magnetic field coupling occurs only at
low frequencies (i.e. 50 Hz or 60 Hz) and its impact can be ignored for all types of balanced cabling.
Electric fields, however, can produce disturbing signal voltages on balanced cables. The magnitude of
the voltage induced can be modelled assuming that the cabling system is susceptible to interference in
the same manner as a simple loop antenna. Loop antenna models demonstrate that screened and
fully-shielded cables offer 100 to 1,000 times the immunity protection from electric fields than UTP
cables do!

It is important to remember that the overall susceptibility of twisted-pair cables to electric field
disturbance is dependent upon both the balance performance of the cabling and the presence of a
screen or shield. Well balanced (i.e.category 6 and higher) cables should be immune to
electromagnetic interference up to 30 MHz. The presence of a shield or screen is necessary to avoid
electromagnetic interference at higher frequencies, which is an especially critical consideration for next
generation applications.

Design of screens and shields:

Solid aluminum foil is the preferred shielding media for telecommunications cables because it provides
100% coverage for high frequency (i.e. greater than 100 MHz) applications, as well as low electrical
resistance. The thickness of the foil shield is selected so that 30 MHz and higher frequency signals
cannot penetrate the shield. This design approach ensures that higher frequency signals will not be
able to penetrate the foil shield and lower frequency signals will not interfere with the twisted-pairs due
to their good balance performance.

Why use screened/fully-shielded cabling?

The performance benefits of using screened and fully-shielded cabling systems are numerous and
include:

1. Reduced pair-to-pair crosstalk in fully-shielded designs

 2. Reduced alien crosstalk in screened and fully-shielded designs
3. Screened category 6A cable diameters are generally smaller than 6A UTP cables allowing
greater pathway fill/utilization
4. Substantially improved noise immunity at all frequencies and, especially above 30 MHz when
cable balance starts to significantly degrade
5. Significantly increased Shannon capacity for future applications

Avoid Instrumentation Problems by Properly Installing Low-Voltage Wiring

It happens over end over. A complex control system involving many instruments is installed and the
connections seem to be electrically correct, yet there are problems. Some devices do not function at
all, while others perform erratically or inaccurately. The problems seem to be particularly acute when
sensitive solid-state analog or digital instruments are involved. What could be wrong?

What's wrong is the designer and installer did not give adequate attention to the details of
instrumentation wiring during design and installation. Some of these important wiring details include
proper treatment of each type of instrument, correct wiring for instrument signals, proper
instrumentation grounding, and sound specifications for instrumentation wire and terminations.

Before we get into the detailed discussion, let's clarify one point: The wiring practices described here
are for the low-voltage instrumentation typically found in industrial process control or laboratory
situations, not switchgear instrumentation, which involves instrument transformers (i.e. potential
transformers and current transformers). Because of the potentials involved, switchgear
instrumentation wiring is done to a completely different set of standards.

Wire and cable

It's common to use twisted pair wire when wiring process control instrumentation. When two wires are
twisted together, many of the effects of electromagnetic interference are canceled out, so twisted pair
wiring is more resistant to electrical noise than untwisted wiring. A tighter twist (i.e. a higher number
of twists per inch) results in greater immunity, so this is a specification worth paying attention to.

To add another level of protection from electromagnetic noise, a grounded shield is added over the
twisted pair wires. When this is enclosed in a protective jacket, the package is called two-conductor
shielded twisted pair cable, and this cable is recommended for most instrumentation field wiring.

There are typically two types of shields, the braided type and the foil type. Because it gives 100%
coverage, the foil type is preferred. Be sure that shielded cable also has a drain wire, which is a bare
conductor wound inside the cable jacket and in continuous contact with the shield. The drain wire
makes terminating the shield easy.

The actual conductors in the cable should be stranded plated copper, and a conductor size of at least
18 AWG is recommended. Although most instrument signals can be carried by wiring smaller than this,
keeping the conductors 18 AWG or larger increases reliability and makes terminations easier. The drain
wire should also be stranded plated copper and should be at most one size smaller than the
conductors, but again at least 18 AWG for reliability.
Insulation should be high-quality thermoplastic and rated for the voltage to be used (most
instrumentation circuits operate below 30 VDC). The standard colours for two-conductor
instrumentation cable are red (positive) and black (negative), but other colours are available.

The cable jacket should be rated for the intended use of the cable, and instrument cable is available for
all of the common uses (e.g. conduit, tray, outdoors, direct burial, etc.). Also, be sure the jacket is
resistant to any chemicals or oils that it may encounter. If the cable is to be run in conduit, make sure
the jacket is of the smooth, slippery variety. The soft, rubbery jackets make pulling difficult and can
lead to cable damage.

Fillers are non-conducting fibrous strands that are wound into a cable to fill any empty space. They are
not usually used in instrument cable, but if fillers are present, make sure they are non-hygroscopic.
This means that they will not absorb moisture and draw it into the cable, an obvious advantage.

Cable terminations

Terminations are an important part of instrument wiring. Proper terminations result in reliable
connections and help to eliminate problems like ground loops and electromagnetic interference.
Instrument terminations are usually made to screw terminals or compression terminals, and either one
can be made reliably. Two-conductor shielded twisted pair cable is terminated in two different ways,
with the drain wire connected to a terminal or with the drain wire cut off and insulated.

Fig. 1 shows a typical two-conductor shielded cable prepared for termination to screw terminals with
the drain wire cut off. This is usually done at the field end of an instrument cable where no shield
grounding is desired. Note that insulating tape or heat-shrink tubing is used to protect the cable from
contamination and to prevent accidental grounding of the shield or drain wire. An accidental ground at
this point would almost certainly create an undesirable ground loop.

Fig. 2 shows a typical two-conductor shielded cable prepared for termination to screw terminals where
the drain wire is to be connected. Note that the drain wire, which is an un-insulated conductor, is
sleeved with insulating tubing to prevent accidental grounding. The crimp-on lug is valuable in this
instance to retain the tubing. Insulating tape or heat-shrink tubing is again used to protect the cable
from contamination and to prevent accidental grounding, since any accidental connection between the
drain wire and a chassis, frame, or enclosure would almost certainly create a ground loop.

Instrumentation wiring practices

In addition to good terminations, some general wiring practices need to be followed when designing or
installing instrument systems. First, splices in instrumentation cables should be avoided whenever
possible. Although splices at intermediate terminal strips often make installation or troubleshooting
easier, they cause more trouble than they are worth. Terminations of this sort are prime areas for
corrosion, loose connections, accidental shield grounding, and the introduction of electromagnetic
noise. A single, unbroken cable from a field device to the controller or control system is always the
most reliable solution.
Be careful when installing instrument wiring in proximity to higher voltage wiring. Any wires carrying
an AC signal of 120V or more are a possible source of electromagnetic interference, and instrument
signal cables should be installed a safe distance from them. If instrument cables must cross over AC
power and control cables, the two should be separated by an adequate distance, and the crossing
should be made at right angles to minimize induction.

Instrumentation cabling should always be installed in conduits dedicated to instrument signals only.
When a tray is used, it should at least be divided. Separate trays for instrumentation are a better
solution, and often do not increase cost much. Two 12-in. trays can be installed on common hangers
for nearly the same cost as a single 24-in. divided tray, and the advantage of having a tray dedicated
to instrumentation cables is usually worth any additional cost.

For maximum protection, install all instrumentation cabling in steel conduit because this type of
conduit, when properly grounded, provides an excellent electromagnetic shield as well as an inductive
damping action due to the iron content. Also, it's almost impossible to induce noise into an instrument
cable installed in steel conduit.

Grounding in instrumentation systems

Most instrumentation systems have two grounds: The electrical or power ground and the instrument
ground. It's important you realize that these two grounding systems have entirely different purposes.
The primary purpose of the power ground is safety. All metallic or conducting equipment should be
connected to this ground, and the rule here is "the more the merrier." Code requires, for example, that
a ground grid, ground rod, building steel, and water pipe all be tied into the power grounding system if
they are present.

The primary purpose of an instrument ground, on the other hand, is to protect instrumentation from
electromagnetic interference. To do this successfully, any part of the protective shielding system must
be connected to ground at one point and one point only. Whenever the shielding system becomes
grounded at two or more points (to the instrument ground and to a grounded enclosure, for example),
a ground loop is formed. Current can flow in a ground loop due to inevitable potential differences
between separated grounds. Ground loops cause noise to be transmitted along the very shielding
system that's supposed to be protecting the sensitive instrument signals, defeating its purpose.

To avoid ground loops and electromagnetic contamination of the ground system, all instrument ground
wiring, including cable shields and drain wires, should be treated like sensitive current-carrying
conductors. All instrument ground wires should be insulated, not bare, and the same wiring practices
should be observed with ground wires as with other sensitive signals. Care must also be taken when
designing instrument wiring to ensure that each shield is connected to only a single ground point. You
should establish this point at a central location, like a control panel or PLC cabinet, and to avoid all
connection to grounds in the field. An instrument ground is sometimes referred to as an isolated
ground (an oxymoron) for this reason, but the term single-point ground is more accurate.

Instrument signals
The most common instrument signal used in industry is the 4-20mA current signal. A value of 4mA
typically represents the zero level of a variable, while 20mA represents the maximum value.

Current signals are preferred to voltage signals because they are inherently more immune to noise,
and the 4mA zero offset helps further with signal integrity. While maintaining a perfect OmA signal
would be nearly impossible in the presence of noise, it is possible to "bury" the noise in the 4mA offset
signal and represent the minimum value cleanly.

Voltage signals are also used, but they are usually confined to relatively noise-free areas like control
panels or laboratory environments. Typical voltage signals are 1-SVDC, 2-10VDC, 0-SVDC, and 0-10
VDC. The first two signals again employ the offset zero, and are therefore more noise immune. They
also have the advantage of being easily generated from a4 -20 mA current signal by simply passing
the current through a resistor of the proper size.

Instrument signals are also classified as isolated or non-isolated. An isolated signal is not referenced to
any ground or common reference. Isolated voltage signals are often called differential signals because
the information is represented by the difference in voltage between two points, not the absolute
voltage to common.

Non-isolated signals are reference to some signal common, and are often called single-ended because
the information is represented by the voltage between a single point and common.

It's important that you know if a device is isolated or non-isolated. Two non-isolated devices in the
same current loop, for example, will cause the loop to be referenced to ground or common in two
different places and will almost certainly result in improper operation of the loop.

Instrument types

Transmitters are common input field devices. A transmitter typically consists of an electronic package
that interfaces to a sensor, which, in turn, measures some physical quantity in a process. The
electronics interpret the signal from the sensor, do any conversion necessary, and then transmit a
signal that is proportional to the quantity being measured. A temperature transmitter, for example,
may measure a temperature with a thermocouple, perform compensation and linearization, and
transmit a 4-20mA signal representative of the temperature to a controller.

Transmitters have four common electrical configurations, as shown in Fig. 3. A field powered
transmitter takes power for the electronics package from a source in the field and transmits a signal
(usually isolated) on two dedicated wires. A four-wire transmitter is similar, but it takes its Dower
(typically 24VDC) from a central source, and the power is transmitted to the device along the same
cable that carries the transmitted signal back to the control system. Three-wire transmitters use two
wires for transmitter power and transmit the signal back on a third wire. The signal is non-isolated
(referenced to common) so only a single signal wire is required. Two-wire transmitters "steal" power
from the instrument signal itself without affecting its accuracy. Two-wire current transmitters are very
popular because of their simplicity, and the standard zero off set guarantees that electronics will
always have at least 4mA to operate on.
Output field devices are almost always two-wire, and respond to either voltage or current signals.
These devices are usually isolated, but it's wise to make sure because non-isolated devices can cause
the problems mentioned earlier. Typical output devices are control valves, which position themselves
proportional to the incoming signal, and variable speed drives, which control the speed of a motor to
the value indicated by the incoming signal.

Typical instrumentation circuits

Fig. 4 shows some typical instrumentation circuits, how the electrical connections are made, and how
the shield drain (DRN) wires should be connected to avoid ground loops. The diagram shows how a
straight splice through a terminal strip should be done (even though this usually is not recommended),
and how voltage signals are properly distributed. It also shows the proper interconnection of multiple
devices in a current loop, and how a current signal is converted to a voltage signal with a resistor.
Instrument-grade resistors with an accuracy of a half percent or better are available in the commonly
used values (250, 500, and 1000 ohms). The terminations in the figure should be physically done as
shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Drain Wire
A wire wrapped around or part of a shield within a cable that reduces the resistance from any point on
the shield to ground. A drain wire serves to complete an electrical circuit from the shield, thereby
carrying extraneous electrical noise to ground and away from the circuit or system the shield is
intended to protect. See also ground, ground wire, and shield.