04-Jan-23

INDUSTRIAL
INSTRUMENTATION
Lecturer: Nguyen Duc Hoang
Department of Control & Automation
Faculty of Electrical & Electronics Engineering
Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
Email: ndhoang@hcmut.edu.vn

Chapter 2: Instrument Types and Performance

Characteristics-Part 2

• Instrument Types
• Static Characteristics of Instruments
• Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments
• Calibration

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Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• Dynamic characteristics tell us about how well an instrument responds to changes
in its input.
• For dynamic or time-varying signals, the instrument must be able to respond fast
enough to keep up with the input signals.

Input signal Output signal

Instrument
xi(t) xo(t)

Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• Zero-order instrument

𝑎 𝑥 𝑡 =𝑏 𝑥 𝑡

where: 𝐾 = : static sensitivity Frequency response

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Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• First-order instrument

𝑎 +𝑎 𝑥 𝑡 =𝑏 𝑥 𝑡
↔ 𝜏𝐷 + 1 𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐾𝑥 𝑡

where: 𝐾 = : static sensitivity

𝜏= : time constant

𝐷=
Frequency response

Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• Second-order instrument

𝑑 𝑥 𝑡 𝑑𝑥 𝑡
𝑎 +𝑎 +𝑎 𝑥 𝑡 =𝑏 𝑥 𝑡
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡

↔ + 𝐷 + 1 𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐾𝑥 𝑡

where: 𝐾 = : static sensitivity

𝜔 = : undamped natural frequency

𝜉= : damping ratio

Frequency response (𝑟 = 𝜔/𝜔 )

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Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• Example 1: A first order instrument is to measure signals with frequency

content up to 100 Hz with an inaccuracy of 5%. What is the maximum

allowable time constant? What will be the phase shift at 50 and 100 Hz?

Dynamic Characteristics of Instruments

• Example 2: A temperature measuring system,

with a time constant 2s, is used to measured

temperature of a heating medium, which changes
sinusoidal between 350 and 300oC with a periodic
of 20s. Find the maximum and minimum values of
temperature, as indicated by the measuring
system and the time lag between the output and
input signals?

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Problem 1
A balloon is equipped with temperature- and altitude-measuring instruments and has radio
equipment that can transmit the output readings of these instruments back to the ground. The
balloon is initially anchored to the ground with the instrument output readings in steady state.
The altitude-measuring instrument is approximately zero order, and the temperature transducer
is first order with a time constant of 15 seconds. The temperature on the ground, T0, is 100C and
the temperature Tx at an altitude of x meters is given by the relation: Tx = T0 - 0.01x.
(a) If the balloon is released at time zero, and thereafter rises upward at a velocity of 5
meters/second, draw a table showing the temperature and altitude measurements reported at
intervals of 10 seconds over the first 50 seconds of travel. Show also in the table the error in each
temperature reading.
(b) What temperature does the balloon report at an altitude of 5000 meters?

Problem 2 (HW - optional)

1. A pressure transducer has a natural frequency of 30 rad/s, damping ratio of 0.1 and static sensitivity of 1.0
µV/Pa. A step pressure input of 8x105 N/m2 is applied. Determine the output of a transducer.
(0.8[1− exp(−3t)*sin(29.85t +1.47)] V)

2. A second order instrument is subjected to a sinusoidal input. Undamped natural frequency is 3 Hz and
damping ratio is 0.5. Calculate the amplitude ratio and phase angle for an input frequency of 2 Hz.
(1.152 and -50.2deg)

3. A seismic motion transducer has a seismic mass of 50 g. Its undamped natural frequency is 10 Hz and
damping ratio 0.6. The relative motion of the seismic mass with respect to the frame of the transducer is
converted to a voltage, by a first order system of time constant 0.01 s. Find the output voltage for an input
motion 0f 0.5 mm at a frequency of 30Hz ? (0.48V)

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Calibration
What is calibration ?

According to ISA’s The Automation, Systems, and Instrumentation Dictionary, the

word calibration is defined as “a test during which known values of measurand are
applied to the transducer and corresponding output readings are recorded under
specified conditions.”

The definition includes the capability to adjust the instrument to zero and to set the
desired span.

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Calibration
A few definitions:

 Calibration range – the region between the within which a quantity is measured,
received or transmitted which is expressed by stating the lower and upper range values.

 Zero value – the lower end of the calibration range.

 Span – the difference between the upper and lower range.

 Instrument range – the capability of the instrument; may be different than the
calibration range.

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Calibration
Example:

An electronic pressure transmitter may have an instrument range of 0–750 psig and
output of 4-to-20 milliamps (mA). However, the engineer has determined the
instrument will be calibrated for 0-to-300 psig = 4-to-20 mA. Therefore, the calibration
range would be specified as 0-to-300 psig = 4-to-20 mA.

In this example, the zero input value is 0 psig and zero output value is 4 mA. The input
span is 300 psig and the output span is 16 mA.

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Group discussion : Why is calibration

required?

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How to calibrate
INDICATED VALUE

LARGE ERROR

CALIBRATOR 2

SMALL ERROR

CALIBRATOR 1

SAMPLE VALUE

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Example

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Group discussion : Calibration of Oxygen

Gas Analyser

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