INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT

TUTORIAL NO: 2

(ZERO AND FIRST ORDER SYSTEMS)

1. The individual sensitivities of different elements comprising a temperature measuring system
are:
Transducer 0.3 /0C
Wheatstone bridge 0.01 V/
Amplifier gain 80 V/V
Pen recorder 0.12 cm/V
Determine the overall sensitivity and the temperature change corresponding to a recorder pen
movement of 3 cm.
2. The following data pertains to measurement of angular speed by a dc tachogenerator.
Angular Velocity (rev/min) 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Output Voltage (Volts) 0 8.9 15.1 23.5 29.7 38.8 47.5
Plot the results and determine the order of the system and make an estimate of sensitivity of
the instrument.
3. Determine the time constant and static sensitivity of mercury-in-glass thermometer whose
dynamic performance is prescribed by the following differential equation:
dq o
4.5 + 3 q0 = 1.5  10-3 qi
dt
where q0 is the height of the mercury column in m and qi is the input temperature, in 0C.
4. A first order instrument has a time constant of 0.2 s. For a step input to the instrument, find
the time at which the ratio of the output to the input signals is 0.8.
5. Assume that a particular temperature probe approximates first-order behavior in a particular
application, that it has a time constant of 6 s, and that it is suddenly subjected to a
temperature step of 750C – 3000C.
(a) What temperature will be indicated 10 s after the process has been initiated?
(b) Find the indicated temperature after 10 s if the same probe is subjected to a step 3000C –
750C.
6. A thermometer is initially at a temperature of 200C and is suddenly plunged into a liquid
bath, which is maintained at 1500C. The thermometer indicated 950C after time interval of 3
s. Estimate the time constant for the thermometer. Also calculate the indicated temperature
after five time constants and comment upon the results.
7. A measuring element with a time constant of 0.4 s and a static sensitivity of 0.05 mV/ 0C is
used to measure the temperature of a medium, which changes from 20 to 600C. Taking the
output as zero at 200C, find the output voltage at the end of 5 s, if the temperature changes
from 20 to 600C, occurs at a constant rate in 5 s.

INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT 1 TUTORIAL NO. 2/Khem Gyanwali

8. In a response test of a thermometer, which was suddenly put in water bath at 1000C, the
following data was obtained:
Time, t (s) 0 1 3 6 8 11 15 18
Temperature, (0C) 30 50 65 80 90 95 98 99
(a) Find the time constant of the thermometer.
(b) Find the steady state error if the thermometer is used to measure temperature of liquid
cooling at a rate of 10C every 6 s.
9. A first order instrument has a time constant of 2 s. For sinusoidal input to the instrument, find
the frequency at which the amplitude of the output signal is 0.8 times the amplitude of the
input signal.
10. A first order instrument must measure signals with frequency content upto 100 Hz with an
amplitude inaccuracy of 5 %. What is the maximum allowable time constant? What will be
the phase shift at 50 and 100 Hz?
11. The input signal of qi = sin 0.2t + 0.3 sin 2t is given to two different first order instruments
with time constants 1 = 2 s and 2 = 0.02 s respectively. Find out the output response of the
above instruments. Comment upon the results.
12. A thermocouple with a time constant of 0.3 s and a static sensitivity of 0.04 mV/ 0C is used to
measure the temperature of a medium, which varies as shown in Figure P2.12. If the initial
temperatures of the thermocouple reference and measuring junctions was 250C, find the
output of the thermocouple at t = 0.6 s and 30 s.

1000C

25 0C time
0 0.6 30.0
Figure P2.12
ANSWERS
1. 0.0288 cm/0C, 104.1670C 8. 4.5 s, 0.750C
2. Zero order, 0.0153 V/RPM 9. 0.597 Hz
3. 1.5 s, 0.5  10-3 m/0C 10. 0.523 ms, – 9.330C, – 180C
4. 0.32 s 11. 0.93 sin (2t – 21.80) + 0.073 sin (20t –
5. 2570C, 1170C 760); sin (2t – 0.230) + 0.3 sin (20t –
6. 3.487 s, 149.120C 2.30C)
7. 1.84 mV 12. 2.6 mV, 0.03 mV

INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT 1 TUTORIAL NO. 2/Khem Gyanwali

INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT 1 TUTORIAL NO. 2/Khem Gyanwali