Lecture no.

Industrial Instrumentation
In This Lecture:
 Functional elements of an Instrument
 Components of Instruments:
• Sensors
• Transducers
• Signal Processors
• A/D and D/A Convertors
• Amplifiers
• Hookup Wires
• Recorders

2
Functional Elements of An
Instrument

3
 Measured Medium

Primary Sensing Element

Variable Conversion Element

Variable Manipulation Element

Data Transmission Element

Data Presentation Element

Data Storage/Playback Element

4
Identify the functional elements of a thermometer:
Identify the functional elements of a Bourdon Gauge:

9
Sensors

10
 Sense

Convert Detect

Sensor

Measure Infer

11
Properties of a good sensor:
A good sensor:
 Is sensitive to the measured property
 Is insensitive to any other property likely to be

encountered in its application

 Does not influence the measured property

 Ideal sensors are designed to be linear or linear to

some simple mathematical function of the
measurement.

12
Sensor Sensitivity:
  

 It indicates how much the sensor's output changes

when the measured quantity changes.
◦ If the mercury in a thermometer moves 1 cm when the
temperature changes by 1 °C, the sensitivity is 1 cm/°C.

◦ Sensors that measure very small changes must have very high
sensitivities.

13
Sensor Deviations
If the sensor is not ideal, several types of deviations
can be observed:

 Since the range of the output signal is always

limited, the output signal will eventually reach a
minimum or maximum when the measured
property exceeds the limits.
 The output signal is not zero when the measured
property is zero.
 The output signal may slowly change independent
of the measured property.

14
Sensor Deviations (Cont.)
 The sensor may to some extent be sensitive to
properties other than the property being
measured. For example, most sensors are
influenced by the temperature of their
environment.

 If the sensor has a digital output, the output is

essentially an approximation of the measured
property. The approximation error is also called
digitization error.

15
Sensor Resolution

The resolution of a sensor is the smallest change it

can detect in the quantity that it is measuring.

16
Properties which can be measured by sensors:
 Acoustic, Sound,  Navigation
Vibration  Optical, Light, Imaging
 Environment,  Pressure
Weather, Moisture,  Position, Angle,
Humidity Displacement, Distance,
 Composition, Weight Speed, Acceleration
 Electric Current,  Proximity
Electric Potential,  Thermal, Heat,
Magnetic, Radio Temperature
 Flow, Fluid Velocity
 Force, Density, Level

17
Applications of Sensors

18
Transducers

19
Introduction
 A transducer is a device that converts one type of energy
to another.

 The conversion can be to/from electrical, electro-

mechanical, electromagnetic, photovoltaic, or any other
form of energy.

 A sensor differs from a transducer in the way that a

transducer converts one form of energy into other form
whereas a sensor converts the received signal into
electrical form only.

20
Types:
 Input transducer:
◦ Converts a physical signal to electric signal

 Output transducer (Actuator):

◦ Converts an electric signal to a non-electric signal
◦ An actuator accepts energy and produces action.

21
Signal Processors

22
Signal Processors
 Filtering - removes some unwanted component or
feature from a signal
 Smoothing - capture important patterns in the data,
leave out noise or other fine-scale structures/rapid
phenomena
 Modulation - varying one or more properties of a high-
frequency periodic waveform

 Types:
 Analog Signal Processors
 Digital Signal Processors

23
A/D and D/A Convertors

24
Amplifiers / Attenuators

25
Hookup Wires
• Electrical connections provided between the
instrument and other electronic devices.

26
Recorders

a) Chart Recorders
b) Data Loggers

27
a) Chart Recorders
 A chart recorder is a device that records an
electrical or mechanical input trend onto a piece
of paper (the chart).

 Chart recorders may record several inputs using

different color pens and may record onto strip
charts or circular charts.

28
a) Chart Recorders
 Strip chart recorders
 Circular chart recorders
 Roll chart recorders

29
Applications
 Instant visual feedback is required

 Used where the need, opportunity or technical

ability to download and view data on a
computer is not available

30
b) Data Loggers
 Ability to automatically collect data on a 24-
hour basis.
 Upon activation, data loggers are typically

deployed and left unattended to measure and

record information for the duration of the
monitoring period.
This allows for a comprehensive, accurate picture
of the environmental conditions being monitored,
such as air temperature and relative humidity.

31
Applications
 Unattended weather station recording (such as wind speed /
direction, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation).
 Unattended hydrographic recording (such as water level, water
depth, water flow, water pH, water conductivity).
 Unattended soil moisture level recording.
 Unattended gas pressure recording.
 Process monitoring for maintenance and troubleshooting
applications.
 Process monitoring to verify warranty conditions
 Tank level monitoring.
 Load profile recording for energy consumption management.

32
33