MARCH 2014

GRADUATE SHARING SESSION

INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASUREMENT AND
CONTROL
Name: Ong Jit Choon
Department: Instrumentation, Control, and Telecommunication

INTRODUCTION
4 main categories:
Pressure
Temperature
Level
Flow
Selection of ranges: 50% - 75%

Pressure Instruments
Bourdon tube
Operating principle:
- Pressure to open end
- Displacement of free end
- Pinion rotation
Applications:
- Medium to high pressures
- Inexpensive
- Highly automated chemical
processes
- Installations
http://yourinstrumentation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bourdons-tube-pressuregauge-principle.html

Pressure Instruments (cont)

Helical
Operation principle:
- Uses bourdon tube principle
- Increase tip travel tip motion
Applications:
High pressure processes

www.instrumentationtoolbox.com

Pressure Instruments (cont)

Diaphragm
Operation principle:
- Diaphragm seal
- Hydraulically generate
pressure reading
Applications:
- Protect pressure sensor
- High sensitivity

http://forbergscientific.blogspot.com/2011/09/diaphragm-seal-chemical-sealoperating.html

Temperature Instruments
Dial thermometer
Operation principle:
- Heat bimetallic strip
- Expansion
- Heat is proportional to the
movement of the dial
Applications:
- Installed where operator
actions are needed

Google image
http://home.howstuffworks.com/therm2.htm

Temperature Instruments (cont)

Thermocouple
Operation principle:
- Electric current due to difference
in temperature
- Potential difference to temperature
table
Applications:
- High temperature (furnace, refinery)
- Sulfur compounds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple

Temperature Instruments (cont)

Resistant thermometer
-- Sensing
wrapped around core
Sensing
element
- Strain
free wire
-- Connected
element
lead
Coated
withto
epoxy
or glass
- Hard
ceramic
oxide
housing
-- Higher
accuracy ranges
Not stable
- Widest
temperature
-- Wider
Limitedtemperature
temperatureranges
ranges

Thinelement
film
Wire
wound
Coil

www.wikipedia.com

Level Instruments
Differential-pressure level instrument
Operation principle:
- Measure head pressure
- Multiply with density
- Resultant force
Applications:
- Most frequently used device
- Readily installed

http://www.gilsoneng.com/reference/Levelpap.pdf

Level Instruments (cont)

Displacer level instrument
Operation principle:
- Archimedes principle
- Change in level change in
displacer weight

http://www.gilsoneng.com/reference/Levelpap.pdf

Applications:
- Accurate
- Adaptable to wide variations
in densities
- Slurries and interfaces services

10

Level Instruments (cont)

Radar type instrument
Operation principle:
- Microwave pulse
- Time of flight = level
- Build profiles of echoes

http://www.gilsoneng.com/reference/Levelpap.pdf

Applications:
- Accurate
- Expensive
- Ignores vapors and immune to
most physical characteristics
- Liquids and slurries services
- Maybe in granular services

11

Flow Instruments
Vortex flow meter
Operation principle:
- Obstruction by bluff
- Increase in pressure, decrease in
velocity
- Frequency = velocity
- Sensor

http://www.instrumart.com/pages/230/vortex-shedding-flow-meters

Applications:
- Most preferred
- Low sensitivity to variations
- Low cost
- Maybe for dirty fluid

12

Flow Instruments (cont)

Turbine meter
Operation principle:
- Reduce turbulent flow
- Spin rotor blade which produces
a signal
- Signal is proportional to the flow
rate
Applications:
- Liquids and gases processes
http://www.instrumart.com/pages/227/in-line-turbine-paddle-wheel-flow-meters

13

Flow Instruments (cont)

Positive displacement meter
Operation principle:
- Pressure to cause rotation of gears
- Entrance of fluid at B and removal
of fluid at A
- Flow rate is proportional to the
rotational speed of gears

http://www.instrumart.com/pages/224/positive-displacement-flow-meters

Applications:
- Clean process fluid
- Not for slurries or abrasive liquids

14

Flow Instruments (cont)

Coriolis flow meter
Operation principle:
- Oscillating measuring tubes
- Resultant phase shift = rate of
mass flow

www.omega.com

Applications:
- Detection of all liquids
- Sanitary applications
- Continuous tube slurry services,
multi-phase fluid applications,
clogging fluids

15

Flow Instruments (cont)

Ultrasonic flow meter
Operation principle:
- 2 sensors measure transit time
difference
- Directly proportional to the flow
velocity
Applications:
- Wastewater (dirty liquids) applications
- Not for distilled/drinking water
- Low pressure drop, chemical
compatibility, and low maintenance
www.omega.com

16

Conclusion
Main categories in measurement and control
instrumentation
- Pressure
- Temperature
- Level
- Flow

17

THANK YOU

Graduate Sharing Session

18