Instrumentation & Measurement

Lecture#3

Maliha Saleem Bakhshi

 Topics to be covered today
Overview of the last lecture
Accumulated Errors of measuring devices
Measurements
Heisenberg (1927): The momentum and position of a particle can
not both be precisely determined at the same time.
Measuring activity disturbs the physical process (loading effect).
Measurement error:
That is the difference between the measured value and the true
value.
error = measured value - true value
Deterministic errors:
They are repeated at every measurement, e.g. reading offset or
bias. Such errors can be corrected by calibration.
Random errors:
They are caused by several parameters and change in time in an
unpredictable fashion. They can be quantified by mean errors,
standard Deviation.
Importance of effective measurement in process industry

Perhaps the best advice for engineering students is that

instruments are always incorrect!!!!.
This surprising statement is not intended to undermine
reasonable confidence in applications of sensors and valves.
However, new engineers sometimes tend to accept
instruments as exactly correct without evaluating the likely
errors associated with their use. Depending on the instrument,
the process operating conditions and the application, the
instrument errors can be small enough to be insignificant or
can be large enough to seriously degrade control performance.
The engineer must evaluate each application during the
process design and select an appropriate instrument.
Failure to measure effectively the level of liquid
in bottom of the tower lead to

--- Fire

--- Explosion
Static Error

Numerical differences between true value

of a quantity and its value as obtained by
measurement.

Static errors are generally of three types;

1. Mistake or gross error (human mistakes)

2. Systematic errors (instrumental or
environmental errors)
3. Random or accidental errors (unknown)
 Sources of Error
Elements within Instruments
Atmospheric Conditions
Loading Effect
AC Power Lines
To identify sources of error in an instrument, the
signal flow diagram in terms of basic functional
elements should be drawn for the instrument. It
indicates different signals present in that instrument.
 Sources of Error
The error source should be of the same nature as
displacement.
Thus, the error source for displacement signal can
be in the form of play in joints, deformation in
elements, or backlash in gears, since play,
deformation, and backlash are essentially
distances.
Similarly, for a force signal another force like
friction is the error source. Play cannot be an
error source for a force signal, and friction cannot
be an error source for a displacement signal.
Piston &Cylinder type pressure gauge
 Elements within Instruments
Draw signal flow diagram a dial gauge
 Loading Effect
The required energy for functioning of the
instrument is drawn from the measured
medium therefore the process of
measurement itself disturbs the parameter
being measured. This phenomenon is called
the loading effect of the instrument.
Mechanical Tachometer
Methods of minimizing or eliminating
the effects of error sources
Backlash
Friction
Temperature
Loading effect
AC power lines
Temperature
Methods of minimizing or eliminating
the effects of error sources
Backlash
Friction
Temperature
Loading effect
AC power lines
Spring loaded Scissor Gear
 Spring loaded Scissor Gear
From the pictures above, you might already have
understood that the tabs of the gear-2 will go into the slots
of the gear-1 and partially fill it.
After the tabs go into the slot, a compression spring is placed
to the each slot.
It is because of the spring, the backlash is absorbed by the
gear assembly. How? Well, as you have already seen that the
gear-2 can rotate freely about the axis of the gear-1, so,
while in operation as soon as some amount of backlash is
created in the system the spring pushes the free gear-2 to
make up the backlash.
 Spring loaded Scissor Gear
One side of the mating gear teeth to the anti
backlash gear is pressed by the teeth of the
gear-1 and the other side is pressed by the
teeth of the gear-2.
The spring of the anti backlash gear should
designed in such a way that the compression
of the spring should not occur by the normal
operating torque of the gear.
 Roller bearings rigid support, immersed in
lubricating oil bath