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Presently this is best achieved by using a smart temperature transmitter with two sensors
transmitting a signal proportional to the temperature difference.
In split range control, whether the signal is splitted through I/P convertor or the convertor
itself?
By connecting o/p of one I/P converter to two positioners adjusted suitably for split range
operation of control valves.
Taking two AO from DCS. Split range to be defined in DCS. Both I/P converters and positioners
to be calibrated with input as 4to20 ma dc and 3to15 psi respectively.
Primarily depends upon the availability of reliable power supply source & application.
What is the safest distance a control valve should be mounted from a pump discharging 60
bar pressure?
Not clear
Three wire is a better alternative. Primary objective of 3-wire and 4-wire arrangements is to
eliminate effects of lead resistance on temp. measurement.
What is the sensor used in coriollis mass flow meter to measure density?
What if thermocouple wire is opened in the field? What signal goes to DCS?
Usually there is a blocking diode to protect the transmitter against supply reversal and almost
zero current signal should be transmitted.
We can only measure sensor output (resistance / maillots ) accurately and look-up corresponding
temperature in reference tables. The accuracy depends upon quality / condition of the sensor.
Degraded sensors may not give accurate readings and must be replaced. To test a sensor, the
sensor response may be tested using a high quality temperature calibrator and compared with
reference tables.
In some cases we have to select the cam position in a control valve for different application?
How do we select that?
Refer to instruction manual for the positioner / control valve. The cams are often marked with
limited amount of information, which may help an experienced person.
What is the difference between a hart patch card and a field terminal assembly?
A field terminal assembly is a DCS component where field signals are terminated. In a DCS
using analog transmitter signals but smart remotely configured transmitters field signals from
barriers are first brought to a HART patch panel. From here the analog signals are wired to the
DCS field termination assembly or I/O card. The digital signals are wired to the HART
multiplexes who extract the digital information and provide two way communication path
between smart instruments and a computer running suitable software.
Control System in which output quantity has no effect on the input quantity is called Open Loop
Control System. Open Loop Control System has no facility to correct automatically the error
generated in the output. From output of the system no feedback is given back to the input for
correction. In Open loop control system the output can be varied by varying the input. But due
the external disturbance system output may change. Any variation in the output from the desired
once again attained by varying the inputs manually.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Control system in which the output has an effect on the input quantity in such a manner that the
input quantity will adjust itself based on the output generated is called Closed loop Control
System. Open loop control system can be modified in to closed loop control system by providing
a feedback. This feedback automatically corrects the changes in the output due to external
disturbance. Hence closed loop control system is called automatic control system.
Advantages:
Closed loop control systems are more accurate even in the presence of non-linearities
The sensitivity of the system may be made small to make the system more stable
The closed loop systems are less affected by noise.
Disadvantages:
The barrier if installed limits electrical energy flowing into hazardous area. If there is no barrier,
typically a fuse in the power distribution system will blow.
What is equipotential connection (earth bonding)? How many types of such Connections
are possible?
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What will happen if thermocouple wires get shorted?
A cold junction compensated instrument will typically indicate temperature of the location where
the T/C wires are shorted.
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A minimum loop resistance is required so that modulated current signal produces a modulated
voltage signal, which may be detected by the receiving equipment.
How to calculate the safe distance between cables to avoid electromagnetic interference of
each other ?
The design engineers / equipment manufacturers follow/publish certain guidelines w.r.t. different
types of cables and the voltages/currents and types of signals carried by them.
You may use Ziegler-Nichol’s method ( open loop / closed loop ) or special tuning software
tools.
What is the significance of single ended & differential ended input for PLC? Application
wise comparison of these two types of inputs?
Differential inputs provide better common mode rejection and signal-to-noise ratio.
When ground wiring is not done properly, grounding of various points is not effective and
potential differences exist between them resulting in currents flowing between them. This leads
to measurement errors and is not desirable. It can be eliminated by proper ground wiring.
In a globe type control valve, what is the importance of flow direction (top to bottom or
bottom to top)?
Control valves must be installed as per direction marking provided by the manufacturers or
instruction manuals. Though people tend to generalize, this is often misleading.
What is ATEX directives / FM Approval / CSA approved / CE certified ? What is the
importance of individual certification? Are all these certification required for each
instruments? Which certification do we prefer?
ATEX/FM/CSA certifications generally refer to certification for suitability of instruments for use
in hazardous area when installed in accordance with recommended guidelines. Any certification,
which is locally acceptable as per statutory requirements, may be used. We typically accept
American/European/Indian certifications/approvals in India.
Some tachometers provide analog output with almost instantaneous response time. They are
highly suitable for speed control in some applications.
Application wise advantages of Inductive type proximity switches over capacitive type
switches?
Inductive proximity switches are better suited for detection of conducting metal objects and are
easily tested for proper operation. Capacitive switches are typically used for detecting non-
conductive materials
What are the accuracies and temperature ranges of the various thermocouples?
You can find out more about thermocouple accuracy and temperature ranges on this
thermocouple color code table. It is important to remember that both accuracy and range depend
on such things as the thermocouple alloys, the temperature being measured, the construction of
the sensor, the material of the sheath, the media being measured, the state of the media (liquid,
solid, or gas) and the diameter of either the thermocouple wire (if it is exposed) or the sheath
diameter (if the thermocouple wire is not exposed but is sheathed).
It depends on the instrumentation. If there is any chance that there may be a reference to ground
(common in controllers with nonisolated inputs), then an ungrounded probe is required. If the
instrument is a handheld meter, then a grounded probe can almost always be used.
The magnitude of the thermoelectric voltage depends on the closed (sensing) end as well as the
open (measuring) end of the particular thermocouple alloy leads. Temperature sensing
instruments that use thermocouples take into account the temperature of the measuring end to
determine the temperature at the sensing end. Most millivoltmeters do not have this capability,
nor do they have the ability to do non-linear scaling to convert a millivoltage measurement to a
temperature value. It is possible to use lookup tables to correct a particular millivoltage reading
and calculate the temperature being sensed. However, the correction value needs to be
continuously recalculated, as it is generally not constant over time. Small changes in temperature
at the measuring instrument and the sensing end will change the correction value.
You have to consider the characteristics and costs of the various sensors as well as the available
instrumentation. In addition, Thermocouples generally can measure temperatures over wide
temperature ranges, inexpensively, and are very rugged, but they are not as accurate or stable as
RTD’s and thermistors. RTD’s are stable and have a fairly wide temperature range, but are not as
rugged and inexpensive as thermocouples. Since they require the use of electric current to make
measurements, RTD’s are subject to inaccuracies from self-heating. Thermistors tend to be more
accurate than RTD’s or thermocouples, but they have a much more limited temperature range.
They are also subject to selfheating. Infrared Sensors can be used to measure temperatures higher
than any of the other devices and do so without direct contact with the surfaces being measured.
However, they are generally not as accurate and are sensitive to surface radiation efficiency (or
more precisely, surface emissivity). Using fiber optic cables, they can measure surfaces that are
not within a direct line of sight.
Thermocouples produce a voltage output that can be correlated to the temperature that the
thermocouple is measuring. The documents in the table below provide the thermoelectric voltage
and corresponding temperature for a given thermocouple type. Most of the documents also
provide the thermocouple temperature range, limits of error and environmental considerations.