3.

Sensor/Transmitter and
Filtering

1
Session Outlines & Objectives
Outlines
 Common sensor type used to measure physical

quantities in process control

 Static and dynamics properties of

sensor/transmitter

Objectives
 Know the properties of sensor/transmitter

affecting process control performances

 Know the sensor/transmitter used in process

control

2
Measurement System & Devices
 A measurement system is any set of
interconnected parts that include one or
more measurement devices
 Measurement devices perform a complete
measuring function, from initial detection to
final indication
 Measurement devices such as sensors, or
primary elements, measure the variable

3
Sensor, Transmitter & Transducer
 Sensor
◦ Primary sensing element
◦ Converts the physical quantity to signal that can be recognized by other
component such as display, transmitter
 Transmitter
◦ Generates an industrial standard signal from the sensor output
◦ Standard instrumentation signal levels
 Voltage: 1 – 5 VDC, 0 – 5 VDC, -10 – +10 VDC, etc.
 Current: 4 – 20 mA
 Pneumatic: 3 – 15 psig

 Transducer
◦ Changes one instrument signal value to another instrument signal value
◦ Signal conversion
◦ I/P or P/I transducer: current-to-pressure or vice versa
◦ P/E or E/P: pressure-to-voltage or vice versa

4
Sensor Types
 Flow rate
◦ Orifice, venturi, magnetic, ultrasonic, Coriolis effect
 Pressure
◦ Bellows, bourdon tube, diaphragm
 Liquid level
◦ Displacement, float, differential pressure
 Temperature
◦ Thermocouple, RTD, thermistor
 pH
◦ pH electrode
 Viscosity
◦ Pressure drop across venturi or vane deflection
 Composition
◦ Density, conductivity, IR, UV

5
Primary Measuring Element Selection
& Characteristics
 Transmitter Gain
 Range

◦ Span & Zero

 Response time
 Accuracy
 Precision
 Sensitivity
 Dead band
 Costs
 Installation problems

6
Transmitter Gain, Range, Span & Zero
 Transmitter Gain (KT): adjustable
◦ Amplification ratio: (output span) / (input span)
 Span and Zero: adjustable
◦ Span: magnitude of range of transmitter signal
◦ Zero: lower limit of transmitter signal

(20 mA – 4 mA)
Ex.:
KT = Temperature =transmitter
0.16 [mA/ oC]
(150 oC – 50 oC)

Span = 100 oC
Zero = 50 oC

7
Response Time
 Response time is the amount of time required for a sensor to
respond completely to a change in input
 The response time of the control loop is the combination of
the responses of all the parts, including the sensor
Example: gpm

Sensor
Calculation
Measurement
After one time
constant, the sensor
0.632 x 60 = 37.92 gpm
registers 63.2% of
the change
After two time 60 – 37.92 = 22.08
constant, the sensor
0.632 x 22.08 = 13.95 51.87
register 63.2% of the
remaining difference 13.95 + 37.92 =

After three time 22.08 – 13.95 = 8.13

constant, the sensor
0.632 x 8.13 = 5.14 57.01
register 63.2% of the
remaining difference 5.14 + 51.87 =

seconds
8
Precision vs. Accuracy

9
Error Types

10
Sensitivity, Dead band & Dead time
 The sensitivity of the sensor is a measurement of
how small a change in the process variable it can
actually measure
◦ The greater the sensitivity, the greater the sensor's reaction to an input stimulus

 Dead band is the "unresponsiveness" of the sensor

◦ It describes how much change to the process is required before the sensor actually
responds to it or even detects it
◦ The term sensitivity has frequently been used to denote dead band, but the terms
are not truly interchangeable
◦ Sensitivity refers to the reaction of the sensor

 Dead time applies to the time it takes for the

sensor to react

11
Costs & Installation Problems
 Cost:
◦ The initial purchase
◦ Maintaining the instrument

 Installation problems:
◦ Can include special problems in the environment
such as humidity, vibration, temperature, or dust
◦ Can also be anything that causes a problem to the
devices installed, such as, installing the device in a
difficult to reach location

12
Signal Transmission Types
 Electronic
 Pneumatic
 Optical
 Radio
 Hydraulic

13
Smart Transmitters
 They can convert analog
signals to digital signals
(A/D), making
communication swift
and easy and can even
send both analog and
digital signals at the
same time as denoted
by D/A

 Features:
◦ Configuration
◦ Re-ranging
◦ Signal conditioning
◦ Self-diagnosis

14
Flow Measurement Types
 Differential pressure
◦ Includes orifices, venturi, flow nozzles, pitot tubes
 Mechanical (positive) displacement
◦ Includes turbine, nutating-disk, and rotating vane
 Velocity
◦ Includes vortex shedding, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic
 Mass meters
◦ Coriolis and thermal

15
Differential Pressure Meters
 The use of differential pressure as an inferred
measurement of a liquid's rate of flow
P  F2  F  P
 Have a primary and secondary element
◦ The primary element creates the differential pressure in the
pipe
◦ The secondary element measures the differential pressure
and provides the signal or read-out that is converted to the
actual flow value

 Over 50 percent of all liquid flow measurement

applications use this type of unit

16
Differential Pressure Primary Elements
Pressure
Line

Vena contracta
Fluid flow

Fig. Venturi
Fig. Orifice
Pt
Impact
(High Pressure) Static
Connection (Low Pressure)
Connection
P

Fluid flow
Static
Opening

Flow

Impact
Opening

Fig. Flow nozzle Fig. Pitot tube

17
Mechanical Displacement Meters

Fig. Turbine meter

Fig. Nutating disc Fig. Rotating vane

18
Velocity Meters

Fig. Vortex flow meter & shedding Fig. Magnetic flowmeter

Fig. Ultrasonic flowmeter

19
Mass Meters (1)

Fig. Installation of coriolis meter

Fig. Coriolis meter principles

20
Mass Meters (2)

Fig. Probe configuration of thermal meter Fig. Venturi insertion of thermal meter

21
Pressure Measurements
 Depending on the reference pressure used, they
could indicate:
1. Absolute
2. Gauge, and
3. Differential pressure
 Based on mechanical principles, i.e. deformation
based on force:
1. Bourdon
2. Bellow
3. Diaphragm
 Based on electrical principles; some convert a
deformation to a change in electrical property,
others a force to an electrical property
1. Capacitive
2. Strain gauge
3. Piezoelectric

22
Absolute, Gauge & Differential Pressure

Gauge Absolute Differential

Pressure

Atmospheric pressure = 1 atm

23
Bourdon, Bellow, & Diaphragm

Fig. Bellow
Fig. Diaphragm
Fig. Bourdon

24
Capacitive, Strain Gauge & Piezoelectric

Fig. Capacitance-based pressure cell

Fig. Strain gauge Fig. Piezoelectric

25
Temperature Measurement
1. Contact Temperature Sensors
◦ Thermocouple, Resistance Temperature
Dependent (RTD), Thermistor

2. Non-contact Temperature Sensors and

Thermography
◦ Infrared Thermometer, Thermal Imagers

26
Contact Temperature Sensors

Fig. Thermocouple Fig. RTD

Fig. Thermistor

27
28
Non-contact Temperature Sensors

Fig. Pyrometer

Fig. Thermal Imaging

29
30
Level Measurement

Fig. Displacement Fig. Float

Fig. Differential Pressure Fig. Capacitance

31
Analyzer
 Any sensor that measures a
physical property of the
process material, such as
purity (e.g., mole % of various
components), a basic physical
property (e.g., density or
viscosity), or an indication of
product quality demanded by
the customers in the final use
of the material (e.g., gasoline
octane or fuel heating value)

32
The Control Relevant Aspects of Sensors

 Accuracy
 Good reproducibility
 Fast dynamic response
 Reliable

33
Filtering (1)
 Noise source
◦ Process nature (turbulence, vibration, oscillation)
◦ Various noise source from environment
◦ Power line, electromagnetic force
 Removing noise
◦ Analog filter
dy f filter
 First order
f  yf  y Measured output
dt

Filter time constant Filtered output

34
Filtering (2)
 As tf increases, heavier filter is applied
Lighter filtering Heavier filtering
Actual value Noisy value Filtered value

35
Session Summary
 Sensor/transmitter is used to obtain the
information from process
 Each sensor/transmitter has static and
dynamic properties to be evaluated in order
to obtain the good informations for control
purpose

36