Basic of Instrumentation Eyass

Basic of
instrumentation
Eyass AL-Qaisi
C&I Engineer
Dipsticks.
Methods of Float Systems.

Level Pressure Measuring devices.
Measurement
Capacitive Devices
Ultrasonic systems.
Radar (microwave) methods.
Radiation methods Radiation methods.
Other methods (laser, heated wire).

• Metal bar itched with
markings.
• Requires human intervention
• Is only an approximate
method.
Dipsticks • Only suitable for shallow tanks.
• Some version are automated
using optical devices
• Another simple device is the
sight glass tube.
Float Systems
Simple, cheap and widely used.
Can give an accuracy of +/-1%.
‘Float and arm’ system with potentiometer is used in cars for fuel measurement.
Another system is the ‘float and tape’ gauge.
This consists of a tape wrapped on a shaft connected to a float.
As the fluid level changes, the float move up and down and hence rotates the shaft.
The rotation of the shaft is recorded and the fluid level derived from it.
More complicated system but give better accuracy.

Pressure Devices (hydrostatic)
• By measuring the pressure at the bottom of the vessel/tank, the level

can be , deduced.
- Open topped vessel.
- Sealed vessel.
• The level of the fluid can be arrived at by dividing the pressure by the
product of g and the density.
• Uncertainty in the value of the density will affect the accuracy of the
result.
Capacitive Devices
• By placing two parallel plates inside the liquid and measuring the
capacitance between them, the level of the liquid can be inferred.
• The capacitance depends on the area of the plates, the distance
between them and the permittivity of the liquid.
• The change in level changes the effective permittivity of the dielectric
of the capacitor.
• If the liquid is non-conducting, then the plates do not need to be
insulated.
• However, where the liquid is conductive the plates have to be
insulated.
• Liquids with high permittivity will provide good sensitivity.
Ultrasonic Devices
• Ultrasonic devices are used to send and receive the reflected

ultrasonic signal from the fluid level.
• This relies on the time of flight principle.
• The speed of sound in the fluid depends on temperature.
• Compensation is necessary to compensate for the change in
temperature.
• Frequency ranges from 40 kHz to 400 kHz.
• The speed of ultrasound also depends on the humidity, air pressure
and carbon dioxide concentration.
Microwave Devices
• Still very expensive method.

• Can provide readings in difficult situations (closed tanks, turbulence,
and obstacles, presence of condensate).
• They rely on receiving a reflected signal with a phase difference to
the signal received directly.
• Unaffected by temperature and pressure variation.
Radiation Methods
• The tank filled with fluid is radiated at one end and the output
detected at the other end.
• The absorption of the beta and gamma rays depends on the amount
of the fluid in the tank.
• This method is attractive as it non-invasive.
Definitions
• There are three pressure definitions:

• Absolute pressure: This is the difference between fluid pressure and
absolute pressure.
• Gauge pressure: This is the difference between the pressure of a
fluid and the atmospheric pressure (depends on atmospheric
pressure).
• Differential pressure: This is used to describe the difference between
two absolute pressures at two different points in the system.
Mechanical Devices:
These are devices that convert the pressure measurement into a
displacement. The following are the examples of these devices:
• The Bourdon Tube: The Bourdon tube is a tube that has an oval cross
section. It is coiled or curled under normal pressure but tries to
uncoil/uncurl as the pressure increases. The movement can be
displayed by connecting its tip to a pointer. The Bourdon tube can be
of the ‘C’ shape or could be of a helical shape.
• Manometers: These consist of mercury filled C-tubes. The absolute or

differential pressure can be read off the difference in height between
the two columns of mercury.
• Diaphragm or Bellows: These have been discussed earlier. In practice

however, diaphragm are more widely used as part of electrically based
pressure transducers that measure the displacement or the strain
using electrical methods.
Electrical Devices:
• Most of the commercially available transducers for measuring pressure are

electrically based. They use one of the following principles:
• The use of a diaphragm that produces a displacement under a change of
pressure. This displacement is then measured by either an LVDT device or a
capacitive device.
• The use of a diaphragm that undergoes stress when the pressure changes
and this induces strain in a sensor bonded onto it or diffused into it.
• Micro-mechanical pressure transducers: These devices are micro-machined
with the Silicon wafer and contain a piezoresistive sensor that changes its
resistance with the change in pressure. The piezoresistive sensor(s) is(are)
then connected in a bridge arrangement to produce a voltage output. These
devices are extremely small in size, and are cheaper to produce making them
very attractive compared to conventional devices.
Definitions
• There are three principal methods of measuring temperature:
• Temperature measurement by mechanical effects:

is based on the fact that materials expand as their temperature increases.
• Temperature measurement by electrical effects:

There are six methods that can be used to measure temperature by
electrical effects
• Temperature measurement by radiation effects.

Mechanical Effects:
• Liquid-in-glass thermometer:
The liquid-in-glass thermometer is one of the most widely used

devices in measuring temperature used in every-day use. It is
based on the principle of the expansion of a liquid (such as
mercury or alcohol) in a capillary glass tube. The rise of the fluid
in the glass tube can be read off against a scale that indicated
the temperature.
• Bimetallic Strip
• Another mechanically based method exploits the fact that different metals
have different thermal coefficients of expansion. If two strips of different
metals are bonded together, then as the temperature rises from that at
which they were bonded, one strip will elongate more than the other strip
and the whole unit will bend with a certain radius of curvature. If one end of
the device is fixed then the other end will move as the temperature changes.
• Fluid expansion Thermometers:
• These devices work on the principle that a fluid will expand when heated.
But if the volume on the container is fixed this will lead to an increase in
pressure. If this pressure is measured, it could be used as an indication of
the increase in temperature.
Temperature Measurement by Electrical
Effects
• Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD)
• Whenever a metallic material is heated its resistivity will change. Most
metals have a positive temperature coefficient (PTC). This is due to the fact
that metals in general have sufficient electrical carriers. So an increase in
temperature will lead to an increase in the collisions between the carriers,
thus increasing the resistivity of the material.
Where a and b are constants that depend on the material.

• Thermistor
• Thermistors, as opposed to RTDs, have a negative temperature coefficient of
resistance, but are much more sensitive that RTD’s. Their resistance can be
modelled in accordance with the following exponential equation:
The value of β ranges from 3500 to 4600 K (note that its unit must be K in
order to balance the equation above dimensionally).
• Thermoelectric Effects (thermocouple)
• When two different metals are placed against each other, an emf is produced
that is a function of the temperature of the junction. The junction is called a
thermocouple.
Type Material (positive listed first)
E Chromel - Constantan
J Iron - Constantan
K Chromel - Alumel
N Nicrosil - Nisil
S Platinum/10% Rhodium - Platinum
T Copper - Constantan
Radiation Effects
• The main advantage of this method is that no contact is required

between the measurement device and the object. This is very useful
in hazardous environments.
• It is worth noting that electromagnetic radiation in general does not
need a medium for transport.
• Measurement of flow is usually related to fluids, although technically
speaking we can talk of mass flow rate for solids (e.g., conveyor belt
in a oil shale mine).
• It is important to distinguish between the measurement of volume
flow rate and the measurement of mass flow rate. Volume flow rate
is much more widely used, but it is important to be able to infer from
its results the mass flow rate (this will depend for gases on the
temperature and pressure).
•Thank You  ‫ شكرا‬ Shukraan

Basic of Instrumentation Eyass

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Basic of

Methods of Float Systems.

Radar (microwave) methods.

Radiation methods Radiation methods.

Other methods (laser, heated wire).

Simple, cheap and widely used.

Can give an accuracy of +/-1%.

Another system is the ‘float and tape’ gauge.

This consists of a tape wrapped on a shaft connected to a float.

More complicated system but give better accuracy.

• By measuring the pressure at the bottom of the vessel/tank, the level

• Ultrasonic devices are used to send and receive the reflected

• Still very expensive method.

• There are three pressure definitions:

• Manometers: These consist of mercury filled C-tubes. The absolute or

• Diaphragm or Bellows: These have been discussed earlier. In practice

• Most of the commercially available transducers for measuring pressure are

• There are three principal methods of measuring temperature:

• Temperature measurement by mechanical effects:

• Temperature measurement by electrical effects:

• Temperature measurement by radiation effects.

The liquid-in-glass thermometer is one of the most widely used

Where a and b are constants that depend on the material.

• The main advantage of this method is that no contact is required

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