Advances in flow and level measurements enchance process knowledge control

Advances in flow and level measurements enhance process knowledge, control J obs in research, process development, process design, process technology, automation , operations, or maintenance depend upon the ability to see, trend, analyze, diagnose, and collect the information from measurements. Ultimately, what you want to know as an engineer or technician is " why. " Modern instruments have made great progress in not only answering " why " but also offering a higher level of plant performance. The material balance is at the core of the process and the " why. " Flow and level measurements determine the material balance, and hence, process behavior. More obvious is the performance and integrity of control systems and safety systems depend upon the accuracy, reliability, and speed of the measurements. You cannot control or protect something you cannot measure. Modern flow and level measurement instruments have made significant advances in addressing an industrial plant's requirements through: 1. Technological advances in sensing element technology 2. Indication and integration of multiple measurements 3. Compensation of application and installation effects 4. Online device alerts and diagnostics 5. Remote configuration and calibration 6. Digital signals with extensive embedded user-selected information 7. Wireless communication Transmitters with features 1 through 6 are classified as " smart " or " intelligent. " Since the 1980s, the out-of-the-box accuracy of modern industrial instrumentation has improved by an order of magnitude. Consider the differential pressure transmitter (DP). The 0.25% accuracy of an analog electronic DP has improved to 0.025% accuracy for a smart microprocessor-based DP. Furthermore, analog DP accuracy often deteriorated to 2% when it was moved from a nice bench-top setting to service outdoors in a nasty process with all its non-ideal effects of installation , process, and ambient conditions. A smart DP with its integrated compensation for non-ideal effects will stay close to its inherent 0.025%