course | Automation, Instrumentation, Measurements, and Process Control

Module (01) Introduction to Process Measurement
 

• Basic measurement concepts
• Measuring instruments.
• Introduction to control valves.
• Pressure, level, temperature, and flow principles.
• Identification and symbol
• Piping & Instrumentation Diagram P&ID
• Loop Diagram
• Wiring Diagram
   

Module (02) Pressure Measurement
 

• Principles of pressure measurement
• Units of pressure.
• Pressure measuring transducer
• Installation considerations
• A pressure control loop (block diagram)
• Practical work (simulation software) 

Module (03) Level Measurement
 

• Principles of level measurement
• Sight glasses and tape measuring systems.
• Hydrostatic pressure for level measurement
• Ultrasonic level measuring techniques.
• Measurement of density
• Installation considerations.
• Level control loop (block diagram)
• Practical work (simulation software)
   

Module (04) Temperature Measurement
 

• Principles of temperature measurement
• Thermocouples and thermocouple tables.
• Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs)
• Thermometers, liquid in glass, filled and bi‐metallic strip.
• Pyrometers.
• Installation considerations.
• Temperature control loop (block diagram)
   

Module (05) Flow Measurement
 

• Principles of flow measurement.
• Mass flow measuring instruments
• Positive displacement measuring instruments.
• Oscillatory flow measurement
• Flow measurement for custody transfer or fiscal purposes.
• Future developments. 

Module (06) Control Valves
 

• Principles of control valves
• Types of control valves: Globe, butterfly, ball, and cage valves.
• Control valve flow characteristics.
• Noise and cavitation in control valves.
• Actuators and positioners.
• Valve testing (stroke testing).
• Mounting a positioner and calibrating (procedure)
• Future developments
• Practical work (simulation software)
   

Module (07) Process Considerations
 

• Transmitters for each of the process variables
• Smart transmitters
• Testing a control loop for each of the process variables.
• Practical work (workshop)
   

Module (08) Transmission of Measurement Signals
 

• Concept of a loop and feedback system.
• The 3 – 15 psi control loop
• The 4 – 20 mA control loop
• Digital transmission
• The control room 

Module (09) Basic Control Concepts
 

• Manual control
• Feedback control and feed-forward control
• Simple on‐off control
• On‐off control with a differential gap
• Proportional control
• Integral control
• Proportional plus integral control
• Derivative control
• Proportional plus integral plus derivative control
• Tuning a control loop
• The quarter-wave decay reaction method
• Ziegler-Nichols method (ultimate proportional band and ultimate gain)
• Stability of a control system
   

Module (10) Complex Control Systems
 

• Cascade control
• Ratio control
• Split range control
• Adaptive control
• Tuning a cascade control loop
• Tuning a ratio control loop 

Module (11) Computer Control Systems
 

• Analogue signals
• Digital signals
• Direct digital control
• Analogue/digital conversion
• Digital/analogue conversion
• The distributed control system (DCS)
• The "control cell"
• The Programmable Logic Controller
   

Module (12) Networks
 

• Ring, star and multi‐drop networks
• Network Topologies
• Collision detection and avoidance
• Token passing network
• RS‐232 C 12.6 Fieldbus protocol
• Modbus protocol