Smart Instruments for Process Control

Smart Instruments for Process Control 

Now a days in industries 4.0 and IIOT technology every process control and management is carried out by smart instruments. Smart instruments means this sensors or transducer can be accessible remotely and can be programmed remotely, even troubleshooting and diagnosis also can be possible with the help of Internet.

The evolution from simple pneumatic to sophisticated smart instruments has been driven by user demands for better performance, easier maintenance, and more uptime. Smart instruments have met these demands and more, albeit with increasing complexity. But once smart instruments are understood and deployed, the payoff is less complexity, better performance, and reduced costs throughout the balance of the process control and information system lifecycles. The deployment of smart instruments by the IoT driving force offers less complex, better performance and reduced cost for process control and data acquisition. These smart instruments can therefore be used to compute complex calculations and measurements without the aid of an automation system.

There are different measurement in process for such a variables like Pressure, Temperature, Flow and level. For that measurement we need sensors and transducer or Controller.

Sensors are sensing physical variables like Pressure, Temperature, Flow, level and it will give to controller for making signal standard and amplified as per standard current and voltage. Additional features in Smart Instruments are it can be connected with computers and can be programmed as per application with the help of software. Smart instruments have diagnostics that can detect faults in the installation or problems with the application, each of which could compromise measurement quality and/or reliability. Smart instruments can also respond to inquiries or push condition information to the automation system, as well as to other networked platforms.

We can also communicate with this instruments with different communication protocols which are diagnostics capable with following safety features in Hazardous area. Some smart instruments equipped with communications protocols such as HART 6+, Wireless HART, Profibus DP/PA or Foundation fieldbus H1 can exchange PVs directly among similarly equipped instruments. These PVs are then used to perform added calculations in the field without an automation system or an additional calculation agent.

For the Siemens they have SITRANS Series in Smart instruments.

For temperature measurement they have SITRANS TH300 Temp Controller with HART modem programmable. This is universal device for RTD, Thermocouple and Resistors. Using Siemens PDM Software we can configure or parameterize this device.

Figure 1Siemens SITRANS TH200 for Temperature Measurement

But smart instruments can do a lot more than just measure and deliver the PV to multiple hosts. One or more engineered PVs, basically raw analog values that are scaled, linearized, and/or otherwise conditioned, along with instrument status data are created within a smart instrument. These engineered PVs along with device data are communicated digitally via a fieldbus or wireless network to the automation system and/or to other networked access points.

For Level measurements Siemens have SITRANS LR series in Smart instruments. This is Profibus PA based and can be networked in Profibus, so from the FDP coupler this device can be accessible remotely and data can be monitored remotely from HMI or Web server based SCADA systems. Instrument measurement outputs are assessed against calibration standards to confirm the quality of the measurement information.

Figure 2Siemens SITARNS LR 250 Level Radar based Sensor

There are many other devices are available in wireless LAN and Wireless HART protocol based , so that will be more comfortable with wireless as a mainstream solution, intelligent instrument information will increasingly be directed to wireless access points, which will in turn be integrated directly into control or IT network data servers.

For the Flow measurements Siemens have different technologies like Ultrasonic based, electromagnetic based and Coriolis principal base Instruments

Figure 3Siemens SITRANS Flow Sensors with Smart Controller

           

Now using IOT (Internet of Things) & IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) this all devices are becoming so powerful to analyze or compute the data. Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are enabled with connectivity to and from devices (from a sensor to a large-scale control system), data, and analytics.

The Smart instrumentation with integration of IIOT will be revolution in Industrial Sectors and it will be more secure, faster response and powerful diagnostics capability. 

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