Basic Process Measurements

Basic Process Measurements provides a unique resource explaining the industrial measuring devices that gauge such key variables as temperature, pressure, density, level, and flow. With an emphasis on the most commonly installed technologies, this guide outlines both the process variable being measured as well as how the relevant measuring instruments function. The benefits of each technology are considered in turn, along with their potential problems. Looking at both new and existing technologies, the book maintains a practical focus on properly selecting and deploying the best technology for a given process application.

The coverage in Basic Process Measurements enables the practitioner to:

• Resolve problems with currently installed devices
• Upgrade currently installed devices to newer and better technologies
• Add instruments for process variables not previously measurable
• Evaluate device installations from a perspective of both normal process operating conditions and abnormal conditions
• Determine the best technology for a given set of process conditions

Cecil L. Smith, PhD, has over thirty-five years' experience in process control, his expertise encompassing every control technology being applied in industrial production facilities. In continuous processes, he has worked with oil refining, pulp/paper, power generation, and ore processing. In batch processes, he has experience with both single-product processes (such as PVC reactors and pulp digesters) and the multiproduct (flexible batch) processes that are the norm in specialty chemicals. His primary focus is on designing a control strategy for a process and then commissioning the controls; that is, the process aspects as opposed to systems aspects. He also develops and teaches continuing education courses for practicing engineers on various aspects of process control and instrumentation.