A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge

Updated ISA-authorized book covering the ISA Automation Body of Knowledge

The newly updated Fourth Edition of A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge is the only officially authorized book covering the International Society of Automation’s (ISA’s) body of knowledge core competencies. This revised guide provides an overview of the most important automation concepts and processes, while also describing the technical skills required to implement them in today’s industrial environment. The book enables readers to effectively study for the ISA Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®), ISA Certified Control Systems Technician® (CCST®), and/or Professional Engineer (PE) Control Systems Engineer (CSE) exams.

Edited and written by leading experts from all aspects of automation, A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge includes information on:

• Process and analytical instrumentation; discrete, continuous, and batch control; and control valves and final control elements
• Basic discrete, sequencing, and manufacturing control, advanced control, process modeling, and digital twins, digital and analog communications, and data management and system software
• Networking and cybersecurity, safety and reliability, system checkout, testing, start-up, troubleshooting, and project management
• Manufacturing operations management, automation justification and performance analysis, motors and drives, electrical systems, asset management and maintenance, motion control and vision systems, and control systems including PLCs, DCSs, and SCADA

Whether you are an engineer, manager, control systems integrator, student, or educator, A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge is the book you will turn to again and again as the ultimate source on what is encompassed by automation.

Nicholas P. Sands PE, CAP, ISA Fellow (Dallas, TX), is currently a senior manufacturing technology fellow with more than 27 years at DuPont, working in a variety of automation roles at several different businesses and plants. He has helped develop several company standards and best practices in the areas of automation competency, safety instrumented systems, alarm management, and process safety. Sands has been involved with the International Society of Automation (ISA) for more than 25 years, working on standards committees, including ISA18, ISA101, ISA84, and ISA105, as well as training courses, the ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) certification, and section and division events. His path to automation started when he earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Ian Verhappen P Eng, CAP, ISA Fellow (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), received a BS in Chemical Engineering with a focus on process control and began his career which has included stints in all three aspects of the automation industry: end user, supplier, and engineering consultant. Verhappen has been an active ISA volunteer for more than 25 years, learning from and sharing his knowledge with other automation professionals as an author, presenter, international speaker, and volunteer leader. Through a combination of engineering work, standards committee involvement, and a desire for continuous learning, Verhappen has been involved in all facets of the process automation industry from field devices, including process analyzers, to controllers to the communication networks connecting these elements together. A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge is a small way to share this continuous learning and pass along the expertise gained from all those who have helped develop the body of knowledge used to edit this edition.