Detailed explanation of process instrumentation and data acquisition system and how a DAQ system helps in collecting and analyzing process information about industrial and electronic equipment.
Instrumentation, in simple terminology, is measuring instruments to monitor and control a process, which could be within a production, laboratory, or manufacturing area. The process variables used in industries are Level, Pressure, Temperature, Humidity, Flow, pH, Force, Speed etc which determine the monitoring and control of instruments.
Process Instrumentation is centuries old and has been continuously evolving with technological advancements in modern industrial processes for a business to remain profitable. With a requirement for better quality, reducing cost and error free monitoring and control, it has become almost mandatory for industries to adopt and implement process instrumentation in their production units. It improves product quality, reduces plant emissions, minimizes human error, and reduces operating costs among many other benefits.
Measurement and control is the brain and nervous system of any modern plant. Measurement and control systems monitor and regulate processes that otherwise would be difficult to operate efficiently and safely while meeting the requirements for high quality and low cost.
Data Acquisition System
Data acquisition system, as the name implies, is a product and/or process used to collect information to document or analyze some phenomenon. It is an information system that is commonly used in industrial and commercial electronics and environmental and scientific equipment. In a very basic way, we see Data Acquisition being used and applied to our everyday use - an app tracking health charts on your smartphone, a CG machine capturing one’s heart function in a graphical manner on paper etc. In an industrial environment this phenomenon can be temperature, pressure, humidity, level etc.
A DAQ system consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer with programmable software. The hardware is connected with an input device such as a 3-D scanner or analog-to-digital converter. The signal from the input device is sent to the hardware device/card, which processes and sends it to DAQ software, where it is recorded for further review and analysis.
In earlier times, the job of a data acquisition system was done by a technician logging data on a piece of paper. In modern times, compared to traditional measurement systems, PC-based DAQ systems exploit the processing power, productivity, display, and connectivity capabilities of industry-standard computers providing a more powerful, flexible, and cost-effective measurement solution.
As industrial uses and applications have advanced over the years, the types of DAQ systems available in the market have also advanced - from portable battery operated to system built interconnected with various signals. In industrial use a DAQ system is used in a Substation Monitoring, Pipeline heat tracing circuit control, compressors and pumps or DG set monitoring, gas detection, vibration monitoring, pharma process validation, water and wastewater remote monitoring, fermentation processes, metal and mining applications and many more.
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