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Text treeInstrumentation and Control Technician Terminology

Glossary

actuator
a controlled hardware device used to implement change in a process
adapter
a device used to make electrical or mechanical connections between items not originally intended for use together
amplifier
a device that enables an input signal to control power from a source independent of the signal and thus be capable of delivering an output that bears some relationship to, and is generally greater than, the input signal
analog signal
any variable signal continuous in both time and amplitude rather than of a pulsed or discrete nature
bellows
a mechanical element of generally cylindrical shape with cylindrical walls containing deep convolutions
benchset
removing a piece of equipment and testing it at the shop; a static setup as opposed to a dynamic setup
calibrate
to determine, by measurement or comparison with a standard, the correct value of each scale reading on a meter or other device
cascade control
a type of controller set-up in which the output of one controller acts as the set point or controlling signal of another controller
configure
to set up a program or computer system for a particular application
control mode
a specific type of control action such as proportional, integral or derivative
control variable
measured variables that can be manipulated by the control system, such as flow, level, pressure and temperature
distributed control system (DCS)
a system of dividing plant or process control into several areas of responsibility, each managed by its own controller (processor), with the whole interconnected to form a single entity usually by communication buses of various kinds
feed forward
an industry standard process control strategy, in which mathematically predicted errors are corrected before they occur
Fieldbus
a digital, two-way, multi-drop communication link among intelligent measurement and control devices. It serves as a Local Area Network (LAN) for advanced process control, remote input/output and high speed factory automation applications; a communication protocol
firmware
software (programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory chips; firmware is a combination of software and hardware
flume
a device that measures large flow rates in open channels
frequency
the number of cycles completed by a periodic quantity on a unit time
Highway Addressable Remote Terminal (HART)
provides digital communication to microprocessor-based (smart) analog process control instruments; a communication protocol
Human Machine Interface (HMI)
the graphical display and control interface between a process & a human operator
input/output (I/O)
all equipment and activity that transfers information into or out of a computer
instrumentation
a collection of instruments or their application for the purpose of observation, measurement or control
Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (ISA)
an engineering society that develops and maintains defined standards for both scientific and technical areas of process control and automation
interface
the place at which systems, such as a computer and a peripheral, meet and interact with each other
kinetic
the energy that a body possesses as a result of its motion
management of change (facility change management)
proper management of change to industrial facilities and processes is recognized as critical to even small changes; the main requirement is that a thorough review of a proposed change be performed by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that as many possible viewpoints as possible are used to minimize the chances of missing a hazard
module
an assembly of interconnected components which constitutes an identifiable device, instrument or piece of equipment - can be removed, tested as a unit and replaced with a spare
network
the interconnection of devices sharing a communications protocol
port
a signal input (access) or output (egress) point
power supply
a device that produces one or more voltages for the operation of electronic and logic devices
process
physical or chemical change of matter or conversion of energy such as change in pressure, temperature, speed, electrical potential, etc.
Profibus
a communication protocol
program
a list of instructions that a computer will execute to perform a certain task
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
a control device, normally used in industrial control applications, that employs the hardware architecture of a computer and a relay ladder diagram language
Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID)
proportional gain, integral action time and derivative action time. PID software, for example, compares an analog input value with a set point and if there's a discrepancy outputs an appropriate analog or digital control value, according the PID calculations
range
the region between the limits within which a quantity is measured, received or transmitted; expressed by stating the lower and upper range values
remote
a device allowing the set point to be altered by a signal from a physical location away from the controller - necessary for cascade operation
Safety Integrity Level (SIL)
Safety Instrument System (SIS)/Process Safety System (PSS)
sensing element
the element directly responsive to the value of the measured variable
signal
a form of energy that quantitatively represents a variable
strain gauge
a device that uses the change of electrical resistance of a wire under strain to measure applied force
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
a control package used to monitor and control a remote process; also includes hardware such as modems, telemetry, servers and control systems
telemetry
transmitting the readings of instruments to a remote location by means of wires, radio waves or other means
temperature bath
a volume of a substance held at constant temperature, so that an object placed in thermal contact with it is maintained at the same temperature
terminal
a peripheral device used by the operator to communicate with the computer
thermocouple
devices that convert heat energy into electrical energy consisting of two dissimilar metal strips fused together at one end
transducer
an element or device that receives energy in one form and converts to another form
transmitter
a transducer which responds to a measured variable by means of a sensing element, and converts it to a standardized transmission signal that is proportional to the measured variable
tuning
adjustment of parameters to optimize a particular process
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
used to keep critical equipment, including computers, running in the event of a power failure
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and Variable Speed Drive (VSD)
electronic equipment that allows an electric motor to be run at varying speeds
weir
an engineered obstruction placed in an open channel

Abbreviations

UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supply
CSA
Canadian Standards Association
MSDS
Material Safety Data Sheets
HART
Highway Addressable Remote Transducer
HMI
Human Machine Interface
ISA
Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society
PID
Proportional, Integral, Derivative
ASME
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
P&ID
Piping & Instrument Drawing
SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
WHMIS
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
SIS
Safety Instrument System
TCP/IP
Transport Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
TDG
Transportation of Dangerous Goods
DCS
Distributed Control System
A/D, ADC
Analog to Digital Converter
CEC
Canadian Electrical Code
CEMS
Continuous Emissions Monitoring System
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube
D/A, DAC
Digital to Analog Converter
DP
Differential Pressure
EPA
Environment Protection Act
I/O
input/output
MISA
Municipal Industry Strategy for Abatement
OH&S
Occupational Health and Safety Act
OPC
OLE (Object Linking Embedding) Process Control
ORP
Oxidation Reduction Potential
PLC
Programmable Logic Controller
PPE
Personal Protection Equipment
PSS
Process Safety Systems
RTU
Remote Terminal Unit
RTD
Resistive Temperature Device
SAC
Stand Alone Controller
SIL
Safety Integrity Level
SOP
Standard Operating Procedures
VSD
Variable Speed Drive
VFD
Variable Frequency Drive
Provided by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program National Occupational Analysis (NOA) http://www.red-seal.ca