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Instrumentation and control engineering

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Instrumentation and control engineering is a branch of engineering that studies the measurement and control of process variables, and the implementation of such control to design systems. It combines two branches of engineering. instrumentation engineering is the science of the measurement and control of the process variables within a production or manufacturing area.[1] Process variables include pressure, temperature, humidity, flow, pH, force, and speed. Meanwhile, control engineering, also called control systems engineering, is the engineering discipline that applies control theory to design systems with desired behaviors. Control engineers are responsible for the research, design, and development of control devices and systems, typically in manufacturing facilities and process plants. Control methods employ sensors to measure the output variable of the device being controlled and provide feedback to the controller so that it can make corrections toward desired performance. When a device is designed to perform without the need of human inputs for correction, such as cruise control for regulating a car's speed, it is called automatic control. Control systems engineering activities are multi-disciplinary in nature. They focus on the implementation of control systems, mainly derived by mathematical modeling of systems of a diverse range.

Instrumentation and Control Engineering

This term refers to the graduate discipline many universities provide at graduate and postgraduate level. Instrumentation and Control plays a significant role in both gathering information from the field and changing the field parameters, and as such are a key part of control loops.The Instrumentation Technology, being an inter-disciplinary branch of engineering, is heading towards development of new & intelligent sensors, smart transducers, MEMS Technology, Bluetooth Technology. This discipline finds its origin in both electrical and electronics engineering, and it covers subjects related to electronics and electrical streams. In short, it deals with measurement, automation and control processes.In today's scenario, there are many people who are willing to make a career in this stream. Almost all process and manufacturing industry such as steel, oil, petrochemical, power and defense production will have a separate instrumentation and control department, which is manned and managed by instrumentation and control engineers. “Automation is the buzz word in process industry, and automation is the core job of instrumentation and control engineers. Hence, the demand for instrumentation will always be there."[2]

Nature of Job

An instrumentation and control engineer is required to[3]

  1. Design and develop control systems
  2. Maintain the existing control systems
  3. Manage the control systems
  4. Collaborate with design engineers, purchasers and other staff members involved in the production processes
  5. Manage projects within the given restraints including cost and time
  6. Troubleshoot
  7. Ensure that the instruments comply with health and safety regulations
  8. Ensure that quality standards are maintained
  9. Provide consultancy support

Requirement

Instrumentation and control engineers have a role to play in all the fields where there is automation. The instruments created by control engineers to automate the processes, thus reducing the involvement of manpower.

An instrumentation and control engineer is expected to learn subjects like:

Knowledge of PLC programming, Panel view HMI screens, SCADA Application programming preferred.

Goal of Instrumentation and control engineers

Instrumentation and control engineers work with the goal of improving:

  • Productivity
  • Optimization
  • Stability, dedication
  • Reliability
  • Safety
  • Continuity

These engineers design, develop, maintain, and manage the instruments and the instrumentation systems.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Instrumentation ", The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology., Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Instrumentation engineering in demand", The Hindu, April 16, 2012
  3. ^ "Instrumentation and Control Engineering is for Perfectionists", Diksha P Gupta
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