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| David W. Spitzer, P.E.
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There are a number
of trends in instrumentation (in general) and measurement (in
particular) that seem to be converging. Whether this is good or bad can
be a matter of opinion.
Recent discussions
about globalization might lead one to believe that this phenomenon is
something new, but it’s not. In the 1500s the Portuguese Caravelas, for
example, sailed the seas to provide goods, services, and information to
far-flung corners of the world. Recent technology advancements, such as
the Internet, have made it easier for people in different locations to
connect, but globalization isn’t a new concept.
You might wonder
what this has to do with instrumentation ... Selection of instruments
used to be performed by an instrument engineer. Installation used to be
performed by an instrument technician. These people were familiar with
intimate details of the instrument in part because they had to deal
with them in earlier generations of equipment. For example, keeping
track of intermediate signal ranges was important before technology
enabled them to take care of themselves as digital values.
In recent years,
many experienced engineers have retired. As a result, it now takes more
than a quick glance from an “old timer” to determine if equipment is
operating properly. For example, it took about six months for a company
to invite a former employee to come in for one day to investigate
suspected excessive energy consumption — and it took the “old-timer”
only 30 minutes to confirm their suspicions.
With many
instrumentation engineers retiring, being assigned to do more, located
in new plants without seasoned personnel, or being eliminated, it is
technology and globalization that is taking up the slack. Diagnostics
that used to be performed by people are being embedded into instruments
and/or made available online. Instruments are being designed to be more
tolerant of the process and operate under more extreme conditions.
Stated differently, instruments are being designed to be more tolerant
of misapplication. This allows instrument selection to be performed by
less-skilled individuals because the instrument has a better chance to
take up the slack and remain functional — or at least diagnose its
problems.
The forces of
globalization are clearly at work in instrumentation. Not long ago, a
“modern” instrumentation system in certain countries was pneumatic and
made locally. It required many people to install and maintain.
Diagnostics and technologies such as Fieldbus, which are designed to
reduce high labor costs, are being installed in countries with lower
labor costs in order to reduce the number of workers needed for
installation and maintenance while increasing process availability. As
I noted earlier, whether this is good or bad can be a matter of opinion
… but it’s not going to stop.
David W. Spitzer,
P.E., is a regular contributor to Flow Control. He has more than 25
years of experience in specifying, building, installing, startup, and
troubleshooting process control instrumentation. Mr. Spitzer has
published a number of books concerning the application and use of fluid
handling technology, including the popular The Consumer Guide
to... series, which compares flowmeters by supplier. Mr. Spitzer is
currently a principal in Spitzer and Boyes LLC, offering
engineering, product development, marketing, and distribution
consulting. He can be reached at 845 623-1830.
www.spitzerandboyes.com
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