Instrumentation

Instrumentation refers to the art and science of measuring, processing, and controlling physical quantities within engineered systems. It encompasses the devices and methods used to observe process variables such as temperature, pressure, flow, level, position, electrical quantities, and chemical composition, as well as the systems that react to those measurements to influence a process or product.

Core components include sensors or transducers that convert a physical quantity into an electrical signal; signal conditioning hardware that amplifies, filters, and linearizes the signal; data acquisition and data logging systems; displays, recorders, and meters; actuators and controllers that implement feedback or open-loop control; and communications interfaces linking instrumentation to control systems or networks.

Instrumentation is often divided into measurement instrumentation, which aims to quantify and characterize a variable, and control instrumentation, which uses measurements to regulate a process. Modern systems frequently employ digital sensors, microprocessors, and programmable controllers, and may integrate with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed control systems (DCS), or programmable logic controllers (PLC).

Standards and calibration are important to ensure accuracy and traceability. Reliability, safety, and environmental considerations influence instrument selection and maintenance. Common applications span manufacturing and process industries, laboratory equipment, medical devices, and research instrumentation.