Configuring And Calibrating Smart Instruments

So called “smart” instruments are ever more popular in the process industry. The vast majority of delivered instruments today are smart instruments. These new smart instruments bring new challenges to the calibration and configuration processes. But what are these smart instruments and what is the best way to configure and calibrate them?

Beamex has recently introduced a new revolutionary tool, the Beamex MC6 –Advanced Field Communicator and Calibrator, that will help to overcome these challenges.

A process transmitter is a device that senses a physical parameter (pressure, temperature, etc.) and generates an output signal proportional to the measured input. The term “smart” is more of a marketing term than a technical definition. There is no standardized technical definition for what smart really means in practice.

Generally, in order for a transmitter to be called smart, it will utilize a microprocessor and should also have a digital communication protocol that can be used for reading the transmitter’s measurement values and for configuring various settings in the transmitter. A microprocessorbased smart transmitter has a memory that can perform calculations, produce diagnostics, etc. Furthermore, a modern smart transmitter typically outperforms an older type of conventional transmitter regarding measurement accuracy and stability.