| The latest methods for increasing process efficiency, production rate, and quality. Award-winning editor Greg McMillan has loaded Process/Industrial Instruments and Controls Handbook, Fifth Edition, with advice from top technical experts to help you tackle process instrument and control assignments confidently and solve problems efficiently. This major revision of the bestselling on-the-job toolkit includes time-saving tables,selection ratings, key points, rules of thumb and hundreds of topic-defining illustrations. Updated to mirror the most common industry practices, it brings you up to speed on smart instrumentation and the latest advances sparked by increased power and miniaturization of the microprocessor. Thorough coverage of the Windows NT platform and Fieldbus... distributed control systems and field-based systems...knowledge-based operator training...instrument maintenance cost reduction and an overview of the ISA/IEC Fieldbus Standard help you get the most out of these major shifts in technology.
From the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, the hiring of engineers and technicians dwindled to new lows. Technical training was replaced with management training programs. Fast-track employees aspired to be managers rather than technical leaders. This, combined with the early retirement of most of the experienced engineers and technicians, led to a huge gap in age and experience in the area of process/industrial instrumentation and control. Companies have attempted to replenish their technical capability in the past few years, but the new hires are typically not given a mentor, access to a technical training program, and technical support. Nor are they given time to develop their skills on projects of incremental complexity. Often they are thrown immediately into some very difficult situations.
To help address this new need, the emphasis of the new material in the handbook has shifted from operating principles to application guidance. New features and process conditions that are important considerations for successful installations are discussed. Selection ratings, key points, and rules of thumb are offered. This update provides the reader with a perspective and appreciation for what is important for implementation from authors with decades of experience. |