Outline:

1. Measurement systems and standards

2. Electrical and electronic measurements
3. Sensors and transducers input mechanisms
4. Analogue and digital signal conditioning
5. Interfacing with digital systems
6. Noise and coherent interference in measurements
7. AC and DC Null measurements
8. Design of measurement systems
Assessment:
One 3-hour written final examination 60%
Course work 40%
Course work will consist of:
One industrial case study* 20%
One 1-hr in-course test 20%
Required Readings
1. Morris, A. S. & Langari, R., (2015). Measurement and Instrumentation, 2nd
edition. Academic Press.
2. Northrop, R. B., (2014). Introduction to Instrumentation and
Measurements, 3rd edition. CRC Press.

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For currents in excess of about 5 A, a 50mV external shunt is generally used. Recall
that a 50mV shunt has a resistance such that, when the full scale current enters it,
50mV is developed across the parallel combination of the shunt and the 50mV
voltmeter which reads the current.

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Image: A - typical current transformer circuit, B - phasor diagram showing currents
and flux in a typical current transformer.

In a Midwest Electric Products, Inc. current transformer, the secondary (meter)

winding was found to have a resistance of 0.04, an inductance of 3.66 mH, and a
turns ratio of 75/5. This transformer was rated for 2VA, and works over a 25–400 Hz
range.

Current transformers should never be operated with their secondaries open circuited
since dangerous high voltages can exist there.

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Image: Section though a compensated thermoelement device used to measure the
mean squared values of dc or ac currents. Note: B=bakelite base, Cu=copper blocks,
CT=current input and output terminals, H=heater element, HTCJ=hot thermocouple
junction, CJ1 and CJ2=compensating (cold) thermocouple junctions.

The voltage drop across the thermocouple’s heater is designed to be 0.15V at full
scale current. Hence, this type of ammeter absorbs 150mW for each ampere of full
scale range. This type of ammeter operates at dc, at ac frequencies up to 50MHz and
for full scale currents of 5–50A RMS.

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Image: The operational transresistor circuit is used to convert a small current to a
voltage, Vo.

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The Pearson model 2877 current sensor has a 50 output impedance, an open circuit
transresistance of 1V/A, a maximum peak current of 100 A, maximum RMS current of
2.5 A, a 2 ns rise time, a 0.2%/s droop and 3 dB frequencies of 300 Hz and 200 MHz.
At the other end of the current measurement range, the Pearson
model 1423 has an open circuit transresistance of 0.001V/A, a maximum peak current
of 500,000 A, a maximum RMS current of 2500 A, a 300 ns rise time, a 0.7%/ms
droop and 3 dB frequencies of 1 Hz–1.2 MHz.

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Image: A Hall sensor used to measure the ac current in a conductor. The Hall output
voltage is proportional to the product of BY and IH, hence I

The ferromagnetic material and the length of the air gap must be chosen so that the
magnetic material does not go into saturation at the desired, full scale, ac current to
be measured.

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