Instrumentation and Controls 12 PDH Discount Package

This online engineering PDH course provides guidance on heat tracing, its different types (electric, steam, hot water), and its advantages and limitations.

The term heat-tracing refers to the continuous or intermittent application of heating pipelines, tanks, vessels or other equipment used for storage or transportation of a product (liquid, powder or gas). The purpose of heat tracing is to compensate or make up for the heat loss to the surrounding atmosphere in low ambient temperature climates. Some applications for heat tracing include; preventing fluid from freezing, maintaining process fluids at pumpable viscosities, preventing formation of hydrates and waxes in hydrocarbon liquids (oil, etc), and also sometimes to preheat part of a fluid system prior to initial startup or after a primary heating system shutdown.

The heat tracing is generally accomplished by employing electric or steam tracing and insulating both the process fluid pipe and the tracer together, using appropriate insulation materials and metal lagging. The decision between electric and steam heat tracing depends on various factors and this course outlines the pros and cons of both the methods.

This 4 PDH online course is applicable to process, mechanical and electrical engineers, operations & maintenance personnel, as well as consultants and contractors who construct, build and manage facilities involving heat tracing systems.

This online engineering PDH course covers the fundamentals of automatic controls in the HVAC system. Emphasis is placed on the control principles, terminology, basic components, control devices and direct digital control systems. Numerous illustrations and examples have been included to enhance the understanding of the course material.

The HVAC systems are designed for peak conditions. Because these conditions prevail only for small period in a year, the HVAC equipment must operate most of the time at lean capacity. The function of the control system is to adjust the equipment capacity to match the load. Automatic controls are necessary not only to achieve the design conditions in the conditioned space but are also required for efficient operation of the HVAC system. The main parameters to be controlled in air conditioning system are temperature, pressure, humidity, air quality and thermal energy distribution.

It is important to note that the primary factor influencing the effectiveness of HVAC system is the proper mechanical design itself. The HVAC system must be properly designed to satisfy the process or comfort requirements. Only when this criterion is satisfied can a suitable control system be applied.

The 6 PDH online course is applicable to mechanical, electrical, controls and HVAC engineers, architects, building designers, contractors, estimators, energy auditors and facility managers who are interested in gaining a better understanding of HVAC instrumentation and controls. This course is aimed at the personnel who have some limited background in the air conditioning field or who may be having difficulty relating controls to air-conditioning equipment.

This online engineerng PDH course describes the four basic types of temperature measuring devices, each working on a different principle:

1. Mechanical (liquid-in-glass thermometers, bimetallic strips, bulb and capillary, pressure type, etc.)
2. Thermocouples
3. Thermo-resistive (RTD's and thermistors)
4. (infrared and optical pyrometers)

Temperature is a principle parameter that needs to be monitored and controlled in most engineering applications such as heating, cooling, drying and storage. Temperature can be measured via a diverse array of sensors. All of them infer temperature by sensing some change in a physical characteristic be it a thermal expansion, thermoelectricity, electrical resistance or thermal radiation.

This 2 PDH online  course is applicable to electrical, instrumentation and control engineers, energy auditors, O&M professionals, contractors, estimators, facility managers and general audience interested in learning more about the principles and methods of temperature measurement.