The right measurement,
reading the right value.
Instrumentation and controls engineering — transmitter selection, control valve sizing, PID optimization, and loop tuning on your actual process.
Instruments sized from the last project. Loops in manual. Operators who don't trust the readings.
- —Valves hunting at 5% open
- —Loops detuned to near-manual
- —No calibration records
The right measurement, at the right point, reading the right value. Loops tuned on your actual process.
- Valves sized for the operating range
- Loops tuned with documented parameters
- NIST-traceable calibration records
Where physics meets
the control system.
Your control system is only as good as the measurements feeding it. A perfectly tuned PID loop is useless if the transmitter is reading 2% high because it was installed in a dead leg. The best SCADA graphics in the world can't help an operator if the field instruments are giving unreliable data.
Process instrumentation is where physics meets the control system. What's the fluid? What's the temperature and pressure range? Is there particulate, buildup, or coating? These questions determine whether an instrument works reliably or becomes a chronic maintenance headache.
Instrumentation that measures what you need, where you need it, with the accuracy your process requires.
Six engineering disciplines,
one reliable measurement.
Instrument Selection and Specification
Transmitter and sensor selection based on your process conditions — not a default from the last project. Temperature, pressure, level, flow, and analytical instruments specified with process conditions, accuracy requirements, installation constraints, communication protocol, and environmental rating. We write instrument data sheets that give procurement everything they need for an accurate quote and the field team everything they need to install it correctly.
Control Valve Sizing and Selection
Control valve sizing using ISA/IEC standards — not oversizing by two pipe sizes 'just to be safe,' which guarantees poor controllability and premature trim wear. Cv calculations, rangeability analysis, noise prediction, and cavitation assessment. Actuator sizing, positioner selection, and failure mode specification. We size valves for the actual operating range — not the maximum design case that the valve will see for two hours per year.
PID Loop Tuning
Loop tuning performed on your live process, under your actual operating conditions. We tune for the conditions your operators deal with — load changes, feed variations, grade transitions, startup dynamics, and the interactions between loops that textbook methods ignore. We also fix the loops that aren't working before we tune them. A loop in manual because the valve sticks doesn't need better PID gains — it needs a valve repair.
Loop Diagnostics and Optimization
Assessment of existing control loop performance across your facility. How many loops are in manual? How many are oscillating? How many have been detuned to the point of being functionally in manual? We use loop performance metrics to identify the worst-performing loops and prioritize them. Control valve diagnostics: stroke testing, friction analysis, dead band measurement, and positioner response evaluation.
Instrument Calibration and Commissioning
Field calibration of transmitters and sensors to documented standards. NIST-traceable calibration equipment. Loop commissioning: end-to-end verification from the field instrument through the I/O module to the PLC or DCS tag, through the historian and onto the operator display. For regulated environments: calibration and commissioning documentation that satisfies GMP, FDA, EPA, and internal quality system requirements.
Instrument Installation Design
Installation detail drawings that specify mounting hardware, process connections, impulse tubing, isolation valves, instrument manifolds, heat tracing, and environmental protection. We design installations that produce accurate measurements — proper orientation for DP transmitters, minimum straight-run for flow meters, thermowell insertion depth, and probe placement for analytical instruments. Bad installation is the most common cause of unreliable measurement.
Every process
that needs measurement.
If your process depends on accurate measurement and reliable control — and it does — we can specify, install, calibrate, and tune it.
Reactor temperature and pressure control, distillation column instrumentation, tank farm level measurement, and analytical monitoring. Hazardous area instrument selection (Class I, Division 1/2, Zone 0/1/2).
Treatment process instrumentation: flow measurement, chemical dosing (pH, chlorine), level monitoring in clarifiers and basins, and turbidity measurement. Distribution system pressure and flow monitoring.
Sanitary instrument selection (3A, EHEDG rated), CIP monitoring (conductivity, temperature, flow), pasteurization temperature control, and tank level measurement in applications with foam and agitation.
Critical process parameter measurement with documented calibration. Clean and pure utility monitoring (WFI conductivity and TOC, clean steam quality). Instruments specified for GMP compliance and validation.
Wellhead pressure and temperature, pipeline flow measurement, custody transfer metering, and flare gas monitoring. Instruments rated for hazardous areas and remote, unattended operation.
Stock consistency measurement, headbox flow and pressure control, drying section temperature profiling, and chemical recovery instrumentation.
From requirements
to reliable measurement.
Define the measurement requirements.
What are you measuring? What accuracy do you need? What are the process conditions? What are the installation constraints? We work from your P&IDs, process descriptions, and operating experience to define the instrumentation requirements before selecting hardware.
Specify and procure.
Instrument data sheets, control valve sizing calculations, installation details, and a complete bill of materials. We can procure on your behalf, support your procurement team with technical bid evaluation, or work with your preferred vendors.
Install and calibrate.
Field installation supervision or direct installation. Calibration to documented standards. Loop check from field device through the control system to the operator display.
Commission and tune.
Instrument verification under process conditions. Control loop commissioning, PID tuning, and performance validation. We stay until the measurements are reliable and the loops are performing.
Optimize and maintain.
Periodic loop audits, recalibration, and performance optimization. Instrument health assessments to identify degrading sensors, sticking valves, and loops that have drifted out of tune. Proactive maintenance that prevents process upsets.
Measurement types.
Instruments selected for your process conditions, accuracy requirements, and installation constraints — not vendor preference or habit.
Process knowledge,
not just instrument knowledge.
Process knowledge, not just instrument knowledge.
Selecting the right instrument requires understanding the process it's measuring — not just the instrument catalog. We know why a Coriolis meter is the right choice for a slurry application where a mag meter would clog, why a guided wave radar handles foam that a non-contact radar won't, and why a thermowell needs a wake frequency calculation in a high-velocity pipe.
We fix the root cause, not the symptom.
A noisy measurement doesn't always need a better transmitter — sometimes it needs a different installation location. An oscillating control loop doesn't always need retuning — sometimes it needs a valve with less dead band. We diagnose before we prescribe. Half the time, the PID gains aren't the problem.
Tuning that lasts.
We tune loops on your actual process with your actual disturbances, and we document the tuning parameters, the process response data, and the rationale. When process conditions change and the loop needs adjustment, your team has a documented baseline to work from — not a set of mysterious gains that nobody remembers the origin of.
Specifications grounded in process engineering.
Each instrument specified with process conditions (fluid, temperature, pressure, flow range, viscosity, density, chemical compatibility), accuracy requirements, installation constraints, and environmental rating. Our specifications are grounded in process engineering, not vendor preference.
Straight answers.
Common symptoms of incorrectly sized instruments: transmitters reading at the extreme ends of their range during normal operation, control valves operating below 20% or above 80% most of the time, flow meters showing unstable readings at normal flow rates, or level measurements that can't handle the actual product properties (foam, buildup, changing dielectric). We can audit your existing instrumentation and identify the problem instruments.
For some loops, yes — if we have secure remote access to the control system and can observe the process response through trend data. For most initial tuning engagements, we prefer to be on-site where we can observe the physical process, talk to operators, and identify mechanical issues (sticking valves, noisy transmitters) that affect loop performance. Follow-up tuning and adjustments can often be handled remotely.
A loop check verifies that the physical wiring and configuration are correct — the signal goes from the field device to the right PLC input, scales correctly, and displays accurately on the HMI. Loop tuning comes after — it's the process of adjusting the PID gains so the controller responds to setpoint changes and disturbances in a stable, effective manner. One confirms the infrastructure works. The other makes the control perform.
Yes. We design and verify Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) loops — from sensor through logic solver to final element — per IEC 61511. SIL verification calculations, proof test procedures, and documentation for loops that serve a safety function.
Typically 20–50 loops per week depending on complexity, process availability, and how cooperative the process is during testing. Simple single-loop PIDs move quickly. Cascade loops, interacting loops, and loops on processes with long dead times take more time. We provide a realistic estimate during scoping based on your loop inventory and process characteristics.
Yes. We develop instrument specification standards — preferred transmitter models, standard installation details, calibration procedures, and control valve sizing criteria — that your engineering team can apply consistently across projects and sites. Standardization reduces procurement cost, simplifies spare parts inventory, and makes maintenance easier.
Need instrumentation support?
Whether it's specifying instruments for a new project, tuning loops on an existing process, or troubleshooting measurements your team doesn't trust — tell us about the process.