You use instrument type to identify and classify instruments in Smart Instrumentation. Smart Instrumentation provides a number of predefined instrument types, such as FE, PT, and so forth. You can add new instrument types and modify the shipped instrument types as required. You can also delete an instrument type that is not in use, but the software does not let you delete an instrument type that you already used to create a tag number.
Smart Instrumentation uses standard function identifier acronyms to identify instrument types. However, some function identifier acronyms are not unique and are used for more than one instrument type. For instance, FE can refer to D/P Type Flow Element or a Mass Flow Sensor. As a result, when creating a new tag number with such an acronym, the software opens the Select Instrument Type dialog where you select the appropriate instrument type.
You classify all instrument types in Smart Instrumentation according to process function. You use process function to associate an instrument with a specific type of specification, process data, and calculation sheet. For example, if you need to associate a tag number with a specification that contains flow information, this tag number must have an instrument type that belongs to the Flow process function.
For each instrument type that you define, you also set a profile definition that allows you to automate the creation of tag numbers with a number of predefined properties.
When defining an instrument type, you also define its profile. Instrument type profile allows you to automate the creation of tag numbers with a number of predefined properties. When you create a tag number whose instrument type includes a profile, the software automatically creates and associates a number of items that you chose in the instrument type profile that serves as a basis for the new tag number.