Max Machinery 276-5XX SERIES 4-20MA TRANSMITTERS - Manual (Page 11)

Response Rate, Accuracy & Noise: There is always a trade off in a metering system between
response rate, accuracy and noise. The three are related such that their product equals a
constant. If any one of them is made smaller, the others can be made larger.
In most metering systems, response rate and accuracy are desirable characteristics. To
maximize one or both of these parameters, noise should be reduced to a minimum. Once noise
has been minimized, there is a trade off between accuracy and response rate.
Response Rate: When discussing response rate there are three facets to consider. They are: the
response of the flow to a change in the system set point, the correction of the flow to an error
induced in it, and the response of the flow rate display to a change in flow rates. These
responses are all purposely slowed down by filtering or damping so the system only reacts to
meaningful flow changes and not to such things as pump pulsations or Flowmeter ripple.
More damping means slower response.
Accuracy: There are three topics to consider when looking at accuracy. The first being the
display; which can typically have anywhere from two digits (1 to 99) to 4-1/2 digits (19,999)
of information. This equals a resolution of 1% to a maximum of 0.005%, respectively. The
display steadiness is also directly related to it’s accuracy. For instance, a display that jitters
from 95 to 105 in a meaningless way is not accurate to one part in 100 (1%) but only to about
10 parts in 100 (10%).
The basic accuracy of the Flowmeter is a prime consideration. Typically, the accuracy of a
positive displacement meter is not as good for a fraction of its cycle as it is for one or more
complete cycles. If a system is dampened so that the response rate is longer than the period of
one revolution of the meter, the accuracy of the display is increased. The accuracy of the
system can never be better than that of the Flowmeter.
FAST
SLOW
LEAST MOST
276-515-350 © 2006 Max Machinery, Inc. ( 11 )
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
—Response Rate, Accuracy & Noise
NOISE
ACCURACY
Discontinued