Process Tools Frequently Asked Questions

A: Often acquisition costs are the smallest challenge in setting up digital record keeping. Documenting Process Calibrators (DPC's) being multifunction devices are the premium priced field calibrators ranging from $5K-10K. That said, they are usually multifunction giving them a wide workload coverage and they often have other useful features such as HART configuration capabilities or the ability to log measurements for trending. Even if the documenting aspect of these calibrators is not used, these DPC's replace the need for a bucket full of tools.

Calibration Management Software (CMS) pricing varies greatly. Single user entry level products range from $2K, but more comprehensive networked versions with sophisticated predictive maintenance capabilities and workload management can cost as much as $100K or more. The more of the software you use, the better value on your return.

The critical element to succeeding in setting a digital record keeping system goes beyond the decision to commit funds to a purchase. The purchase needs to be accompanied by an additional commitment from maintenance management to staff if it is to succeed. Up front, this means assigning a super user that is the key operator/administrator of the system. There is a lot of initial work getting all of the instrument tags into the CMS.

This can often be done via ASCII import of the existing tag information if there are any kind of electronic records that describe them. Critical information includes (but not limited to) tag number, serial number, input span, required accuracy, and test procedures. Once the initial information is entered, there is follow on maintenance refining the tag information, adding new tags, and maintaining test equipment record for traceability purposes.

In the event of an audit by a quality organization or regulatory agency, access to critical calibration records for suspect instruments is at the fingertips of the process owner. No concerns of legibility or finding a specific piece of paper. Most CMS packages have flexible search tools for finding tags sorted in a variety of ways. For example, find all the pressure instrument tags in a process unit to send a technician out to perform calibrations.

One of the main benefits is the interaction of the procedures loaded into the DPC from the CMS software. Once the procedure for an instrument is loaded into the DPC, the user selects the pre-configured procedure for the tag. Many DPC's can give the user connection information or walk the technician through an isolation procedure or lock-out/tag-out procedure. Once connected, the DPC will be automatically preconfigured correctly for test. The inputs to the tag are known, the expected measured output is known as the expected tolerance. With that information, the DPC can determine pass/fail while logging the As-Found calibration results.

In the event of a failure, many DPC's can guide the user through the adjustment process. Once adjustment is completed, the calibration performance test can be repeated and the As-Left calibration results are recorded. This information is recorded into the DPC memory for alter upload into the CMS, after which the results can be reviewed and/or printed. There are no issues with legibility of test records or transcription errors. Results cannot be falsified and the DPC's can be reviewed prior to upload to ensure that the procedures downloaded from the CMS were used. With a system such as this, the integrity of the data is both insured and protected.

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