Thermoshell: an instrument design system for the non-expert user

Demonstrates that, by using a range of Al techniques, a specialised computer-aided design (CAD) tool can be created that enables users unskilled in instrumentation engineering to fully design and manufacture certain custom instruments. The prototype system ThermoShell produces a complete customised thermocouple installation to measure the temperature of a fluid moving in a pipe, a common measurement requirement in the process industries. The conception, implementation and operation of this system is described and the reaction of users is reported. The place of systems such as ThermoShell in the overall field of CAD of instrumentation is discussed, and the likely development paths are outlined in the light of user feedback