Industrial Sensors & Instrumentation worked example

Sensor Drift Risk with drift severity rating of 18 1-10: a worked example

Push drift severity rating up to 18 1-10 and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use this when reviewing sensor health data, deciding which instruments need tighter calibration schedules, or ranking drift-related risks across your installed sensor base for the next reliability review.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Drift severity rating: 18 1-10 (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 7)
  • Drift occurrence rating: 4 1-10 (unchanged)
  • Drift detection rating: 5 1-10 (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Drift risk score = severity rating x occurrence rating x detection rating) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9.85 score for drift risk priority score, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 18 score for drift severity rating.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4 score for drift occurrence rating.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5 score for drift detection rating.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where drift severity rating sits at 7 1-10 and the headline result is 5.45 score, this scenario comes in 80.73% above the baseline at 9.85 score.
  • It multiplies drift severity, occurrence, and detection ratings into a single priority score that ranks sensors for shorter calibration intervals or replacement. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Drift risk priority score: 9.85 score (headline result)
  • Drift severity rating: 18 score
  • Drift occurrence rating: 4 score
  • Drift detection rating: 5 score

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Sensor Drift Risk calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.