::: Calorimeter System
::: CHALLENGE :::
Developing a system to perform fully automated compressors testing. We are looking into eliminating the intervention of operators during the test, reduce uncertainties, and have faster tests, make it more flexible and modular with greater processing capacity and more efficient controls, thus facilitating the incorporation of special measurements not currently available.
::: SOLUTION :::
Implement an architecture consisting of a PXI / SCXI and a PC dedicated to this test panel. The software is used for data acquisition, signal processing and control variables (operating in Real Time mode). The PC has another software operating as supervisor for system configuration and monitoring. The system platform was entirely developed in LabVIEW software.
::: Description :::
Embraco (an Whirlpool company), a Brazilian company, a world leader in the manufacture of compressors for refrigeration, needed a system to perform hermetic compressors tests, which measures, among other parameters, the performance of compressors. This system is known in the performance test by company calorimeter panel. These tests simulate the use of the compressor in various operating conditions. The result of these tests is a large volume of information, which are used in various lines of research, as a way of feedback to design improvements that can be realized by optimizing the performance of compressors.
For a compressor performance test, various parameters such as cooling capacity, power consumption and coefficient of performance are measured or calculated from other variables. In order for this to be possible, a good instrumentation has to be used, requiring transducers, conditioning system and acquisition of signals and actuators. All of this equipment are necessary to carry out tests on compressors produced by Embraco, who call it the compressors performance test bench or just calorimeter.
The system consists of a PXI / SCXI and a PC dedicated to the panel. The intention, however, is that the PC perform the supervisory system function “n” panels, or a PXI / SCXI system panel and a PC for several panels. Thus, the panel software can be divided into two types: resident and supervisor. Both software were developed in LabVIEW version 8.5, and the supervisory system responsible for the operation, configuration and system monitoring and the resident system is responsible for the acquisition, signal conditioning and control of variables, as well as communication with other instruments of the panel. Thus, there is a properly designed system to meet customer needs, containing the configuration and control features of the test, signal processing, storage and generation of results.
The project included extensive collaboration Labmetro – Metrology & Automation Laboratory (UFSC) in the development of extensive research in conjunction with Embraco that resulted in process improvements that could be incorporated into the system developed depending on the hardware solution flexibility and software adopted. Features such as transient analysis using artificial intelligence, uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo method, and new measurement methods such as measurement of winding resistance and measuring rotation fruits of this partnership, were incorporated by DAQSYS the developed system.
The system is designed to operate in multilingual mode, making it easier to use and replication in other plants of Embraco. Due to the flexibility of expansion, each new calorimeter is associated with a single database and consistent, greatly facilitating the configuration of each new calorimeter added to park currently in operation.
The software has also been developed to automatically search for programming and parameterization of test client laboratory activity management system and the end of the test the calculated results are automatically transferred to this database, allowing the generation of performance reports and historical trend data of the product.
For more information about this application or others developed by DAQSYS, contact by phone +55 (41) 9967-6977 or info@daqsys.com.br.
