Senior Design Gems Flow Bench Kathleen Mayer Jennifer Hernandez Kenneth Case Advisor: Dr' Rajeev Ban

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Senior DesignGems Flow BenchKathleen
MayerJennifer HernandezKenneth CaseAdvisor
Dr. Rajeev Bansal Company Liaison
Jeff Neuner
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Gems Sensors Controls

• A Danaher Company
• Founded 1955
• Specialization in fluid sensors and controls
• Products include
• liquid level, flow, and pressure sensors
• miniature solenoid valves
• pre-assembled fluidic systems

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Need for Product

• Current flow bench inadequate for needs of
  company
• Manual Controls
• Inconsistent flow of water
• Required manual data collection
• Test setup too time consuming

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Inconsistent Flow Rate

• Affected by company water pressure
• Negatively impact validity of data

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Manual Operation

• System manually operated
• No feedback control
• Fine-tuning desired flow rate time consuming

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Poor Data Acquisition (DAQ)

• Data recorded manually
• Requires tester to be present at all times
• Simple tests become tedious and time consuming

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Diagram by Jeff Neuner
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Proposed Solutions

• Inconsistent Flow Rate
• Create closed mechanical system
• Implement a feedback control system
• Inefficient Manual Controls
• Fully automate mechanical system
• Design and run test sequences programmatically
• Poor Data Acquisition
• Collect and save data automatically
• Control tests with incoming data

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Mechanical System

• Gems Responsible for Design and Assembly
• Too complex without strong background in fluid
  dynamics
• Allows more time to focus on integration and
  automation
• Availability of System
• To arrive start of next semester at the earliest
• May not receive by end of project
• System will be simulated programmatically

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Automation of System

• Implementing LabVIEWTM
• Software designed to develop test programs
• Use to create test sequencer/data logger
• Properties of Program
• Test procedure can be saved and loaded
• Intuitive user interface with versatile
  functionality
• Communicating Between Computer and Hardware
• Develop printed circuit board (PCB) to translate
  signals and data
• Drivers in LabVIEWTM interface with hardware

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Specifications

• Data Acquisition / DUT Interface
• Analog Input
• Analog Input Ranges 0-5V, 0-10V, 0-20V, 0-30V DC
  
• Analog Reading Accuracy 0.25 of reading
• Sample Rate 100kHz or better
• Frequency Input
• Frequency Input Range 0.1 to 5000 Hz
• Frequency Measurement Accuracy 0.1
• Pulsed waveform voltage levels 0-30VDC

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Specifications continued

• 4-20 mA Input
• Current Measurement Accuracy 0.25 of Reading
• Digital Input
• Dry contact (relay)
• Sinking (open-collector) Industrial control
  levels (0-30VDC)
• Sourcing (open-emitter) Industrial control levels
  (0-30VDC)

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More Specifications

• DUT Power Supply
• Provide both AC and DC power to connect to DUT.
• 120 VAC
• accuracy 10 / -15
• current up to 300mA
• 24 VDC
• accuracy /- 1
• current up to 200mA

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Timeline for the Semester

• Focus for this semester
• Learning LabVIEW
• Developing user interface
• Design program
• Timeline and milestones
• Flow bench detailed specs from Gems
• Oct. 31st 2007
• Mechanical/hardware selection
• Nov. 30th, 2007
• Mechanical Flow bench complete
• First quarter of 2008

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How to divide project

• Broken into 3 sub-systems
• Control System
• Develop feedback control system to regulate flow
• Controls water flow, pumps, valves, etc.
• Data Acquisition System
• Records data from the sensor and data from the
  control system (master flow rate, etc)
• Interface System
• The line and arrows shown on the block diagram,
  or how to get the real world into the computer
• Might involve development of printed circuit
  board (PCB)

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Budget

• Fully automated flow benches are available on the
  market
• Very expensive
• May cost up to 100,000
• Gems to purchase mechanical system
• Approximately 20,000 to 30,000
• Cost to automate purchased system
• 5,000 to sponsor senior design
• Significantly cheaper than full time engineer

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Questions?
?
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Thank you