26 / 2023-12-18 04:47:03

Development of a Portable Data Acquisition System for a Test Bench of Low Power Electrical Generator for Conversion of Hydraulic Energy, Elias Sánchez Diaz Hydraulic Laboratory, University of Carabobo, Venezuela

data acquisition system,low power electrical generator,hydraulic energy

This study deals with the development of a portable data acquisition system for the Kaplan turbine bench installed in the “Elías Sánchez Díaz” hydraulics laboratory, at the civil engineering school of the engineering faculty of the University of Carabobo. To achieve this purpose, a breadboard-mounted sensor-based system was implemented, which worked in parallel with the existing analog gauges on the test bench. The data acquisition system took measurements in the field, adjusted the signals, and through the serial communication protocol sent the information obtained to a data storage and processing unit that corresponded to a computer where, through a computational tool, a graphic interface to facilitate the user, the visualization and manipulation of the data obtained. The development of the Data Acquisition System (SAD), allowed to optimize the practice of the Hydraulic Laboratory "Elías Sánchez Díaz" whose main objective is to study the behavior of the Kaplan Turbine. This was achieved through the automation of the pressure measurements at the strategic points of the system, which is reflected in the reduction of the execution time of the practice, compared to the manual measurement procedure. At the instrumentation level, it was necessary to implement a design of a valve arrangement in order to select the measurement points to be sensed and even if it was necessary to separate the sensors from the process. The system operation validation was carried out by comparing the analog measurements against the readings obtained by executing the graphical interface that controlled the data acquisition process. Finally the software trend line introduced an error because it was a polynomial that approached the sensor's conversion behavior, but it was not its characteristic equation. The errors in the measurement due to mechanical causes were attributed to the existing pressure losses throughout the Kaplan turbine system, caused by the friction of the fluid with the accessories involved, such as valves, flanges, orifice plate, pump impeller between others, there was also a loss of energy in the Prony brake that directly influenced the measurement error. The elaboration of the user manual allowed to establish the rules and parameters for the correct and safe use of the data acquisition system, recommendations for its use, warnings and precautions, as well as a section for detecting common faults, including instructions for its frequent use, which established a work methodology to be used as a support tool for the constitution of a feasible laboratory practice.