Supermarket or deli coolers are designed to keep fresh, perishable foods like smoothies, fresh salads, fruit or dairy at optimal temperatures at all times. A temperature range between 0° and 8° C (32 – 46° F) is considered ideal for slowing the spread of harmful microorganisms. An almost complete inhibition of these enzymatic processes is only achieved at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, this would not be practical for food that is to be consumed quickly.
To ensure that its refrigerated shelves and freezers function reliably and guarantee food safety, Dutch refrigeration manufacturer Smeva conducts extensive tests. Smeva's research and development department relies on an imc test solution that records temperatures at several critical points in the refrigerated cabinet. The aim is both to test the refrigerated cabinets according to specific ISO standards and to use the data collected to optimize the efficiency and design of the industrial refrigeration units.
Data Acquisition With imc SPARTAN
For the hardware, Smeva chose the imc SPARTAN measurement system. With its high-precision amplifiers, integrated signal conditioning, PC-independent data logging, and internal backup power, the imc SPARTAN was ideal for reliable monitoring of temperatures, pressures, and voltages within the refrigerator unit. Providing synchronous sampling at up to 500 Samples per second per channel and capable of supporting up to 128 channels, the imc SPARTAN was perfect for this application.
Test Automation With imc STUDIO
A key focus of the testing solution was to ensure ease of use for the customer and excellent graphical capabilities. This was accomplished with the modular software framework imc STUDIO. The data display options offered in the imc STUDIO Panel allowed the refrigeration testing to be viewed in a variety of customized, data-appropriate appearances. With over 100 pre-defined instrument templates and widgets available, it was simple to create specific and personalized testing interfaces using imc STUDIO.
The individual Panel pages can be navigated on command, either manually by means of tabs or by means of control widgets. Furthermore, the system can be programmed to automatically display particular pages, for example, when governed by a trigger, or in response to a certain system status, or through an automated sequence created with the imc STUDIO Sequencer.
Data Analysis With imc Online FAMOS and imc FAMOS
imc Online FAMOS enables the transformation of raw measurement data into immediate result information within the measurement system itself, without involving an external PC. It can perform mathematical calculations on live data from multiple synchronized channels, calculate and record signal statistics and com- parison operations, and is even capable of implementing advanced open-loop and closed-loop control and real-time test automation with deterministic response. In this application, pressures in the cooling circuit of the refrigeration unit were translated directly to temperatures using the characteristic curve functionality in imc Online FAMOS.
In total, imc FAMOS offers over 150 functions and operations which may be combined to implement even the most sophisticated analysis algorithms. Such “virtual channels” of result values can be subjected to live monitoring and storage just like the real physical channels. And since the results are continuously calculated from streaming measured data, virtual channels can also be used as part of the control system or to define sophisticated triggering conditions for the measurement itself.
One Test System Instead of Many Devices
The test engineers at Smeva were dealing with a test and measurement problem that normally would have involved multiple pieces of instrumentation, interfacing difficulties, and complicated software. However, thanks to the expertise from imc Benelux together with imc products, a stable, reliable and PC- independent testing solution was created.
The imc SPARTAN measurement device, with its ability to combine measurements of multiple physical quantities, combined with the ease of use and graphical capabilities of imc STUDIO, provided an ideal solution for measuring and analyzing the thermodynamic behavior of the refrigerator units. At the end of the day, the test engineers at Smeva now had a test station that could thoroughly analyze the test data, generate test.
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