An automation system based on LabVIEW to control the test of mechanical flow meters

Abstract

We present a computational system, based on a PC and LabVIEW, to test and characterize the response of conical cup type mechanical flow meters with vertical axes. A mechanical flow meter is a device used mainly to measure and calculate the velocity of water flow in rivers and open channels. These devices suffer mechanical imperfections over time, which is why it is important to calibrate them, normally twice a year, depending on the length of time the device has been used for. At the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA in Spanish) a circular water tank was designed and developed for the purpose of testing these meters. This paper shows the automation systems designed to control the tests to calibrate these mechanical meters. The system is based on LabVIEW. LabVIEW is a general purpose programming tool with extensive libraries for data acquisition instrument control, data analysis, and data presentation. With this tool and a special hardware interface, it was possible to automate the process to test these mechanical meters. The system is called SCM (System for characterization of mechanical meters). SCM controls the testing of two mechanical meters simultaneously, and has some user control features that provide the Operator with an easy to use human machine interface.