Stratified Flow SEPARATE Effects Test Facility (SFSETF)
I joined the SFSETF project in September of 2017, after the facility had been constructed and was undergoing initial testing of the various hardware. The first task I tackled was the development of a data acquisition and control system to operate the facility and collect the measurement data from a range of instruments. Following the completion and testing of the software system, I developed a CAD model of the facility with all instrumentation to be used as a basis for instrumentation planning, simulation geometry, and an aid for presentations and facility documentation.
I left the SFSETF project in the fall of 2018, after I took a position with ASML. The facility is still operating and performing validation experiments for plenum-to-plenum exchange studies for HTGR systems.
Data acquisition and control system
The SFSETF required a software system to collect data from the various instruments and provide control signals for the primary exchange valve, gas injection system, vacuum pump, and other active facility hardware. I developed the control and data collection system using LabView and NI PLC hardware over a period of approximately six months, with supporting documentation taking an additional two months to complete.
The final version of the system was capable of recording data from over a hundred basic sensor inputs (pressure, temperature, flow rates, heater power) for uninterrupted testing periods lasting 48 to 72 hours and control the heater power as well as gas injection and venting systems. The software was capable of parsing instructions from CSV input files, enabling automated testing sequences with no operator input. The software was also extremely fault tolerant, with detailed error handling and a fully integrated safety system to prevent heated gas release and to protect the heaters and instrumentation from damage.
facility model development
The SFSETF only had a set of engineering drawings from the vessel fabricator when I joined the project and it was obvious that a facility model needed to be developed to support construction and testing of the facility. Using the Solidworks collection of CAD software, I developed a comprehensive, detailed model of the facility. The model was useful for engineering analysis as a base geometry mesh and material reference for thermal hydraulic simulations and served as an instrumentation references as well, as all instrument signal wire routing and mounting was defined in detail in the model before any hardware was installed. The model was also very useful as a presentation aid for facility documentation and external communication to stakeholders. Procedures were developed using the model to identify and describe hardware adjustments, making it a valuable internal development tool as well.
The model-first approach was a successful method for handling facility management, as any changes to the physical hardware was modeled first, avoiding hardware conflicts and providing immediate access to detailed insight into how the facility would be affected by any adjustments. Maintenance tasks were planned and tracked using the facility model, with physical objects like gaskets being serialized and tracked as they were installed and removed from the system. This had other benefits as well, such as improved financial forecasting and lean process support, as all required actions were fully defined in terms of resource requirements and well developed before deployment. Continuous upkeep of the facility model was an unavoidable cost of this approach, but the benefits of a model-first facility management approach provided benefits that easily offset the relatively small cost.