Utilities & Energy
Stand-alone Monitoring Instrumentation
|
Campbell Scientific's measurement and control systems provide reliable and versatile data collection at a variety of utilities and energy facilities. Whether you need long-term, remote monitoring, or monitoring and control based on complex logic, our systems provide accurate and reliable results.
Our data acquisition systems monitor conditions at power generation plants (hydroelectric, solar, and wind), terminals, substations, oil and gas pumping facilities, commercial and residential consumer sites, and along transmission lines. Key components include data loggers, sensors, and communications devices, which are customised for each application.
System Benefits
- Systems perform long-term, unattended data collection.
- Nearly every available sensor can be measured.
- Since they have their own power supply, systems can continue operation during ac power outages.
- Time-stamped data is recorded allowing historical analyses.
- Pagers, radios, phones, and other devices can report alarm conditions.
- Electrical devices can be controlled based on time or measured parameters.
- Systems operate in harsh environments.
Data Loggers
Our data loggers can be used for many different purposes. They can make and record measurements, control electrical devices, or both. Their multifaceted capabilities include functioning as PLCs or RTUs. They have many different channel types, allowing nearly all sensor types to be measured on a single unit. For example, one data logger can measure voltage, solar radiation, temperature, and gas flow, while controlling a number of peripheral devices.
The reliability of our systems ensures data collection, even under adverse conditions. Wide operating temperature ranges and weather-proof enclosures allow our systems to operate reliably in harsh environments. Because they have their own power supply (batteries, solar panels), our data loggers continue to measure and store data and perform control during power outages. Up to 2 million data points can be stored in the data logger's non-volatile memory, while storage modules can be used to increase data storage to tens of millions of points. Data is time- and date-stamped to provide key information for identifying and analyzing past events.
Measurement Capabilities
Channel types include analog (single-ended and differential), pulse, switched excitation, and digital. Not only are there multiple types of input channels, but each of these channels can be independently programmed for various sensor types. Most sensors connect directly to the data logger, eliminating the need for external signal conditioning. Multiplexers and other peripherals can be used with most of our data loggers to increase the numbers and types of channels.
Control Capabilities
The ability of our data loggers to perform advanced control functions is a great advantage. Powerful on-board instruction sets allow unattended measurement and control decisions based on time or conditional events. Using these instruction sets, data loggers can be programmed to perform multiple control functions based on different scenarios. For example, alarms can be triggered, phone numbers dialed, or equipment shut down if the system detects an equipment failure—all without human intervention.
Sensors
Almost any sensor can be measured by our data loggers, allowing the system to be customised for each application. Typical sensors include, but are not limited to: temperature (air, water, equipment, and product), solar radiation, flow (gas and liquid), wind speed and direction, liquid level, electrical current, resistance, power, and voltage.
Communications
The availability of multiple telecommunications and on-site options for retrieving data or reporting site conditions also allows our systems to be customised to meet exact needs. Options include: radio, telephone, cellphone, voice-synthesized phone, satellite, and ethernet. Systems can be programmed to send alarms or report site conditions by calling out to computers, phones, radios, and pagers.
Software
Our PC-based support software simplifies the entire data acquisition process, from programming to data retrieval to data display and analysis. Our software automatically manages data retrieval from networks or single stations. Robust error-checking ensures data integrity. We can even help you post your data to the Internet.
Range of Applications
The open design of our systems allows them to be used in a broad range of applications:
Electric
- Wattage
- Time of max use
- Equipment efficiency
- Transmission line monitoring
- Current
- Resistance
- Voltage
Oil and Gas
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Flow
- Distribution control
Solar
- Average radiation
- Total radiation
- Hours of charging/day
- Charging rate
- kW produced
Hydroelectric
- Flow
- Pressure
- Water used
- kW produced
Wind
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Standard deviation
- Gust
- % of time above threshold
- Structural loading
- Stress
- Cooling
- kW produced
Research
- Alternative energy
- Feasibility studies
- Fuel type comparison
