Wizzo develops software projects for a petrochemical client. These projects included developing the software- and hardware control of a test setup in a laboratory. In the test setup several chemical processes could be performed and the resulting data analysed.
 

Simulation of chemical reactions

During a chemical production process the installation can have an effect on the medium being tested. This reaction between, for example, a gas and a metal can result to degradation of the installation due to the wear on the metal. This phenomenon can ultimately lead to leakage and other unwanted effects.

By reproducing this effect on a smaller scale in a controlled environment these reactions can be analysed. Based on this analysis an advice can be formulated on how to prevent or lessen the damage to the production setup.

Real-time platform

National Instruments' real-time platform CompactRIO, in combination with the LabVIEW Real-Time software package, was chosen as the control system for the test setup. In this way the operation and control are divided over two platforms.

Operating the installation with LabVIEW under Microsoft Windows allows the user to easily construct and apply a recipe, as well as the possibility to see and log the current or ongoing process values.

The control of the actuators (valves, heat tracing, pumps, etc.) and the collection of the several measurement signals is handled by the real-time platform inside the CompactRIO. By separating the different functions over the two platforms, a stable process can be created and provides the researcher with flexibility in the control and measurements of the installation and the process.