Prototyping and thermal testing laboratory

Description

Testing the performance of industrial components under extreme thermodynamic conditions.

The laboratory is composed of two main facilities (loops):

Thermal loop, consisting in a closed hydraulic loop using thermal oil as heat transfer fluid, able to deliver hot oil up to 400˚C and variable mass flow up to 25m³/h. The facility comprises a 40 kW heater, 100 kW heat exchanger, automatic three-way valves and a complete set of high-precision measuring instruments. The facility is prepared to insert any type of testing specimen in the hydraulic loop and subject it to the desired conditions. The system is controlled by remote by means of Labview software which provides a programmable environment for testing that can include automatic thermal cycles, consisting in heating and cooling steps with their corresponding heating and cooling rates and mass flows. The system allows as well to automatically change the direction of the oil flow.

Thermal loop, consisting in a closed hydraulic loop using air as heat transfer fluid, able to deliver air from room temperature up to 800˚C and variable mass flow up to 360 kg/h. The facility comprises a 100 kW heater, automatic three-way valves and a complete set of high-precision measuring instruments. The facility is prepared to insert any type of testing object in the hydraulic loop and subject it to the desired conditions. The system is controlled by remote by means of Labview software which provides a programmable environment for testing that can include automatic thermal cycles, consisting in heating and cooling steps with their corresponding heating and cooling rates and mass flows. The system allows as well to automatically change the direction of the air flow.

Instrumentation

Thermal loops

The thermal loops are completely monitorized by means of high precision electronic temperature and pressure sensors. Direct measurement of mass flow is carried out by mass flow meters. All the signals are collected by appropriate data acquisition systems and managed by software algorithms developed in Labview. The testing specimen can be also completely monitored and integrated into a Labview graphical app to visualize the response of the component in real time even from the customer premises. These data are also recorded in Labview for post-processing activities.

Services

Determining the behavior of industrial components and materials (valves, pipes, pumps, paints, etc.) under high temperatures and/or thermal cycles at temperature up to 400˚C and variable mass flow up to 25m³/h, using thermal oil as heat transfer fluid.
Determining the behavior of industrial components and materials (valves, pipes, pumps, paints, etc.) under high temperature and/or thermal cycles up to 800˚C and variable mass flow up to 360 kg/h, using air as heat transfer fluid.
Accelerating ageing tests over industrial components and materials (valves, pipes, pumps, paints, etc.)