Tech-knowledge Publishing has over four years of experience programming in LabVIEW Graphical Programming for Instrumentation. LabVIEW provides a unique user interface to simplify your laboratory tasks. Cross-platform compatibility and advanced data acquisition capabilities make LabVIEW a powerful tool for many applications.

Some examples of systems we have worked on are:

• Updating the Neutron Residual Stress Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  
  This user facility tests in-situ stresses in samples using a beam of neutrons from the High Flux Isotope Reactor. A two-dimensional detector counts the neutrons diffracted out of the sample. A twelve motor automated positioning system moves the sample through a test run. We installed a facility to test stresses in samples while under load. Data analysis routines were written and optimized in LabVIEW to perform near real-time analysis. GPIB communications were added to speed information transfer between two multi-channel analyzers and the host computer. Software drivers were written for various external devices using LabVIEW code.

• Automating a Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  
  This system involves controlling several different gases flowing through a series of seven mass flow meters and twenty pneumatic valves. The goal of the project was to completely automate all of the tasks that the operator was required to perform. These included setting furnace temperature, setting mass flow meter rates, controlling gas flows, and monitoring system pressure. Using LabVIEW software and several external devices, the system was designed to run from a start up file for a complete 16 hour run with no interaction from an operator.
  
  The valves are controlled by digital I/O. The mass flow meters and pressure controller are adjusted via RS-232 communications. The furnace temperature is monitored through an integrated interface. The components came together in the final system to create an experiment that was not possible before the automation.

• Data Acquisition of a Heat Exchanger at Tennessee Technological University
  
  This system was an upgrade to a student laboratory experiment in the Chemical Engineering Department. During the experiment, students were required to record a series of thermocouple reading to monitor temperature changes in the double-pass heat exchanger. The new data acquisition system automatically records and logs all of the temperature readings at a much higher rate than possible manually. This allows for more sophisticated experiments. LabVIEW also allows for instant on-screen graphs to show the status of the system.

Please feel free to contact us with your instrumentation questions.

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