DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
purposes. nxDAS features a distributed
network architecture that supports any
number of iDDS nodes. It’s also possible to
make a subset of data available to a
company’s corporate network through an
iDDS gateway node, making live data
available to users outside of the main test
bed network.
iDDS operates in much the same way as
video broadcasting. One source publishes
the data, and anyone who wants to see it
has the ability to subscribe to the same
data. As multimedia consumers, this is an
important feature. Much is the same with
turbomachinery testing. The instrument
nodes publish data and anyone within the
network with the correct credentials can
access it. This enables easier analysis and is
a time saver when end users can virtually
check-in from any place where they have
access to the network.
ELIMINATING THE GUESSWORK
Time-stamping this often-immense data at
the source is a challenge for data
acquisition providers. MDS is eliminating
the guessing game in engine development
with a more advanced network-based timestamping
method. Engine developers need
to see the relationships between events
that occur during engine testing; they need
to know exactly what happens; and, more
importantly, exactly when it happens.
Implementing precision time protocol
(PTP) IEEE-1588 across all instrument
nodes will allow engine developers to see
the links between cause and effect more
accurately. Knowing what happened first
in a series of related events during a test is
critical for validation testing programs,
and that is made possible through this
time-stamping method. PTP also provides
the ability to synchronize the start of
acquisition of all instrument nodes based
on a specific time, further coordinating
the measurements of parameters across
all instruments.
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INDUSTRY ADOPTION
The iDDS Software Development Kit (SDK),
developed in parallel with nxDAS, serves
as the common building block in MDS’s
system. It takes away the inherent
complexities of iDDS for instrumentation
and application developers that sell their
iDDS-compatible products to the test
facility operators. MDS has created the
SDK to make it easy for instrument
providers to become iDDS compatible, so
manufacturers can focus on how their
instruments acquire data rather than how
they publish the data.
United Electronic Industries (UEI), a
hardware and software supplier for
aerospace, energy and defense industries,
is already using this SDK. In a win-win for
the testing industry, test facility operators
will be able to purchase and use the
instruments they require, when they
require them, and the instrumentation
providers will be able to develop the tools
the industry needs without having to
worry about interfacing with test facility
measurement systems. iDDS will eliminate
the pain of getting systems to
communicate effectively so both parties
can focus on their core competencies.
The industry working group (www.
iddswg.org) that is dedicated to pushing
the iDDS standard industry-wide consists
of some of the largest and most
recognizable engine manufacturers and
airframers in the aviation industry as well
as leading controls and instrumentation
technology companies.
FIRST INSTALLATION
The first installation of nxDAS will be in
Rolls-Royce’s new test facility in Derby, UK,
for which MDS is the prime contractor.
The facility will serve as the testing ground
for the new UltraFan engine, with
advanced services like x-ray technology as
well as this next generation data
acquisition architecture.
The number of data parameters being
measured and calculated by nxDAS in this
test facility will be the most the engine
manufacturer has ever monitored in a test
bed – 10,000. In addition to nxDAS, there
will be a number of other iDDS based
subsystems that will be acquiring data at
this test facility, including dynamic data,
engine management data, and engine- and
facility-based programmable logic
controller data.
Rolls-Royce is also a member of the
industry working group to standardize the
iDDS communications protocol.
BEYOND TURBOMACHINERY
TESTING
A key characteristic of this new data
acquisition system distributed network
architecture is scalability. It can be used in
a relatively high channel density test
facility environment as well as on a low
channel density, widely distributed
measurement network. The architecture
could also be applied to markets outside of
turbomachinery testing – providing data
collection for any industries requiring
substantial data collection. With its
inherent design and desirable
characteristics, it might not be long before
nxDAS becomes the go-to for data
acquisition, for anything from
environmental monitoring for tsunamis
and seismic events to the Industrial
Internet of Things. \\
Don Pereira is the DAS product line manager and
Sarah Diguer is the marketing and communications
manager for MDS Aero Support Corp
3 // nxDAS features a
distributed network
architecture that supports
any number of iDDS nodes
4 // Validating a new
turbomachinery product is
a gargantuan feat
4
3
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