Instrumentation
McHale & Associates provide calibrated instrumentation and data acquisition systems to meet your plant testing and monitoring requirements.
Proven Efficiency
Since we use the test equipment, we know the requirements for performance testing. Using McHale as your test instrumentation provider will improve the accuracy of your testing, ensure instrument traceability, and provide you with detailed calibration certificates for your records - all to ensure that you meet test code requirements. With equipment-related issues minimized, you can stay focused on performance testing.
You spend more time concentrating on performance testing.
Our system meets the rigorous specifications of the performance testing business. Our system is designed to:
- Reduce the labor required to install test instrumentation
- Facilitate easy access to test data in convenient conventional formats
- Improve data acquisition system reliability
- Minimize the number of data acquisition/switch units.
Using a series of digital loops which allow up to 25 instruments, the number of individual cable runs is reduced resulting in minimal installation time. Faster installation, fewer computers, and less cable means that the rental costs will be lower. Users of the McHale Digital Acquisition System (MDAS) report that the total system installation and removal is 30% to 60% faster than the systems of our competitors.
Calibration
Instrumentation is calibrated by approved sources that are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or a recognized natural physical (intrinsic) constant through unbroken comparisons having defined uncertainties. Laboratory calibrations are performed in strict compliance with established policy, requirements, and objectives of the McHale & Associates Quality Assurance Plan. Our inventory of test and measurement equipment (T&ME) is comprised of dimensional, flow (liquid and gas), data acquisition, power metering, humidity, pressure, and temperature devices that meet and exceed our client's commercial and technical requirements.
Software
The McHale Digital Acquisition System (MDAS) is used in the field by both staff and clients.
This system includes McHale's Integrated Data Evaluation & Acquisition Software (IDEAS) which was designed by experienced performance test engineers and is based on the latest Microsoft .NETâ„¢ technology. The system enjoys high reliability due in part to the security of the compiled code that is not dependent on Office Applications.
Since the foundation of IDEAS is routed in a database environment, the software is able to monitor, trend and evaluate large volumes of data - all in real-time. IDEAS includes an add-In link to Excel for easy access to your test data, providing users with the ability to quickly determine if test stability requirements have been met.
Technical Assistance
Our experienced instrumentation technicians are available to support the instrumentation installation, pre-test checks, instrumentation operation and manual data collection (as applicable), and the instrumentation removal, packing, and return shipment.
Please contact us to discuss your performance test instrumentation needs. The following list is just a sample of some of our available equipment:
- Pressure (0.075% Class and 0.04% Class)
- Temperature (RTDs, Thermistors, and Thermocouples)
- Differential Pressure (0.075% Class and 0.04% Class)
- Frequency
- Ambient Pressure (0.04%), Temperature (Dry Bulb, Wet Bulb), and Relative Humidity (2%)
- Electrical Output (0.08%) and Power Factor (1%)
- Circulating Water Flow-Rate by Pitot or Ultrasonic Measurements
- Dimensional Measurements
- Boiler Flue Gas Measurements
- Digital Data Acquisition (No added uncertainty)
- Analog Data Acquisition (6 ½ digit DVM).
