Remote Health Monitoring for Asset Management

stores the data at a specified rate. A slide control on the front panel allows the user to set the
target temperature for the heaters.
Figure 4.4. Front panel of Labview program.
The testing of the 48 in. sensor array demonstrated the effectiveness of the new measurement
technology. Figure 4.5 shows the results of one test where the pile started at room temperature
and was heated. When the sensors nearest the heater reached 50 degrees Celsius the heater was
turned off. From the start of the test to the peak temperature took about three hours, and from
there back to equilibrium took about seven hours. The eighth sensor, which was the last sensor
on the first circuit board, was the furthest away from the heat source that registered a significant
differential from the adjacent sensor. The test illustrated that the gradient measured along the
pile was detected by the sensors in their complete array configuration, and the data was
successfully stored for later processing. The test also illustrated that the sensor array responded
in a timely manner to impressed thermal changes.
19