Fuel Cell Test
Click on the blocks in the diagram to learn more about each component.
National Instruments currently offers many computer-based measurement and automation products that aid scientists and engineers in research, design, validation, and production testing of fuel cells. The links below provide a more detailed list of NI software, data acquisition, signal conditioning, instrument control, and real-time control products that you can use to build your fuel cell test system.
NI Software and PXI [top]
LabVIEW Professional Development System
With LabVIEW, you can rapidly create automation applications using intuitive graphical development. LabVIEW integrates measurements, vision and motion in one platform.
LabVIEW Real-Time
LabVIEW Real-Time and RT Series hardware deliver deterministic, real-time control needed for fuel cell test systems. You can choose LabVIEW RT Series hardware targets based on PXI and FieldPoint depending on the performance and I/O requirements of your fuel cell test system.
PXI
With PXI, you automatically benefit from the low cost, ease-of-use, and flexibility of PC technology using open industry standards. PXI combines the high-speed PCI bus with integrated timing and triggering to deliver more than a 10X performance improvement over older architectures. Recommended hardware is:
- PXI-1000B -- a 8-slot chassis
- PXI-8176 -- a high-speed controller that can run Windows or real-time systems
Data Acquisition and Signal Conditioning [top]
Perform your fuel cell measurements faster, more flexibly, more cost-effectively, and with better systems integration using National Instruments data acquisition and signal conditioning. NI has several data acquisition and signal conditioning solutions based on NI Multifunction DAQ and SCXI or FieldPoint Distributed I/O to help solve your most demanding fuel cell test applications.
Instrument Control and Connectivity [top]
National Instruments offers a wide selection of industry-standard instrument control and connectivity hardware and software tools to integrate and automate your fuel cell test measurements and reduce development time.
- NI GPIB
NI provides industry-standard, high-performance GPIB instrument control for connecting to any GPIB-based device such as programmable load controllers.
- NI Serial Interface Boards
National Instruments has long been a leading supplier of serial interfaces (RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485) that can communicate with devices, such as mass flow controllers, gas analyzers, and industrial devices such as PLCs, and single-loop temperature controllers. NI offers a variety of serial hardware and driver software products that are 100 percent compatible with standard PC serial ports.
There are two configurations available. The DAQ/SCXI Based Configuration is recommended if you need to measure sensors or raw signals, generate voltages or currents, monitor digital lines, or route signals with switching. If you need to distribute your measurement and control functionality in the field, we recommend the reliable and rugged FieldPoint Distributed I/O Based Configuration.
DAQ/SCXI-Based Fuel Cell Test Common Configuration [top]
SCXI is a high-performance signal conditioning and switching platform for measurement and automation systems. If you need to measure sensors or raw signals, generate voltages or currents, monitor digital lines, or route signals with switching, SCXI provides a single, integrated platform for all of your signal conditioning and switching needs.
The power behind SCXI signal conditioning is your ability to create custom measurement solutions to solve your application. You can modify any of these systems to include other signal conditioning technologies to personalize your system. All systems are available in desktop, portable, rack mount, and single-unit configurations and are expandable by adding additional SCXI chassis. Here are some examples of systems you can build using SCXI signal conditioning.
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| Voltage |
Analog Input |
Isolation, Attenuation |
NI SCXI-1125 (TBX-1316) |
| Current |
Analog Input |
Scaling, Attenuation |
NI SCXI-1104 |
| Pressure |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI SCXI-1102C |
| Humidity |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI SCXI-1102C |
| Flow Rate |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI SCXI-1126 or NI PXI-6602 |
| Temperature |
Analog Input |
Scaling, Amplification |
NI SCXI-1102B |
| Emergency Shut Off |
Digital Output |
Switching |
NI SCXI-1161 |
| Nitrogen Purge |
Digital Output |
Switching |
NI SCXI-1161 |
| Pressure Valves |
Analog Output |
Amplification |
NI SCXI-1124 |
| Heaters and Fans |
GPIB or Digital Output |
Switching (w/dig out) |
NI PXI-GPIB or NI PXI-6602 |
| Load |
GPIB or Digital Output |
|
NI PXI-GPIB |
FieldPoint Distributed I/O Based Configuration [top]
When you need to distribute your measurement and control functionality in the field, you need hardware and software optimized for reliable, networked I/O in an industrial environment. National Instruments, with technical expertise in measurement hardware, network interfaces, and instrumentation software is uniquely able to deliver high-quality, cost-effective, and integrated distributed I/O solutions. Our offerings for distributed I/O include FieldPoint, a modular industrial I/O system, and 6B Series modules.
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| Voltage |
Analog Input |
Isolation, Attenuation |
NI FP-AI-100 |
| Current |
Analog Input |
Scaling, Attenuation |
NI FP-AI-111 |
| Pressure |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI FP-AI-110 or 100 |
| Humidity |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI FP-AI-110 or 100 |
| Flow Rate |
Analog Input |
Scaling |
NI FP-CTR-500 |
| Temperature |
Analog Input |
Scaling, Amplification |
NI FP- TC-120 |
| Emergency Shut Off |
Digital Output |
Switching |
NI FP-DO-401 |
| Nitrogen Purge |
Digital Output |
Switching |
NI FP-PWM-520 |
| Pressure Valves |
Analog Output |
Amplification |
NI FP-AO-200 |
| Heaters and Fans |
GPIB or Digital Output |
Switching (w/dig out) |
NI FP-PWM-520 |
| Load |
GPIB or Digital Output |
|
NI PXI-GPIB |
