A Study of Closed Loop Control and Data Acquisition for Engine Test Cells

This paper describes a study made to evaluate improved methods of collecting, recording, and reducing test data for increased test cell utilization in an engine test laboratory. The evaluation of five different approaches resulted in the selection of a process control digital computer system for direct data acquisition and closed loop control for engine test cells. This system provides better data, faster, and at a lower cost.

A discussion is presented on the hardware, software, operating characteristics, and cost of the proposed system.