PORTABLE COMPUTERIZED POWER-PLANT EQUIPMENT TESTING

Recent advances in instrumentation have added a new dimension to equipment testing, i. e. , rapid and accurate data acquisition with results computed immediately following the test. Thus, the need for large crews of test personnel has been virtually eliminated. This article reviews the experience of Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (New Jersey) with the application of this new technology using a portable trailer concept for unit and turbine testing. PSE&G is presently conducting automated tests of the major reheat and nuclear units in the PSE&G system using modified PTC-6 procedures. Housed in a specially designed office trailer for mobility, the stand-alone system is capable of automatically recording and processing data from temperature, pressure and flow sensing elements, performing all computations, and generating a report comparable to that specified by the ASME Performance Test Codes.