Perma Pure RATAMATION User Manual

RATAmation v2.0 User Manual

Perma Pure LLC

8 Executive Drive

P.O. Box 2105

Toms River, NJ 08754

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www.permapure.com

April, 2009

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Table of Contents Page

General Description 3
User Interface: General Layout 3
Test Screens: Getting Oriented 8
Menu Summary 11
Program Operation 18
Manual Test Operation 18
Automatic Test Operation 19
New Test 19
Append Test 20
Manual Gas Control 21
Analog Input (Analyzer) Configuration 23
Calibration Gas Configuration 27
Calibration Gas Usage Configuration 30
Gas Advisor Screen 34
Valve Sequence Order 36
Program Set Up 38
Communication 40
Test Summary Report 42
Print Configuration 46
Help & Feedback 50
Appendix 52

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List of Figures Description

Figure 1 Main screen Test panel only
Figure 2 Main screen Test and Live panel
Figure 3 Main screen Test, Live and Graph panel
Figure 4 Main screen status display
Figure 5 Error Calibration screen
Figure 6 Run screen
Figure 7 Pre/Post Run Calibration screen
Figure 8 Main Menu
Figure 9 “File” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 10 “Test” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 11 “Specific Test” from Test Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 12 “Manual Control” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 13 “Graph” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 14 “Configuration” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 15 “Summary” Sub Menu from Main Menu
Figure 16 New Test Information screen
Figure 17 Manual Gas Control screen
Figure 18 Analog Input (Analyzer) Configuration screen
Figure 19 Calibration Gas Configuration screen
Figure 20 Calibration Gas Usage Configuration screen
Figure 21 Gas Advisor screen
Figure 22 Valve Sequence Order screen
Figure 23 Program Set Up screen
Figure 24 Communication screen

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Thank you for choosing RATAmation RATA Data Collecting & Reporting Software from Perma
Pure LLC.

General Description

The software consists of two parts, the software or program and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
The program communicates with the flow drawer, displays data, records test data and controls
gas flow for calibration. The Excel spreadsheet, RATAmationmaster.xls, is used to calculate values
and generate reports for the RATA.

There are two modes of operation, Manual and Automatic, for the RATAmation program.
Manual Mode

Manual mode allows the operator to choose the start/stop timing, the calibration gases, and the
specific 15 second average to represent the result of a calibration.

Automatic Mode
Automatic mode of operation will allow an operator to start the test and leave the equipment

unattended for the duration of testing. The Automatic mode will perform a calibration error test,
a pre-run calibration sweep, a run and a post-run calibration sweep. The Run – Post-run cycle is
continued until the number of runs requested has been completed, followed by a final calibration
error test.

User Interface

Most operations during testing are preformed in a single screen, the Main screen, which contains
three panels.

The Test Panel contains the data aquired during the test.

The Live Display Panel displays the actual data received from the flow drawer and the status of
the cal gas valves.

The Graph Panel displays a strip chart like graph containing the live data.

The Live Display and the Graph Panels can be displayed or hidden from view to offer the
operator the ability to customized the display to suit the current requirements of the test.

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The Main screen with only the Test Panel displayed maximizes the area for the test data. The
data displayed in all of the test screens is 15 second-average data.

Figure 1

The Main screen with the Live Panel opened allows the operator to view raw data before the
average. The Live Panel data is displayed in color to show the stability of the reading by testing
the deviation in each 15 second average: stable readings are displayed in green, unstable readings
are shown in yellow. The cal gas valve status is also displayed in color, red for inactive (closed)
and green for active (open). The valve indicators contain a text description of status.

Clicking the long button labeled “LIVE DATA” (Figure 1) will display or hide the panel. (The
Live Panel width can be adjusted but the layout of the data and the size of the indicators does not
change so there is no advantage to enlarging the panel beyond the standard size.)

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Figure 2

The Main screen with the Graph Panel opened allows the operator to view the historical data that
has been recorded for the test. The Graph Panel data is displayed for each analyzer as 0 to 100%.
The graph displays an hour of data with the newest data toward the right and can be scrolled to
view all data. The graph contains a total of up to 7 days of data, With data stored to disk after
every 15 second average.

Clicking the button labeled “TREND DATA” (Figure 2) will display or hide the panel. The
Graph Panel height can be adjusted and the size of the graph adjusts to fill the available space of
the panel.

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Figure 3

The other tool of the Main screen is the multiline status display across the bottom of the screen.
(Figure 4)

Figure 4

The top line of the status display contains information about the current cal gas.

Displayed on this line from left to right;

1) The type of gas flow - System or Direct

2) The Cylinder ID of the cal gas

3) The Composition of the cal gas

4) The total time in seconds the cal gas has been flowing

The line is blank when no gas is flowing.

The lower line of the status display contains information about the system and test.

Displayed on this line from left to right;

1) Status of the communication link – LIVE DATA or SIMULATION. LIVE DATA will be

displayed in gray when the communication link is working correctly, yellow when the

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communication link has missed a small number of readings, and red when there is a
communication problem.

2) Current Date and Time.

3) The file name of the test. Clicking on the test name will display a message box containing

the full path and name of the test files.

4) The file name of the configuration. Clicking on the configuration name will display a

message box containing the full path and name of the configuration file.

5) The run number.

6) A description of the current stage of the test.

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Test Screens

There are three test screens used during a RATA: Error Calibration, Run, and Pre/Post
Calibration.

The Error Calibration screen (Figure 5) is used for the initial and final direct gas calibration of
the analyzers. The screen contains four list boxes for each analyzer, employing an indictator with
multiple lines of data, one of which can be highlighted. Only analyzers that have been configured

in the ‘Analog Input Configuration’ screen will be displayed in this test screen. The visible items

on the screen are adjusted in size to fill the available space in the Test Panel.

Figure 5

The four list boxes for each analyzer are used for the Zero, Low, Mid and High calibrations. The
analyzers that do not require a Low calibration will have that list box grayed-out. Prior to a
calibration the list box contains “Waiting For Cal”. In Manual mode the operator will control the
gas flow. In Automatic mode the computer controls the gas flow. While the specified cal gas is

flowing the list box will display “None Selected” at the top with 15 second average readings
adding just below “None Selected”. The newest reading is at the top of the list. The time of the
reading is displayed next to the 15 second average along with the letter “c”(cal error) if the

reading does not match the cal requirement. In Manual mode the operator will select the value to
be recorded for the calibration. In Automatic mode the computer will record the last reading after
a specified period of time. When the calibration value is selected the list box will be colored blue
if the reading meets the specified requirements, yellow if the reading is outside of the specifed
requirements.

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The Run screen (Figure 6) is used to collect data for run. The screen contains one grid with a
column for each analyzer and other analog inputs. Only items that have been configured in the

‘Analog Input Configuration’ screen will be displayed in this test screen. The visible items on the

screen are adjusted in size to fill the available space in the Test Panel.

Figure 6

When the Run screen is initally displayed the program assumes that cal gas has just begun
flowing so there is a built in delay equal to the System Response Time to allow the analyzers to
stabilize. In Manual mode the operator will control the start of the run. In Automatic mode the
computer will start the run immediately following the System Response Time delay. The top line
of the grid will display “No Run End Sample Selected” at the top with 15 second average
readings adding just below “No Run End Sample Selected”. The newest reading is at the top of
the list. The program will collect readings for the time period specified in the ‘Program Set Up’
screen. In Manual mode the operator will select the end point for the run (the end point is used to
determine the readings used to calculate the run average.) In Automatic mode the computer will
record the last reading after a specified period of time.

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The Pre/Post Run Calibration screen (Figure 7) is used for the system calibration before and after
a run. The screen contains two list boxes for each analyzer. Only analyzers that have been

configured in the ‘Analog Input Configuration’ screen will be displayed in this test screen. The

visible items on the screen are adjusted in size to fill the available space in the Test Panel.

Figure 7

The two list boxes for each analyzer are used for the Zero and Span calibrations. Prior to a
calibration the list box contains “Waiting For Cal”. In Manual mode the operator will control the
gas flow. In Automatic mode the computer controls the gas flow. While the specified cal gas is

flowing the list box will display “None Selected” at the top with 15 second average readings

adding just below “None Selected”. The newest reading is at the top of the list. The time of the

reading is displayed next to the 15 second average along with the letter “b”(bias) or “d”(drift) if
the reading does not match the cal requirements. In Manual mode the operator will select the
value to be recorded for the calibration. In Automatic mode the computer will record the last
reading after a specified period of time. When the calibration value is selected the list box will be
colored blue if the reading meets the specified requirements, yellow if the reading is outside of
the specifed requirements.

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Menu Summary

Across the top of the Test Screen is the Main Menu. (Figure 8)

Figure 8

Main Menu Selections

File – Open, Save and Print configuration information

Test – Operations to control the testing procedure

Manual Control – Manual control of flow drawer outputs

Graph – Save, Load and Print graph information

Configuration – Modify configuration of all program settings

Summary – Display summary report of current and saved tests

Help – Display information about the program

Figure 9

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“File” Sub Menu from Main Menu (Figure 9)

Open – Select and load a configuration for testing that was previously saved
Save As – Save the current configuration to a new file for later use

Print Configuration – Generates a report showing of all settings in ‘Notepad’

Exit – Quits Program

Figure 10

“Test” Sub Menu from Main Menu (Figure 10)

New Test – Starts a new test series of runs.

Append Test – Opens a previously saved test to continue testing.

Make this last run – Available while test loaded/running. Overrides ‘Last Test Sequence Run’

value. Program will perform a Post Run Cal and the Final Error Cal after current
Run to complete a series of runs

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Stop – Available after ‘Suspend Test’ selected. Program will close test and return to an idle state

(Idle is when no test is loaded and running)

Suspend Test – Available while test loaded/running. Pauses test sequence.

Continue Test – Available while test is paused. Returns test to normal run state.

Switch to Automatic (Manual) - Available while test is paused. Will switch test from

Automatic to Manual operation or Manual to Automatic operation. The menu
item label changes depending on the current mode.

Automatic Test – Available when no test is loaded. When checked the program will run the next

test loaded in Automatic mode. The choices ‘Automatic Test’ or ‘Manual Test’
are frozen while test is running. To change operation to Automatic mode after a

test is loaded the ‘Suspend Test’ must be selected to pause the test. Then ‘Switch
to Automatic’ must be selected and finally ‘Continue Test’ is selected to restart

test in Automatic mode.

Manual Test - Available when no test is loaded. When checked the program will run the next

test loaded in Manual mode. The choices ‘Automatic Test’ or ‘Manual Test’ are

frozen while test is running. To change operation to Manual mode after a test is

loaded the ‘Suspend Test’ must be selected to pause the test. Then ‘Switch to
Manual’ must be selected and finally ‘Continue Test’ is selected to restart test in

Manual mode.

Select Specific Test - Available when a test is loaded and running in Manual mode. Opens a

submenu to that allows operator to select the item calibration or run to perform.

Figure 11

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“Specific Test” from Test Sub Menu from Main Menu (Figure 11)

Initial Error Cal – Displays screen to perform the direct analyzer calibration.

Summary report data is stored as the initial error calibration.

Pre Run Cal - Displays screen to perform the system analyzer calibration.

Summary report data is stored as the Pre Run Cal for the next run.

Run – Displays screen to perform run.

Post Run Cal – Displays screen to perform the system analyzer calibration.

Summary report data is stored as the Post Run Cal for the current run and the Pre
Run Cal for the next run.

Final Error Cal – Displays screen to perform the direct analyzer calibration.

Summary report data is stored as the final error calibration.

Figure 12

“Manual Control” Sub Menu from Main Menu (Figure 12)

Blowback – Switches on Blowback relay of the flow drawer for 30 seconds.

The relay turns off automatically.

Relay 1 - Toggles Relay 1 On and Off. Menu item checked when relay on.

Relay 2 - Toggles Relay 2 On and Off. Menu item checked when relay on.

Relay 3 - Toggles Relay 3 On and Off. Menu item checked when relay on.

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Manual Gas Control – Opens the ‘Manual Gas Control’ screen to select cal gas and “Direct” or

“System” for gas flow.

Figure 13

“Graph” Sub Menu from Main Menu (figure 13)

Open Saved Graph - Available when no test is loaded. Opens a dialog box to allow user to

select a stored graph from a previous test to view or print results.

Restart Live Graph - Available only after ‘Open Saved Graph’ selected to restore graph to

update with live values.

Print Current View – Output current displayed graph to a picture (jpg) file for printing or

viewing. The file is saved to the default graph directory with the current test file

name (or “idle” when no test running) followed by the date and time.(Formatted

as 2 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, military hour, minutes, seconds)

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Print Complete Graph - Output current complete graph to Picture (jpg) files for printing or

viewing. The files are saved to the default graph directory with the current test file
name (or “idle” when no test is running) followed by a number. The numbers
correspond to the reverse sequential hours of the graph so 1 is the most recent
data and 168 is the oldest data.

Figure 14

“Configuration” Sub Menu from Main Menu (figure 14)

Analyzer Set Up – Opens the “Analog Input Configuration” screen to set the configuration for

the analog inputs and analyzers for the flow drawer.

Configure Cal Gas - Opens the “Calibration Gas Configuration” screen to set the configuration

for the calibration gases.

Cal Gas Usage - Opens the “Calibration Gas Usage Configuration” screen to set the relationship

between the analyzers and the calibration gases.

Valve Sequence Order – Opens the “Valve Sequence Order” screen to set the sequencing order

of the calibration gases during operation in automatic mode The order established
in this screen is also used as a prompt during Manual mode operation.

Program Set Up – Opens the “Program Set Up” screen to set the testing configuration

Communications - Available when Marx USB Key is present. Opens the ‘Communications’

screen to select, open and test or close the serial communications port between the
computer and the flow drawer.

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