Case Study: ProMetric Systems achieves faster, more cost-effective HVAC testing with National Instruments automation tools

Saving Energy, Cost, and Time With an Automated HVAC Test System Created Using NI Tools

ProMetric Systems, Inc., a systems integration firm, was tasked by a leading manufacturer of industrial HVAC systems to create an accurate, cost-effective automated test system. The challenge was to develop a multicelled system that could continuously control and analyze HVAC units in real time by acquiring data from over 1,500 sensors, simulating field conditions, and logging data during tests that lasted for months, all while managing interdependencies between test cells.

Using National Instruments hardware and software, including CompactRIO, PXI, and LabVIEW, ProMetric implemented a five-celled test system. The solution utilized LabVIEW's network-published shared variables for reliable, real-time communication across the system's 1,500+ I/O points. The results were significant savings in energy, cost, and time for the client. The energy-efficient design reduced the need for external heat loads, and the automated, easy-to-use system eliminated the need for specialized programming knowledge, cutting test setup time. National Instruments' tools also enabled ProMetric to complete the development in just eight months, a process that would have taken over a year with traditional solutions.

ProMetric Systems, Inc.

Chris Hudson

ProMetric Systems, Inc.