Remote Monitoring System For Aircraft Hangar’s Dehumidifying Equipment

dataTaker DT80M Saves Millions in Repair Costs

CAS DataLoggers provided the remote monitoring solution for a company working on a new method to reduce condensation damage to aircraft kept in a hangar under simulated desert conditions. This damage resulted in millions of dollars in maintenance and repair costs each year, so crews were evaluating new dehumidifying equipment to combat corrosion developing in joints in the metal. This equipment was powered by 2 large solar panels atop a remote trailer along with a large lead-acid battery used for backup. During the day the panels charged the battery, and as a failsafe measure, the company installed a generator to back up the trailer–critical on cloudy days and in bad weather when the solar panels couldn’t generate enough power. On paper, this precaution seemed like a good enough solution, but supervisors needed to collect real data to ensure that the solar panels and generator were sized properly to meet real operating conditions. Therefore the company needed a single system capable of automatically tracking the generator’s critical values. Key requirements for this device included a modem for remote monitoring and remote data retrieval/accessibility, the ability to send data through FTP and emails, real-time calculations, and reliable data storage.

Installation

The company installed a dataTaker DT80M Intelligent Universal Input Data Logger in the trailer adjacent to the backup generator. The dataTaker was chosen for its flexibility and built-in 3G cellular modem. The dataTaker monitored the generator’s run time, fuel consumption, and current/voltage output, along with the output of the solar panels,
current/voltage of the solar battery, and power usage of the dehumidification system. The DT80M recorded the parameters with 18-bit resolution and could store up to 10,000,000 data points on its internal memory. USB memory stick support was also standard for convenient data and program transfer.

Usage

The DT80M provided cost-effective recording and remote monitoring. The device featured a built-in LCD display and 5 to 15 universal analog input channels (expandable to 100 channels using channel expansion models) as well as a built-in web and FTP server to enable remote access to logged data, configuration and diagnostics. The data logger also featured a serial ‘smart sensor’ channel for interfacing to Serial devices or Modbus sensors, with both slave and master functionality for connection to Modbus devices and SCADA systems. Additionally, the DT80M’s rugged design and construction provided dependable operation even in the hangar’s extreme heat.

Equally importantly, the data logger’s communications capabilities eliminated the need for personnel to repeatedly travel out to the trailer to collect the data or receive alarms, both of which were remotely accessible due to the internal 3G cellular modem. Using this connection, the logger could send data uploads using FTP and via emails, while alerts were sent via SMS text messages.

The dataTaker also included free dEX configuration software for hassle-free logger setup and configuration directly in any web browser, and users could view live data as mimics or charts. As an added convenience, the DT80M’s internal modem arrived predominantly preconfigured, letting hangar crews get a rapid start to the project, and for additional ease of use, dEX allowed remote reconfiguration over the cellular Internet connection.