| Tony Withers: Lab: Multi-Anvil Data Logger |
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When we run a high pressure experiment in the multi-anvil apparatus, some of the experimental parameters are recorded in real time. During a typical experiment the temperature, hydraulic pressure, motor speed, heater power and anvil temperature are monitored. This data log forms a record of the experiment, and also serves to trouble-shoot any problems that may occur. In addition, some of the recorded data is posted to the web every few minutes. The image below shows a log of the last experiment we performed in the apparatus. If an experiment is running right now, the log will show the history of the current experiment.
Click to enlarge:
Experiment
history |
Current
Status |
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For the duration of the experiment the image on the right should show a screenshot of the log, which typically displays the last few minutes of recorded data. We hope to observe a smooth increase and decrease of pressure with time and, once the experiment has been heated to the desired temperature, we expect temperature and heater power to remain nearly constant. Horizontal lines are good news! Anvil temperature is measured using a type K thermocouple (the Cube channel). The log should update about once every five minutes.
When the data logger isn't active, the real time log is replaced by a screenshot of the data logger user interface. Click for a higher resolution image.
The entire experiment log may be perused using Igor Pro, the graphing and data analysis program made by Wavemetrics. If you have a copy of Igor Pro installed on your computer, you may download a zipped file containing the full experiment log. If you want to learn more about the data acquisition system, check out the software download page.
A demo version of Igor Pro may be downloaded from Wavemetrics.
We
gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation and the
University of Minnesota for support of the research and information
described on these pages.