Application Summary
Like other power utility companies, a major supplier of electricity and natural gas on the west coast relies on its production equipment to generate an uninterrupted supply of electricity to its customers. To assure reliable service, the company employs numerous generators in the role of back up systems. Although these back up generators are idle most of the time, tests need to be performed to make sure that they will perform reliably when they are called into service. One such test required the measurement of high currents.

Potential Solution
The engineering team originally considered using a thermal array recorder. However, this solution entailed an ongoing expense for paper supplies. Also, the recorder was relatively large and heavy, making it awkward to move from generator to generator.

IOtech’s Solution
The utility company chose IOtech’s WaveBook data acquisition system as the best solution for their test application. The portable, PC-based system provided sufficient speed across multiple channels, and sophisticated triggering capability. With the included WaveView Out-of-the-Box software, the engineers were able to use the cursor to pick off values. They also used the software to print waveforms for archiving.