Inhalation Exposure Control System
Inhalation Exposure Control System
Customer: Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute
Ktech developed a data acquisition and control system for inhalation exposure chambers for Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI). The inhalation exposure control system monitors and controls a set of exposure chambers and automatically logs chamber process data while operators configure and run exposures and collect samples from filter sample lines. The system monitors process parameters, controls key air flow lines, records total flows for materials under test, and archives data for later analysis.
The inhalation exposure control system was developed using LabVIEW 8.5, the LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control Module (DSC), and National Instruments Compact FieldPoint (cFP).
The system monitors 35 RS-232 mass flow controllers, and oxygen and temperature sensors for five exposure chambers. We developed additional LabVIEW modules to provide physical push-button control for two exposure flow lines for each chamber and one shared flow line.
Ktech also provided a supervisory control application based on LabVIEW DSC to execute the exposure test sequence, capture material flow measurements, and archive test data for later analysis. This application runs on a host PC and includes a module to automate the recording of sample filter weights, which is the mechanism used to determine the amount of test material introduced into an exposure chamber. Previously, operators recorded sample weights by hand, a tedious method subject to error.
The inhalation exposure control system collects and stores process and filter data in LabVIEW DSC’s Citadel database, a data logger optimized for process control environments.
I/O data is stored as continuous traces, not discrete packages tied to exposure runs. After a run, exposure-specific data is stored in separate TDMS files to allow for flexible and comprehensive analysis.
LRRI is preparing to take the inhalation exposure control system through FDA validation and plans to port the automated chamber system to other laboratory systems.
