Instrumentation test equipment

The necessary steps are a lot easier to accomplish if the compressor installation is still on the drawing board. This author s best field tests were run on units where the instrumentation was installed during plant construction. Sometimes, as plants are going through revisions for other reasons, it is possible to add the necessary compressor test equipment. 

The mean time to failure of various instrumentation and equipment parts would be known from the manufacturer s data or the employer s experience with the parts, which then influence inspection and testing frequency and associated procedures. Also, applicable codes and standards—such as the National Board Inspection Code, or those from the American Society for Testing and Materials, American Petroleum Institute, National Fire Protection Association, American National Standards Institute, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and other groups—provide information to help establish an effective testing and inspection frequency, as well as appropriate methodologies. 

Therefore, if processability is to be measured on a regular basis, it would be extremely useful if a piece of equipment was available that could measure the dynamic properties under realistic operating conditions. Fortunately, one piece of test equipment has been developed, which is commercially available, the RPA 2000 (Monsanto Co.), which may meet the requirements. A considerable number of investigations have been reported on the RPA 2000 [2J, that support the view that it may meet the requirements of an instrument that measures both polymer and compound processability. The work to date identifies differences in polymers and compounds. However, it is important to relate those differences to processing characteristics in the manufacturing environment. 

Studies involving instrumented compaction equipment can be extremely useful in the development of dosage forms, especially when the amount of drug substance is limited in quantity. Marshall has described a program in which dynamic studies of powder compaction can be used at all stages of the development process to acquire formulation information [63]. The initial experiments include a determination of the intrinsic compactability of the compound. In subsequent work, simple tablets are prepared, and tested for dissolution, potency, and content uniformity. Through studies of the compaction mechanism, it becomes possible to deduce means to improve the formulation under study. 

In most bench-scale reaction instruments, it is also possible to perform adiabatic experiments, although precautions have to be taken to avoid an uncontrollable runaway in the final stages. From these types of experiments, the temperature constraints at which, for example, side reactions or decomposition reactions start, together with the possible control requirements, can be obtained. If the adiabatic temperature rise may exceed, say, 50 to 100°C, it is safer to use other methods to obtain similar information, such as the DSC, ARC, or Sikarex, because these instruments use relatively small amounts, thereby decreasing the potential hazard of an uncontrollable runaway event in the test equipment. 

For this purpose an elaborate testing Installation, designed to measure deposition parameters, was established on the Eglln Reservation with the place of direct aerial application restricted to an area of approximately 3 km within Test Area C-52A In the southeastern part of the reservation. Massive quantities of herbicides, used In the testing of aerial defoliation spray equipment from 1962 through 1970, were released and fell within the Instrumented test area. The uniqueness of the area prompted the United States Air Force to set aside the area In 1970 for research Investigations. Numerous ecological surveys have been conducted since 1970. As a result, the ecosystem of this unique site has been well studied and documented (2,3). 

EIT Instrument Markets www.eitinc.com UV equipment, testing equipment... 

The greatest change in test laboratories in recent times, and rubber is no exception, is the improvements made to apparatus by the introduction of more advanced instrumentation and automation, in particular the application of computers both to control tests and to handle the data produced. These developments can and do influence the test techniques which are used and this is discussed in Chapter 2 Section 6. Also, whenever appropriate, comment is made on the form of apparatus now available for any particular test and there is a guide to test equipment for rubbers and plastics in a test equipment suppliers directory4. 

Whilst all aspects of a laboratory s operation require systematic control, it is the calibration of test equipment which gives rise to most problems and which is also the most expensive. All test equipment and every parameter of each instrument requires formal calibration. For example, it is not good enough to calibrate the force scale of a tensile machine, there are also requirements for speed of traverse, etc. plus associated cutting dies and dial gauges. 

The choice of test equipment and methods has become extremely wide and, apart from large, integrated, electronic colorimetric and spectrophotometric instrumentation, field personnel can choose from miniburettes, direct-reading titrators (modified syringes), digital titrators, drop tests, tablet tests, permanent color standard comparators, indicator papers, portable colorimeters, immunoassays, etc. Today, field-test methods tend to be tailored by equipment manufacturers to their own analytical systems, and consequently the specified use of particular standard methods for the examination of water, from any one technology or official body, is probably not realistic. Rather it is the fitness-for-purpose rule that is more relevant. 

Verify the calibration of all instrumentation involved in monitoring the EtO cycle. Examples include thermocouple and pressure gauge calibration, gas leak testing equipment, relative humidity sensors, and gas chromatographic instrumentation. 

Review of calculations Testing across full operating ranges Testing at the range boundaries Calibration of connected instruments Testing of alarms/interlocks/sequences Electronic data records Conditions and equipment Record of test results... 

For the control/monitoring instrumentation, regulating devices, and any associated electrical equipment, predelivery testing and calibration is normally the responsibility of the instrument/equipment manufacturer and should be carried out to approved written procedures using calibration test equipment that is traceable back to agreed-upon national standards. The test equipment must have precision, accuracy, and repeatability that are higher than that of the instrument being calibrated. 

The pharmaceutical manufacturer is not normally represented at supplier factory calibrations but for critical items should consider an option to inspect instrumentation and witness tests. Calibration certificates referencing the test procedure and test equipment should be sought, particularly for the instruments and regulating devices directly associated with quality-related critical parameter measurements and control. 

Calibration of the instrumentation will be performed over the complete instrument loop. During each loop calibration, all data must be documented on appropriate instrument and loop calibration sheets and submitted to the pharmaceutical manufacturer for review, approval, and record. Calibration test equipment must be traceable back to agreed-upon national standards and documented on each calibration result sheet. 

Instruments must be calibrated to the appropriate site instrument calibration procedure using calibration and test equipment traceable to accepted national or international standards. Calibration procedures should be produced for each unique type of instrument. An instrument calibration procedure should ... 

All laboratory facilities must be of adequate space and design to provide a suitable work environment for experimentation and testing. The facility must provide an appropriately controlled environment (temperature, humidity, venting, etc.) to allow for a consistent laboratory function. A secure environment with limited and controlled access is required to assure result integrity. Suitable instrumentation and equipment must be installed and qualified as per defined procedures. Scheduled periodic calibration must be performed to demonstrate proper instrumental suitability. Such procedures must be appropriately documented. Reagents and standards must be stored and handled in accordance with good laboratory procedures. 

Serious Consequences—Class 2. Equipment or the critical instruments serving equipment whose failure could possibly cause, or fail to warn of upset conditions, uncontrolled releases of dangerous materials, situations that could result in accidental fires and explosions. Furthermore these failures could result in serious conditions involving environmental releases, property or production losses, or other non-life-threatening situations. These particular pieces of equipment, the safety shutdown systems and the alarms that serve this equipment are given a slightly lower priority. However, they are also inspected, tested, or prooftested on a regular schedule, but may be allowed to have some leniency in compliance. 

Delays to Safety Critical Instrument Test and Equipment Inspection Frequencies... 

Step 8. When the procedure is approved, collect equipment and reagents. Place instruments and equipment into operational form, test with calibration sources, and determine null or background values. Prepare needed solutions and dilutions. Calibrate tracer and carrier, if needed. 

Control, weighing, measuring, monitoring, and test equipment and instrumentation that is critical for assuring the quality of pharmaceutical and healthcare products should be calibrated according to written procedures and an established schedule. 

The manufacturer should possess test equipment to enable all manufacturing tests and inspections to be performed. All test equipment used by the manufacturer must have a standard of accuracy better than the stated accuracy for the instrument(s) to be tested. All applicable test equipment must have a valid calibration certihcate issued by a calibration laboratory that is certified to either a national or international standard (e.g., NAMAS [National Measurement Accreditation Service]) for calibrating the specific types of instruments concerned. 

On arrival at site, instrumentation and equipment should be checked against the delivery note, checked for damage, and then either preinstallation tested and installed or pnt into a suitable store until required. Any discrepancy or damage should be recorded and reported to the supplier through the contractual channels established for the project. Rejected items should be stored and controlled separately from accepted items. 

Instrument testing should preferably be carried out in a calibration workshop. However, instruments that form part of an integrated system or control panel may be tested in the control room or instrument room after installation, using portable test gear and/or simulation equipment. All instruments that require calibration must be calibrated in both the upscale and downscale directions and, if necessary, adjusted until their accuracies are within the limits stated by the manufacturer. On completion of the tests, the instrument must be suitably cleaned and protected in accordance with the manufacturer s recommendations. 

The following test procedure should be carried out in order to test the correct operation of field instrumentation and equipment installed in a control loop, and to provide the necessary documentary evidence (test records) to satisfy the requirements of the IQ protocols ... 

Recalibration must be carried out to agreed upon standard procedures using calibration test equipment that is traceable back to national standards. All calibration tests must be fully documented, the results recorded, and the sheets signed off by an authorized person. Calibrated instruments must be provided with a full calibration certificate that details the test results and their limits of uncertainty. A detailed account of the calibration life-cycle processes can be found in the GAMP Good Practice Guide on Calibration ManagementP... 

---