Setup and configuration

A Hydramotion viscometer is factory-calibrated and configured for immediate use. It is ready to measure viscosity “straight out of the box”. This Section describes how to configure the viscometer system for  specific applications.

For day-to-day operation of the system, please refer to Section 4.

Transducer configuration
Section 3.2 describes how to configure the transducer for use with the VP550 or, for “standalone” models, for use without any separate signal processor.
VP550 configuration
Section 3.3 describes configuration options for the VP550 displays, inputs and outputs.

3.1 Accessing configuration menus

• Connect the viscometer transducer to the VP550.
• Apply power.
• Wait until the Main Display appears (Section 2.1).
• Press  and hold down for some seconds, until “SETUP” appears on the display. The following options will be listed when the button is released:

		reference
TRANSDUCER SETUP	standalone transducer configuration	3.2
VP SETUP	VP550 configuration	3.3
DIAGNOSTICS	performance monitoring	5
TRANSDUCER CAL	calibration data	-

• To return to the User Options menu from the Setup menu, press ¹.
• In this manual, examples are shown for dynamic viscosity. If kinematic viscosity* is selected, displays will show “VN” or “VNT” instead of “VL” or “VLT” respectively.

*I.e. dynamic viscosity divided by density.

3.2 Transducer configuration

Select TRANSDUCER SETUP. The following transducer configuration options will be listed:

		reference
INPUTS	input selections	3.2.1
4-20mA OUTPUT 1	analogue outputs	3.2.2
4-20mA OUTPUT 2
SERIAL SETTINGS	transducer serial comms	3.2.3

3.2.1 Inputs

• The only transducer option is:

T SOURCE

temperature input source

• Temperature input source options are:

T SOURCE	OFF	no temperature input
	VP I/P	temperature sensor connected to VP550
	TRANSDUCER	transducer integral temperature sensor
	KEYPAD	temperature entered at keypad

• Temperature-corrected viscosity cannot be displayed if OFF is selected.
• If the transducer incorporates an integrated temperature sensor, select TRANSDUCER.
• If an external temperature sensor is connected to the VP550, select VP I/P.
• To change the selected source:
  (1) press . The option will flash.
  (2) use the up arrow or down arrow as required until the desired option is visible.
  (3) press to confirm the selection.

3.2.2 4-20mA output

• This is only relevant if the transducer is a standalone model.
• For each output, the following options are shown:

TD VARIABLE	selects the parameter to output
4 mA	sets the value of the output parameter corresponding to a 4mA output (“minimum setpoint”)
20 mA	sets the value of the output parameter corresponding to a 20mA output (“maximum setpoint”)

• These parameters are stored on the standalone transducer. Once set, the transducer can be disconnected from the VP550.
• To select the parameter to output, select TD VARIABLE. The variable represented can be any one of the following:

VL	current measured (“live”) dynamic viscosity
VLT	temperature-corrected dynamic viscosity
VN	current measured (“live”) kinematic viscosity
VNT	temperature-corrected kinematic viscosity
T	current (“live”) temperature

• Set the minimum and maximum setpoints as follows:
  4 mA — minimum (4mA output)
  20 mA — maximum (20mA output)
  Use the same units as in the main display.
• For further details of scaling, see Section 3.3.5 of this manual and the relevant sections of the transducer User Manual.

3.2.3 Serial settings

• The following data are shown:

ADDR	transducer address

• The transducer address may only need to be modified if the unit is a standalone model bus-connected in a multidrop configuration.

3.3 VP configuration

• Select VP SETUP.
• Configuration options are as follows:

		reference
UNITS DISPLAY	select: units of viscosity temperature scale display resolution	3.3.1
DENSITY INPUT	select density input source	3.3.2
TEMP INPUT	select temperature input source	3.3.3
RELAYS	configure relay trip levels	3.3.4
SERIAL SETTINGS	monitor serial communications	3.3.5
4-20mA OUTPUT 1	configure analogue outputs	3.3.6
4-20mA OUTPUT 2
4-20mA OUTPUT 3
PRESS INPUT	select pressure input source	3.3.7
USB SETTINGS	monitor USB link	3.3.8

 

3.3.1 Units Display

• Options are:

Main Unit	switches between dynamic and kinematic viscosity
VL	units of dynamic viscosity
VN	units of kinematic viscosity
T	temperature scales
Resolution	number of decimal places shown on display

• To change a selection:
  (1) press . The option will flash.
  (2) use the up arrow or down arrow as required until the desired option is visible.
  (3) press to confirm the selection.
• Main Unit selects between:

DYNAMIC	dynamic viscosity display
KINEMATIC	kinematic viscosity display

• The main display and other displays will automatically switch between dynamic and kinematic viscosity according to the specific units selected.
• DYNAMIC selects between:

cP	centipoise
P	poise	= 100 cP
mPa·s	millipascal-seconds	= cP
Pa·s	pascal seconds	= 1000 cP

• KINEMATIC selects between:

cSt	centistokes
St	stokes	= 100 cSt
mm²/s	square millimetres per second	= cSt

• If kinematic viscosity units are selected, be sure to verify the fluid density. See Section 4.2.
• T (temperature) selects between Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F).
• Resolution sets the number of decimal places to display, from none (“X”) to three (“X.XXX”).

3.3.2 Density input

• The fluid density can be entered using the keypad (see Sections 3.2.1 and 4.2), or the VP550 can accept a 4-20mA analogue density input.
• D SOURCE selects between:

D SOURCE	OFF	use keypad-entered density value
	4-20 mA	external 4-20mA analogue density input

• If the external 4-20mA density input is selected, use D 4 mA and D 20 mA to set the densities in g/cm³ corresponding to the minimum and maximum input currents as follows:
  D 4 mA — minimum density (4mA input)
  D 20 mA — maximum density (20mA input)
• The actual input current is shown in the CURRENT line.

3.3.3 Temperature input

• Options are:

T SOURCE	OFF	no external temperature input
	PRT	external Pt100 PRT
	4-20 mA	external analogue (4-20mA)  temperature transmitter

• Select OFF if there are no external temperature sensors connected to the VP550 or if the transducer has an integrated temperature sensor.
• If 4-20 mA is selected, use T 4 mA and T 20 mA to set the temperatures in degrees Celsius (°C) corresponding to the minimum and maximum input currents as follows:
  T 4 mA — minimum temperature (4mA input)
  T 20 mA — maximum temperature (20mA input)
• The actual input current is shown in the CURRENT line.

3.3.4 Relays

 

• The volt-free relay contacts can be used to signal low or high levels of a selected process variable.
• The process variable PV represented can be any one of the following:

dynamic	kinematic
VL	VN	current measured (“live”) viscosity
VLT	VNT	temperature-corrected viscosity
VLP	-	pressure-corrected viscosity
T		current temperature

• The failsafe alarm condition is set by a jumper link (see Section 1.9).
• To set up:
  (1) select the variable PV which it is desired to monitor,
  (2) set the trip levels as follows:
  LO-LIM — minimum level
  HI-LIM — maximum level
  
• If the value of the selected variable falls below LO-LIM, the low alarm relay will trip and the VP550 will show an alarm condition (Section 5.5).
• If the value of the selected variable rises above HI-LIM, the high alarm relay will trip and the VP550 will show an alarm condition (Section 5.5).

3.3.5 Serial settings

• The following data are shown:

ADDR	VP550 address
Mode	switches between Modbus® ASCII, RTU or “print”

• The VP550 address should only be modified if the system is to be used in a multidrop configuration.
• The serial data link provides RS485 communications using a version of the Modbus® protocol, in either ASCII or RTU mode as required. The VP550 will normally adopt the correct mode automatically. For details, see Appendices 2 (for ASCII) or 3 (for RTU).
• If “print” is selected, the VP550 will output a datastring approximately once a second without waiting for a response.

3.3.6 4-20mA outputs

• Three 4-20mA analogue outputs are available.
• The output parameter VP VARIABLE may be selected from the following:

dynamic	kinematic
VL	VN	current measured (“live”) viscosity
VLT	VNT	temperature-corrected viscosity
VLP	-	pressure-corrected viscosity
VLTP	-	temperature- & pressure-corrected viscosity
T		current temperature

• For all outputs:
  (1) ensure the required variable VP VARIABLE is selected,
  (2) set the 4 mA and 20 mA values of the variable corresponding to the minimum (4mA) and maximum (20mA) current levels.*
• There is a linear relationship between the output current and any measurement between the minimum and maximum setpoints (Figure 16).
• If the parameter is ≤ 4 mA, the output current will be held at 4mA.
• If the parameter is ≥ 20 mA, the output current will be held at 20mA.
• Use the following formula to derive viscosity from the analogue output current:

where

V = viscosity
V_High = 20 mA setpoint
V_Low = 4 mA setpoint
I_out = output current (mA)

• If the VP550 cannot detect a signal from the transducer, the analogue output current will fall to 1mA (“failure mode”).

• • When converting the output current into a voltage, the maximum load is 1000R (“R” = ohms) for a 24V power supply. The maximum load decreases with supply voltage.
• Voltages seen across typical “sense” resistors:

Sense resistor	4mA	20mA
50R	0.200V	1.000V
100R	0.400V	2.000V
150R	0.600V	3.000V

NOTE: If the 1000R maximum load resistance is exceeded, the current source will have difficulty maintaining current through the load. For successful operation across the full current range, do not exceed the maximum load resistance.

3.3.7 Pressure input

• P SOURCE selects between:

P SOURCE	OFF	no pressure input
	4-20 mA	external (4-20mA) analogue pressure input
	KEYPAD	keypad-entered pressure value

• If 4-20 mA is selected, use P 4 mA and P 20 mA to set the pressures in bar corresponding to the minimum and maximum input currents as follows:
  P 4 mA — minimum pressure (4mA input)
  P 20 mA — maximum pressure (20mA input)
• The actual input current is shown in the CURRENT line.

3.3.8 USB settings

• The following data are shown:

ADDR	VP550 address
Mode	switches between Modbus® ASCII, RTU or “print”

• The VP550 address should only be modified if the system is to be used in a multidrop configuration.
• If Mode is set to AUTO, the VP550 will adopt the correct mode automatically. If Mode is set to PRINT, the VP550 will output a datastring approximately once a second without waiting for a response.
• A suitable USB driver must be installed on the PC to which the VP550 is connected. See Appendix 4.