Revitalization of Axial Flow Pump/Turbine h26 Test Rig

Various solutions are available in the market to enhance the quality of laboratory experiments, but the majorities are expensive. In this study, we present a low-cost approach for the automation and computer aided control of an axial flow pumpturbine test rig, which can be easily adapted to varying demands of laboratory applications. Essentially, this design is developed by upgrading the existing available system by selecting an optimum system configuration comprising an Arduino platform which is an open-source prototype based on a microcontroller; sensors, motors, relays, etc. based upon the system requirements and specifications. The system is controlled by Visual Studio software that is an expert in visual basic programing language and installed on a personal computer located in the hydraulic laboratory of Mechanical Engineering Department at Eastern Mediterranean University. The proposed system is designed for cost, flexibility, modularity, maintenance, and re-configurability. A user-friendly interface is developed for performing measurements, calculation, plotting and automating the task of laboratory equipment. It also offers some modules to control various experiments in the hydraulic laboratory in order to extend the number and type of conceivable experiments in education. Keywords: Laboratory experiments, Automation, Axial flow pump/turbine, Arduino, Visual Studio