Overview
Science Team performed a test on February 9, 2009 to observe and record several operating specifications of ARIAL. The pump was allowed to run off of the batteries, pumping air into the pop bottle array. Pressure inside the bottle array was not measured during this experiment. The following parameters over a period of operation:
- Battery Voltage
- Battery Current
- Internal Temperature
Procedure
- Charged battery pack to full charge
- Measured battery voltage across terminals with a digital multimeter
- Measured battery current out of one lead of the battery pack with a digital multimeter
- Turned on the pump using the 2 minute delay timer, and ran the motor continuously
- Analog Thermometer would not fit into actual capsule, so pump and battery pack were placed in a small box approximately equal in size to ARIAL's capsule. To simulate insulation, the box was wrapped in a jacket.
- Every five minutes, the box was opened to check temperature. Voltage and current readings were also logged every five minutes.
Experiment 1 Results
| Time (min) | Voltage (V) | Current (mA) | Power (W) | Temp (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial | 15.19 | 725 | 11.01 | 78 |
| 5 | 14.95 | 762 | 11.39 | 79 |
| 10 | 14.81 | 787 | 11.66 | 80 |
| 15 | 14.8 | 740 | 10.95 | 82 |
| 20 | 14.72 | 730 | 10.75 | 84 |
| 25 | 14.56 | No Data | No Data | 86 |
At this point, the motor had heated up to be be very hot to the touch, and the experiment was halted. The motor was allowed to cool for about 1 hour, and testing was resumed in Experiment 2.
Experiment 2 Results
| Time (min) | Voltage (V) | Current (mA) | Power (W) | Temp (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial | 14.88 | 570 | 8.48 | 80 |
| 5 | No Data | No Data | No Data | 82 |
After five minutes of operation, the pressure inside the bottle array had reached a pressure such that the pump stalled. It bears noting that this pressure was reached after an accumulated 30 minutes of operating time. In order to further characterize ARIAL's battery life, the bottle array was disconnected and the pump was allowed to run free of resistance, ad testing was resumed in Experiment 3.
Experiment 3 Results
| Time (min) | Voltage (V) | Power (W) | Current (mA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial | 15.28 | 600 | 9.17 |
| 5 | 15.21 | 565 | 8.59 |
| 10 | 15.15 | 552 | 8.36 |
| 15 | 15.09 | 553 | 8.34 |
| 20 | 15.03 | 549 | 8.25 |
