Reports until 12:15, Thursday 29 January 2015
H1 SEI
hugh.radkins@LIGO.ORG - posted 12:15, Thursday 29 January 2015 (16342)
H1 HEPI Pump Servo Pressure Sensor Noise

The pressure sensor noise is not a function of the cable run or the satellite amplifier.

See attached--60 days of sensors in PSI.  The channels are in order: 1) The low pressure return at BSC2, 2) the high pressure supply at BSC2,[these two signal are amplified at the BSC and then run ~120ft to the ADC,] 3) The 'CALC' difference of the previous two--this channel is what the servo controls, 4) the Main Supply line pressure after all the Pump Stations [In parallel,] 5 & 6) the final pressure on two Pump Stations before joining the Main Supply Line.

Again, the first two channels are the remote sensors traveling ~120ft to the ADC.  Channel 3 is the difference of the first two.  The last channels travel <20ft to the ADC.

I've zoomed the graphs to be all the same and the noise level on the far sensors is not more noisy than the close sensors.  Channel1, the return pressure signal in fact appears to be the least noisy.  I don't see the difference there to be too signiicant but maybe it is.

One thing that is clear is seen in channel 3.  Before the large shift to 70psi on 14 January, that calc record was servoing on the Main Supply Pressure, Channel 4.  Now that the Differential channel is actually a difference of two channels, its noise has increased.

Finally, the actual quieter nature of these channels is just seen at the beginning of the traces on Channel 3 4 & 5.  Before this time, the remote sensors from BSC2 were not available.  This shift in the noise occurred whilst I was connecting up  these channels.  Somehow at that time when I was shifting cables around to dress them, a cleaner environment was lost.  I have tried to put everything back to as it was, that is, reconnecting the unused terminal to the servo computer etc but no luck.  Maybe the ground is floating around or something but it isn't clear.

Further, see the second plot.  Here is 65 days of the differential pressure and the output of the servo driving the motor speed.  This VOUT would be flatlined when the servo is not on.  My clear recollection of this 'quiet' period is that the VOUT might change 1 digit every few seconds, not several counts every second.

Images attached to this report