VentSim Connect.

[Andrzej Szmuk]

Good morning.

I kindly ask for help regarding connecting my model with the network of telemetry sensors at the bottom of the mine. The updated version of the program lacks the ability to connect with VentSim Connect as described in the manual. I've been using the program for years and there used to be a possibility to integrate data from different files along with assigning values, descriptions, sensor types in various columns. It was possible to define which column in the file corresponds to a given range of data. Now there is no such possibility, or I simply can't find it.

 

Currently, I have one data formats from the telemetry system:

I.

IDENT# CZAS      POMIAR               TypCzujnika        JEDN#   LOKALIZACJA     X             Y              Z
ZX:001 2021-03-01 10:13:39 1 Control unit Oil chamber pos.705

ZX:004 2021-03-01 10:13:39 1 Control unit Conveyor cut DF pos.1080

 

The files are being overwritten.

 

However, the ideal solution would be to freely define data columns - because systems vary.

 

I kindly ask for your assistance. The matter is urgent for me.

 

Best regards, Andrzej Szmuk (JSW S.A.)

[Craig Christensen]

Hi Andrzej,

The LiveView feature was discontinued on 31st Dec 2021 and replaced with the Ventsim Control software instead. Ventsim Control can connect directly to sensor units and also can run trending, alerts and it can also maintain a real time dynamic simulation whether you are currently looking at it or not, as the server is always running the simulation in the background. Ventsim Control is a much more robust system with more features than was possible with LiveView.  

You can try using an older version of the software which has the LiveView feature present (versions from before 2022) if you urgently need to try it, but I strongly recommend investigating Ventsim Control for this purpose. Let us know if you would like some more information about using Ventsim Control.

There is a feature that is still in the Ventsim Design software that is similar to LiveView which is called the Dynamic Script. This feature allows you to take a history of readings and replay them in a Ventsim Dynamic simulation with the sensor results being inserted into the simulation so that you can see the downstream predictions.

You can access this feature from the Connect menu in Ventsim Design.  From here if you click the Create Example Script it will generate an Excel file with all of the sensor type numbers and column names that would automatically map in as sensors in Ventsim.

 

The script will look something like this:

You will see a column named VSLocation, if you know the unique number in Ventsim put those values in that column and the sensor will be mapped to those airways. Also note you can map the data types using the SensorType column, see the Description column for what number to use for each type of data. You don't need to fill in the Description column in your input file from your data.

When your file is ready to import, select it at the top as the input file and then click the Import Sensors button. This will bring in the sensors found in the script.  If you already put the unique airway numbers in the script file then they will be mapped to airways directly. If not then you will need to link the sensor to the airways next.  Close the Dynamic Script form and edit an airway where a sensor needs to be. Go to the Connect tab and click Link Sensors, this will bring up the list of Sensors imported into the model from that Dynamic Script.

Once you have mapped your sensors, go back to the Dynamic Script form, enable the simulation options you want and then click Run.  A Dynamic Simulation will start up and it will cover the time period found across the sensor data.

 

[Andrzej Szmuk]

Good morning.
Thank you for the quick reply.
I understand. Can you expand (return) to the possibility of free data mapping (Data source, Column name mapping - schema)  in the next update, as it was in previous versions of the program. 
It was a very helpful solution. .... 
Can Ventsim control work as a virtual machine or does it have to be in the form described on the website (Dispatch room). 
We already have such a system in the mine. a change of supervision would be very costly.
 Maybe you can make VentSim Control available for users, eg for a limited number of sensors.
Please consider it again.

Sincerely, Szmuk Andrzej

Edited May 16, 2023 by Andrzej Szmuk

[Craig Christensen]

I have noted your feedback, though LiveView is unlikely to return as we cannot maintain both LiveView and Ventsim Control, and Control has much greater capabilities.

Yes, Ventsim Control can run in a virtual machine and there are several options for connecting to sensors. The base edition that is limited to read-only functionality was made cheaper when it became the replacement of LiveView. You can also run Ventsim Control alongside any existing monitoring system you have in place.

Please send us an email (ventsim@howden.com) if you would like more info about Ventsim Control (pricing, setup requirements etc.).

 

[Andrzej Szmuk]

Good morning,

I am continually encountering issues with mastering integration based on "dynamic scripts". I have modified the virtual sensor creator file, taking into account the unique mine ID number in the VSLOCATION column...

I kindly request that you look into this problem. As I suggested in an earlier post, I believe it would be beneficial to allow descriptions and definitions of columns and data that are inputted into Dynamic Scripts. Currently, if I have different input data from my system, it doesn't work because the date and time format is different from that in Ventsim.

I think such a feature, as was previously available in LiveView, worked very well and allowed me to integrate various types of data from different sources in the program.

I am counting on your support.

Yours sincerely, Andrzej Szmuk

[Craig Christensen]

Hi,

Can you send us your script file (or just a sample of it) at ventsim.support@howden.com and we can take a look at it? If you can include some screenshots of issues you are encountering as well, that would be helpful.

We do intend to improve both the static and dynamic scripting tools in the future but not in the short term, I have noted your suggestion of allowing dynamic script files to work with different formatted data.

Regards,

Craig

[Andrzej Szmuk]

Good morning. 

We are looking forward to this fix. we've been working on the dynamic script for a month and it's a series of failures. 
when the sensor recognition function works, the simulation does not work based on it. 
Please go back to live view! Or at least the possibility of input based on Excel, CSV in the corrected version of Dynamic Script. 
I'm counting on you! :-)

Edited June 5, 2023 by Andrzej Szmuk