Development of Digital Pressure Test Platform for Ball Valves in Pumped Storage Units

With the development of new energy technologies in the power system, the construction scale of pumped storage power stations continues to expand, making the factory testing tasks for ball valves in pumped storage units increasingly burdensome. Currently, the pressure test of ball valves in pumped storage units is conducted manually using water pumps, which results in low pressurizing accuracy and testing efficiency, as well as poor safety. In this paper, a digital pressure test platform for large ball valves is developed, with a working pressure range of $0-25 \mathrm{MPa}$. The mechanics diagram of the hydraulic pump station is presented, and the electrical control system based on PLC is designed. The PLC program and PC software are also developed. Through this test platform, users can perform fully automated and semiautomated high-pressure tests on large ball valves in pumped storage units, improving the efficiency of factory testing for ball valves. Furthermore, the remote operation mode can effectively ensure the safety of the testing workers.