Developing new test standards
You may think of us at RD&T as being mainly focused on testing commercial, professional and domestic refrigeration equipment. Whilst this is true, we also do work on other laboratory, pharmaceutical and catering equipment. This covers both cooling systems as well as heating or cooking equipment. Some examples of our bespoke testing include drinks systems, hot storage of foods, toasters and specialised refrigerators.
In some cases, test standards are available which we can follow. However, dedicated test standards are often not available and take several years to develop though the BSi/CEN/ISO process and this is too long for many end users who want results rapidly. Through our work in developing standards within the BSi/CEN/ISO process, we have good knowledge and experience on how to develop robust test standards.
In the case where dedicated test standards are not available, we need to work with the manufacturer to develop a test that is representative and suitable for their equipment. Often manufacturers use this for marketing purposes to benchmark themselves and to find out where they could improve the performance of their equipment.
At the start of a project, we often spend a period discussing the testing with the manufacturer to make sure that the tests we develop are robust, reflect usage and provide the information that the manufacturer needs. We often have much of the equipment needed to carry out bespoke tests as the equipment is already used in our refrigeration testing and is calibrated with uncertainties of measurement available. In most cases we utilise our environmental test rooms that can be used to create a range of ambient conditions for testing according to how the equipment may be used in real life. Most tests involve measuring temperature of a product on/within a system and the energy it consumes. In some cases, we also look at the quality of the products that are produced to make sure they are the correct colour or have not lost weight in the process.
If you would like to know more about bespoke testing, then please contact Judith Evans (j.a.evans@rdandt.co.uk) at RD&T.