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A statistical approach to behavioral modeling for assessing dynamic metrological performance during the concept design of accurate digitizers is proposed. A surface-response approach based on statistical experiment design is exploited for avoiding unrealistic hypothesis of linearity, optimizing simulation, exploring operating conditions systematically, as well as verifying identification and validation uncertainty. An actual case study on the dynamic metrological characterization of a Fast Digital Integrator for high-performance magnetic measurements at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is presented.

A transducer based on a virtual flow meter is proposed for monitoring helium distribution and consumption in cryogenic systems for particle accelerators. The virtual flow meter allows technical and economical constraints, preventing installation of physical instruments in all the needed measurement points, to be overcome. Virtual flow meter performance for the alternative models of Samson [ http://www.samson.de (2015)] and Sereg-Schlumberger [ http://www.slb.com/ (2015)] is compared with the standard IEC 60534-2-1 [Industrial-process control valves—Part 2-1: Flow capacity—sizing equations for fluid flow under installed conditions (2011), https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/2461], for a large temperature range, for both gaseous and liquid helium phases, and for different pressure drops. Then, the calibration function of the transducer is derived. Finally, the experimental validation for the helium gaseous state on the test station for superconducting magnets in the laboratory SM18 [Pirotte et al., AIP Conf. Proc. 1573, 187 (2014)] at CERN is reported.

The world of software for measurement and test applications is analyzed by considering two main distinct groups of solutions related to the scenario on the market and to the state of the art in research. For the first group, after defining suitable decision criteria for analyzing the related products, the most innovative and promising solutions of manufacturers leaders are reviewed. In the second group, software tools and applications for instrumentation and measurement research are examined, by looking for main trends in the related scenario and a synthesis of the most promising advancements.

A framework for easily developing software for measurement and test applications under highly and fast-varying requirements is proposed. The framework allows the software quality, in terms of flexibility, usability, and maintainability, to be maximized. Furthermore, the development effort is reduced and finalized, by relieving the test engineer of development details. The framework can be configured for satisfying a large set of measurement applications in a generic field for an industrial test division, a test laboratory, or a research center. As an experimental case study, the design, the implementation, and the assessment inside the application to a measurement scenario of magnet testing at the European Organization for Nuclear Research is reported.