AS/NZS 5125.1 Raw Test Data Analysis | Knowledge Base

Overview

A data processing tool that takes raw time-series instrument data from an AS/NZS 5125.1 test session (as exported by the laboratory’s data acquisition system) and produces smoothed COP, heating capacity, and power input curves across the tested ambient temperature range. The tool applies regression analysis to fit performance curves, detects transient periods that should be excluded from steady-state results, flags measurement anomalies, and produces outputs comparable to a finalised test report.

The primary use case is reviewing raw laboratory data before the formal test report is issued, enabling early detection of test issues (drift, instability, outliers) and providing independent confirmation of the extracted test point values. It also serves as a data preparation step when a laboratory provides raw data rather than a formatted report.

User Stories

As an EnergyAE engineer reviewing a laboratory test, I want to upload the raw CSV from the data logger and immediately see whether the test conditions were stable and the measured values are consistent, before the formal report is issued.
As a product engineer at a manufacturer, I want to see regression curves fitted to my raw test data so I can assess performance at ambient temperatures between the formal test points.
As a consultant, I want to compare the raw-data-derived COP values with the formally reported test point values to confirm the laboratory’s own data reduction is correct.
As an engineer, I want to flag unstable or anomalous test periods so I can discuss them with the laboratory before the report is finalised.

Input: CSV Format Requirements

The tool accepts a CSV file from the laboratory data acquisition system. Because different laboratories use different DAQ systems, the column mapping must be configurable rather than fixed.

Expected data columns

The user maps their CSV columns to the required fields on upload. Required fields:

Timestamp (date-time)
Ambient air dry-bulb temperature (°C)
Water inlet temperature (°C)
Water outlet temperature (°C)
Water flow rate (L/min or kg/s)
Electrical power input (kW or W)
HP operating status (on/off, 0/1 — optional but improves analysis)
Boost element status (on/off, 0/1 — optional)

Column mapping UI

On upload, the tool displays a mapping step where the user matches their CSV column headers to the required fields. Previously used mappings can be saved as named templates (e.g. “CVC DAQ format”, “Intertek DAQ format”) so the mapping step is skipped on subsequent uploads from the same lab.

Data resolution

Accepts any time step from 1 second to 1 minute. The tool auto-detects the time step from the timestamp column.

Data Processing Pipeline

Step 1: Data quality checks

Run immediately after upload, before user sees results:

Check for missing values in required columns and flag any gaps
Check for implausible values (e.g. COP > 10, negative power input, water temperature above 95°C) and highlight as suspect
Check for timestamp gaps (missing data periods) and flag with duration
Check for ambient temperature drift (ambient should be stable during each test condition — flag periods where ambient varies by more than ±1°C over a rolling 15-minute window)
Check for data completeness: confirm the expected number of test conditions are present based on ambient temperature clusters

Step 2: Test condition segmentation

Automatically identifies discrete test conditions from the ambient temperature column:

Clusters time periods by ambient temperature into test conditions (e.g. 5°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 35°C)
Within each condition, identifies the stable steady-state period vs warm-up/cool-down transients
Steady-state detection: flags periods where ambient temperature variation is below ±1°C and HP operating status has been stable for at least 15 minutes
User can manually adjust the steady-state boundaries for each condition via a simple slider on the time-series chart

Step 3: Performance point calculation

For each test condition’s steady-state period:

Average ambient temperature (°C)
Average electrical power input (kW)
Calculated heating capacity: water flow rate × specific heat × (outlet temp - inlet temp), converted to kW
Calculated COP: heating capacity / power input
Standard deviation of COP within the steady-state period (measure of stability)
Duration of steady-state period used (minutes)

Step 4: Regression analysis

Fits performance curves across all test conditions:

COP vs ambient temperature: polynomial regression (degree 2 recommended; developer to allow degree selection)
Heating capacity vs ambient temperature: polynomial regression
Power input vs ambient temperature: polynomial regression
R² value shown for each regression fit as a quality indicator
95% confidence interval shown on each curve

Outputs

Data quality report

A summary panel showing:

Total test duration
Number of test conditions detected
Number of data quality flags (with severity: warning vs error)
Steady-state data coverage as % of total test time
Any detected anomalies with timestamps

Test condition time-series chart

Time-series view of the full test session with:

Ambient temperature trace
COP trace (calculated from raw data)
Power input trace
HP and boost element operating status (if available)
Steady-state periods shaded in green
Flagged anomalies marked
Each test condition labelled
Zoom and pan controls

Performance curves (primary visual output)

Three charts (COP, capacity, power input vs ambient temperature) with:

Scatter points for each 1-minute average during steady-state periods
Regression curve overlaid
95% confidence interval band
Test point values from the raw data highlighted as larger markers
If a formal test report has been uploaded for the same product: formal reported test points shown as an overlay for comparison

Test point comparison table

Table comparing raw-data-derived test point values vs formally reported values (if available):

Ambient (°C)	Raw COP	Reported COP	Δ	Raw Capacity (kW)	Reported Capacity (kW)	Δ

Export

All charts as PNG and SVG
Processed test point data as Excel/CSV (averaged steady-state values per condition)
Full raw data with quality flags and condition labels as annotated CSV

Out of Scope (v1)

Automated detection of specific AS/NZS 5125.1 test protocol compliance (e.g. confirming draw-off volumes match the standard)
Multi-session batch processing
AS/NZS 4234 simulation from raw test data (this tool produces the performance coefficients that feed into the simulation tools, but does not run the simulation itself)
Automated report generation in AS/NZS 5125.1 format

Data Model (indicative)

raw_data_uploads
  upload_id
  product_id (nullable)
  user_id
  uploaded_at
  filename
  storage_url
  column_mapping (JSON: user's column-to-field mapping)
  column_mapping_template_name (nullable)
  time_step_seconds (auto-detected)
  data_quality_flags (JSON array)
  test_conditions_detected (JSON: ambient temp cluster definitions)
  calculated_test_points (JSON: per condition — averaged steady-state values)
  regression_coefficients (JSON: per metric — COP, capacity, power)

column_mapping_templates
  template_id
  user_id
  template_name
  mapping (JSON)
  created_at

Acceptance Criteria

Open Questions

What is the standard CSV format from CVC and Intertek? Alastair to provide sample files before build so the column mapping UI can be designed around real-world formats.
Should the tool accept multi-sheet Excel files in addition to CSV? Some lab systems export Excel natively.
What is the correct steady-state detection criterion for AS/NZS 5125.1? The ±1°C ambient criterion used above is an assumption — Alastair to confirm the correct stability criterion from the standard.
If the raw-data COP differs from the formally reported COP by more than a threshold (e.g. 2%), should this trigger a specific flag or just appear in the comparison table? A specific flag would prompt the user to investigate.
Should the regression coefficients calculated here automatically feed into the product database (as the performance data section of the product record), or is that a separate manual step?