Discharge - ultrasonic Doppler FlowTracker

Parameter to be measured:

Flow velocity (, discharge)

Method:

2D/3D ultrasonic Doppler

Equipment:

• sensor + display unit
• adjustable wading rod

Advantages:

• on-site discharge computation
• powerful quality checking, configuration and data storage options
• self-explaining menu system, well-labelled keys
• velocity measurement with 2D or 3D components
• convenient sensor height adjustment from above the water
• comparatively light rods, all packed in single sturdy case
• easy-to-use software with basis visualisation capabilities

Disadvantages:

• depth scale of fixed rod hard to read (no numbers)
• scale of adjusting rod confusing and useless for everything but 1-point-verticals
• high sensitivity to mud-clouds
• sensor contact with the mud may produce very high velocity measurements
• sensor and display-unit cannot be separated - impractical when handling the unit for data-retrieval
• heavy and bulky transport case

What to watch out for:

• sensor contact with bottom sediment, cloudy water, confusing scale, annoyed freshwater bats

Links

Discharge - comparison of measurements (C2, Flowtracker, Flowsens, ADC, tracer, dipping rod)

Other related web sites:

Projects that used the above equipment: -

References

http://www.sontek.com/flowtracker.php