Discharge - ultrasonic Doppler FlowTracker

From Experimental Hydrology Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
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
  • standard AA-batteries

Disadvantages:

  • depth scale of fixed rod hard to read (no numbers)
  • scale of adjusting rod confusing and useless for everything but 1- and 2-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

Price:

  • ~ 11000 € (2008, Germany)

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