How to choose the right monitoring options for outdoor pipe flow

How to choose the right monitoring options for outdoor pipe flow

Monitoring flow within a pipe can be straightforward in some locations. However, challenges arise when monitoring pipe flow in remote areas where power is unavailable or sensors are exposed to the elements, or both. In such cases, various solutions are available to address these challenges.

Outdoor monitoring/Aggregates

Siemens MAG8000, Panametrics AT600/AT868 clamp-on flowmeters

When there is a lack of mains power available at a measurement zone, a battery-operated flowmeter system may be used. The Siemens MAG8000 battery-operated flowmeter is a popular choice for locations with no mains power. The MAG8000 utilises the same measurement principle that other Siemens EM systems use (HDPE inner liner and Hastelloy C276 electrodes) so it is a good choice for monitoring water flow in abstraction pipes or in-between quarry boreholes and settlement lagoons. The MAG8000 can also connect to a 4G telemetry datalogger and a small solar panel would be suitable enough to keep the telemetry datalogger powered, which means live flow-rates can be viewed and logged from the comfort of an indoor PC on an office desk.

If there is mains power available, a clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter also lends itself to outdoor monitoring, thanks to components that increase the flowmeter systems ingress protection. Simple clamp-on flowmeters such as the Panametrics AT868 (discontinued) or Panametrics AT600 (available to purchase) systems are often chosen to perform outdoor flow monitoring.

One example application is quarry mineral washing applications, a process stage in-between a wash-plant (washes quarried minerals) and settlement lagoon (where washed waste silt is sent). An AT600 is housed in a kiosk with a pair of submersible sensor cables and submersible cable-electrical connections. Panametrics flowmeters are also able to connect to 4G telemetry dataloggers so the data can be reviewed online from a distance.

Various outdoor flowmeters such as the MAG8000 or Panametrics DF868 are also MCERTS certified, as a result, these can be used in applications whereby the provision of water flow data for environmental reasons is critical. An example application would be river abstraction for flood-plain/wetland natural restoration projects.

RS Hydro has many years of experience determining suitable specifications for outdoor pipe flow monitoring. RS Hydro's sales team is ready to assist with an outdoor specification remote monitoring flowmeter system.