Recommended Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring System
Effective DO monitoring provides real-time DO measurement data with alarms to notify for abnormalities. Typical systems include multiple sensor placements upstream, at the intake, tailrace, and downstream for background, comparative, and redundant measurements.
Data Logger
The X3 data logger provides reliable performance with a robust enclosure that easily mounts to dam structures and waterproof, pluggable sensor connections. Wireless telemetry capabilities provide remote, real-time data access.
Dissolved Oxygen Sensors
The X3 data logger supports a broad range of industry-standard dissolved oxygen sensor types, including YSI EXO Multi-Parameter Water Quality Sondes, ODO RTU Optical Dissolved Oxygen Sensors, and many more.
Power
System power is supplied by a fixed power supply where available or using solar-charged SP-series power packs. Solar panels are sized for continuous operation based on sensor load and regional sunlight conditions with battery backup for reliability in adverse weather.
Need More?
NexSens offers robust solutions for nearly any long-term DO monitoring application, including those requiring additional measurement parameters. Customized plug-and-play systems support sensors for many different measurement types.
Multi-Parameter Instruments
Multi-parameter sondes commonly supplement DO with additional water quality sensors like conductivity, pH, turbidity, and algae. The X3 supports sondes from leading manufacturers, including YSI, In-Situ, Solinst Eureka, Proteus, Sea-Bird Scientific, and Seametrics.
Additional Sensors
For even more comprehensive monitoring, systems can be augmented with many other sensor types. Rain gauges and multi-parameter weather stations track meteorological conditions and allow for identification of correlations between weather and DO.
Water level in reservoirs and rivers can be measured by water quality sondes with an integrated depth sensor or by a dedicated sensor. Non-contact radar instruments such as the Geolux LX-80 series level sensors provide high accuracy with minimal maintenance.
In streams and rivers downstream of hydropower dams, flow rates can be estimated from water level measurement using a stage-discharge relationship. For more advanced profiling of flow conditions, side-looking ADCP instruments are also supported.
For cases where oversaturation is a concern to local aquatic life, conditions can be closely monitored using total dissolved gas (TDG) sensors integrated into the monitoring system.
Buoy-based Monitoring
In upstream reservoirs and larger downstream rivers, placing sensors on a floating buoy platform rather than dam or powerhouse structures may be advantageous. For such cases, buoy platforms are available in a variety of different sizes and power capacities.
Buoys support the same X3 data logging electronics and sensor types for DO, weather, and water quality measurements. Individual DO sensors are fixed to the buoy, or sensor strings may be suspended from the buoy for multi-depth temperature and oxygen profiling.
Deployment
X3 logger mounting using the PM2 Mounting Kit allows for flexible placement on the approach channel, intake, powerhouse, or tailrace of dams or along natural features. Masts are commonly used for mounting together with an SP-series solar power pack.
A deployment pipe mounted along the structure to the desired depth can be used to secure DO sensors. Perforations allow flow through to the sensor for accurate measurement, while the sensor can be easily raised out of the pipe for maintenance.
For buoy deployments, single-point moorings work well with buoy-mounted sensor configurations, while two-point moorings are preferred for suspended sensor strings in locations such as reservoirs.
Real-Time Dissolved Oxygen Data
Wireless telemetry delivers dissolved oxygen data in near real-time to the WQData LIVE web datacenter for continuous hydropower or water quality monitoring applications.
Free service at the Basic tier allows users to view, manage, and download data, set high/low Quick Alert messages for notification of exceedances, and remotely configure logger settings such as log and transmit intervals.
Subscription-based WQData LIVE tiers offer advanced alarm and data sharing features, including automated export, API, or access via Public Portal.
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Contact a NexSens Applications Scientist
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