Measuring Surface Currents with an Array of Inexpensive Paddle-Wheel Sensors
Abstract
For my research, I developed a way to use inexpensive Hall effect sensors to read the rate of flow of the surface currents of a flowing body of water. I used two Airmar ST850 Smart™ Sensors, costing sixty dollars each, that have paddles which rotate when faced with a current. I also employed an Arduino Uno and a program that records the number of times per second one paddle passes through the body of the sensor and then calculates the water flow rate in meters per second. I also designed and built a mount for the sensors out of wood and PVC pipes to mount the sensors to a flow table and test their accuracy. Normally anyone who needs to measure water currents uses Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) sensors, because they can measure surface and sublevel currents at the same time. However, those sensors can cost thousands of dollars each. The end goal of my research was to find a way to get accurate results for surface currents with inexpensive sensors. In that way, for example, in disaster zones, many of these sensors can be attached to small unmanned water vehicles which can use the data from the sensors to predict optimal routes for rescues.
Measuring Surface Currents with an Array of Inexpensive Paddle-Wheel Sensors
Founders Hall 250 A
For my research, I developed a way to use inexpensive Hall effect sensors to read the rate of flow of the surface currents of a flowing body of water. I used two Airmar ST850 Smart™ Sensors, costing sixty dollars each, that have paddles which rotate when faced with a current. I also employed an Arduino Uno and a program that records the number of times per second one paddle passes through the body of the sensor and then calculates the water flow rate in meters per second. I also designed and built a mount for the sensors out of wood and PVC pipes to mount the sensors to a flow table and test their accuracy. Normally anyone who needs to measure water currents uses Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) sensors, because they can measure surface and sublevel currents at the same time. However, those sensors can cost thousands of dollars each. The end goal of my research was to find a way to get accurate results for surface currents with inexpensive sensors. In that way, for example, in disaster zones, many of these sensors can be attached to small unmanned water vehicles which can use the data from the sensors to predict optimal routes for rescues.
