Enhancing Flood Monitoring with Non-Contact Radar Level Sensors
Challenge
Effective flood monitoring is essential for environmental agencies to safeguard communities and mitigate risks. Level sensors are a critical component of flood monitoring systems. An environmental agency needed dependable flood sensor technology to handle adverse weather conditions and debris-filled floodwaters. Traditional sensors failed to provide accurate data, leading to challenges with flood prediction, early warning systems, and overall flood management strategies.
For this project, ABM’s advanced non-contact radar level sensors were selected. Radar technology is ideal for flood monitoring applications as it is unaffected by weather conditions such as rain and wind, temperature fluctuations, extreme temperatures or acoustic noise, ensuring reliable level measurements in flood-prone areas.
Solution
ABM’s radar level sensors are a critical component of the agency’s flood monitoring system that helps them with management and mitigation strategies. The radars are a perfect match for flood monitoring applications due to the following factors:
High Dynamic Range
Alternative radar sensors struggled to detect water surfaces and dry riverbeds accurately due to their low dynamic range, which caused inaccuracy. ABM’s smart radar sensors proved reliable, having a high dynamic range and low noise floor. The high dynamic range provides sensitivity to detect the smallest signals from weakly reflecting (low dielectric constant) objects, such as the dry, grassy, rocky riverbeds common in rivers and streams.
Plug-and-Play Installation
The sensors also feature a self-adjusting design that automatically eliminates false echoes from bridges, ladders, or other obstacles by pushing the false echoes under the noise level to ensure stable measurements. No false echo mapping or suppression is required which involves downloading several parameters and involvement by technical engineers to complete the complicated setup. In comparison, ABM radars are plug-and-play making installation and setup simple.
Maintenance-Free Flood Sensors
The sensors are maintenance-free, a requirement for sensors deployed in scattered and remote locations. No cleaning is required as the Teflon rod antenna resists material or condensation build-up. The non-contact design minimizes damage risks while aiding with maintenance-free operation.
Versatile Mounting Options
Another key advantage is the sensor’s narrow beam width, which facilitates flexible mounting. A narrow beam width enables the sensors to be installed close to a bridge or ladder without influence, providing hassle-free installation and optimal performance.
Conclusion
ABM’s smart radar level flood sensor technology enables precise measurements even in challenging conditions, and its adaptability seamlessly adjusts to environmental changes for long-term operation and stability. The agency significantly enhanced its flood management efforts, safeguarding communities and enabling peace of mind.
