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The ADV was developed for use in physical model facilities, such as flumes. It is based around the fact that acoustic pulses in turbid water suffer less degradation and limitations than light pulses. The device is based on a three dimensional recording facility that is linked straight into a PC interface which can immediately show the results in graphical form. The software can be pre-programmed so that data can be entered into individual files that can be easily retrieved.
The device is small and easily portable and does not need continuos recalibration. The ADV measures a volume of less than 1cm3 at a rate of 25 Hz along three axes. The arms of the probe are bent at an angle of 30o so that they focus on the same sampling volume. The probe is at the end of a long stem so that there is minimum disruption to the flow of water. This is in turn attached to conditioning module, which holds all the sensitive electronics. This is then attached to a cable, which can be plugged into computer hardware. The software is available on a card that fits into a 16-bit IO slot of an IBM AT- compatible computer. |
