Pressure data loggers for water management: Measuring and storing 1.5 million parameters

STS Sensortechnik provides instruments that combine precision with ease of use - individual customization possible

The height of the fluid level is a crucial piece of information in many application areas. Businesses, government agencies and researchers have to rely on this precise instrument which should ideally operate autonomously. With the pressure data logger DL.OCS/N/RS485, the Swiss precision technology supplier STS Sensortechnik, has introduced a product to the market which exactly serves this purpose. The device records the pressure of liquids from which fluid levels can be calculated. It also measures the temperature and, via an optional module, it measures the conductivity in a particular medium as well. This way, for instance, the salt content of a solution can be determined. A version made from highly resistant titanium allows it to be used for instance in acidic liquids.

"From environmental agencies who want to monitor the groundwater level to contractors who want to control the entry of water into a deep pit - our data loggers are an ideal tool for all users," says Marc Simmen, Product Manager at STS Sensortechnik. The instrument can store up to 1.5 million measurements and with one battery can keep running for up to ten years. This makes it possible for the DL.OCS/N/RS485 to record data for long periods trouble-free and without maintenance. These features reduce operating costs to a minimum.

The pressure data logger has a measurement range of 0 ... 2 mH2O and 0 ... 250 mH2O. STS Sensortechnik configures other measurement ranges upon request. Thanks to the RS485 interface and the Modbus RTU protocol, this data logger meets current industry standards. The user-friendly software requires no special introduction and can be controlled with just a few buttons. The user can in this way quickly program up to 16 series of measurements. "If one wants, for example, to measure the change in water level, one can set: from June to August by measuring once a day; when the snow melts in the spring, once every hour", says Simmen. Thanks to the alarm function, peak measurements occurring outside of the actual measurement intervals will not go unnoticed by the user. This data is then quickly transmitted: "Even large series of measurements can be read out in just a few minutes, thereby enabling time-saving processes," says Simmen.