Keeping a good overview with VEGAPULS C 11 |
The environmental agency measures and monitors water quantity and quality, manages water systems and levies fees on water pollution and groundwater extraction. It also advises on environmental permits and supervises infrastructure planning, as well as the monitoring and supply of drinking water. When it comes to rivers or any other form of flowing water, VMM relies on IoT solutions and adopts an integrated approach that focuses on limiting the risk of flood damage and achieving a high ecological status.
In other words: VMM looks to ensure that no user or consumer in the complex system of water distribution is neglected. However, you can only monitor something that has been accurately measured.
User-friendly and low-maintenance
Radar sensors, by contrast, are not bothered by dirt, sunlight, fog, wind or rain. They also do not require mechanical protection from high floodwaters. For that reason, the decision was made over 15 years ago to change the sensor type and since then the agency has relied on radar technology from VEGA.
They first worked with the radar level sensor VEGAPULS 61 with PVDF antenna for many years, then later with VEGAPULS WL 61. In the course of the collaboration, they especially appreciated the solution-oriented attitude of the Schiltach-based company, as Johan Eylenbosch, hydrographer and electrical mechanic at VMM, confirms: “Whenever a problem arose, the service and additional information provided by VEGA was very good and helpful.” This was to be reconfirmed by the next project the agency undertook.
Real-time level measurements ensure safety
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere
When the new compact radar level transmitter VEGAPULS C 11 became available,
many of those problems vanished in one fell swoop. The instrument contains a newly developed radar microchip that was specially optimized for the requirements of level measurement and, thanks to its high level of integration, makes it possible to build very compact sensors. The new VEGAPULS C 11 measures with a frequency of 80 GHz, which enables very good signal focusing. This allows better separation of measurement signals from interference signals – measurement is thus much easier and more accurate than with other measuring methods, such as ultrasonics. And the very small beam angle of only 8° is ideal for the application, as Eylenbosch notes: “Some channels are very small. Thanks to the narrow measuring beam, there are easier ways to install the sensor in tight spaces. For example, we can mount the sensor very close to the wall.” Thanks to its encapsulated cable and protection class IP66/68, the new radar sensor can be immersed in water in the event of a flood.
Current measurement data around the clock
Once the decision was made, VMM procured 50 compact VEGAPULS C 11 radar level sensors and installed them with microcontrollers at numerous locations in five provinces. The exact location of each one is determined via a GPS module built into the data logger. “Most of the measuring points are located in open watercourses and are actually not problematic. So we could also have used ultrasonic or pressure sensors,” says Eylenbosch, clarifying the reasons for the decision. “But the simple installation of the radar sensors via Bluetooth and the high measuring accuracy of ±5 mm, not to mention the very reasonable price, tipped the scales in favor of radar measurement technology. The instruments are also completely solar powered, which makes them even easier to operate and maintain. So the significantly lower energy consumption of the new radar sensors was helpful to us in many respects.” He mentions another great advantage: VEGAPULS C 11 fits into a small stainless steel housing. “This makes the entire measurement setup so inconspicuous that it is also protected against vandalism and theft.”
Conclusion and outlook
Anwendungen
Gauging station
River level measurement
Precise monitoring of the river level is an important requirement for sustainable extraction of river water for use as drinking water. The measurement sites are often in exposed locations and sensors are subjected to all weathers and surface conditions.

Reliable
Reliable monitoring of the river level
Cost effective
Simple mounting and signal transmission
User friendly
Wireless transmission of the measured value

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