Sediment Array

Opportunity

This opportunity is led by Dr Andy Nichols and is underpinned by two patent families which are focused on a device and method for measuring the depth of water and sediment deposition in pipes, channels, overland flows and tidal beaches.

The problem

Sedimentation is of significant interest to geologists studying the evolution of the seabed resulting from turbidity currents and underwater landslides. Conservationists monitoring the erosion and deposition of coastal beaches pay particular attention to the evolving behaviour of tidal levels and sediment transportation. Sediment build-up is also a major concern for water companies, particularly in sewer pipes where sediment build up can easily occur and can seriously reduce the capacity of the pipe while increasing the risk of surcharging during storm events. Therefore, it is desirable to measure both the flow depth and the amount of sediment present.

However, it is difficult to measure the depth of fluid and depth of sediment since the sediment level of the bed changes due to sediment transport, which affects the wave probe reading. Similarly, wave probes are also used to measure sediment position, but if the flow level changes, this also affects the reading as the calibration is invalidated.

A device and method for measuring an accurate depth of fluid, depth of sediment and any changes to the position of the fluid and/or sediment would enable real time monitoring of sediment build-up.

Application

The invention measures an electrical property such as the conductivity or capacitance in different mediums and therefore allows the depths of the different mediums to be quantified in real time.

The measurement of an electrical property such as conductance or capacitance of the medium may also indicate the nature of the medium such as sediment structure, water salinity, and the presence of pollutants.

The invention enables the measurement of flow and sediment parameters in the context of a sewer pipe though it is easily applicable to other areas of sediment transport and flow analysis.

Benefits

The benefit of this invention is that the device can identify a relative measurement of the depth of fluid or sediment the device is submersed in, relative to the position of the device. The device is adapted to reduce the need for complex calibration or for external power sources and the device can be realised using electrodes that are exposed or insulated from the surrounding medium depending on the electrical property used as the basis of the measurement. For example, when using conductance, the electrodes are exposed to the surrounding medium, whereas, when using a measure of capacitance or signal attenuation, the electrodes are insulated from the surrounding medium.