Applications

Senix ToughSonic® Ultrasonic Transmitters measure water level using “non-contact” technology that looks down at the water from above. These sensors are used in open air and in stilling tubes that constrain the sound and improve performance. They are easy to use and reliable, and thousands are installed applications around the world for irrigation, stream monitoring, flood and tsunami warnings and sea level monitoring. Our General Purpose Sensors are housed in 316 stainless steel suitable for outdoor environments and can withstand H2S and salt water environments over a wide temperature range.

Ultrasonic sensors mount at the top of the tank facing down toward the liquid surface. By measuring the distance to the liquid, and knowing the tank height and geometry, the level or volume is calculated. Tanks can have a nitrogen blanket or be open top. The sensors typically thread into a tank fitting, and can connect to other equipment by analog or serial data means. They can also identify full, empty or reorder levels. A wireless connection can also be provided to access local tank data without installing conduit or power at the tanks (see Wireless Level Monitoring below). Our General Purpose sensors measure water and benign liquids, or ToughSonic CHEM models can measure most chemicals.

Distance measuring applications are numerous and ideally suited to the flexibility and high performance of our ToughSonic sensors. Used both indoors and outside, these applications include everything from measuring roll diameters and controlling web loops in converting machinery, to scanning plant heights for phenotyping, to measuring the flying height of America’s Cup boats. Our General Purpose ultrasonic sensors are fully user-configurable and connect with all types of industrial equipment. Cross-talk prevention is built-in for multi-sensor applications such as conveyor belt load profiling or multiple sensors on converting machinery with both unwind and rewind sensors.

Often, only the presence of an object is needed rather than the distance. ToughSonic General Purpose ultrasonic sensors can detect objects over longer ranges than traditional “proximity” sensors, and detection can be limited within a specific distance window (range of distances). One or two switches outputs can be set on or off as the application requires, with user-adjustable time delay responses, offering built-in functionality without external controllers. Target object size, shape, orientation, distance and sound absorption all affect target detection. Suitable applications are those where these characteristics are known and repeatable. We do not recommend using ultrasonic sensors as a primary device for personal safety.

Senix ToughSonic sensors are found on may hydrofoil boats to measure the flying height, including electric and solar foiling boats, and almost all America’s Cup boats. They are also used on other marine applications, and the stainless 316 housings are suited for the salt water environment. Superior real-time performance, rugged submersible construction, internal filtering options and the ability to adjust the sensor to meet the needs of each application are important factors.

Senix offers wireless monitoring of local tank or streams using our battery powered AirWire technology. Levels can be monitored inside plants or corporate campuses without running wires or conduit, saving significant cost. Level data can be displayed on a local area network (LAN) or transferred to the cloud for viewing by authorized users. Transmitters located at each site can report to one or multiple receivers, and level alarms can be set to warn of high or low levels.