Flow measurement

Acoustic Path Flow Measurement System

The I1-Acoustic Path system is a stationary transit-time solution for flow measurement in rivers and open channels, based on Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight technology.

Designed for both new installations and the modernization of existing systems, it enables continuous measurement of mean water velocity and flow rate even under complex hydraulic conditions and at very low flow velocities.

Operating principle

Measurement is carried out using ultrasonic pulses transmitted between pairs of transducers installed on opposite banks of the watercourse. The difference between upstream and downstream signal travel times makes it possible to determine the mean flow velocity along the acoustic path and calculate the flow rate.

The system maintains high performance even in the presence of water level variations, backflow, vegetation and secondary inflows, and is particularly suitable for the measurement of very low flow rates.

Available configurations

The system can be configured with a single path, crossed paths or in a multi-plane configuration, depending on channel characteristics and velocity profile.

Crossed-path configurations reduce the influence of changes in flow direction, while multi-plane systems are suitable for applications with significant water level variations, backflow or non-standard vertical velocity distributions.

Ultrasonic transducers

The ultrasonic transducers are available in a high-frequency version for channels from 10 to 100 metres and in a medium-frequency version for channels up to 400 metres, with typical velocity accuracy of ±1%.

Main features

The system supports bidirectional flow measurement, flow calculation according to ISO 6416 and integration with monitoring networks and data acquisition systems via Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, RS-485, RS-232, Ethernet, WLAN and 4G LTE communication.

Advantages

Its modular and scalable architecture, high accuracy even at low velocities and the possibility of reusing existing sensors and cabling make the system particularly suitable for hydrometric monitoring, watercourse control and flow measurement in hydrological and hydrogeological applications.